A general looked over some paperwork that laid sprawled across the open table set up for their discussion. All around him sat different members of Grace’s council, along with Grace herself at the head of the table. The reports from the princess’s little side mission was laid out as clear as day amongst the many other documents that the two colts wrote out involving their every move, and what they saw along the way… though admittingly, unknown to the council, some information was left out.

Setting the account of events back on the table. The general leaned back in his chair for a moment, going over it all in his mind and putting it together. “By the sounds of things, the gryphons are years ahead of whatever we have at our disposal,” he stated the obvious, much to her majesties pain. As she buried her face in a hoof, “We’re out matched, provided if these reports are correct that is.”

“And why would they not be?” Grace asked him herself, “after all I reviewed them personally… and as outlandish as some of the things may be, I have no reason to doubt the truth in those words.”

Another council member leaned in closer to the table, raising a brow to her, “and your majesty, why do you trust what these two colts have brought back?” he peered over the names, “a Mr. Knight and Mr. Freefall.”

Grace paused for a moment, Free has never let her down whenever she would ask of him something. Having been a loyal guard to her crown sense day one, she has the utmost of faith in the colt… his companion, that’s a different story.

Although given the circumstances, Iron had earned a little respect out of the mare.

‘He just doesn’t need to know that…’ Grace muttered to herself as she sat up straight to address them the best she could, “Neither of them have anything to gain by putting false information down on their accounts, and on top of that, Freefall is a trusted member of my royal guard. Ask anyone that has worked with him, he’s dependable, reliable, and has never lied to me thus far… why would he start now?”

As that started to sink in, another member asked a simple question, “and what of this Iron Knight?”

“That colt…” ‘is a major pain in the flank at most times, and probably deserves to be in an insane asylum. Let alone a school…’ Grace stopped her mental process, hoping that she didn’t say that out loud as she picked something that would be more appropriate for them, “… Mr. Knight is… a respected member of his town. Loved by many, looked up to by those that he teaches, and regardless of the many incidents that he has been apart of while he himself served… he has still proven himself loyal at every crossroad.”

She stopped there before any more came out than she would have hoped to say openly. Looking amongst them, Grace saw that all of the members before her pondered her words carefully, considering every possible outcome that could result if they were to take drastic measures too soon… after all, as far as they knew. Both the DDR and the Gryphon Kingdom were still in the process of building up their armies.

With a single break in the silence. One board member stood up, “I believe we have an agreement…”

Iron paced back and forth in the hallway leading out of the council chambers, as the satchel on his side slapped against him with every step. Digging a hold nearly in to the tile floor, Free simply stood there. It was midnight by the time the two got back to Boralus, and shortly after a quick medical checkup for any injuries, they began writing down their accounts for the previous days outing.

After getting washed up, and given notice by Silver when the meeting would be held later that evening. The two managed to get a couple hours rest, as they now just waited for an answer to see what Grace came out with, and Free watched to make sure the structure of the building wasn’t compromised due to his friend grinding away at its base.

“A watched pot never boils, Iron,” Free said just loud enough for his friend to hear over the steady pace of his own hooves on the tile, “you told me that once or twice before.”

“That may be true, but then again this pot could boil over in to an all-out war…” Iron deadpanned at him while keeping his eyes towards the ground that steadily became more and more interesting with every pace of his legs.

Free took a step in front of his friends’ path, “and we did little to stir the pot with our little night out…” though as Iron got closer to colliding with him, the colt simply sidestepped around, and continued along the path he made.

“No… we might have just kicked the hornets’ nest…”

“Might have?” Free raised a brow, “you blew up half of their factory…”

“And you helped.”

“You were the one that packed bombs.”

“And you let me use them.”

“Yes, let you use your toys, or die,” Free thought for a moment how it would have ended for them had he not brought them along, “you were just a mad colt with bombs and your other tricks. I would have at least used them more sparingly…”

“Oh please, keep in mind out of the two of us, you’re the one that actually went to the ward at one point…” Iron stuck his tongue out. Bringing up that little known fact amongst the others that Free worked with. Though even with that somewhat low blow, Iron does have a point… neither one of them are all that stable, but Iron can hide it much better than he.

The doors that they have been waiting on finally swung open. The colts stood at either side of the entrance way, only watching as all the council members walked out one by one. Some of them chatting to others on what was just discussed behind closed doors. While some decided to keep it that way.

The last one to leave was her majesty herself, with her head hung low.

He may have never worked with her as personally as Free did. But then again it didn’t take a sorcerer to know when a mare had just been kicked while lying down. Iron strolled up next to Grace, just as Free did the same on the opposite side of her. Though even with their close presence, the mare simply walked calmly and slowly away from the chambers as she had done when first leaving.

“Well I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that it didn’t go all that well…” Iron broke the silence as he had normally been the one to do.

“Ya-” Free started to say, before a single cobalt hoof rose up from the ground and silenced him with but a wave.

“Ignore the comment, Free… as much as it pains me to say, he’s right,” Grace said with enough venom and loathing in her tone that would make the average stallion go pale.

Though Iron isn’t the average stallion, on any level, “so what? They didn’t believe it at all? Too outlandish for a couple of colts to go in to a country and dig up some dirt on their way in?”

“Not exactly…” she smirked off to the side. They did preform flawlessly in what she had asked them to both do, even the teacher himself had done rather well. Though he never did tell her why he needed all those chemicals and odd sorts of supplies before he headed out, ‘I’ll ask later…’ she decided to herself, “the council is taking the matters to hoof and deciding a route to take on a later date. After all, it was just one encounter, and although I have my trust in what was reported, they don’t.”

Iron froze for a moment in the middle of the hallway. While the other two continued to walk for a few more paces before turning about to him. “So we go in, risk our necks, almost get blown up on a few occasions… and they’re going to leave it on the back burner?”

“It’s not that simple…”

“Why isn’t it?!” Iron flipped for a moment, “You’re the bucking princess of Seren, how can you not just say ‘this is what was found, we have to act, take a broom stick and shove it up y’all’s asses…’,” pausing there for a moment as a couple maids that went about cleaning the castle walked by, and passed him a glare. Iron collected himself once more, “how can they have the final say if you’re the one that wears the crown?”

Free looked at Grace, as she did the same to him, “He has been out for a while now, hasn’t he?”

“Well the fact that his home now resides on the boarders of Seren doesn’t really help,” Free answered her, and turned his attention to his friend, “things have changed here a lot when it comes to politics…”

“It still seems to be slowing down the process of progress,” Iron pointed out as he saw it, “so not that much seems to have changed.”

“You have a point there, though let me explain…” Grace looked around for a moment to see if there were any other guards there or other castle goers with prying ears. Beckoning the two colts, she led them out to a small garden set up in one of the many courtyards scattered about the castle.

Graces’ mother was always a lover of floral arrangements, and any time her husband got her another one, he made sure to get the seeds for the flowers that she received as well. Needless to say, by the time they had passed, the castle had an astounding number of gardens scattered across the grounds. Open to any and all patrons of the building, they were lit at night by magical lanterns that read the passing of the sun… and it made a great place to have some quiet time when certain matters pertaining to the distaste of politics came in to question.

Grace strolled along the garden, gently running her wing across a few of the pedals of carnations that began to bloom even this late in the season. Calmly she walked along the small path of stone, seemingly ignoring the two colts there that resided with her. Until she took a seat on a bench set up in the middle of the garden.

“Ever sense my parents… Passing…” Grace clenched the knot in her throat that had begun to form, “the council that was normally used as a group of advisors, sought to have more power over the nation as a whole. After all, the princess to take over,” she held a hoof to her chest, “wasn’t all that experienced in such fields. So needless to say, certain things were put in to effect…”

“Bills and regulations now get reviewed several times over by those members, before they even make it all the way up to me. Smaller notes, such as building sanctions, I never see. Unless it’s personally requested. Hell, even the outsourcing that was done to help stock pile for this war effort was delegated out amongst them…” she took a breath, to quite literally smell the roses that were scattered around her, “to officially declare war, I need their approval… I’m here more than anything as a face for the public, and a figure that can be viewed as guidance.”

“So what you’re saying is…” Iron processed it all for a moment, “It’s a puppet show, and you’re the puppet?”

“For lack of a better term… yes,” she replied calmly. Hiding her distaste to the crude, but true, reference, “hence why I never chose to pick up the title of Queen… one, I didn’t want it, and two, it no longer fit the role I would have.”

“Whelp… we’re boned…” Iron put bluntly. As he slumped down to dirt on his rump.

“It’s just going to take time there, Iron,” Free explained to him, “you know how messed up the hierarchy was in the military when we were both in… things get done still, eventually.”

“Yeah… it’s that last part I don’t like…”

“No matter the case, you two…” Grace cut off any more exchange of words that might be shared between them as she rose up from her bench, “you both preformed rather well out in the field together, just as I thought you would have after looking over your reports.”

“We aim to please,” Free nodded.

“Well he does at least,” Iron pointed out, “I just aim for the chest.”

“Don’t kill the moment there,” Grace playfully warns him, “after all I’m giving you a complement… you got in there, did what needed to be done, and although your reports are clearly lacking certain information…” she narrowed her gaze at the two. Watching only the two colts start to kick their hooves against the dirt, as they tried to look as innocent as possible. “I do believe that you two earned yourselves a drink…”

Irons ears instantly perk up, he hasn’t had one in a few days, and after a day like the previous one. It’s amazing to him that he hasn’t gone in to an alcohol induced coma yet. Frees’ head jumps to the same place, though then it goes to another. Out of the two of them, he didn’t sleep nearly as well as Iron did from their night, and suffice it to say.

That’s taken its toll.

“I appreciate the offer, Grace,” Free nods to her gingerly, “However, I myself must forgo that offer… I have a date tonight with a hot shower, and my pillow.”

“And probably his right hoof as well…”

“Iron…” Free glared at him, “shut up…”

“What? Are you ambidextrous now?”

“Ignoring that comment as well,” Grace jumped in the middle of the two, trying her best to hide the smirk on her face from Iron’s rather crude (but still comical) joke. “Free, just remember that if you’d like that drink at some point, you know where to find me…”

The Pegasus bowed to her out of respect, before turning around and bidding them both a goodnight, and Iron a mumbled ‘Buck you’ comment. As he headed off to the barracks, leaving the two alone in the garden.

Having watched their mutual friend leave, Grace turned her attention to the colt beside her, as she looked up in to his hazel eyes to see if sleep was calling to him as well. Though much to her surprise, and mild joy, Iron seemed just as awake as if he got a full night’s rest.

“So, Mr. Knight,” she asked him, “where do you stand on the offer?”

“Ma’am…” he said with probably the most respectful tone she’s heard out of him yet, “you had me at alcohol…”

“Well then,” she chuckled a bit at him, “shall we?” she started to waltz away.

Iron quickly caught up to her side, and passed by her to hold the door for the mare. “So which bar are we going to?” he asked as Grace began to slide past him, after nodding a thanks for the kind gesture.

“A bar? Not at all,” she stopped in the door frame for a moment, “I have something special for you up in my chambers that you’d probably like…” slowly but surely she saw the encroaching grin start to make its way on the colts’ face. As she realized what she just said, “Oh shut it will you… I’m talking about liquor, just follow me.”

“Can do,” Iron said with his head held up high, as he closed the door behind them and followed the mare out.

The walk to Graces’ chambers took little to no time at all for the couple, as they walked through the nearly empty halls of the castle in the evening. Many others have gone to bed by this point, and with little need to keep himself up after already viewing the reports, Silvertongue was nowhere to be seen amongst the few faces that walked the halls with them.

Grace reached the top of the stairs the lead up to her personal chambers. Greeting them, were two guards posted at either side of her doors to keep watch over her well-being as she slept. Instantly standing at attention as she approached, the princess simply waved them off with a gesture as they went back to their normal selves.

“Good evening, your majesty,” one sounded off as he went to grab the door, “pleasant night I assume?”

“Oh as much as one would expect,” Grace responded to him, “I don’t suspect any trouble with this one,” she passed a playful glare to the colt following her, “You two go ahead and take the night off… my treat.” With that, and a thankful nod from the guards, the door was opened and she led herself and Iron in.

Iron had never been in the royal chambers before. Even from the old king and queen, it was sort of an off limits area in his book and a line that even he wouldn’t cross… simply a sign of respect. Though as he walked in, his eyes immediately started to look across his surroundings.

Aqua curtains draped across the window frames that lined one side of her room, eventually leading to a pair of double doors that opened to a balcony for her to overlook the city. While inside resided all the amenities of a well classed home. Book shelves lined along one side of the room, stocked with what he would have suspected was half of the cities library collection. As a few love couches and recliners lined around a table set out in the center in front of a fire place.

With the seemingly fast approaching winter at their hooves, a fire was already roaring away as the heat and light from it filled the room. Only the moon from the half opened curtains lit the rest of the area, showing the colt an archway that he could only guess led to the princesses own bed and bath. Along with several random artifacts and pictures scattered around the room that were likely passed down from her passed family members.

“Don’t stare too long there,” Grace said, snapping him out of his gaze, “you’ll go blind…”

Iron simply shrugged his shoulders at the comment, “This is the first time I’ve ever been in the royal chambers… just taking it in, that’s all.”

“I see, give me a moment will you… and take a seat, please,” the mare said as she trotted off in to the arch. Leaving Iron to do as he was told for once, as he took a seat on the couch just across from the fire and rested his satchel next to him.

Crossing his legs, the colt positioned himself as he laid back in to the cushions. The first real time he’s had to relax sense waking up earlier, as his mind buzzed about what was said in the council meeting.

“I heard you’re a fan of vodka, is that so?” he heard the mare call out from her room, as the sounds of glasses rummaging about in a cabinet ever so slightly perked his ears up.

“As a matter of fact, I am,” Iron responded, “It seems you’ve done some snooping about.”

“Well you aren’t that hard to read,” he heard the mare say as she walked in to the room behind him, “Plus I always have Free around to talk to…”

Turning his head around, even in the dim light. Iron caught sight of the princess in a way he hadn’t before. Her regalia was all retired for the evening, no shoes, no tiara, not even a pair of earrings graced her. The only thing that adorned her, was the pony tail that she done her mane up in, the pair of glasses that she carried with one wing with a bottle in the other, and the violet evening gown she had covering herself up.

Pausing any other thought processes at the current moment, Iron focused on what he needed to keep his head straight. ‘Glass, take, now…’ “well don’t you look rather fetching,” he said politely, “Thank you,” and accepted the glass of clear with a simple flick of his horn.

“Thank you as well,” Grace tilted her head to him as she sat down in the recliner, crossing her legs just as he had. “I’m not much of a liquor mare, though I still know what’s good and what’s garbage…” Grace watched him for a moment. As the colt took the glass to his nose, before taking a sip. Instantly his eyes shot open, and although she could see his blood flushing his body from where she sat. Iron still maintained his cool composure, as he held the glass closer to heart. “I trust you like it?” she asked bashfully, already knowing the answer before he did.

“Seems you have some tricks up your sleeve,” Iron started to say, as he took another sip, “however, knowing your stuff isn’t one of them any more… good choice.”

“Why thank you,” she nodded from his approval, “Triple distilled, aged for two years much like a whisky, yet then filtered… Cloud Mist Vodka.”

“Never heard of ‘em.”

“Most grounded creatures haven’t, no offence,” she pardoned herself as she explained, “Pegasus ponies make it using the water used to make clouds, some of the purest liquid you can get.” Grace said, while topping her own glass off and taking a swig of her own, “usually it’s only available in shops high up in the clouds.”

“Whelp they’re certainly on to something there…” Iron said, savoring the drink as he finished the glass in one last go. Though before he could request, the mare already had a wing stretched out, filling his own back up. “… you trying to get me drunk?”

“Not at all, you can do that all on your own,” Grace pointed out to a tee, “I’m simply thanking you for a job well done…” she looked off to the side, paying attention more to the ground than the colt before her as something weighed on her mind.

Though the ever attentive colt he is, leaned in closer to the mare, and just stared from across the table. “Something else is eating at ya…” he said, watching her orbs flicker back and forth from him to the ground.

“Aren’t you observant…”

“No, I just point out the obvious rather well…” Iron leaned back in the couch as he brought the glass to his lips once more, “like that for example. Though what’s going on in that head of yours…”

“Well… needless to say, if you would be willing,” she paused for a moment to flick away the stray bang of hair that covered half her face, “I may have more use for you in the future on what else might come up over the impending war…”

“You want me to be a hired sword hand…” Iron didn’t wait even for the words to fully set in to his head of what she was saying, “Well I’ve always wondered what life would be like as a merc.”

“Mister Knight, this is serious…” she glared at him, trying to make what little sense she believed him to have, grasp what she was trying to say, “You are good at what you do, though making it up as you go can only get you so far.”

“Buck it, has gotten me through a lot of situations…”

“And it won’t get you through all of them,” Grace made her point known, “It’s up to you if you would want to or not, though given your nature, I suspect you will…”

“You know me so well…” Iron chuckled for a moment as he considered the consequences for this. Possibly dying for this country that he doesn’t really serve for, more than likely in another country he could care less about, while doing something for reasons he doesn’t full understand… “Yep, I’m game.”

“So soon to jump on the war wagon are you?” the princess peered more at him, trying to read past the poker face he was putting on.

“You said it yourself,” he tilted his glass to her, “I’m good at what I do…”

“…Speaking of which…” Grace leaned in a little closer, “for as much as you did over in the kingdom, much of your report remains blank on certain matters…” slowly but surely the snicker on Irons’ face grew with every word she spoke. And admittingly, so did her own, “would you care to fill in the blanks?”

‘Where to start?’ Iron asked himself as he mused over the question for a moment or two. There’s a lot he could roll in to, the mysterious mare that he’s run in to on more than one occasion now, the new tech that the gryphons have acquired, the fact that they have enough of this tech to virtually wage a war for years to come, or even the matter of with this tech it could wipe out all of Seren… ‘So much to say so little time…’ Instead Iron shoved his hoof in to his bag, and rummaged about for a second before taking out a little war prize from the factory.

Placing it on the coffee table before him, the single clawed weapon that nearly killed him on a few occasions laid dormant as Grace looked it over from a distance. Having not a clue what the contraption is, the princess simply watched it from where she sat, hoping for the colt to go in to some sort of explanation.

“That, is what me and Free found while there,” he pointed out, as he lifted the weapon with his magic and stripped it part by part before her very eyes. “At first when we saw them, neither of us knew what to make of it. After all, it looks so clunky and cumbersome… then we saw it in action.”

Iron took one of the projectiles that it fired out of the box that held many of them, and with a twist, separated it in to its individual components. “There’s a charge of black powder in the base that launches the metal projectile like an arrow out of the weapon…” Iron passed the round over to Grace, as she cradled it in a wing and looked over the metallic missile.

“This is what we should be afraid of?” she asked, looking down at the unassuming item, “It’s smaller than an ink well. I could do more damage with a letter opener…”

“That’s what you may think,” he pointed out, “but imagine an item that small, being fired like one of the older style cannon shots, with much better accuracy, in the claws of a single soldier…” as the colt laid it down for her. The princess found her eyes widening with every little step that he threw in, “not a pretty thought, aye?... and there’s more where that came from…”

Iron took the liberty of topping off his own glass as the princess leaned back in her own chair. Listening to what the colt had to say about some of the other things that they saw back in the kingdom, as he explained some of the tech to the best of his ability.

Whether it was the rockets that were fired at him and Free, that managed to nearly level an entire port. To even the larger weapons that he and his companion encountered that the gryphons opened fire with, or the massive factories that were cranking out these seemingly simple weapons at a monumental level. Enough to arm nearly the kingdoms entire standing force, at least a couple times over, depending what else they may have up their sleeves.

In the end, Grace simply sat there for a moment. Before putting her head in her hooves, “What have I done…” she asked herself out of pity.

Iron sat there, unsure by what she meant. If she was beating herself up for letting this situation of no negation spiral out of control, then yeah… it was kind of her fault. Though he didn’t need to be that blunt with it, “You did what you had to do, I’m sure,” Iron took a swig, downing the glass in one go. “The DDR and the Gryphons’ twisted your hooves, and you nipped them in the paws and talons for it… It’s only what they should have expected. After all, this sort of thing has been going on longer than either of us have been around…”

Grace looked up to him, he did have a point. The three nations on this side of the globe never really got along all that well. ‘Come to think of it,’ she pondered, ‘I don’t think there ever was a ruler that didn’t have to deal with a war starting…’

“Whatever you’re thinking, you’re probably right…” Iron smiled at her genuinely, catching the mare off guard as she flushed a bit.

“It’s just my luck that neither of the other nations had this kind of tech available to them in the past…”

“And it’s just your luck that you have a colt who is willing to level a city block, just to take out one enemy…” he grinned at her, feeling more proud of that fact than he probably should have.

Though the comment did raise one question to the princess’s mind, “Speaking of leveling things…” she peered at him, “Frees’ report said something along the lines of ‘Iron Knight terminated aggressors with extreme prejudice when it came time to make our escape…’ care to elaborate?”

Reaching in to his bag, Iron produced one of his contraptions. With a mason jar wrapped up in cloth and other rags, dipped in plaster to give it a hard shell. Grace didn’t know if he brought another thing back from the gryphons, or a new flower pot.

“That doesn’t tell me much…”

“Oh that? That’s a bomb.”

“And why do you have that still on you?!” Grace flipped on him for a moment, then immediately held her tongue. Questioning herself in how sensitive the device might be, especially given its creator.

“Calm yourself Gracie…” Iron picked it up in his hooves and held it to his chest like a foal, “It’s perfectly harmless.”

“You just said it was a bomb,” she deadpanned, “how is it harmless?”

“Well a letter opener is harmless,” he reasoned, “though apparently in your hooves, you could be a serial killer…”

“That’s not the point,” she shut herself up before the alcohol would take over and she would start rambling, “Is this what you needed the chemicals for? And the random bits and pieces of metal to work with?”

“Yep, overcharge the gem inside with a little magic, and they make one hell of a bang…”

“Another one of your pet projects from back home, hmm?” she mused.

“You could call it that, chemistry was never my strong suit,” Iron grinned recalling the several times he’d bitten off more than he could chew when it came to chemical reactions, “though I learn fast.”

“I take it they worked rather well in your favor?”

“Oh exceptionally… plus they leave one hell of a mess, and a message…” Iron snickered at the blood bath he left on the doorstep of whoever that mare was he and Free encountered.

For but a moment, Iron thought about relaying some of that information to the princess. After all, it would have proved him right all along about what or who himself and Free encountered that one night outside of the bar. Though something in his gut told him to hold off, that this wasn’t the time, or the place to do so. ‘Somehow ‘I told you so’, just doesn’t cut it’ Iron said to himself with a light grin on his face without even realizing it.

Silently though, across from him, Grace sat there. Reading his every move, every twitch of his eyes, and even the smile on his face. She analyzed everything about him… and still drew a blank. ‘An impossible colt to read,’ she thought, “Well… you certainly are a stallion of many trades,” Grace broke the silence with the simple opener, as she tried to fight back a yawn. “I’m glad you’re on my side…”

“I’m a loyal mutt, what more can I say?” he shrugged his shoulders. Though as the myth would suggest, the sleeping sand from the Sandpony crept up to him as well. Nearly cracking his jaw as he yawned, Iron took care to put the device back in his satchel as he rose up from his seat.

Meeting him, Grace did the same, “I take it you’re heading off to bed now?”

“Well naturally… Unless you’d like me to stay with my toys,” he rattled the end of the bag, watching as she cringed from the motion, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing when it comes to this sort of thing… however, you’ve been up longer than I have. I don’t want to keep you…” Iron said softly as he finished what little drops were in his glass and started to head towards the door.

“Mister Knight…” he heard called to him in almost a whisper.

Turning around, Grace stood there with an uneasy grin stretching on only one side of her face. Though even with that, Iron still had to shake the image of her in the gown before a fireplace out of his mind before speech would follow, “Yes?Something wrong?”

“I just wanted to say…” Grace clenched her tongue, and swallowed what she had left of the drink that stained her throat, “Thank you. Once again, for going out and doing this,” she awkwardly rubbed one hoof over the other, trying to do anything but look at him in the eyes, “I know it’s not what you expected when you first got here, and I know I’m asking you to do a hell of a lot more when it comes to other little tasks in the future…”

“Well hey now…” he smiled gently at her, “That’s half the fun, right? Throwing out the repetitive, and seeing what happens?”

The upbeat attitude on the matter from him, forced a sheepish smile back at Iron from under a vail of golden locks. As her eyes met his finally, “I’m glad you feel that way,” Grace watched as the colt opened the door up and started to head out, “sleep well… Iron Knight,” she called to him genuinely.

Watching as the colt stopped for a moment from hearing his name. Iron tilted his head back to meet her only with a single eye, and a sincere smile to match, “To you as well, Princess Grace.”

With that last gesture, they parted ways for the night. While the princess went about getting a quick shower in before bed, Iron simply walked down the hallway to the barracks that he resided in, mumbling to himself the whole way about everything that was going on in his life. Though as he reached the door that separated him from the comfort of his bed, Iron placed a hoof on the door, before looking back at the long hallway that he just walked through in a flash.

“…She ain’t all that bad…” he said, as he pushed the door open, and walked in.