Ponyville Hospital had always been a place of comfort and healing, and now even after all the violence that had torn through the town that role remained the same. Under Zex and Torb’s insistence, the structure had been chosen to act as a base of operations. After all, it was a sturdy structure that had been untouched by the fighting, with plenty of rooms and even a decent cache of medical supplies and food that had been left behind during the evacuation. Under Zex’s command, however, a very detailed list of any supplies or food they took was to be drawn up for the staff upon their return.

Though the attack from Deathwatch had been beaten back, small fires still burned about the town. The heavy scent of ozone still clung to the night air, mingling with the smell of burning wood carried on the wind. It was a sad sight to any native to the village, but to the Mandalorians who fought to protect it, this was a clear sign of victory and something to take pride in.

As the sun made its descent beyond the horizon, Tolik and Gallant had taken it upon themselves to clear the bodies from the town. It was a grizzly task, but important none the less. The battle-hardened Unicorn and Human worked through what was left of the day into the coming night, removing weapons, power packs, rations and anything else that might prove useful to them all.

“So, you really plan on killing him?” Gallant asked, as he rooted his way through a dead trooper’s bandolier.

Tolik didn’t even glance up at Gallant as he removed one trooper’s wrist mounted weapon rack, “Eventually; for now, we’re all in the thick of it together.”

“And what happens when he kills you?” Gallant asked as he added another power pack to the growing pile.

“Well thanks for the vote of confidence, horn-head,” Tolik snarled in retort. “Besides, whose side are you on, anyways?!”

He rolled his eyes as he started tugging at one trooper’s armor plates with his magic, “I’m not on anyone’s side, but something about the guy tells me it wouldn’t be a pretty fight.”

“What do you want me to do, Gallant? Forget he killed my best friend; my brother?” Tolik ranted, “No, that chakaar is in arm’s reach; I’m gonna do my part and help stop Teth. Eventually I am going to end him, for now I’m going to keep him alive so I can kill him later.”

Tolik finally took notice of the Unicorn’s awkward task of stripping a couple of the bodies, “What in the void are you doing?”

“They don’t need the armor anymore.” He stated casually as he pulled the chest armor off one of the corpses, “Might as well upgrade before they start to smell it up.”

“That makes a lot of morbid sense actually.” Tolik agreed.

“I’ve been honored to wear the regalia of Princess Celestia for all these years,” He pulled the helmet off and began to float it before him as he examined its makeup, “But after seeing those weapons first-hand, no way it’ll stand up to a blaster.”

“Hah, about time you figured that out,” The warrior stated with a chuckle as he produced his multitool from his belt, “I’m feeling crazy; let’s make our own armored pony.”

Under Zex’s guidance, one of the larger rooms to the rear of the hospital had been converted into a makeshift infirmary. The Zabrak medic was just happy that a bed made for an Equestrian was large enough to fit the more common humanoid species. He started to feel his luck turning around, as a number of them had their own first aid packs with them. Every bit of medical supplies counted in the long run.

A few beads of sweat rolled down between his horns and along his brow as he tended a blaster wound. The defectors had suffered heavy losses before Epsilon had shown up; aside from Tolik, Mackers and Yazan, there were only four other survivors and they were all too shot up to be any help from this point on, “Cadet Shy, when you’re done over there, I need you to treat a blaster wound to that young lady’s side.”

“Yes, Corporal,” She managed to reply as she continued seeing to the pair of ponies Deathwatch had used as slave labor.

The Corporal couldn’t help but note their recent skulking company. It had taken a bit of glowering and ordering to force Fluttershy away from her friends and see to her duties as a medic, but Rainbow Dash had gone out of her way to avoid spending too much time with them, practically jumping at the chance to help bring in the wounded. In a way, it was painful to see someone who’d been so energetic suddenly become so sullen. Not everyone took to their first taste of blood; Zex was actually glad she was having such an adverse reaction to the violence. It meant she wouldn’t be prone to the bloodlust most new warriors gave into.

Fluttershy trotted her way over to one of the corner beds where yet another armored figure lay holding its side. She quickly noticed the form of this soldier was far more lithe and curved in certain areas. Reminding herself not to stare, she reached up with her forelimbs and pulled off the helmet, finding a human with much softer features about its face and very short-kempt, blonde hair complimented nicely by a pair of smoky blue eyes.

Pulling herself into a sitting position with a wince, she gave Fluttershy a wry smile, “Like what ya see there, doc?”

Fluttershy was quick to look away, “Oh, I’m so sorry; it’s just that you’re the first female human I’ve seen.”

“Yo, Dash,” The sound of Arkanna’s voice quickly pulled Fluttershy’s attention away from the ground to the Private. With his helmet tucked under his arm, he gave the Pegasus he’d been looking for a nudge to snap her out of her thoughts, “LT wants us to make a sweep of the town before we turn in.”

“Hey Private,” The female defector called out to him, “You’re the one who carried me off the field, right?”

“Yeah, that was me,” He answered turning to face her.

She gave him a soft smile, “Thanks for the save; name’s Mallia Xelin.”

“Arkanna Kershom,”

“I owe ya one, Kershom,” She said as her tone took a far sultrier shift, “Maybe after all this is over, I could thank you personally for saving our shebs.”

Arkanna gave her a nervous smile, “Yeah, just might have to take you up on that,” He gave Rainbow Dash another nudge to get her up and moving, “Come on Dash, I wanna get this sweep done with.”

Fluttershy looked back and forth between the exchange; a feeling of worry and dread starting to build up inside of her. As Arkanna and Rainbow Dash left, she suddenly noticed what Mallia’s eyes were following as he left. This caused a hint of anger to slip into the soft spoken Pegasi’s gaze.

She suddenly took a closer notice of the ways her body curved beneath her armor; toned muscle and a honed physique. Fluttershy cast her eyes down at her own body. By Pony standards she was perfect, but now that she was comparing herself to a human, one of HIS kind; all she could see were the glaring flaws. The emotions she had begun to acknowledge were running rampant through her head now. She couldn’t understand; why did she feel so inferior standing next to this woman, why did she want to yell her head off at her? She bit down hard on her lip as she tried to keep these raging emotions in check. Looking down at her own body Fluttershy ran her hoof along her own chest as she stared sadly at it.

“Hey doc,” Mallia snapped her out of her thoughts, “You gonna fix my side or what?”

“Oh, yes, of course, I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy replied as she quickly got back to work with a forced smile plastered across her face.

Arkanna and Rainbow Dash made their way through the streets of Ponyville, checking every alleyway, side street and corridor. Something felt off to the warrior, “Hey Dash, you even here tonight?”

“Huh?” The multi colored Pegasus glanced up at his visor in confusion.

“You’ve been spacing out since your friends showed up;” He pointed out, “What’s bugging you, anyways?”

“Just… Got a lot on my mind is all.” She muttered as they rounded another empty dead-end, “How do I even face the others after everything I’ve done so far?”

“Oh yeah, you’ve done some real terrible osik,” He stated in a sarcastic tone, “Dash, because of you we managed to bring down that frigate before it could start blaster rolling your planet. And as for those fliers today, we would’ve been picked apart by those creeps if you hadn’t torn your fair share out of the sky.” He gave her chest plate a prod, “You’ve kept your squad safe so far and done a good job at it, too; take pride in it, vod.”

Rainbow searched for a way to counter these points. Killing was wrong, but she only did so in defense of herself and her comrades. A life is sacred, but did that mean she should lay her own down so somepony else could kill her instead? Every argument she tried to make in her head seemed empty and shallow at this point. With a sigh of defeat, she hung her head, “I guess you’re right…”

The pair remained silent as they continued on with their patrol for a while longer until Dash cleared her throat, “Hey Arkanna, can I ask you something kinda personal?”

“No one else around, I don’t see why not.”

In the back of her mind, she cursed herself for what she was about ask him, “I was just wondering,” She stated, trying to force as much of a casual tone into her voice as possible, “You don’t happen to have a, uh, special somepony do you?”

“A what?”

“You know, special somepony, a marefriend?”

The terminology was a bit lost on Arkanna until he started turning it over in his head for a moment, “Wait, you mean a girlfriend?”

“Well?”

Arkanna shifted a bit uncomfortably as he kept his pace and attention on their surroundings, “I uh, uhm, is this really the time or place, Dash? I mean, there could still be a few Deathwatch troopers hanging around here.”

The Pegasus smirked a bit at the nervous tone she got from her comrade. With a snicker, she nudged his side with her wing, “Come on Private, like you said: no one else around.” She gleefully reminded him, “So spill it the beans, you got… What was it called, girlfriend, or what?”

He bit down on his lip as he tried to find the easiest way to answer this loaded question, “I uh, I might have this girl I’m sort of interested in.”

“Oh yeah, what’s she like?” She questioned him, an excited tone in her voice as she trotted alongside.

“Well… She’s a really sweet girl,” He said as he rubbed the back of his neck in nervous habit, “She’s got the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen; when I look at ’em, I feel like I could spend all day just staring at them. She has a voice as soft as the patter of a summer night’s rain.” As he continued his train of thought, he leaned his back against a partially destroyed building, “She has a kind, vibrant heart that just sort of… She makes me feel like I could be a better person. Like, just being around her makes me want to live up to whatever image she’s built of me.”

Behind his visor, a soft smile graced the young warrior’s lips at the angelic image he was building inside his head, “I’ve had a pretty messed up life, even by Mandalorian standards; but when she’s around I can’t even begin to give an osik about the past.”

He remained lost in this thought for a moment until he noticed his partner hovering beside him at eye level with a huge grin stretching from ear to ear, “Sooooo, anypony I know?” She asked with a playful tone as she draped a forelimb around his shoulder.

Arkanna nudged her away with an annoyed grunt, “Like I’d tell you.” A thought struck him, “What about you, Dash? Got your eye on “somepony” special?”

Dash gave an embarrassed grin as she glanced to the side, “Oh, me? Well uh,” Her ears suddenly shot up, “Oh my gosh, what was that!?”

Arkanna swung his weapon around in the seemingly random direction ready for the fight, “What is it?”

“I uh, I think I saw something over there! I’ll go check it out.” Rainbow quickly stated before taking off like a bolt.

The basement of the hospital had everything Torb needed. It had low, ambient light, a heavy locking door, a collection of out-of-service surgical equipment, and most importantly, a drain in the middle of the floor. The last part surprisingly tended to be the most important part of a good interrogation, depending on how messy things got.

At the center of the room, hung over said drain, the captured Deathwatch officer dangled by a thick rope binding his wrists and slipping around the rafters. His broken and shattered hand had turned a dark shade of black and sickly red from the lack of circulation. His armor was long-since stripped away, leaving him in only his underlay pants. There were no windows, no clock, no way to tell just how long they’d left him hanging here, alone, in the damp corridors below the hospital. A single light overhead was the only illumination he was permitted. In the darkness, a leaky water pipe dripped over and over again; at first, the noise was nothing more than a drip in the background. Slowly, it had become a minor annoyance, but now it was deafening roar, tearing away at his eardrums.

From the darkness ahead of him a single red orb glowed, “So sorry to keep you waiting,” Torb kept his tone polite and sincere, “I had to find a few tools; some misleading labels slowed the process, you understand.”

The Major glared at the red dot in the distance as it stared back with no sign of emotion, “You should be glad you humans don’t have the blessing of dark-vision; if you could only see the devices I’ve scrounged up.”

Torb finally stepped into the light, darkness melting away from his dark blue skin and armor. In his hand, he playfully toyed with a rusting jagged blade, “This little thing was part of an amputation set; such primitive devices, but for our little exchange I feel they’ll work nicely.”

“I won’t talk, Chiss.” He snarled through the pain ripping through his arm.

“Oh do stop with the stalwart garbage,” Torb sighed as he tapped the rusty implement against his chest, “You see, there are very simple rules to this game we’re playing. I ask you questions, at first you lie or refuse to talk, at which point I will hurt you in horrible ways. Eventually, you start to break down and start divulging tid-bits of information to me. But the more I learn, the less useful you are.”

He grabbed the Major by the dislocated shoulder, roughly forcing pressure on it, “Make no mistake, you’re going to die here in this hole in the ground. How long before that moment arises depends on you.”

Traycn stood at attention beside the heavy metal door that connected the main level of the hospital to the low basement. With his weapon at his side, he replayed the battle that had entertained him several hours ago. The screams of his enemies as they tried to run from him still echoed in his ears, coupled with the sounds of blaster fire. The feel of his metal knuckles connecting brutally with an unfortunate warrior foolish enough to stand in his way. These glories came to a halt as Cadet Sparkle accompanied by the three they had secured at the end of the fight approached.

His mind quickly brought up a personal dossier he’d mentally formed on each one after meeting them. The white one, Unicorn species, Rarity; seems too much like Torb, should keep an eye on her. Pinkie Pie, hyperactive, species Earth type; annoying, may be worth being executed for killing that one. Applejack, another Earth type; seems strong, might be worth my time. Having left his helmet to linger on a nearby table, he was able to cast a far more menacing and meaningful glare upon the encroaching Equestrians. The group was hesitant under his sharp, golden gaze and fire-scarred visage.

Much to his surprise and no shortage of feeling impressed, Twilight was the only one not to shrink away slightly from him, “Sergeant Traycn, I’ve been introducing my friends to the squad,” She said with an uneasy smile; Traycn’s stonework stare did little to encourage her.

The sound of Rarity clearing her throat shifted his gaze quickly to find her, “Indeed; Sergeant Traycn was it? We’re all very grateful for what you and your compatriots have done in keeping our friends safe.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack stated happily as she moved up alongside her friends with a wide, friendly smile, “Was mighty kind of y’all. Even goin’ s’far as savin’ the town from them varmints; why, I’d say all’a Ponyville owes you fellers.”

Pinkie quickly stepped in with a massive grin across her face, “I’ll say! Now that I know there are more of you nice Mando guys I need to throw you a welcome party too! Oh, maybe even a thank-you for saving our planet one after you save Canterlot, too!” She bounced excitedly as she laid out plans for a celebration of some kind.

Traycn ground his teeth as he held himself in check. How dare they, how dare these weaklings, these laandur? They belittle him and his deeds with ideals like kindness and selflessness. He was a warrior, a verd, he did as he was ordered; fought, killed, won and all the while doing so for only three reasons. All that he did was for the personal glory, the glory of Mandalore and the payout that waited for him at the end of this. He couldn’t care less if their whole species was wiped out in a heartbeat in front of his face. As Pinkie continued to prattle on, he could feel the servos of his remaining arm begging him to crush her skull. A beautifully familiar sound from far beyond the door he protected brought a look of shock and horror to all four of the Ponies.

“It sounds as though somepony is in trouble down there!” Rarity gasped out as she made for the door. Her progress was brought to a sudden halt as a massive metal hand blocked her path.

“Everything is under control; go about your business,” Traycn recited the tag line Torb had taught him a thousand times over. Narrowing his gaze upon the three Ponies he snarled out, “Leave.”

Twilight quickly placed herself between her friends and the Taung, “Let me handle this girls, the Sergeant takes some getting used to.” She reassured them before looking up at him and refusing to budge from her position, “They didn’t mean anything wrong Sergeant, they’re just concerned somepony might be injured down there.”

He looked briefly at Twilight’s companions before looking back to her, “They are aruetii; our business is not for them to know, Cadet Sparkle.”

She took a brave step forward show her refusal to back down, “It would help if they knew why they couldn’t go near this area, Sergeant.”

The gargantuan warrior finally lamented to her, “The Lieutenant is engaged in information retrieval.”

The screams of pain brought the horrid reality crashing in on the Unicorn recruit, “You mean he’s torturing that soldier you captured!? Does the Captain know what’s going on here?”

A sickening smile came across his face, “If you honestly think he’d put a stop to this, then go tell him yourself,” He gave pause for a blood curdling scream, “I would hurry if I were you, I don’t think he has much time left.”

The rooftop of the hospital made for a rather relaxing place to meditate, far from the racing thoughts and feelings of his comrades. It also provided a nice view of the area.

Ever loyal to his brother, Kell kept watch on the physical world while Kad went looking for answers. Kell paced backed and forth, watching his brother as he sat stock-still on the ground. He never liked the idea of putting too much trust and faith in the Force. What could invisible magic and communing with ghosts teach a person that they couldn’t learn on their own?

With a sigh, he took a seat with his back against Kad’s, placing his rifle on his lap, “I don’t know if you can hear me way out there vod, but you better get some damned answers out there.”

The world around Kad melted away into pools of sand under the unrelenting force of a powerful wind, shifting and changing the world around him until he no longer sat atop the roof of Ponyville Hospital. Instead, he found himself within the main hall of the Guardian’s temple. Subtle changes had taken place since the last time he was forced to pay a visit to the mysterious care taker of the Force. The ancient stone pillars had begun to crumble and crack, the tapestries were fraying as their luxurious colors faded into shades of grey.

At the center dais of the room the ancient figure sat. The solid black eyes that reflected eternity had taken on a pained appearance. His breathing was labored and shallow as he regarded the Mandalorian Force user with a curious look, “I did not summon you, Mandalorian; how did you find this place?”

A smirk etched across Kad’s face, “I’m a faster study than ya thought old man.” To his right he watched as a pillar crumbled into dust, “Though, maybe I should’a called ahead, let ya clean up a bit.”

“Drink in the sight of it; this is all because of your savage kind, after all,” The room shook with the Guardians’ anger as he snarled the words out.

Kad paced around the room noticing the rapid decay, “An’, just how’re me an’ my crew responsible for all this?”

“You fractured the veil,” He stated in a labored tone, “Now something has broken the balance needed to keep this world in check. I have stepped in to bring both under control, but the strain of these two monumental tasks is draining what strength I have.”

Kad strode forward towards the dais, “That’s a real cryin’ shame; really, I’m heartbroken ‘bout it. Since I ain’t no Jetii sage, how ‘bout you explain this all to me. I came here to get some answers, an’ I aim to get’em.”

With a steadying breath, the ancient being adjusted himself, “For centuries, this world and its system have been hidden from the eyes of the galaxy. The veil, which makes the system appear as though there is nothing but empty space, has kept it untouched for countless generations. The unfortunate side effect of this defense is the toll it takes on the rotation of the planet. To maintain the veil and keep this world alive, I entrusted responsibility of moving the world upon a pair of sisters whose strength in the Force was beyond anything this world had ever known.”

Motioning to a tapestry Kad beheld the image of the Princesses standing on either side of their world, “So all that talk ‘bout raising an’ lowering the sun, there was a bit’a truth to that.”

“Indeed, I entrusted to them and their kind stewardship over the world. Every being has its purpose, and theirs was maintaining the balance and keeping order,” He continued, “Under the guidance of the sisters this world has prospered.”

“Prospered?” A hint of rage hung in Kad’s voice, “How can ya call this prosperous? They’ve been livin’ in blind ignorance, ignorance you forced on’em!”

“I do not have to explain myself to you, boy.”

“No, but from the look’a things you’re getting what you deserve.”

“My time is growing short. Something has happened to stop the sisters from tending to the planet’s rotation.”

“Are they dead?”

“No, I can feel them, they still live. But something isolates them, holds them outside of the Force. You must free them, you must… Restore the balance… Or the veil will crumble.” The Guardian was on the verge of pleading as he spoke.

Kad could feel the otherworldly space around him trembling as more of this hidden world began to disintegrate around him. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as an empty void began to overtake everything around them, crumbling into nothing. With no shortage of consideration he began weighing his options before stating flatly, “No, I don’t think we’ll be doin’ that.”

“You would doom this world, then?”

“Don’t assume ya know what I’m up to old man,” Kad bit back at him, “My boys an’ I, our new allies an’ recruits, we’re going to the palace. We’re gonna free the Princesses and throw Deathwatch off the mountain. But most importantly, we’re gonna free this world from the hold you’ve had on it for too long.”

As Kad strode his way up the dais, a tinge of fear broke out in the Guardian’s stoic persona, “What do you think you are doing? I have watched over this world for centuries, I have kept it safe from those would rape it!”

A dull violet light began to encase Kad’s hand as he closed the gap between them at a casual pace, “Nothin’ changes without a shove in either direction; right or wrong, this stagnation ends now.”

The Guardian extended his hand palm out towards Kad. Pain rippled through the warrior’s body and forcing him to his knees, “My powers are divided, but I am still strong enough to handle the likes of you!”

Gritting his teeth, Kad began pushing back through the Force. The stonework around him began to crack and crumble outward as the invisible bubble began to form around him, “Death even comes to the immortal; you of all beings should know that!”

With a labored motion, Kad pushed the Guardian’s influence away, smashing through what little of the temple still existed. Lunging forward, he jabbed with his energy-clad hand. The Guardian easily deflected the blow away from his chest; rising to his feet quickly, he struck Kad with a solid punch to his gut.

It connected with surprising force; with a gasp of pain, Kad was sent flying into the void. Reaching out with the Force, he took hold of a nearby pillar suspended in the emptiness. The floating object was quickly moved to stop his advance into the nothing.

“How dare you, mongrel; you trespass in MY realm and now declare that I am going to die?” With a motion, several other pillars floated from the emptiness around him, their jagged edges leveled at the Mandalorian, "For a brief moment, I believed you would be the one to save this world, now I see you are nothing more than an invader, just like the other one!”

As the sharpened shards of rock flew towards him, Kad focused his control on the Force behind himself before launching into the fray. His weapons and equipment were useless in this reality, but his power over the Force seemed enhanced. The stone skewers became stepping stones for the fast-moving commando as he leapt from projectile to projectile.

The world around him exploded into chaos as every motion from the Guardian put more obstacles in Kad’s path. Landing on a tiny island suspended in the void, the Mandalorian suddenly felt like a cornered animal as every projectile he’d avoided made a sudden about-face. Looking up above the Guardian he spotted his way out of this. Reaching out with the Force, Kad took hold of the illustrious tapestry, yanking it from its position and wrapping it tightly around his opponent.

The confusion had given Kad the opening he needed. Once again using the objects intended to kill him, he darted from stone to stone till he was once more upon the dais. Finally within striking distance, Kad lunged forward again, this time taking his target by surprise. His hand plunged deep into the chest of the Guardian. A look of shock and realization melted into the aging face as he looked down at the hand plunged into his body.

In a show of mercy Kad knelt down, laying him upon the dais still wrapped in the tapestry, “What… What have you done?”

“I severed your connection to the Force,” Kad replied, “In your condition, pretty much fatal.”

His veins began to glow a florescent purple as the energy inched its way through his body, “They are not ready…”

Kad leaned in close to whisper to him, “The Mando’ade will pull them outta the darkness an’ into glory; usin’ your corpse as a steppin’ stone if we have to.”

His breathing began to slow as the void tore more of the temple façade away from existence, “What parent… Wants to see their children move on to where they no longer need them?”

Before Kad’s eyes, the ancient’s form quickly started to decay in his arms. His connection to the Force now severed, the countless centuries quickly took effect on the Guardian’s body. Flesh shriveled and crumbled into dust till everything faded from existence.

In a flash, Kad found himself back on the rooftop; a presence at his back drew his attention to the armored form leaning back against him, “So, bring any good news from the great beyond?” Kell asked after feeling his brother shift behind him.

Before he could answer, a rumble filled the air. The world itself seemed to shudder around them. Part of him wished he could explain how this felt to him. Kell lacked the training and focus to feel the Force around them, the feeling of control being returned to the planet itself as century-old chains fell away. No one without sensitivity to the Force could feel this massive ripple of power.

“What in the hay was that!?” A confused voice rang out. Behind them Kad and Kell found a more than frightened looking Twilight Sparkle hugging the roof tightly as she looked around in confusion.

Behind his visor Kad wore a tired grin as he pulled himself to his shaky feet, “That was the sound of freedom, ad’ika.”

The confusion of the situation had derailed her for a moment before Twilight shook her head clear and took a resolute stance, “Captain, are you aware of what the Lieutenant is doing to our prisoner?”

Kad simply waved this issue off, “I prefer not to know the gritty details of Torb’s hobbies.”

Her eyes quickly narrowed on him, “He’s torturing that man. How can you be so nonchalant about this?”

“Here’s a better question, why are you so concerned ‘bout an enemy soldier?” Kad asked as he strode towards her.

“Enemy or not, what he’s doing isn’t right!”

“That man down there was ready to burn this town to the ground an’ kill every man woman an’ child that call this place home,” Kad stated angrily as he poked her chest plate harshly, “That man down there strode into town usin’ your own people as slaves to haul his weapons an’ troops. You really think he’d be showin’ you the same concern or kindness if he had you in chains?”

“Mercy is all well and good, ad’ika,” Kell weighed in on the conversation, “But misplacing it will get you killed.”

Before Twilight could utter a retort to this, Torb’s voice rang out over the comlink, “Captain, we seem to have an incoming call for you.”

Kad gave Twilight a look before turning away to focus on the com in his helmet, “This better not be long distance, we ain’t got coverage.”

“No sir, it’s the Deathwatch Commader, Teth.” Torb stated as he ignored his CO’s joking tone, “He says he wants to speak to you and Cadet Sparkle; he says he wishes to speak to you both alone, sir.”

Kad gave the Unicorn a surprised look before glancing at Kell. His brother silently took the hint and made himself scarce. Reaching onto his belt, Kad produced his holodisc and motioned for Twilight to come closer, “Patch him through.”

The holographic image of Teth formed in the palm of Kad’s hand, casually taking in the pair, “Ah, Captain Skirata, so glad you could find time to speak with me.” His gaze settled on Twilight next, “And you must be the infamous Twilight Sparkle; Princess Celestia holds you extremely high regard.”

She regarded the tiny image awkwardly as she stared into the face of their enemy for the first time, “What have you done with the Princesses?” She kept her tone in line with every fiber of her being, she was a stranger to the ways of war but she knew she couldn’t show a crack he could manipulate.

Teth held up a reassuring hand as he smiled kindly at her, “They are both quite safe, if not a bit predisposed at the moment.”

“Get to the point of this call Teth,” Kad snarled as his finger hovered over the button to end the transmission.

“Of course,” Teth’s tone betrayed his lack of interest in dealing with his foe, “It would seem, Captain, that you and I are more or less set evenly now.”

“How do ya figure that?”

“I shot down your ship, you blew up mine. I sent a platoon of men after you, you blew them up. The fact is I can see now just how futile the idea of chasing you and your merry band would be. Every time I reach out to grasp you by the throat, you pull away and cut my hand.”

The image of Teth began to pace back and forth, “You see Captain, I am in fact a reasonable man, and would prefer to put this issue to rest as quickly as possible. I am willing to offer you the same deal you offered me, despite the annoyance you have made yourself out to be,” His gaze once more settled on Twilight’s eyes for a moment before looking back to Kad, “If I am to be trapped on this world, then I intend to rule it.”

“So, you expect us to just step outta your way?” Kad asked.

“I don’t care where you go, and I don’t care where you vanish to. Just so long as all of you, the traitors, even the Ponies just disappear. I will never hunt you down nor will I ever come looking for you. All of you can live out your days peacefully out there somewhere.” Teth reassured them, “Just so long as you stay out of my way.”

Kad looked at Twilight then back at Teth, “That is a real temptin’ offer ya got there Commander. An’ I’m sure a couple of the boys would love nothin’ more than to spend their days relaxing on a pretty orb like this,” A small smile started to curl at the edges of Teth’s lips, “However,” The smile quickly faded, “We’ve been made official members of the Lunar Guard, hired by Princess Luna herself. You holdin’ her captive, well that makes us look bad, an’ after that incident where we set the whole planet’a Geonosis on fire, we really can’t afford the bad press.”

A proud smile came to Twilight’s face as she looked up at the Captain. She had a mounted pile of issues with how he and his men handled situations, but there was one thing she’d learned about them. They won’t betray their loyalties.

Teth sighed shaking his head, “That is unfortunate Captain, but not unexpected.” His eyes narrowed on Kad, “I was honestly hoping it wouldn’t come to this, Skirata.”

Reaching out of sight of the camera he dragged a frightened mare into view by her mane. She couldn’t be much older than Twilight, her light golden mane and tail blended with her dull yellow coat. Tears ran down her face as she pleaded for her safety and that of her children. Grabbing her roughly by the back of the neck he forced her to look straight ahead at them as he knelt down beside her.

“Please… please just let me and my colts go, we’re not with the resistance I swear to you…” She sobbed and pleaded to him.

He ran a hand along her face causing her to cringe in fear as he whispered soothingly to her, “Hush now, shhhhh, it’ll be okay.”

“Teth, what do ya think you’re doin’?” Kad started to feel a bit uneasy about this situation; he could feel Twilight shifting in panic as she stared at the image.

“I just want you both to meet someone,” Teth stated happily as he stood up and ran a hand through her bedraggled mane, “Tell them who you are my dear.”

Through the tears and sniffling she finally muttered out, “My… My name is Honeydew…”

“And what do you do here?” Teth asked softly.

“I… I’m a servant here at the palace…” Her body shook with the same fear the gripped her voice.

“And do you know Twilight Sparkle?” Teth continued to bombard her with questions.

“Only… Only in passing… All of the palace staff know who she is and the things she’s done to protect Equestria.” She replied.

“But I wonder just how much she knows about you,” Teth looked dead into Twilight’s eyes demanding her full attention, “Does she know you were wed to a rather brave member of the castle guard? That you have a pair of strapping young boys.” A smile came across Teth’s face as he continued musing, “They look the spitting image of their father; they even have that strong, defiant stare in their eyes.”

His mood shifted into a rather somber tone as he continued speaking, “He was very brave; you and your boys should feel pride in how he died. A number of the guards made for the throne room to free at least one of the Princesses, the ones that didn’t stay behind to hold my men back in vain, at least. In the end, he was the last to die by my hand. He fought well; they should be proud of their father.”

His words though spoken sweetly only forced more painful tears and sobs from Honeydew as he continued to stroke her mane, “Would it shock you to know that his death was the result of Twilight Sparkle’s actions?”

Her eyes flew open in shock as she looked up at him in confusion, “What… What are you talking about?”

Teth kept his eyes latched onto Twilight, “It was because of Ms. Sparkle’s attack on my ship that prompted me to face Princess Celestia. A confrontation that eventually lead to his final stand in the throne room as he tried to free your monarchs.” His gaze ripped into Twilight, “So many dead because of one girl’s choice.”

Honeydew’s eyes quickly looked to Twilight’s as they begged for an answer. The look of disbelief and horror as someone you believed in and trusted is shown to be the one who hurt you the most. It made Twilight want to run and hide from this place.

Kad could feel it, deep down in his soul he knew what was coming. Maybe it was the Force, more likely it was years of dealing with men like Teth. He knew it was coming. The muscles in his arms tensed and his hand begged to push Twilight out of the way, shield her from the awful truth. But something stopped him: a darker voice in the back of his head stayed his hand and held him back. It whispered to him that she needed to see this; if she was going to survive as a Mandalorian, then she absolutely had to watch. Cursing under his breath, he tightened his fist with his rage and bit back the urge.

With a soft sigh Teth drew his blaster, “And so many still to die,” With no hesitation, he brought the weapon to the back of her head and pulled the trigger. In a muzzle flash she fell forward in a limp pile, her eyes fixed open in a look of shock and confusion.

“NO!” Twilight screamed out at the top of her lungs at the sight playing out before her. She could feel tears forming up in her eyes as she glared at what Teth had done.

The Deathwatch Commander brought an accusing finger to bear with the Unicorn, “You brought this on her Twilight Sparkle, you forced my hand and now she’s dead!”

“You didn’t have to do that Teth…” Kad snarled at him.

Teth nudged her corpse with his boot, “Remember this, I can still hurt you without actually finding you. After all, I have an entire city full of unarmed civilians. Every time Epsilon or their allies rear their heads I will start executing them.” He looked down at the body before him, “Don’t worry about her children, though; I’ll see to it they’re raised to be proud members of Deathwatch.”

The transmission cut out from Teth’s end, taking with it the image of the dead mare, but not the boiling anger Twilight felt in her breast. Tears of anger rolled down the side of her face, soaking her fur as she breathed heavily through gritting teeth. She wanted blood, she wanted vengeance.

Kad placed a hand on the back of her neck, causing her to start sobbing uncontrollably, “You wanna see him pay for what he did?” There were no words, only a quiet nodding of her head as she stared at the ground watching her tears puddle around her hooves, “Good, hold that feelin’, keep the image in your mind,” He tilted her gaze up to meet his visor, “Follow me to the capital an’ I promise you will see him die.”