Author's Notes:

Fair warning, little bit of the "Ol' Zazoo" towards the end of this chapter.

A week passed, I split my time between my apartment, the Castle, and the Annex. Frank hadn’t been lying about the push, Marines had retaken Detrot, and were now using it as a jump-off point. I wasn’t privy to all the details, officially speaking that is, but being a spook had distinct advantages. The US, Germany, and Canada, along with seven Equestrian divisions, would be moving on Manehattan, while the British, French, newly arrived Polish troops, and an additional five divisions from Equestria would attack Fillydelphia. Mixed in would be units from every NATO member. In one swift action, we would toss the Griffons out of Equestria.

That was the plan anyway, we’d blockaded the Portal, so there was no way the Reds could move more troops in. We’d annihilate them here, then have the grand stare-down back on Earth, and with the free world behind us, we wouldn’t blink.

I was currently twirling a pen in between my fingers, sitting at a desk in some forgotten corner of the Annex, going over source reports. Usually, this was an analyst gig, but I needed to keep busy. While we waited for the next operation. Frank walked up as I was pouring over some photos of troop movements.

“Hey Kid, listen, I wanted you to know, your asset, Vic? Butcher pulled the whole family out, about three hours ago.”

Butcher was another SAC team, Dave, Ray, and Connor. Paramilitary Officers were a tight-knit group; I’d been at Ray’s wedding a few years back. Hearing Vic and his family was safe and that Butcher was still out and about were pieces of good news I sorely needed. “Jesus, that’s amazing, I was worried they’d put him against the wall. Vic is solid, a real patriot too.”

“He brought some good news with him; there’s a resistance forming, Griffons who are rejecting the Reds and their bullshit. They’re scattered and disorganized; if someone could train them and bring them together, well, then we’ve got our fifth column, brother. Too bad we don’t have an outfit with that in their mandate.” He finished with a grin.

“Frank give it to me and my guys, I’ll jump in tonight if need be.”

“Easy there killer, I’m not sending you guys in blind. Once we vet Vic’s story and it tracks, Oxide will get the green light.”

“Music to my ears, Frank. Let me know when and where.”

“Will do, kid, catch you later.”

I went at those reports with a renewed sense of purpose; The Reds weren’t going to see this one coming.

I finished up around five, heading back to my apartment for some much-needed rest, office work had been my style once, kind of, but if it didn’t grate on a man something fierce. I smoked and walked, taking in the Equestrian nightlife during wartime, the atmosphere was still a little subdued, but ponies and people were out on the streets, doing their level best to enjoy themselves. I picked my way through a crowd outside a bar, and the thought occurred, it might be time for a drink. I stepped it up a little, heading for the ‘Tack. It was time to get back on this particular horse (No pun intended.) I juggled my phone and my cigarette, texting the boys.

“Hey, I’m off and heading for the ‘Tack, you guys want in?”

I was shoving my phone back into my jacket when it vibrated; Tuck was in, a few seconds later Rob came back saying he was gonna shower then head out. Time for a boy's night out. The ‘Tack was vibrant, crowds and couples packing the sidewalk; music thumped from inside. I took up by the door, waiting for Tuck to show. I lit another cigarette and leaned against the wall.

Nothing to see here, folks.

I checked my phone; Tuck was still about fifteen minutes out, I kept scanning the crowd while I texted back, a force of habit. I’d killed a guy in Prague who never looked up from his phone, right up until I slid a knife in between his ribs, sure got his attention then.

“Zack?”

My heart skipped a beat, I knew that voice, I turned to face the mare, and she took a step back at what had to be a murderous expression on my face.

“Daisy. What are you doing here?”

She’d cut her mane, the curls falling just past her shoulders, she was done up like she was headed to the Gala, her makeup making those deep orange eyes pop beautifully, not too tight dress hugged every curve. In another life, I’d have been putty in her hands, now I knew better.

“I need to see you. I needed to apologize.”

“Fuck you and fuck your apologies, what’s done is done, you don’t get to show up here and try and play me some more.” I was beyond angry, I thought I’d put her where she belonged, but the rage I was feeling told me otherwise, “I’m meeting some friend here, so if you could fuck off, that’d be great.”

But she stood her ground, wringing her hand a little, looking everywhere but at me. It was a long moment before she spoke,” Zack, I… My mother was dying. When they came to me and asked me to spy on you, I was desperate; I needed money, so much bucking money. I didn’t have a choice.”

“So you played a crippled, lonely guy, Daisy, I could’ve helped you.”

“I know that now, and that’s why I’m here, to make it right.” She was closing the distance, her hands twitching at her sides.

I backed up, “Daisy, don’t. If you know Frank, then you probably know who I am. Believe me when I say I won’t hesitate to put you down right here.” Shock and…hurt? Flashed across her pretty face, did she really expect to show up, and all would be forgiven?

“Hey, man.”

I didn’t look at Tuck; I kept my eyes locked on Daisy’s. “Hey, man.”

I could feel him looking between the two of us, “Friend of yours?”

“Nope.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his hand drifting to his waistband, “Alright then.”

“Zack. please.” Daisy pleaded, taking a step towards me.

A whisper of cloth and Tuck crossed his hands in front of him; I could see the knife in his hand, “Might want to do as he asks, Miss.”

Daisy’s eyes widened, then shimmered, “Alright, I’ll go, but I’ll never stop being sorry Zack, it wasn’t all an act. You should know that.” With that, she turned on a heel and walked away, her shoulder shaking slightly. I heard her sob as she rounded the corner.

“Okay, what the fuck was that?” Tuck asked, sheathing his knife.

“A long fucking story, let’s go grab a drink, and I’ll tell you all about it.” On the outside, I was level, my hands only shook a little as I pushed the door open, but inside, I was dealing with it. Daisy had hurt me at a time when that was the last fucking thing I’d needed. Seeing her affected me, I doubt seeing her would ever stop affecting me. As we made our way to the bar, the guilt rushed in; it almost felt like I was betraying Celestia, feeling the way I did. Under all that rage, Daisy was still beautiful, still desirable, and no amount of anything would change that. I ordered a double whiskey to try and snuff that shit before I got too deep into it.

“So that’s when I found the bugs, bitch was still making pancakes.” I’d filled Tucker in on the Daisy debacle, while we waited for Rob, who’d shown up halfway through, so I repeated the thing, bringing them both up to speed on my own personal honeypot.

Rob leaned back in his chair, “Wow man, that's beyond fucked up, I’m sorry man.”

I knocked back the rest of my third whiskey, the pleasant burn chasing away the tension, “Yeah, it was, still is. But she can suck it, fucking bitch.”

“Easy on the eyes, though,” Tuck said with a smile.

“Right?” I shot back, “I think I got more out of her deal with the Reds than she did, that ass is ridiculous.”

“Ah, the trials and tribulations of the job, eh boys?” Rob raised his glass in salute to all the backstabbing bitches (sometimes literally).

Tuck laughed, “Damn right. I remember this sweet piece of ass in Pristina, back when I was still with the D-boys. We dated for about six months, she worked at the Embassy ya know, about five-ten with an ass you could bounce a quarter off of from across the room. I came home one day, and this broad has her cousins tearing my apartment to pieces looking for God knows what.”

“What happened?” Rob asked.

“I called the local cops, said I had burglars, they rolled ‘em up real quick. She flat out disappeared, they found her in a ditch somewhere. I guess her handler didn’t take too kindly to her sloppy work.”

“Jesus, Tuck. How come I’ve never heard that story?”

“Because as much as I might tell myself that she got what was coming to her, it still sucked for a long time. Point being, I can sympathize more than you might think, brother.”

I nodded, “Point well-made man, Jesus. Rob, can you grab the next round? I’m afraid if I get up I’ll fall down.” I laid some cash on the table.

Rob snatched the bits, “You got it, brother, same thing?”

“Sure.”

“Me too, man,” Tucker added.

“Right on, be right back.”

We sat in silence for a moment, “Ya know Tuck, it's a hard life we chose for ourselves. Lot of pain on this road, brother.”
Tuck looked thoughtful for a moment, “I don’t know, I don’t think we chose anything, guys like us? We’re born this way; it’s in our blood. I don’t think we ever had a choice.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right, can you imagine a white picket fence with a minivan and two-point-five kids? I’d go shit-house inside of a week. But maybe one-day things will change, who knows?”

“I know I’m gonna be like Billy, doing this until I’m eighty, I’ll be wiping dudes out with my walker.”

I laughed so hard at the image I damn near choked.

Rob showed back up with the drinks while I was still handling my shit, “What’d I miss?”

Tuck just laughed.

The night went on; Rob was chatting up a pretty blonde who worked at the Embassy, Tucker was singing karaoke with a Unicorn mare, shit was enough to make my ears bleed. I was keeping the table warm, thinking about Celestia, we’d had zero time to see one another, but what did I expect? She was a wartime ruler now, fighting for the lives of her people and the survival of her nation, but in my drunken state, it hurt. I wanted to know her better than I did; our romance had been a whirlwind, late-night talks had morphed into feelings that we hadn’t gotten the chance to explore truly. For the first time, I wondered if we hadn’t rushed into something, but who saw the war coming? Who saw us being forced apart as we had been? I wished Scotty was still here, I could bounce this shit off of him, and he’d help me get my head on straight.

“You had to leave me holding the bag, didn’t you, you fucker.” I muttered, God, I missed him. I shook it off and stepped out back for a smoke, giving Rob a wave to let him know where I’d be. The deck was crowded, but there was still seat space between the throng of ponies and humans. I slid into a chair a little hotter than I’d expected, the whiskey throwing me off balance. I fumbled with my smokes, my lighter refusing to cooperate, a stallion from a table over reached his hand out, an already lit match glowing in between his fingers.

“Thanks, bud.”

“Not a problem, boss.”

I leaned back in my chair and let the smoke billow around me. Celestia returning to the fore, her pretty smile, that coy way she looked at me when we were around other people, the way she made love. When this war was over, we’d have all the time in the world. I finished my smoke, sent a silent prayer Scotty’s way, and headed back inside, dead-set on having a good time.

The bar finally closed down; Rob took off with the blonde, Tuck was probing for the Unicorn’s tonsils with his tongue and making some serious progress. I was absolutely, unequivocally, hammered. I said my goodbyes and grabbed a waiting taxi back to the apartment. I had a little trouble getting my key in the lock, what with it trying to run and all, but eventually, I stumbled into my darkened home, damn near taking myself out on the trash can as I groped for the light-switch. The lights snapped on, damn near blinding me, I hissed a little, then giggled like a schoolgirl, man, I was a little fucked up. Somehow I managed a microwave burrito without injury, kicked off my shoes, and headed for bed, not even bothering to take off my clothes before I face-planted into my mattress.

Someone was knocking. The moonlight streaming in let me know that it was still zero dark thirty, I slid out of bed, and the world tilted precariously, I made my unsteady way down the hall, each new knock sending waves of nausea through me, it was not a matter of if I would puke, but when. I groped for the knob, finally getting my fingers to cooperate. I could barely believe it when I pulled the door open, sure that the whiskey was playing tricks on me.

“Tia?”

She gave me a small smile; her disguise as “Dusk” melted away as she stepped inside. “I don’t have much time, but I needed to come. This past week has been unbearable without you.”

I felt all my earlier doubts melt away at that moment, I gathered her up in my arms and kissed her hard, pushing her against the kitchen island, digging my fingers into her ass and lifting her onto it. She kissed me back with equal fervor, her fingers tunneling into my hair and pulling me in. Her horn ignited as she pumped some magic into me, I felt the alcohol-induced haze dissipate.

“Do we have time?” I whispered roughly.

“Just enough, my love.”

I hitched up her dress, and she handled my belt, freeing me up in a flash, I pulled her to the edge of the counter and buried myself deep inside her in a single thrust. Tia gasped and wrapped her arms around my neck, I kept moving , sliding in and out of her as she moaned softly. God, she was soaked, doing her best to match my thrusts. It was rough, fast, and dirty, but I’d never needed anything as much as I needed her right then. She buried her face in my neck, and I felt teeth graze my skin, I hissed and sped up. Her blissful moans were echoing off the walls; I added a few of my own to the chorus. She pulled back, resting on her elbows and rolling her hips against mine, little lightning bolts of pleasure arcing between us. Her chest was heaving, hair whipping wildly around her face, purple eyes glowing, and never leaving mine for an instant. I pulled her against me, lifting her off the counter, she whimpered in her throat as I slipped out of her.

“Bedroom,” I growled, kicking my slacks off to the side. I was about to start walking when, in a flash of light, I found myself flat on my bed, naked, with Tia straddling me. I barely had time to speak before she sank down onto me, her burning depths welcoming me back.

“Oh, Maker, I’ve missed you,” She moaned out as our hips connected. She started moving, and my response died on my tongue. Her hips moved, slow and sultry, rolling against me and stealing my breath.

I finally found my voice, “I missed you too, baby, God, you feel amazing.”

She smiled that same sexy smile, leaning forward to capture my lips with her own. Her hips moving faster and faster, she broke the kiss, throwing her head back and moaning loud enough that I’m sure the neighbors heard. “I’m almost there, love, so close…”

“Me too, baby, don’t stop.”

“Never.”

That familiar tension was building inside me as her riding became more frantic and less focused. Seeing this Goddess completely lost to lust and knowing I was the cause was pushing me closer to the edge with every passing second.

“Oh, oh!” She tightened around me, her eyes glazing over.

I was right there with her, “Tia, Fuck!” I sat up, wrapping my arms around her as we came together, after a long moment, I collapsed, dragging her with me into a deep kiss. I broke the kiss reluctantly, trying desperately to catch my breath.

Tia didn’t seem all that winded, but the brilliant smile on her face told the tale, she curled up against me, tracing circles on my chest, “When this war is over, I promise that we will take more time for us, I know things have happened so rapidly, it feels that neither of us has had a chance to breathe, but this war will end as all wars do. And then, my love, I will show you the true beauty of this world.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the honesty of her feelings, the sincerity in her voice chased my misgivings, and left only warm, exhilarating joy in its wake. “All the beauty I need in this world or mine is right in front of me. As long as I’m with you, nothing else matters.”

Tia just stared up at me, her eyes glinting with something I couldn’t place, before she stretched up and kissed me, saying it better than I ever could. We laid like that for a long while, all tangled up in each other. Something snapped inside me, instead of hurt, the realization filled me with joy and purpose in equal measure.

“Tia?”

She looked up into my eyes, “Yes, love?”

“When this is all over, will you marry me?”

Her eyes widened, a gasp slipped past her lips, but her expression was almost unreadable, there was no happiness there, only something I couldn’t recognize. She unwrapped herself from my arms, sliding over to the edge of the bed. “I want more than anything to say yes, you have no idea how happy you’ve just made me. But I couldn’t bear it if we made plans, laid out our dreams together, told your wonderful family, and then one day you didn’t come home. It would break me, Zack. I care for you so deeply, as I have only cared for a few others in my long existence, and even then, it has been millennia. I didn’t realize how much I was missing, how much I’d forgotten until you came into my life. Can you promise me that something won’t take you away from me?”

I was floored, but then we lived in the real world. “I can’t Tia, I can’t promise you that I’ll come back, but I’ll give it everything that I have and then some. I will never stop fighting to see you again, as long as there’s life left in me, I will find a way home to you.”

“Then ask me again when this is over.”

“Can’t give me an answer now, huh?”

“Think of it as motivation to keep your word.” She whispered, crawling back over to me, wrapping herself around me tightly. I chuckled, with a small amount of bitterness mixed in, she was right. I’d opened her up the same as she’d done for me, and in war, nothing is guaranteed. Better to wait than destroy two lives.

My last thought before I fell asleep, safe and warm in the arms of the mare I loved?

I’ll just have to win this war then.