Author's Notes:

Re-writing because I realized I rushed a few things. Two more chapters until the end!

We walked to the elevator after packing up our gear. Tuck hit the button for the lobby, nothing, the grid was dead, and the generators had gone down sometime in the night.

I snickered, Rob threw his head back and laughed, Tuck just punched the wall.

It looked like Oxide was walking.

It was leisurely, a healthy meander even, as we made our way thirty floors down to the street side, Abrams tanks, Bradleys, and squads of Marines rushed by, “Friendlies coming out!” I yelled I wasn’t trying to get shot by my guys.

A Humvee rolled to a stop; an infantry squad headed somewhere. They gave us a look, civilian clothes, ball caps, and beards, and decided that it wasn’t worth the asking. “You guys need a ride somewhere?”

I nodded, “The nearest CP if you please, got room?”

“Yes sir, climb in the back.”

Rob took the back seat, squeezing in with the Marines, Tuck and I hopped in the cargo area, our legs dangling, I thumped the side of the Hummer, and we started off down the road. Once we hit the CP, there were a lot of hands to shake once we announced ourselves, guys were thanking us for saving their units, backslapping and side hugs abounded. We secured a couple of spots on a Dustoff flight headed for the rear. We touched down at Jackson a few hours later, after offloading the wounded at a MASH hospital just outside the city. We must’ve looked like the dead wandering into the DFAC, I grabbed an ice-cold bottle of water, dumping it over my head right there in the middle of everything, leaving trails in the dirt, blood, and grime covering my face. I turned to see an airman watching us with wide-eyes. I flashed him a smile, “Hey bud, any word from Fillydelphia?”

“The last word was that we’re pushing them back hard, The Red’s are running scared.”

“Thanks, man,” I chugged another bottle of water, walking out into the cool night air, Rob and

Tucker following behind. “We have a plan?” Tuck asked.

“We get in touch with Fran-“ I was interrupted by guys and girls running past us, heading in the direction of the TOC, “Well, that looks like something, let's go.” We fell in behind the crowd, hustling despite our sore muscles. The same Marine Colonel from last time we found ourselves here was standing outside the TOC, his hands folded behind him.

“Is it true, sir?” Someone yelled.

The Colonel smiled, “It is Marines, Airman, Soldiers, ladies, and gents. Our allies have taken Fillydelphia.”

The cheer that went up from the crowd will stay with me until the day I die. An Equestrian medic hugged me, and I hugged him right back. “Thank you,” He shouted, tears in his eyes, “ Thank you.”

“My fucking pleasure, bud.”

We had retaken Equestria.

Once the celebration had died down a bit, I bummed a phone from the TOC and called Frank.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Frank.”

“Holy shit, kid, we thought you were gone, the last anyone had heard there was no contact from
Oxide, hell Butcher barely made it.”

“Well, we made it brother, Butcher ran into some heat?”

“Yeah, but they’re all accounted for. Where are you guys?”

“We landed at Jackson a little bit ago, caught a ride.”

“Well thank God for small miracles, I’ll make some calls, get you guys a ride back to Canterlot for a debrief.”

“So what now, Frank?”

“Well, while you guys were off on leave, we sent in another team, Rabbit, you remember Jack’s guys, they’re doing shady shit on the Isles as we speak, word has it the resistance is gaining momentum there’s talk of a coup in the works.

“Frank, what are you saying?”

“Let me get you out of there, and we can talk back at the Annex.”

“Okay, man. See you soon.”

“See ya, kid.”

I ended the call, passing the sat-phone back to a Marine Lieutenant with a nod of thanks, that DFAC grub was calling my name.

A few hours later, well-fed, we boarded a Little Bird headed for the Embassy. I watched Equestria whip by beneath us. The verdant fields and lush forests, the little rivers winding their way across the land, it reminded me so much of home, but there was an undercurrent, always had been, of magic and adventure in these rolling hills and valleys. Now she was safe again, I closed my eyes and let the feelings wash over me as we roared up Canterlot Cliffs, I felt so peaceful at that moment, nothing could take that away. The second we cleared the cliffside, we were greeted by fireworks, joy made manifest in those brightly colored explosions. My city was celebrating, and with God as my witness, I was going to join them. We flared over the Embassy helipad, our skids touched, and Rob, Tucker, and I stepped off onto the concrete.

Frank was waiting by the door, shaking each of our hands in turn, “You did it, boys, solid job out there. C’mon, let's get you guys back to your places, you’ve earned the rest.”

An hour later, I was showered and laid out on my bed, exhaustion overtaking me. But for the first time in a long time, I fell asleep with a smile on my face to the sound of fireworks outside.

For the first time, I didn’t wake up to a ringing phone or some text warning me of another horror to come, I rolled out of bed, walked into my little kitchen and made coffee, then bacon and eggs.
My morning was slow, easy, and well-earned. I was halfway through my first smoke when someone knocked on the door.

Well, it had to end sometime.

I wasn’t even mad as I walked over and opened the door. Frank was standing there with a pensive look on his face. “Tried your cell.”

“Yeah, I left it in my room, what’s going on Frank?”

“Rabbit is on the ground; they’re chasing down a rumor. Apparently, there’s a Griffon out there who has a claim to the throne; they’re trying to find him as we speak. This could turn it all around Zack, a legitimate heir to the throne could unite the resistance and kick the Reds off the Isles once and for all.”

“What do they know so far?”

“Nothing of note, he’s a doctor who gave up his practice, so there’s no way to track him down. Rumors are he’s a one-man doctors without borders; guy could be anywhere.”

The proverbial lightbulb went off, “Frank, I think I met the guy.”

“What?”

“When I was on the Isles, before the war, right before I got captured in Benral. The meet with Vic was blown. I was running from the Guard, and a kid helped me hide in a makeshift field hospital. There was a doctor there, no guarantees, but the story sounds familiar.”

“Can you give us anything that might help?”

“I can start in Amonsdale, link up with Rabbit.”

“You wanna go in?”

“If I’m right, he knows my face, the kid knows me. I can bridge the gap, maybe help Rabbit make some headway.”

Frank sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I don’t like it, you got snatched up there once before. We might not get lucky twice.”

“Can we afford not to take the chance? We could end this thing, Frank.”

“Still…”

“I need a way in, just me, no footprint. I can make my way to Amonsdale and start following the trail. Where’s Rabbit?”

"Last check in about eighteen hours ago, they were in Fallsholt with the Resistance.”

“So the Eastern side, I’ll have to head in solo.” The excitement was building; if I was right, we could help the Griffons, none of this nation-building bullshit mediating between squabbling warlords. They’d have a real fighting chance to get their house in order.

Frank looked mutinous, but he knew I was right. “Alright, I’ll get you there, I just hope you’re right about this.”

We’d briefed hastily, let Rabbit know I was coming, and two days later, I found myself standing on a dock in Beckinsdale. The crossing had been interesting, we’d been boarded halfway across the Sparkling Sea, but my cover as an aid worker had tracked, thank God for the document guys. Now I had to get to Amonsdale without getting shot, stabbed, and thrown in a ditch by overzealous Griffons, Russians, or PRC troops. I wandered through the port, trying to blend among the Griffons, Humans, and the odd Minotaur. I spied a Griff, older, with shocks of grey running through his feathers, leaning on a cab.

He smiled as I walked up.“Spring brings the rain, huh?”

“And the flowers bloom.”

He stuck out his claw, “Call me, Jakob, let’s go.”

I shook it, “Yeah, let’s roll.”

Jakob, as it turned out, had been a Captain in the Griffon Army for a lot of years before he finally got fed up with the Reds puppet government, resigned his commission and joined the Resistance. We talked as he drove, about the state of the country, the Russians and Chinese, and about his grandkids. After hours of driving through the countryside, we reached the outskirts of Amonsdale. The town looked a little worse for wear, a couple of buildings had collapsed, and once again I was faced with the abject misery the Griffons were forced to live under, held hostage in their own nation. Not for much longer. We rolled into the squalid end of town, past the tavern where I’d met Vic all those months ago.

Jakob pulled to the curb, “I believe this is your stop, my friend.”

“Thanks for getting me here, Jake.”

He turned to look me in the eye, “Thank you, for trying to bring my country back, may the Nine Gods watch over you.”

“And you, my friend.”

We shook hand and claw, and I stepped out onto the sidewalk, throwing my bag over my shoulder. I walked with my head down through the few Griffons on the street, with the defeat of the Reds in Equestria, a curfew had been imposed by the government, along with limiting who could be out and about. I felt my anger rising, how could you do this to a people and sleep at night? Time to put an end to this shit.

I ducked down an alley, trying to remember my way before I came to a boarded-up house with a loose plank, I pushed it aside, and climbed in, memories rushing back, none of them pleasant. While working my way through the building, taking care not to make too much noise, I heard voices, faint but there all the same. Could I be that lucky?

I came to the same curtain Sonia had led me through and push it aside, and there he was, checking on a patient, the same tall golden-feathered doctor who’d risked everything to save me.

“Doc,” I whispered softly.

He spun at the noise, “You? What are you doing here?”

“A while back you asked for help, here I am, but first I need to ask you some things, some very important things.”

He wiped his bloody claws on a rag, “Well, I’m not going anywhere, ask away.”

“Are you the Emperor’s nephew?”

His eyes went wide, “Well, you get right to it, don’t you? I suppose if you know, then there's no hiding it anymore, yes I am.”

I closed my eyes, relief flooding through me, what were the odds? Millions to one that I’d been right, that he’d still be here. “Why haven’t you come forward? You could end this.”

“I tried, after my Uncle was murdered, and do you know what I got for my trouble? My family, massacred, they’d have killed me too if my bodyguard hadn’t gotten me away from the capitol, so I went into hiding, practicing medicine as I have all these years, living like a rat in the gutter. Now you show up and tell me I should have done more!” He finished with a roar, all of the patients that could sit up did, watching the exchange with wide eyes.

“I’m not calling you a coward, you’ve done more than most, but the weight of my nation and of our allies is behind you now. Do you want to help these people? Time to take your place as the leader of this nation, don’t do it for me, do it for them. We will protect you, I have a team on the ground who can get you and I to Resistance forces in Fallsholt, we can take your country back.”

He was pacing now, agitated as all get out, but I could see his wheels turning. “We would have the full support of your government?”

“Unequivocally, and immediately.”

He looked around at the suffering and death, his eyes shimmering. A small, weak voice interrupted us.

“My Lord?”

A griffon kid was trying to sit up and failing, the Doc rushed over to his side, “Collin, don’t try to move.”

“You have to go; for all of us, we need you, want you to lead us out of this nightmare. Will you?”

I watched the Doc’s eyes, uncertainty, fear, and finally resolve flashed across his face. “ I will, Collin, I will.”

“Andrew!” A small voice called before someone slammed into my knees.

“Sonia! Hey, kiddo.” I knelt down and gathered her into a hug, she looked worlds better, having filled out a bit and the rattle in her chest was gone. I felt a claw on my shoulder; I looked up into the Doc’s eyes.

“I’ll grab what I need; then we can go, Sonia? Get your things; we’re going on a trip”

I let her go as she raced off with a smile, “Ya know Doc, I never got your name.”

“It’s Merrick, Merrick Goldfeather.”

“Well, Merrick, we’re gonna get your country back, you have my word. Is there a phone I can use around here?”

“The bar down the street should have one.”

“Got it, get ready. I’ll be right back.”

I walked to the bar, trying to keep my excitement in check. The bartender eyed me suspiciously, but I gave him my spiel about needing to contact the Red Cross, and he handed the phone over. I dialed the number Frank gave me. After a few rings, a smooth female voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jack? It’s Andy, listen I’m in Amonsdale, just arrived, Your friend picked me up and gave me a ride from the port, but he had some errands to run. Can you guys get me a lift out there?”

“Glad you got here safe, yeah we’re heading that way to pick up some supplies, say an hour or two?”

“Better put a rush on it, my bag is getting a little heavy to cart around town,” I finished with a chuckle when I saw the bartender watching me.

“Understood, see you soon.”

“See ya, Jack.”

I waited for her to hang up then passed the phone back to the bartender, giving him a two-finger salute as I walked back to the hide to wait for Rabbit.

An hour later, I was helping Merrick pack up, administering what little medicine he had to the most critically ill patients. I hated to leave them, and I could tell Merrick felt the same, but the only way through this was through it. Sonia was sitting in a corner, coloring when a whisper of movement caught my attention.

“Hey, Jack.”

Jacqueline “Jack” Carter smiled as she crossed the room, the tall, pretty redhead was one of the best Political Action Officers we had on the payroll, but when it came to paramilitary operations, she was a prodigy. “Hey Andy, good to see you again. Been a long time.”

“Too long, Jack, we ready to roll?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve got Ed and Taz waiting street side, is our PC ready?”

Merrick nodded, “Can we do something for my patients? I can’t leave them like this.”

Jack surveyed the room, “Jesus, this is horrible…We have supplies in the rig; I’ll be right back.”

She hustled back out, returning a few minutes later with two aid bags slung over her shoulder. Antibiotics and painkillers were passed around, it wasn’t much, but it would give them a fighting chance. With a final round of goodbye’s, thank you’s, and more than one hug. We spilled out onto the street and into the back of the van, heading for Fallsholt.