Three Years ago.

The night is dark and full of terrors.

Boy howdy, they weren't kidding.

Things had gotten off to a smooth start tonight, a quick meeting, and I was on my way home, no biggie, right? Until I picked up a tail. Well, if it were easy, it wouldn't be fun, right? My dress shoes thumped on the cobblestones as I ran down the alley. My pursuers were not slacking for even a second as I crashed through the back door of the pub, already looking for an exit.

"It's not like I could disappear into this crowd," I thought, eyeing the throngs of Equestrians and Griffons in equal measure enjoying their Friday night festivities. The bartender was one of mine thankfully; a Griffon named Cyrus who was currently drying a glass as we locked eyes. He jerked his head towards the bathrooms. I elbowed my way through the mass, ignoring the angry exclamations of Pony and Griffon alike. I only had eyes for the Men's room. The moment my hand made contact with the knob, the back door slammed open once again, and two burly types rushed through, eyes scanning.

Looking for me.

I pushed the door open and quickly moved inside the broom closet Cy dared call the head only to find the window a few sizes too small for my frame. "Fuck," I muttered. Cy had given me up; maybe they'd offered him a better deal, either way, I was supremely, royally, fucked. I had to ditch before they caught up to me, which would be in seconds, I emptied my pockets into the toilet tank, but the flash drive that was causing me such a headache went down the hatch..such as it is… I was NOT looking forward to recovering that, better have been worth it.

That was all the introspection I had time for as someone decided it was a good time to kick the door down. A hammer blow to the side of my head laid me out on the dirty tiles.

"Сука!"

Oh, good. Russians.

One stepped forward and kicked me in the face like he was going for a penalty shot, I felt a couple of teeth break off and heard them go skittering off across the floor. At that moment, I realized these two dickheads were going to kill me, which shocked me to my core, that's not how the game is played, fellas. I recovered my marbles and edged my hand towards my ankle, the G10 blade I kept for emergencies barely poking out above my sock. They continued beating the ever-loving shit out of me. Another hard kick broke a few ribs; I sucked in an agonizing breath and used the momentum to draw the knife fully, slamming it into and through an ankle. He'd been screaming at me in Russian, now he just screamed.

I powered my way off the floor, ignoring a broken wrist and collarbone to bulldoze the second guy, some ugly fuck with a scar marring the side of his face, leading to a missing ear. As we slammed into the wall together, I slapped my hand against the ear he had left and struck him low in the ribs twice, blood exploding across my hand in a gout. He gasped, and for a moment it was just him and I, no one else existed at that moment as he weakly tried to push me away. I stuck him again, this time in the shoulder, really digging for the subclavian artery. He sagged against me, sobbed once, and lost all motor control, dropping in a heap at my feet. He'd be dead in a matter of moments.

Leaving the asshole to handle it, I turned my attention to his screaming compadre. I smacked him in the head to get his attention.

“Кто послал тебя сюда?” “Who sent you?”

He stared at me like I'd grown another head and then started screaming for help this time. I stuck the resin blade into his temple, and he, mercifully, shut the fuck up. I made a move to stand, and the world turned sideways and tunneled.

The last thought that went through my concussed mind before I passed out?

"You're a fucking dead man Cy."

Existence was pain. Why couldn't they just let me die? These were only a few of the thoughts I had when I woke up in an undisclosed location (™) three full days later. Frank was sitting by my bedside, reading some tome about Equestrian economics, which he closed as I stirred.

"Hey Cowboy, looks like you lived"

I glared at him with my good eye as I shook off the painkiller-induced grogginess. "Real funny, Frank." Frank Miller had been a fixture in my life for the last few years as a close friend and mentor, hell, Frank had brought me into the fold in more ways than one. I owed him a lot, but right now, I was just pissed. "What's the damage, man?"

Frank ran a hand through his graying hair and blew out an explosive sigh. "Well, it isn't good bud, they broke a few ribs, your right arm, and wrist, cracked your skull enough to cause some major swelling. You damn near didn't make it."

I felt like there was more to it, "And?"

"The Doc said there was too much damage to your eye, they had to take it,"

Just like that, the world had dropped out from underneath me. "What?"

Sadly, he shook his head, "They did all they could, or so I was told, there was just no saving it… I'm sorry, kid."

Oh, Jesus.

"Frank, what about my job? Last I checked cripples don't get far in our line of work."

When he answered, his voice was thick with barely contained emotion "I spoke to Rut yesterday, they're going to take care of you as best as they can, but it's over, they want you home. Zack, I'm so sorry, we should have known they'd try something."

Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. You expect to have to give something up in the world we live in, but… God, I wish the fucking Russians had just finished the job in that shitty bathroom…

I felt like I was floating, barely aware of my surroundings, consciousness returning slowly. I could hear the beeping of an EKG. Well, at least I'm alive. I reached for the nurse call button, almost dropping it when everything came rushing back.

Celestia, Raven, all those Ponies.

I mashed the button with all my strength, and a few moments later, a human nurse walked through the door. "Hello, Mr. Andrews. Finally awake, I see." She made her way over to my bedside and into my peripheral vision on the right side. I weakly raised my hand, waving it in front of my eyes, and I realized I could see perfectly.

"The Princess healed your injuries. It included your eyes."

I couldn't stop the tears that fell from both eyes. My heartbeat was thudding in my ears, muffling the voices coming from the hallway. "Where is he?!"

Frank strode through the door, looking relieved when he saw me sitting up. "Jesus, kid, how are you? Nurse, could you please give us a minute?" She nodded and left the room.

I couldn't keep it together, sobbing as Frank pulled up a chair and rested a hand on my shoulder. When I spoke, my throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper. "Is the Princess okay? All the Ponies we got out?"

"They're fine, Luna was taken somewhere secure, and Celestia went back in to rescue more Ponies, she got out safely."

I breathed a sigh of relief and closed my eyes, streaming down my face. "Frank, I can see. My eye is back."

Frank squeezed my shoulder, "Alicorn magic is a hell of a thing."

"But the Unicorn doc's that I went to told me it was impossible."

"The Princess is something else entirely; She can do things the rest of them can't. Hell, I wish I would've thought of it sooner. But questions would've been asked, questions we couldn't answer."

I tried to steady my breathing, "Frank, what the fuck happened?"

He shook his head, "Officially? Wagner Group Mercs hired by rogue Griffons. Unofficially? It was a grab; they knew if they held even one of the Sisters, they held the cards. So this will go down as a terrorist attack by rogue factions, and the Governments stay clean."

"How long was I out?"

"Three days, enough time for things to calm down."

"Casualties?"

"Twenty Ponies, mostly guards, all the attackers, around thirty total, and three of our guys. Scotty, Rob, and Tucker were pinned down by Griffs, but they managed to shoot their way out and link up with the Brits."

"Fuck, Frank, what do we do now?"

His eyes turned steely, "Now we respond. I talked to Rutledge; you're back in. Time to go back to the night job, Kid."

I smiled, but I'm sure it looked more like a snarl, "Music to my ears."

They released me the next day, and I headed straight for the castle, I needed to see her. I owed her an explanation, at the very least. The damage had been repaired, a result of The Sister's magic, I assumed. The other scars? They shone in the eyes of every pony I passed on the street, and they would take a lot longer to heal. I crossed the gate, the guards saluting me; one of them offered his hand, looks like my Corporal buddy made it. "Mr. Andrews, I'd like to shake your hand and thank you, from every Equestrian, for saving Princess Celestia."

I took his hand and shook it, "Just glad I made it in time. Is she in?"

"As far as I know, she should be in her office with Princess Luna."

I smiled at him, "Thanks, Corporal, glad you made it."

"You too."

A short walk later and I was standing outside Celestia's office, I was seldom scared anymore, but right then? I was terrified. She'd believed in me, trusted me, her and Luna both. I just hoped that trust was still intact. I knocked softly.

"Come in."

I pushed the door open to see Celestia, Luna, and Raven huddled around the desk. Celestia's face split into a smile, Luna remained unreadable, but Raven ran across the room and threw her arms around me, talking a mile a minute. "Oh, Maker! Zack, I'm so glad you're okay, I tried to visit, but they wouldn't let me and-"She burst into tears.

I slowly hugged her back, tightening my grip. "I'm okay, Raven, I'm glad you made it."

"What a time to take a day off, huh?" She sniffled into my shoulder.

Nodding, I held her tighter, "Not getting rid of me that easy."

I let her go and looked at Celestia and Luna, "Majesties, I would like to request a moment in private to speak with both of you."

Celestia nodded, "I believe that would be best, Raven? Would you please excuse us?"

Raven wiped her eyes, "Absolutely Princess." She shot me one last look and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

I steeled myself for what had to happen next. "I owe both of you an explanation. When we first met, I was working for the State Department, Finance, it's why You hired me, Celestia." She nodded, and I proceeded, Luna was eyeing me like a hawk. "But I lied about a lot because that's my job. For three years before the portal was opened, and three years after, I was an Operations Officer for the CIA. Three years ago, I was working a source on the Griffon Isles trying to see what the Russians and the Chinese were planning; I was attacked, they put me in the hospital. They destroyed my career, but I got the information out, which led to us keeping a closer eye on the East. The worst part is," I chuckled bitterly, "None of what I suffered through made any difference three days ago, they're still marching forward, Equestria and her people are their prizes. All I got was three years of being broken down."

When nobody spoke, I continued. "I want to apologize to both of you, I couldn't have told you the truth, but if my past changes the friendship we had, I'll never stop being sorry for that. I've enjoyed my time working with and getting to know you both; I feel honored to have seen a side that few, if any, get to see. And I give you my word that it was all real, I never deceived either of you." I finished my little speech, feeling so very tired. All was quiet until Luna spoke.

"We have lived a very long time, Zack, and have seen a great many things. We have known you for a short time. But we have never felt the stain of deception from you. Your past was an honorable one by our measure, aiding your nation in the shadows, much as we have and will continue to do. You have our thanks for saving Sister, our continued friendship is assured."

I nodded, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Thank you, Princess." Celestia was staring through me for a long minute before she finally spoke.

"I saw something different in you when the attack was happening, tenderness, and incredible violence in equal measure. I knew then that something was off about you, but I never once felt threatened. I knew that you would die for me and my subjects. Then you proved it by staying behind and withdrawing only when you were certain that the innocents had been spirited away. You are a good and honorable man Zack; I could never hold your past service against you. Was I surprised? Absolutely. Upset? Well, I have lived far too long to let the small things affect me. Besides, you said it best; there was no way you could tell us the truth without endangering yourself or breaking an oath."

I breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Celestia."

"What will you do now?"

I blinked at Luna's question, "Well since your sister healed my injuries, I'll be going back to work for my government, I may be one man, but I won't allow what happened here to be repeated. No matter what I have to do."

Luna nodded," Our agents will be at the disposal of your government from this point forward. We will succeed or fail together. "

Celestia spoke up," We must turn back the tide, this naked aggression will be stopped, through guile or force."

I nodded, "We have a lot of work to do."

Author's Notes:

Shorter chapter, but a little more background on our boy. Leave a like and a comment if you see anything I could be doing better. Cheers!