This whole ordeal has taken quite the toll on my wife. The past month or so of constant daily travel has left us both looking like a couple of hobos. She long abandoned her pink suit because of how greasy and dirty it was getting. I still wore my stuff, but that was because it was made of tougher stuff than her outfit- after all, it was designed with the idea that someone would have to wipe the blood out of it.

Still though- her fur, normally pink and glossy, was constantly wet with grease and matted down. Her mane, which she would take great care of every day to make sure not even a single strand was out of place, was beginning to overgrow and fray at the ends. All the meanwhile, we both smelled like BO, fish, and salt. But still, could be worse.

I mean, we could’ve been forced to walk the whole journey. But fuck that- I was forced to do that once, I’m gonna try and avoid doing that if I can.

But anyways- the only reason I’m bringing this fact up is because while I was above deck having a cigarette, I heard a sound that was music to my ears-

BWOOOOOOOMP!

The foghorn! I rushed the bow of the ship to take a look- and there she was. The eastern coast of Fertilia. Keeping up with the overall theme of “the architect was on crack,” it was presented sort of like an Italian coastal town in layout and overall silhouette, but the architecture itself was a sort of strange Pennsylvania-dutch/ colonial America type of vibe. Almost as if Boston were built atop a craggy, near vertical river outlet.

I was leaning against the front rail when I heard footsteps from behind. I turned my head and smiled, my wife approaching me looking like such a charming mess. She leaned against the rail and I threw a wing around her back.

“Ah, shit.” I muttered, a sense of nostalgic wonder evident in my voice. I took a deep drag of my cigarette and said, “Here we go again.”

Just in time too- I was running out of aspirin. Speaking of which, I decided to pop one for the road and my wife just looked at me concerned.

“You know, you really should see a doctor about that. It wasn’t so bad at first, but now it’s nearly every day you’re taking those.” She said, and I just shrugged.

“Like I said, it’s from that concussion compounded with the stress. I’ll be fine, honey.” I tried to reassure her with a smile. She still seemed unsure, but didn’t argue any further. Yeah, I’ll be fine.

---

About a month ago, Gallus was appointed as the Captain of the Royal Guard. For his first day, he planned on putting a stop to what he suspected to be the largest criminal empire in Equestria- and his chance was blown, all by one stupid mistake.

“YOU SENT THEM THE INVITATIONS, HOW LONG AGO!?” To say that he was furious would be a bit of an understatement. He and Twilight were in his new office, the Princess nervously twiddling her hooves on a nearby couch. The Fertilian in him was coming to the surface, and he was angrily gesticulating all over the place.

“I didn’t think-”

“Yeah, no kidding!” He collapsed onto his chair, holding his head in both his hands. “This was supposed to be my chance to prove I’m better than what I came from…” He muttered to himself, and Twilight came up behind him and put a wing around his back.

“Talk to me. What’s this really about?” Twilight asked him, and he sighed.

“At the end of the day, Leona and I aren’t so different, and that scares me.” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “We both grew up during the Depression, we both had to steal and cheat to survive. She wasn’t lying when she said she taught me how to do that stuff better.” He held up a coin purse, and Twilight gasped.

It was a purple felt baggie with dark purple trim around it- how could she not gasp? It was her wallet after all. He handed it back to her and she just looked at it in shock.

“You may wanna keep that on you tighter.” He smirked, but there was no mirth to be found in his voice. “Twilight, I’m gonna tell you something that I’ve never told a soul. Please, promise to keep it a secret.”

“I promise.” She said with a faint smile.

“Back in Fertilia, not long after Leona left for Equestria, I was still doing what I always did. Picking pockets, stealing cigarettes, that sort of stuff.” He sucked in a deep breath, folding his hands in front of his beak. “It was a normal day- and I was making my rounds picking pockets. I saw some hen with a fat purse on her hip, and I knew that would be my target. I grabbed her purse and ran. I remember her yelling something, but I didn’t know what at the time.

“It was a good payday, and I thought nothing of it beyond that… until I saw her a week later. She was sitting in the shade of an alleyway… and she had two little kids with her. Twins, I think they were. I never got a good look at her- but now I noticed just how… hollow she looked. She was emaciated, and almost looked dazed. She must’ve been delirious- she didn’t even recognize me.”

By now, Gallus was just staring blankly into the distance as Twilight's heart broke.

“She looked at me and said, please, would you do me a favor? And I felt… compelled to listen. She asked me if I could drop her kids off at the orphanage for a little while, which is where I lived at the time. And I… I… what was I supposed to do? Make her kids watch their mother die in front of them? Just by looking at her, I could tell that a fever was taking its toll, her breathing was so shallow... So I agreed.

“I brought the twins along with me- they were so, so young… couldn’t have been more than five years old each. They were so grateful, too- the entire way they were talking about how soon, their mother would be able to get her medicine and they’ll get their house back. They seemed so happy, so full of life. When I dropped them off at the orphanage, I… I…” His voice cracked terribly, and he reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a flask. He gulped down the gin heartily, letting the burning feeling from the alcohol calm his frayed nerves. Tears slowly rolled down his beak as he continued.

“That same day… I ran. I couldn’t bear to face them. I couldn’t stick around, watching the hope slowly fade from their eyes when they realized Mommy wasn’t coming back for them. I hid in a boxcar that was heading towards the coast, and eventually was able to find a ship I could easily stowaway on. When I got to Equestria, I was starving and nearly dying of thirst. Imagine my surprise when I saw griffons working the docks. I tried to sneak away, but was caught by the foreman- a Fertilian immigrant, named… Derek, I think.” Finally, a faint smile appeared on his beak.

“Well, instead of deporting me or leaving me for dead, like I thought he would… he took me in. Gave me water to drink and a small meal to stave off the hunger. He then took me to the orphanage, and the staff there were actually kind to me! I hadn’t even been in Equestria for a day, and already I was being treated with a kindness and respect that was almost unheard of back home! But then, I took some time to think about it… then I realized something…” He stood up from his chair and looked out the window, gesturing widely.

“This is my home! This is where I was meant to be all along. Then years later, I heard about your friendship school- and the rest was history. I love this country, and I’d die protecting it… and Leona feels the same about the old country.” His smile fell and he sat back down.

“That’s why I’m so worried. When she said she’d invented that chlorite gas or whatever she called it, I don’t have a single doubt that she was lying. I know she used helium- but why would she put herself in danger like that?”

“Gallus, I have utmost faith in you. Despite this setback, which I apologize for… Something tells me that this is far from over.” He looked at Twilight and smiled. He threw his hand to his head to salute.

“I won’t let you down, Princess Twilight. For Princess and Country.” His arm fell, and he continued- “Well, aside from that shitshow, I’ve had the guard making arrests all over the country of suspected gangsters. Most of them are just being held for questioning, but I definitely have dirt on more than a few. Enough to make a considerable dent in the “crime industry” Gallus said, not realizing how big of a power vacuum he was creating.

“Furthermore, I’d like to move on with- AGH!” He yelled and jumped when something slammed his door open. There was a griffon- black feathered with blue eyes, and a mottled gray-and-white coat… and she looked furious. Two royal guards were attempting to hold her back to no avail.

“TREASON!? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?” She yelled as all the others in the room quietly prayed to Celestia.

Gallus looked over to Twilight. “Should we… should we arrest her?” Twilight looked at him in horror.

“I’d feel safer throwing rocks at a hornets nest.” Not because of what Amelia would do, mind you- but because of what Leona’s response would probably look like. She wasn’t sure if chlorine gas was a real thing, but she also didn’t want to find out what it would look like if it was unleashed on an Equestrian city population.

This… was gonna suck.

---

The train ride to Featherworth was a bit longer than I anticipated- but when we finally arrived, I was glad it was almost time to chill.

“So this is Featherworth, huh?” Dee asked, and I nodded with a smile.

“Sure is. Though, I promise- it looked a lot less dingy during better days.”

At the castle, the guard moved out of our way immediately. A servant awaited us inside, beckoning us to follow.

“You will have a meeting with the king, first thing in the morning.” Evidently, he got a whiff of us and cringed, “Please, I beg of you to freshen up sometime before then.”

It was a little embarrassing, not gonna lie. “Look, I’d hate to be in such a state, but the circumstances haven’t been exactly ideal.” he didn’t even grace us with a response.

Our room was quite luxurious- with a massive bed lined with silk sheets, a balcony which could be used for landing and exiting the room, and an attached bathroom, with a shower so big it could fit both me and my wife…

So naturally, we decided to take advantage of that fact after having to abstain for almost a month. Even though we didn’t have any of the proper tools, I could still use my fingers and tongue to great effect.

The next morning, we were both feeling refreshed and relaxed. And since I thought ahead of time, there was already a change of clothes waiting for us in the closet. I was wearing the same coat, capelet, and hat combo- while my wife got a new pink, pinstriped suit. It was hella nice.

There was a hat that came with it- but she said that wasn’t really her style. Fair enough.

A different servant led us to the throne room, where the fat, old King Grover was waiting for us.

“My lord.” My wife and I both bowed. “We are both endlessly grateful that you’ve allowed us to quarter here.”

“Let’s cut to the chase. Have I been wasting my time, or are we ready to get this fight underway?” He asked, and I grit my beak.

“We’re almost prepared. I just need to gather warriors for my shock unit and finish weapons production and training. The first part of which, I believe Ulysses has already begun?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Showed up about two weeks ago. He’s been quite rigorous, from what I hear.”

“And what of your army? Have your men been following my manual of arms and doctrine training?” I asked him, and he frowned at me.

“I can assure you, my general has been following your instructions down to the letter. Overall, he’s managed to amass an army over 500 griffons strong- and in fact, they’re doing training today on the city outskirts.” I gave him a grin.

“Excellent.” I turned to my wife. “I have other business to take care of. Would you mind meeting up with Ulysses to get the finances figured out?” I asked and she nodded. I bowed to the king once more.

“Then we have no further business to discuss. Until then.” I started to make my leave- then turned back as an afterthought. “Also. I expect my wife to be treated with the respect owed to her as my partner. And so help me, if I find out something happened to her…” I glared at the king and drew my thumb across my neck. I didn’t even wait on an answer.

---

Finding the training field wasn’t difficult- I just had to follow the sound of gunfire, after all. They were wearing the uniforms I designed for them- which was basically a British redcoat uniform, except xanthous yellow instead of crimson. That, and they were all wearing german-esque pickelhaube helmets.

It… kinda looked like there was a metal buttplug on the top of their helmets- something I would have to seriously discuss with the king. Hell, does he even know what a buttplug is?

About half were practicing rank and file formations while the other half were sparring with cutlasses. The way I had it figured out, there would be battalions consisting of 50 griffons, each led by a single officer armed with pistols and carrying portable radios. They would sit lined up in rows of 10, and five men deep. The idea is that the first row would fire a volley, then hover up into the air to reload the rifle. The next row would fire, and so on and so on, and in theory, by the time the last row has fired off their volley, the first row should be ready again, keeping a constant stream of fire on the enemy.

As for the rifles themselves- they were long, with a monopod on a hinge on the front to assist in aiming. Rather than a typical shoulder stock, they were the “stick stock” type, and each had a rounded plate on the butt for extra stability, to make reloading while hovering a bit easier. And in fact, the buttplate style comes with a bonus- rather than pulling the rifle back into the front of your shoulder for stability, you pull it forward for stability, resting it against the back of your shoulder. Therefore in a turn that was unexpected to me, I saw that the soldiers were using the monopod as a sort of vertical foregrip to make aiming easier.

It was far from the intended use, but fuck me, it worked well! In retrospect, I probably could’ve gone for a smoothbore musket instead, since it would’ve been cheaper to produce and when you’re doing volley fire like this, accuracy isn’t as important… but then again, the legendary bone shattering capability of the minie ball is quite desirable. Not to mention, that bullet also circumvents the problem of having to use a slightly larger caliber ball than the barrel to make full use of the rifling, as the expanding nature of the bullet allows you to basically drop it in. So whatever.

“Pardon me, ma’am! Civilians are not allowed in this area!” I heard a guy yelling towards me, and I just flashed him a smirk.

“I feel like I get an exception, considering the fact that I’m funding this whole operation.” The guy looked and dressed almost exactly like the drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket. He seemed shocked- but quickly smiled.

“So you’re the mastermind behind this whole thing.” He held his hand out, “I’m General Obed Marsh, but you can call me Obed.” I couldn’t help but twitch my eye at the familiar name.

“Nice to meet you, Obed. Name’s Leona Grimfeather. Call me Leona.” I gestured toward the training field, where volleys were still being fired off. “I can see you’ve followed my instructions well. Good work.” He smiled and nodded.

“Although, something I wanted to bring up. Would it be possible to change out the butt plates for something more… ergonomic?” He asked, and I knew exactly what he meant.

“In the future, perhaps. But so close to zero hour, there’s just no time for major modifications like that. I will say, though- good on you for letting the tactics evolve naturally like that.” He just shrugged in response.

“I wanna win this as much as you do. I saw that what they were doing was working, and adjusted the doctrine accordingly. Glad to know you’re not so set in your ways, in that regard.”

“If we’re gonna win this, we need to keep what works and discard what doesn’t. Speaking of which- I hear the bayonets aren’t quite working as anticipated?” He shook his head.

“Afraid not. With how long these rifles are, trying to turn them into a spear just makes them far too unwieldy. Especially during a charge- cutlasses are just more practical.” I just shrugged. “So anyways… When are we planning on moving forward?”

“I’m thinking… About a couple months or so should be enough time to set everything into motion. I still have a few more logistical things to iron out, and I’d rather not try and fight a war during the winter anyway.” After all- it was in the middle of fall. “Until then- I want you to ready your troops for long marches across rough terrain. They’re gonna need the endurance to even make it to the enemy. Otherwise- keep up the good work, pal.” I slapped him on the back and turned around to leave.

“ALRIGHT, LADIES! LISTEN UP!” Obed yelled into a megaphone, getting the attention of the massed soldiers. “PACK YOUR STUFF! WE’LL BE MARCHING AROUND THE CITY WALLS UNTIL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU COLLAPSES FROM EXHAUSTION!”

---

In the city, I also had a personal thing I wanted to take care of at Mamma’s request. I’d bought a bouquet of flowers off some little orphan girl who was selling them and was making my way to the cemetery.

The mood was quite somber and the grave I was looking for was surrounded by weeds. Setting the bouquet to the side, I started the process of pulling the weeds out by their roots and tossing them to the side. The headstone itself was crumbling- but the last name was still legible.

Grimfeather. I set the bouquet down in front of the grave. I felt like I wanted to say something… but no words came to the surface. At least, nothing kind, anyway. I guess I just… never really cared much for Gramma, at least, not as much as Mamma did.

Oh well.

I wasn’t paying attention as I made my leave- and I accidentally bumped into another griffon. “Oof! Ah, sorry about that.” I quickly said- I saw she was pulling weeds from a grave too, only the name on the grave was… quite familiar.

Galloway.

I felt… odd. “Here, lemme give you a hand, Miss.” I said with a faint smile. She tried to deny my help but I felt strangely compelled to help this woman, this stranger.

“I appreciate your help, Ma’am. Not many would, upon seeing the name.” she said with a sad look in her eye. I glanced off to the side nervously.

“What, was he your father or something?” She sniffed and nodded, tossing weeds and roots to the side.

“And he was a great man, despite what the rumors say.” After a few seconds of awkward silence between pulling roots, I had to ask.

“Well… if you don’t mind me asking, what do the rumors say?” As I asked that, I noticed something else odd- there was another grave very close by- also named Galloway.

Both tombs had male first names, and similar dates of births. I swallowed spit.

She scoffed, “He was framed. Said he was killed by a little girl after he tried to rape her, all while blind drunk! How ridiculous does that sound!?” she yelled, and I felt a twinge of… something. “You know the crazy part? He had a husband! Well, before he died of bird flu, a couple months prior... and he never even drank!” I blinked nervously.

“Sounds awful…” I muttered, pulling roots from the neighboring grave.

“That’s not even the worst of it.” She said with a sigh. “When he didn’t come home that night, I didn’t know what to do… so I went to the police. They tried to tell me that my father was a sick man, and I had no clue what they were on about! I… I’m sorry, but I’d rather not talk about this.” I immediately raised a hand.

“No, no, that’s fine. It’s not really my business anyway.” Although for some reason, it felt like it was. She gave me a weary smile and we finished plucking weeds in silence. Once both graves were clean, pulled me in for a quick, friendly hug.

“I appreciate your help. Really, the world needs more people like you in it.” She said, and I smiled blankly, nodding. “If I ever see you at the bar, drinks are on me.”

“Oh, no, I… I don’t drink. You don’t owe me anything.” I quickly said, and she just shrugged.

“Still though- if you need anything, do look me up. Name’s Maria- I’m sure you’ve figured out the last name by now.” She said with a giggle. “Take care, now! And stay safe!”

“You too.” I said, waving her off.

I don’t know why I stayed to help. I don’t know why I found her story so heart wrenching. And most of all… I don’t know why I feel like crying. I don’t regret killing him- I had to in order to survive… but still.

I don’t like this feeling.

Zero hour is coming soon, can't you feel it?

And why does Leona feel so conflicted about her first murder victim?

Also, Gallus L O R E :P

As usual, thank you for reading! Likes and comments are always appreciated greatly :3