The sun had begun to set when I decided to leave the bar. I was pretty drunk, but I wasn’t blacked out. Yet. I was alone for now- the rest of my squad decided to keep getting drunk.

You may be wondering why I left the bar- have I finally learned to pace myself? Have I cured my alcoholism and made myself able to restrain?

Nah. Ulysses wanted to speak to me in his tent- otherwise I planned to drink until I couldn’t even speak anymore.

His tent was the biggest- and as such, I could actually stand relatively comfortable inside it. “Ayy, Ulysses!” I yelled as I barged in, pointing fingerguns at him. His bandanna wasn’t on, so he regarded me with a grin. I plopped down across from where he was sitting and grabbed his bottle, taking a large pull from it.

“So you’ve only seen one battle and you’re already back on the booze?” He said, and I huffed.

“Oh… frig off.” I said, handing him his bottle back. “I’ve had a long day.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about.” He said, taking a swig from the bottle. “What happened?” He asked, and I glanced off to the side.

“Nothing, really. We killed a few but the gas took care of the heavy lifting.”

“Oh, okay. So what actually happened?” I glared at him,

“Nothing important! What does it matter?” I was about ready to get up and leave when he said-

“Leona, I know damn well you’re not drinking for fun. And if you go home and your wife finds out you’re back on the booze for no reason, it’s my ass on the line.” My eyes widened in surprise and his grin never fell. “So tell me. What’s wrong?”

I was… frozen. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t tell him. I can’t tell anyone… except my wife… she’ll like that story, even if I don’t.

“During the Northumbria campaigns…” He started talking, pulling me out of my stupor. His voice was dark and rough, and he stared off into the distance. “I was given an order to… to…” He stopped and took a long swig of booze. “The upper brass knew we were fucked, so they ordered us to slaughter the prisoners. The hostages.” I remembered that look in his eye I saw not too long ago… and noted that this one looked identical. “I think about them every day, Leona.”

Something told me he was broken goods trying to fix fucked merchandise. “It doesn’t get any easier… does it?” I handed him a cigarette which he took with a smile.

“Not really.” I lit his cigarette then lit one for myself. I took a deep drag.

“Then why do you go on?” I asked him, “Why are you still fighting?” He just shrugged.

“Stubbornness, I suppose. Or maybe it’s so others don’t have to?”

I smiled, remembering something I said to myself often. “You gotta do what ya’ gotta do.”

Ulysses chuckled. “Something like that… Is that pub still open?” That was music to my ears. I stood up and with a wide grin, held out a hand for him to pull himself up. “Let’s get some drinks, boss.” He said with a smirk.

I gave a mock, half assed salute. “Sir, yes sir!” I turned my salute into a middle finger and we shared a laugh.

We walked back to the pub and as an afterthought, I hoped it wasn’t completely full.

The place was full of soldiers by now. Ulysses turned to me and asked, “When did you order a full coup and military occupation of the bar?” I looked at him and belted out laughter.

“Hey, watch this.” I said to him, I raised a fist in the air and yelled- “PROSPERITY!”

“PROSPERITY!”

“I don’t understand how you’re so good at getting people to go along with your bullshit.” Ulysses said, and I shrugged.

“It helps if you carry a big gun.” I said, making my way towards my table.

I hopped back onto my spot in the booth. “Wait, who the fuck drank my whiskey?” I pointed an accusatory finger around the booth, and my comrades looked at me incredulously.

“You drank it. Before you left.” Adrian said, his voice flat and full of disappointment.

I just snorted and laughed. “Oh, yeah. Sorry!” I raised a hand in the air, “Ay, can I get anotha’ round over here!?” The waitress came around and took the empty glass away. “Actually, can we get six shots of absinthe too?” I yelled at her, and she turned her head and nodded.

“Absinthe? Really?” Adrian asked, and Rosco just cocked an eyebrow.

“Tha’ sounds like poison.” I rolled my eyes.

“Trust me, it’s delicious.” was all I said, giggling like a dork. Sinan just looked at me with a smile.

“Is this your first time getting drunk or something?” I just snorted and rolled my eyes.

“Oh, God no. In fact, I can probably outdrink most of you. It’s just been awhile since I could let loose like this.”

Fin spoke up and said “Cheers, I’ll drink to that,” before taking her glass and proceeding to drink to that. I assume she thinks I meant a week, since that’s when they could let themselves loose.

The waitress brought our drinks and a bottle. She laid out six shot glasses and filled each one.

“Cheers!”

“What’re we cheerin’?” Fin asked, and I shrugged.

“I dunno.” I said, slamming my shot back. WOAH, THE BURN! God, how it burns!

Everyone else had similar reactions.

“What the fuck, Leona!?” Adrian spoke up, his bluntness making my full-on belly laugh.

Sinan was just lightly pounding the table. “It tastes like a raw potion, what the fuck…”

“Lemme get another!” I said to the waitress, who poured another. My crew looked utterly disturbed at this display of boozing as I slammed back the next shot. I took a deep breath and looked the waitress in the eye.

“So who’s carrying her home tonight?” Adrian asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

Wordlessly, I grinned like a madwoman and held the glass out.

“You share a tent with her, do you not?” Sinan said with a smirk.

The shot was poured and I downed my third shot of absinthe.

The twins were both giggling. “Yeah, you go girl!” Fin yelled out. Rosco was just shaking his head in disbelief.

Just for good measure, I decided to polish off my entire glass of whiskey in one go. “Shee, guys!” I said, swaying. “I’m fiiiiine!”

That was the last thing I remembered doing. They must have kicked me out eventually, because when I came to I was walking down an alley. I must have gotten lost. And this alley was oddly long and unfathomably high. When I reached the end, I witnessed streets of yellow brick and-

When did I get home? I was in our room in the castle. When did I get… the baby! I ran to the living room excitedly, never mind the fact that our room has no living room attached.

“Dee!” She was there, holding our child in her arms. That’s right, she did talk about kids before I left! I guess she went ahead with it? I was too happy to question things, though. The little infant was resting in her arms, wrapped in yellow cloth. I couldn’t see it under the wrap.

Dee seemed unhappy. “What’s wrong?” I asked her, and her glare terrified me.

“You’ve been drinking again!” I began to sweat, eyes darting from side to side. I heard a baby crying which sent a shiver up my spine like lightning.

“B-but I-” I stuttered pathetically. In her rage, my wifes face seemed to… to melt. As though she were a wax figure under a lamp.

“YOU KILLED HER!” The crying intensified and I tried to cover my ears- but it was futile. The demon posing as my wife approached where I sat petrified on the floor. “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!” The demon sounded nothing like her, yet it sounded exactly like her.

Then, she held the baby to my face and I screamed. It was that little diamond dog pup- with the bloody eyes and chest covered in viscera. The baby started screeching at me like a demon and I quietly begged for mercy.

I woke up to the sound of a tea kettle going off outside my tent. I held a hand to my chest, my heart pounding like machine gun fire. I growled in annoyance, clutching my aching skull.

“What the fuck?” I asked, wondering what all the ruckus was. Jos just looked at me concerned.

“You alright? You was makin’ a fuss in there.” I just shrugged and grumbled.

“Nightmare. Real bad. Gotta pee.” was all I could mutter out before stumbling off to the latrine. While doing my business I checked my pocket watch to find that I hadn’t wound it, so it was no good. Looking up at the sky I realized- it was ten in the morning.

Fuck.

I pocketed my useless watch and got to it. We had to move if we had any hope of keeping up the momentum, and to do that, I needed maps. First thing on the list was to hunt Ulysses down. Thankfully, it wasn’t too difficult- he was sitting in his tent writing something.

“‘Bout time you showed up.” He said, that gruff voice of his grating on my hangover addled brain. He handed me a bottle of rye, which I quaffed with gusto.

“Thanks, bud.” I said to him, taking my seat across from him.

“You do realize when we start travelin’, you won’t be able to carry enough booze to last you.” I just sighed in annoyance.

“I know. I’ve sort of come to the realization that I won’t be able to booze it up nearly as much as I wanted to. All the better- we got shit to do.” I popped a couple tylenol and lit up a smoke. “We got a dog for me to interrogate yet?”

“Not until noon.” He said, continuing whatever he was writing. “Until then, take a load off. Someone’ll find you- just don’t wander too far.” He said. I simply nodded and turned to take my leave- when I had a second thought.

“Ulysses?” I asked him. He looked up, cocking an eyebrow. “Do you ever have bad dreams?” He snorted.

“All the time.” I glanced off to the side and nodded. I wanted to say something, to ask for help… anything, really.

I just left, deciding to just curl up in my tent.

For fuck sakes, this is the first battle of a long campaign, I can’t be like this. I have killed so. Many. people. So fucking many! And I knew from the get go that the gas would be indiscriminate, that’s the whole point! I don’t understand what came over me down there. Maybe sensory deprivation caused by the sheer darkness and the mask muffling sound made me hallucinate a baby crying?

Then I thought about that nightmare. God, it was all so vivid- it felt like I was really there. I could feel the disappointment, the betrayal, the rage in her voice. I grabbed that picture of us out of my helmet, looking at her beautiful, smiling face…

Tears rolled down my beak as the image of her wrath was burned into my brain. I clutched the photograph to my chest. “I-I’m s-s-orry…” I whined out, my voice cracking terribly. God, I am such a fuck up. Couldn’t even stay off the booze for the love of my life.

I can’t let this get out of hand. At the very least, I have to try and keep sober, at least until nighttime. I can’t lose her, I can’t I can’t I can’t…

“Leona? Are you alright?” I heard the voice of Adrian, pulling me out of my self pity. I sniffed, realizing that I’d been crying.

“Y-yeah, I’m good.” I lied, blowing my nose on a handkerchief and wiping the tears off my face.

“But… you were in her crying, muttering I can’t lose her, you are clearly not okay.” I just groaned in annoyance.

“Lay off, wouldya? I was having a bad dream.” I tried to push past him but he bodyblocked me.

“If that was a bad dream, then what you had last night was a full on night terror.” I just sighed in annoyance, rubbing my forehead. He just huffed.

“Alright I admit, I can’t get the mental image of that baby out of my head. Happy?” He looked at me sternly, then huffed.

“If you ever wish to speak to any of us, you’re welcome to. We’re all… disturbed by what we saw. What we did.” He turned to leave, then added, “And take my advice. Unrestrained boozing is unbefitting of an up and coming politician. The last thing you need is to destroy that ‘local legend’ status that you’re garnering for yourself.” And on his way out, “See Ulysses, soon as you can.”

I couldn’t help but sigh. He’s absolutely correct- I’d have to be careful. Public boozing like I used to in Ponyville would be a no-go. And had it been that long? The sun was indeed above our heads. Time flies when you’re wallowing in self pity, I guess.

In Ulysses’ tent, there were four diamond dogs, bound by rope and gagged. I turned to Ulysses and asked, “Where we goin’ next?”

“Glenwell.” I simply nodded and looked at the dogs, mentally preparing myself.

Swish!

It was second nature at this point. The map of Glenwell is a little more… advanced, apparently. The main entrance was basically a stone hole in the bottom of Ironglen with a horizontal portcullis, which could be activated to stop any would-be intruders in their tracks. This was actually quite ingenious- you would have to find a way to turn a traditional siege weapon sideways to even attempt breaking the gate down.

The actual mines themselves branch off to the left and right sides of the valley. Since this place is more well established, there was definitely a hint of aesthetic design and relative luxury here. For example, tartan pattern rugs covered the walls, while others were carved with art or stories. There seemed to be a sort of pub as well. Since I decided to be more specific with my digging, I’d figured out where the living area was as well.

One thing I never realized was just how much the depression affected them as well. Rather than one large room like Goldcairn was, there were several apartments or barracks dug out towards the north and south end; though they were so sparsely furnished, it was hard to imagine them sleeping anywhere but the floor. And there wasn’t nearly enough space for the supposed population of the place- and when I asked the dog, he said that it wasn’t uncommon for some of these rooms to have ten inhabitants.

The more I look into it, the more it seems that the diamond dogs lived in utter squalor. Why? And how deep does the problem go? This forced isolationism, is it a pride thing? Ideology? Perhaps they functioned off some sort of failing collectivism, where the leader lives the high life while everyone else is forced to toil away for the state.

Actually, no, that’s a dumb description. That’s how all governments work. But what I mean is that these dogs seemingly have no prospects in life but to work in the mines or to act as the guard.

“Correct, monster.” I stared him in the eye, my tongue still firmly attached to his brain. “Ye brainsuckin’ yellow demon queen. I wish a word with ya.” He said. Neither of us spoke via mouth- it was all brain to brain.

“What do you want?” I asked him cautiously, not sure why I was playing into this.

“Revolution.” Was all he said, and I paused to think.

“You… you want me to help you?” He growled in annoyance.

“Not really. But I also see I dinnae have a choice. What ye did was unforgivable- but I can look past it to both our benefit.” I glanced off to the side.

“I’m planning a bit of a coup myself, after which I was gonna install a puppet government over your clan. I was serious about that infrastructure stuff, too.”

“A diamond dog government? My people won’t listen to a griffon in charge of them.” I then discovered an important limitation to memory talking.

“So you put a loyal mutt on top instead. Hmmmm…”

“I heard that.” My eyes widened and I blushed a little. “Ah refuse to be a loyal mutt, but… but if we work together, we may bring on a new era of prosperity. For both our people’s. Come on- let's shake on it.” He was smirking and I couldn’t help but mirror the expression.

Schlick! Sluuurp! My vision spun like it often did when I pulled my tongue. I just had to stay lucid for a few more moments.

I undid the rope that bound his arms, to the shock of Ulysses and the guard, who pointed his rifle at the dog. They said something, but I’m not sure what.

He rose to his full size, which bipedally was almost twice my height. He held his hand out and I shook it.

“Leona. Leona Grimfeather.”

“Bruce, of Hypogean Loch. Call me Bruce.”

Then, I felt a strange sensation all over my body and I found myself on the floor- but I didn’t remember falling.

“You alright? You just had a small seizure there.” Ulysses asked, hand held out, which I took.

“Yeah… what…” A searing pain shot through my skull, and I almost yelled from the pain. “Bed. Now.” my back left leg was completely numb too, so I could barely walk. “Explain later. Don’t kill Bruce.” Was all I muttered as Ulysses walked my back to my tent.

Ugh. I gotta see a doctor sometime. Probably after the war I’ll get around to it.

Enemy of my Enemy is my friend, and all that. Nothin' like a boogaloo thrown into a hostile takeover to really make things interesting :P

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