Chapter 53: Two Questions of Loyalty

Adrenaline pounded through James as the griffins flooded out onto the bridge, their shrill, premature cries of victory piercing his ears.

“Make ready,” Sergeant Mystica said to the guards standing next to him, loud enough to make sure they could hear, but not so loud that the griffins would be able to hear. “Cast on my mark.” The four unicorn guards pointed their horns at the bridge as the griffins leading the charge reached the center of the span, charging across it like a herd of stampeding cattle, certain of of their impending victory.

“On my mark. Five … four … three … two … one … mark!” He shouted the last word to ensure that all of the guards would hear it. The griffins probably heard it too, but it was too late for them now.

The horns on all four unicorns lit with a brilliant white light, like a flash of lightning in the dark. At nearly the same time, four blindingly bright flashes lit up the sky near the center of the bridge. Even through the driving snow of the blizzard, their intensity was so strong that the entire bridge became visible. A half a second later, four more flashes erupted outward from the center as the unicorns worked in perfect unison. A series of ear-shattering booms reached them, the shock wave from the powerful magical blasts reverberating around them and echoing off the walls of the gorge. James could feel each blast hit him as the blinding white pulses continued to work out from the center of the bridge, each one accompanied a second or two later by a deafening boom.

Cries of victory quickly turned to cries of terror and confusion. Some of the unfortunate griffins who had been too near the blast points didn't have time to cry out. They were already gone, probably before they even knew what happened. Another griffin cried out in pain as a piece of flying shrapnel from the blast pierced his center, emerging from the other side as if he had been hit by a powerfully thrown spear.

The pulses ceased, the synchronized booms replaced with a loud roaring sound, the groan of twisting metal, and the twang of snapping cables. One of the unicorns cast another light spell, illuminating the bridge. Another high tension cable snapped, flying backwards and slicing three griffins in half as if they were nothing more than a stick of butter being cut by a knife. The support towers tumbled, crushing some unfortunate griffins underneath them as they fell. The center of the bridge heaved upward, imploded inward, then fell with a deafening roar like a tornado, drowning out the sounds of the screaming griffins who now realized, way too late, the folly of trying to cross the bridge.

The griffins were running now, some scrambling for the far side of the bridge, some turning and running back in the direction they had come from. But there was nowhere for them to go as they ran into a wall of other griffins waiting to cross the bridge. Confusion reigned supreme as they trampled their own in their attempt to scramble for safety. Some of them took to the sky and tried to fly to one side or the other, but the wind from the pegasi-produced storm quickly grabbed them, buffeting them like a rowboat in a hurricane before slamming them hard into the ground or sending them plunging to the canyon floor.

The whole thing seemed to be happening in slow motion as he watched, but in reality, he knew it had only been a few seconds. Suddenly, the entire bridge yielded, collapsing with a loud roar, clouds of dust from shattering concrete obscuring the view as large pieces fell into the gorge below. Griffins tumbled and fell to their death like rain falling from the sky as the loud roar reverberated off the gorge. His heart continued to pound, the excitement of battle, and the thrill of impending victory rushing through him. There was an enormous crashing sound as the bridge and its structural supports slammed into the bottom of the gorge, the roaring continuing to echo for several long seconds before finally going silent, only to be replaced once more by the sounds of terrified and confused griffins frantically trying to regroup and re-form their line. Where the bridge once stood, there was now nothing but a large chasm dropping into the gorge below. Only the twisted steel of the support structures on both ends of the gorge remained standing as evidence that the bridge had ever been there.

The griffins had quickly gone from conquest mode to retreat mode, fleeing back towards the Sea of Tears. But the changelings sprung their trap now. A volley of green magic bolts flashed towards the fleeing griffins, combined with the amber bolts of magic from Royal Guard unicorns. Changelings flooded in from both sides, cutting off the only route of escape the griffins had.  Once more, shouts of confusion and terror rose from the griffins as their plans fell apart before their very eyes. A second volley of changeling and unicorn magic bolts pierced the night sky, cutting through griffins like lasers.

Unable to retreat, and sitting ducks for magical attacks if they simply stayed where they were, the griffins charged towards the changeling and Royal Guard line, determined to turn the battle into melee combat. James frowned. He'd hoped the ranged magical attacks would be enough to force a griffin surrender, or at least a call for parley, but he'd half-expected they wouldn't be, so they had been prepared for the griffins to force a melee battle.

The magic blasts ceased now. Magical attacks were largely useless in close quarters combat. The scene quickly became an entangled mass as intense fighting erupted, changelings and royal guards colliding with griffins. Unicorn and changeling horns went from instruments of magic casting, to instruments of thrusting and goring, spearing through griffin armor and into flesh.

The few griffins who had made it to the other side of the bridge before it collapsed quickly found themselves surrounded by the changelings who had been hidden there. That battle was over before it started, the griffins frantically shouting out cries of surrender in their mass confusion.

The battle on this side of the bridge wasn't going much better for the griffins, who never did manage to recover and re-form their line after the confusion of the bridge collapse. It was difficult to see much of the battle through the chaos and driving snow, but it was apparent that the changelings and royal guards were cutting down griffins almost at will. Some of the griffins attempted to turn and flee back towards the bridge, but were quickly hemmed in by the advancing Equestrian line, trapping them between the changelings and royal guards, and a four hundred foot plunge to certain death.

James turned to Sergeant Mystica and the guards with him now, the five of them congratulating each other on a job well done.

“I don't think even Engineering Command could have done any better,” Sergeant Mystica said, almost having to shout to be heard over the noise of the battle. “Good work, all of you.”

James nodded “Yes, good work, all of you,” he said before turning back to the battle, adrenaline continuing to pound through him.

He lost track of time, but it was obvious the griffins didn't stand a chance as the ground became more and more saturated with fallen griffins, only occasionally interrupted by a fallen changeling or royal guard. Within a few minutes, James saw the griffin commander waving the orange flag of parley, some of them shouting out frantic calls of surrender. But even after that, in the chaos of battle, it took several more minutes for the fighting to stop on the entire battlefield.

When it finally had, all four of the unicorns with James cast light spells down onto the battlefield, illuminating the carnage. There were several hundred dead griffins strewn about the field. The white snow had become saturated with a dark, reddish color. There were dead changelings and ponies as well, but not nearly as many. Some of the bodies on the ground moved, groaning and stirring. Many of them would be dead soon enough. Others were maimed almost beyond recognition, but likely didn't have life-threatening injuries.

For a moment, James felt his stomach turn and he thought he might vomit. Get a hold of yourself! You'll need to be composed when you talk with the griffin commander, he scolded himself.

As the battle came to a halt, the two sides reformed their lines, creating a break between them. On one side stood the griffins, clearly rattled and confused by their near certain victory suddenly turned crushing defeat. On the other side, changelings and royal guards stood side-by-side. Tension hung in the air like electricity, and he half-expected the sudden cease-fire to immediately fall apart and the two sides to rush at each other once more.

For several long minutes, nothing happened. He really didn't know what he was supposed to do next and was waiting for the griffin commander to make the first move. But still nothing happened, the two sides simply staring across the void between them.

“Counselor,” he heard from beside him, jumping slightly as he hadn't noticed the pegasus guard walking up to him from the side. “Captain Skydart has requested your presence on the battlefield to join him in parley with the griffin commander.”

“Captain Skydart is here?”

“He is, Councilor.”

James nodded and turned to follow the pegasus guard, who led him down to the battlefield, feeling his spirits lift slightly at the news that Skydart was here. His presence meant that news of the invasion had reached Canterlot, which also meant that by now, Twilight had probably surmised that his mission to the changelings had been successful and that he had taken his forces directly to the battle instead of returning to Canterlot.

It's good to see you again, Councilor,” Skydart responded as he approached.

“And you, Captain,” James responded. “Lady Twilight … Does she --”

“She knows you're here, Councilor, along with the changelings. A messenger from Trottingham delivered the news.”

James only nodded in response, but felt a great sense of relief wash through him.

“Technically, you are the senior officer here, Councilor. Protocol says you should be the one to do most of the talking with the griffin commander.”

James hesitated for a moment before acknowledging and falling in line with Captain Skydart and Lieutenant Swift Wing, who James was relieved to see alive and apparently unharmed. During part of his training as a Council member, he had been taught the basics of parley with an enemy commander. Still, he had to force down a distinct lack of confidence in himself that tried to rise in him. He quickly tried to recall everything he had learned about griffin culture. In particular, griffin military culture. The one thing that really stuck out at him was that honor in battle was extremely important to griffins. The fact that they had lost this battle no doubt cost them a great deal of honor. Despite the fact that a number of griffins had surrendered, it was more honorable for a griffin to die in battle than to surrender to an enemy. That was key. If he was going to get a favorable outcome from this parley, he was going to have to give the griffins some way to regain the honor they had lost. If he couldn't do that, then the cease-fire would probably fall apart, and the battle would continue until no griffins were left standing, as well as costing the lives of a lot of additional ponies and changelings.

As they reached the battlefield, the griffin commander stepped forward with two of his lieutenants beside him, stopping and standing at attention. James and the two Pegasus Guard officers with him also stopped and stood at attention, staring emotionlessly across the field at their griffin counterparts.  Finally, the six of them began walking towards each other in perfect military step formation. When they were about five paces apart, they all came to a halt.

James remained stone-faced as he looked across the field at the griffin commander. Where as the griffins had seemed rattled and confused only a few minutes ago, the commander looking at him now was a picture of confidence, his face betraying no emotion at all, standing tall and proud despite the clear defeat his forces had just suffered. He was the first to speak.

“I'm Commander Ouranos Velos of King Aeto's Imperial Army,” the griffin commander stated flatly.

“Councilor James Peterson, of Their Majesties' Royal Council,” James responded in kind.

“I assume you have terms for us, Councilor,” Commander Velos said, still showing no emotion.

“I do. Pledge your allegiance to Lady Twilight Sparkle. Fight for us in the upcoming battle of The Beyond. And restore your honor. If these terms are not acceptable, you will be taken to Canterlot and held as prisoners of war until such time as this is all over.”

The griffin commander shook his head slightly. “Pledging our allegiance to Equestria is unacceptable, Councilor. It would disgrace us and be dishonorable.”

“And what would be honorable, Commander? Sitting in a dungeon cell doing nothing while The Beyond destroys the Griffin Kingdom? Assuming the cold doesn't destroy you first. I already know your people are starving, Commander, due to the failure of the moon tides devastating your fishing industry.”

“King Aetos says we must suffer now to achieve great glory later. It was promised to him,” Commander Velos responded. But James detected a hint of uncertainty in his voice. It was time to capitalize on that.

“And you believe him, Commander? King Aetos was visited by an aisling. A servant of The Beyond. I know how tempting they can be. I too was visited by one. But the aislings are incapable of telling the truth, Commander. Everything they say is a lie intended to further the goals of the Beyond, which is to destroy all that is life, and all that moves.”

Commander Velos averted his eyes slightly. It was barely perceptible, but it was there. After several moments of no response, James spoke again, this time loudly, ensuring that all of the griffins could hear.

“This will be the largest battle this world has ever seen. And the most important one. It's a battle for the survival of every living thing. Join us. Fight with us. Save your own people and this entire world. And restore your honor.”

The griffin commander narrowed his eyes at James, no doubt aware that he had intentionally been speaking loud enough to ensure the rest of the griffins heard. For a long time, he didn't respond, appearing to mull everything over in his mind.

“I'll have to talk it over with the rest of my officers,” he finally responded.

“Of course,” James acknowledged. Then, Commander Velos turned on his heel, and walked back towards his line. Several minutes passed as he conferred with the rest of his officers. James wished he could hear what they were saying, but they spoke in hushed tones, huddled around each other. The whole time, James simply waited, standing with the two pegasus officers with him. Eventually, the griffin commander nodded his head and turned around, marching back towards him and stopping a few paces away.

“Very well. These terms are acceptable to us,” he said simply.

James felt an enormous sense of relief come over him now that he knew the battle was truly over. But he kept it in check, maintaining his cool as he nodded in response.

“I look forward to working with you together in the future as allies, Commander.”

“And I with you, Counselor, Captain, Lieutenant,” the griffin acknowledged in return. With that, the six of them turned, walking back to their respective line.

Medics had already begun to attend to the wounded ponies, changelings, and griffins. When the rest of the ponies and changeling heard the news that the battle was over, there was relief, but no celebration. All of them knew that the true battle was still in the future. The battle that would make this one look very small indeed by comparison. Instead of celebrating, they somberly began to make their way back to the base camp.

Upon arriving, James was met with the sounds of the battle's aftermath. From the medical tent, he could hear the moans of the injured changelings and ponies. Medics scrambled back and forth rushing wounded ponies and changelings into the tent. Outside, those waiting to be treated were sitting or lying on the ground, being tended to by both pony and changeling medics.  It was clear from the number of wounded that the fighting had not gone nearly as well for the changeling and pony forces prior to the mass confusion caused by the collapse of the bridge.

Something akin to a daze came over him as he was surrounded by carnage on all sides. To his left, a pegasus guard missing one of his wings seemed to be in a state of shock. To his right, a changeling limped along on three legs.

“Get away from me, insect!” he heard a pony yell out. Turning his head in the direction of the sound, he saw a changeling medic trying to aid an injured royal guard who had a gaping head wound and appeared to be in a state of delusion.

A feeling of darkness and dread came over him, a feeling he couldn't have described if he tried. His entire body felt chilled and empty. Despair and a feeling of helplessness flooded through him, threatening to overwhelm him. He stumbled towards his own tent, longing for it as if it were some kind of sanctuary where he would be able to blot out all of the horrors surrounding him. Upon reaching it, he fumbled for the tent flap, his arms seeming uncoordinated and unwilling to obey the commands his mind was giving them. Finally, he got it open, walking inside and pulling the flap shut behind him.

Inside, he collapsed onto his cot, sitting there and shaking slightly. For the third time, he nearly vomited as his stomach churned. Even though he couldn't see the carnage anymore, the fabric of the tent did nothing to muffle the noises.

Self-blame and overwhelming guilt began to set in now, and he found himself feeling more guilty about the injured changelings than he did about the injured ponies. I'm the one that led the changelings into this battle. I'm the one who gave the order to come here instead of go back to Canterlot. If it weren't for me, none of them would have died, and none of them would be wounded. The fact that the dead changelings had given their lives to protect a kingdom that wasn't even theirs and that they had no reason to feel any loyalty towards made his feelings of guilt all the worse.

Something else was bothering him too. When they had blown the bridge, he had actually been excited to see the griffins falling to their deaths. He had almost gotten some kind of twisted thrill out of it. What kind of monster am I becoming?

What he wouldn't give for the days at the Academy. The days when the biggest things he had to worry about were whether his uniform was tidy enough and making sure he got to staff meetings on time. The days where the biggest guilt he ever faced was when a student failed his class, since he thought it perhaps suggested a failure on his part as a teacher. But a student who failed a class could retake it and pass the next time. It was something that was fixable. The dead changelings and ponies were not.

James had no idea how much time passed as he sat lost in his own guilt. Eventually, he became aware of somepony calling to him, sounding very distant at first and gradually coming into focus as he came out of his daze. Looking up, he saw Lieutenant Swift Wing standing at the entrance to his tent, holding the flap open with one forehoof.

“Councilor, the griffins are asking for permission to bury their dead according to their own customs and traditions.”

James nodded slightly in response. “Tell them to do so. And the changelings may do likewise. Of course, we'll also perform our own funeral rites for the fallen royal guards when they have all been gathered.”

“Of course, Councilor … Also, the changeling commander would like to speak with you for a moment. He has a … request that I figured I'd better let you handle.”

“Send him in.”

Lieutenant Swift Wing stepped out, replaced a moment later by the changeling commander.

“What can I do for you, Commander?” James asked.

The changeling commander fumbled nervously for words as he responded.

“Councilor … We commandeered several barrels of griffin ale from the griffin forces … I know it's illegal to drink alcohol in Equestria … but in changeling culture, it's a long tradition for changeling warriors to have a drink after victory in a battle … The royal guards would never even think of participating … but I was wondering if maybe we could –”

“Just don't get yourselves plastered, okay?”

“Of course not. And thank you, Councilor.”

James only nodded in response as the changeling commander walked out, letting the tent flap fall shut behind him.

He sighed slightly, standing up from the cot. Only now, did he become aware that the activity outside seemed to have slowed down. The moaning of the injured was gone. Most of the seriously injured ones had probably been evacuated to Trottingham hospital by now. His heart sank as he couldn't ignore the fact that some of them were no longer moaning because they had died from their injuries.

He stepped out of the tent now, walking through the camp aimlessly. The snow had stopped, and the wind was mostly gone, the weather ponies having long since stopped their blizzard. Stopping it had turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. With the pegasi losing control of the weather, they almost lost control of their own blizzard. It was as if it had taken on a mind of its own, like some kind of malevolent monster bent on growing and destroying. Fortunately, they were finally able to bring it back under control and stop it.

Most of the ponies and changelings seemed to be inside their tents, probably taking some well deserved rest after the battle. That was something he should be doing too. But even though his body was tired, he knew he would find no sleep. Not with all the thoughts troubling his mind. Oh, how he wished Captain Swordstorm were here instead of on Earth right now. He needed somepony to confide in. To discuss his feelings with. And Captain Swordstorm had become both a brother and mentor to him. They had been through so much together, going back to his very first day in Equestria when Swordstorm and his guards had captured him and brought him to Canterlot. True, Fluttershy was the first pony he had met. But Captain Swordstorm was the first pony he had had any real interaction with. He didn't think he'd confide these feelings to even Twilight. They were feelings he really just thought he'd be more comfortable discussing with another male. Captain Swordstorm was the obvious choice. But he wasn't here, and there was nothing to be done about that.

“Can't sleep, Councilor?”

The sound jolted him, and he turned to see Captain Skydart walking towards him. He shook his head once in response. Skydart would have to do.

“I … keep thinking about all the changelings and ponies that died today, and the ones that were maimed … They are dead and maimed because of orders I gave. Especially the changelings. It's … it's because I brought them here,” he confessed.

Skydart nodded once in understanding. “There would be a lot more dead if you hadn't brought them here, including a lot of innocent ponies in Trottingham. Without the help of the changelings, we wouldn't have been able to stop the griffins from overrunning the city.”

“That's how it can be rationalized, yes … But it still doesn't make me feel any less guilty about making a decision that resulted in their deaths.”

“Perhaps. But consider this. Wouldn't you feel even more guilty if you had made the alternative decision? If you had gone back to Canterlot instead and the griffins had overrun Trottingham?”

Captain Skydart had a point. Fate, providence, destiny, the weaver, or some other such thing had appointed this decision to fall on him. It sucked, and he hated it. But there was nothing to be done about it.

“You made the best of a bad situation, Councilor,” Skydart continued. “The griffins forced this battle on us, and you made the only decision you could. The one that resulted in the least amount of life lost, and the one that was most loyal to Their Majesties and to Equestria. And for that, you should be proud. You did as well as anypony could expect you to do.”

James hesitated for several moments. Part of him had already known that what Skydart was telling him now was true. But still, it was of some comfort to hear a Royal Guard officer confirm it for him, especially an officer who was second only to Captain Swordstorm in command.

“There's another issue, Captain … When we blew the bridge … I was excited to see the griffins falling. I got … some kind of sick thrill out of it. At the time, I didn't even see them as living beings. I saw them more like rocks, or some other obstacle that simply needed to be destroyed … I know they were the enemy, but still … What does that make me?” Some part of him wondered if it made him a monster.  Another part of him wondered if the fact that he felt concern for the enemy indicated some kind of disloyalty and made him unfit for duty.

“It makes you normal, Councilor. It happens in the heat of battle. You harden yourself to the horrors of war because it's the only way you can deal with them. It's only when the battle is over and you are reflecting back on it that you begin to think about your enemies as individuals who have families, loved ones, and so on. It's only after the battle is over that you begin to feel guilt.”

“But is it wrong? Is it wrong to feel concern for the enemy? To feel guilt over doing what had to be done?”

Skydart shook his head. “On the contrary. With all due respect, Councilor, I'd consider you unfit for duty if you did not feel concern for the enemy, and if you did not show compassion for them. And if you were a royal guard under my command who had no concern for the well being of the enemy? I'd discharge you as unfit for duty … Sorry for being so frank, Councilor.”

“No apology necessary, Captain. Your point is well taken … And thank you for listening and being honest with me.”

Skydart nodded once. “We should both get some rest, Councilor. We have a lot of things we need to sort out, now and it'll be better to do it with our minds fresh.”

With that, the two of them went back to their tents. James went inside and pulled the flap shut, stoking the fire a little bit to keep the outside cold at bay before laying down on his cot. Eventually fatigue took over, and he was asleep.

Some time later, an arctic chill woke him up. At first, he thought the fire had gone out and the tent flap had blown open. But as sleep left him, he realized he wasn't even in his tent anymore. He was some distance away in a forest. That jolted him awake quickly, and he was suddenly aware of a hoof pressed over his mouth, keeping him from calling out. Instantly, he tried to struggle, but realized that some type of magical spell was keeping him immobile. A voice whispered to him just as he was about to go into full panic mode.

“Sssh... James, it's me, Twilight.”

His eyes went wide and he saw a very dim lavender aura in front of him as the unicorn lit her horn, providing just enough light so that he could barely see her, confirming that it definitely was Twilight. It was obvious from the very small amount of light she was using that she didn't want anypony else knowing she was there with him.

He felt her release the spell that was holding him, and her hoof come away from his mouth. He spoke quickly, in a whisper.

“Twilight, what's going on? And what are you doing here?”

“I'm sorry about that. I teleported you out here 'cause I couldn't risk any ponies or changelings seeing us. We still have one or more traitors somewhere and I don't know who I can trust.”

He nodded slightly, but worry tugged at him. Something must definitely be wrong if she came all the way out here to see him, and if she was that worried about anyone else seeing them. She confirmed his suspicions a moment later.

“James, there's been a coup in the Changeling Empire. We don't have many details, but we know that Queen Chrysalis has been stripped of her power and locked in the dungeon.”

James frowned and he felt his heart sink. “... I guess we can only assume that it was because other changelings didn't approve of her forming an alliance with Equestria.” Twilight nodded in response.

Now, it made sense why Twilight had … kidnapped him for lack of a better word, from his tent. If any of the changelings or griffins found out what she just told him, they might decide to jump ship, or worse, form an alliance against Equestria. And, of course, seeing Twilight here at all, much less talking to him in secret would raise suspicions that something was clearly going on that the rulers of Equestria didn't want them to know about.

“It's imperative that neither the changelings or the griffins find out about this,”  Twilight said, echoing his own thoughts.

“We have to at least tell Captain Skydart. The high officers of the Royal Guard need to know.”

“I agree,” Twilight responded, then frowned. “Unfortunately, I have more bad news. There've been isolated skirmishes along the barrier with aislings. The barrier has weakened enough that some aislings are starting to get through. There's not a flood of them yet, but as the aislings push through the barrier, it's going to weaken faster, allowing more of them to get through, which only compounds the rate of weakening.”

James frowned at the news. “We knew it was only a matter of time before that started happening. As soon as the changeling and griffin forces here have recovered from their battle with each other, we can send them to the barriers to help … Any word from Gilda?”

Twilight shook her head slightly. “Nothing. I'm starting to worry that she might suspect the magical recall spell I told her I put on her was bogus and she has no intention of doing what I told her to.”

James nodded slightly in response, feeling more downcast over the news. “We'll question the griffins here before we send them to the borders. But I suspect none of them are going to know where Princess Luna is. The highest ranking griffin officer we have is a field commander. I doubt he's privy to information of such a sensitive nature.”

Twilight looked around for a moment before returning her attention to him. “You … you did very well James. In both your mission to the Changeling Empire, and in your decisions here that led to victory in this battle. Your service to Equestria has been exceptional.”

“The changelings and ponies who died here today or were maimed did far more than I,” James protested. It came out in a more combative tone than he intended. But such compliments made him feel guilty. He wasn't the one who should be getting that praise. He did nothing, except tell others to do things that got them killed or maimed. They were the ones who deserved the praise. Not him.

Twilight only nodded in response saying nothing more on the subject, seeming to understand that it was a sensitive issue for him. A raw wound that he didn't want touched right now.

She looked at the ground now, her eyes shifting nervously. Several times, she looked like she was about to say something, but then stopped. Finally, she looked at him and spoke again, her voice sounding almost frightened now.

“James … When this is all over, what's …. what's going to happen to us? To you and me?”

He winced and looked at the ground himself now. It was the topic he dreaded. But the one he knew he was going to have to discuss with her sooner or later. But why oh why did she have to bring it up here and now? Guilt racked him over the fact that he hadn't brought it up with her earlier, and instead, had made her bring up the subject. And yet, he wanted to stall. To delay. To find some way to avoid the discussion. But he knew he couldn't. She deserved an answer, and he'd already strung her along longer than he should have.

And yet, when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a timidly spoken “I … I don't know, Twilight.”

“We … we'll have to break it off, won't we?” she said, in a timid voice similar to his own.

For several long moments, he didn't answer. He stared at the ground, feeling his eyes moisten as tears started to fill them. Finally, he answered with a single word, quietly spoken.

“Probably.”

Twilight nodded almost imperceptibly. He glanced up slightly to see her staring at the ground now, pawing her hoof at it slightly, her tail limp, and her ears drooping downward. At the same time, he felt his heart breaking, a cold tear starting to run down his face.

Then, Twilight flicked her tail once, and her ears stood up. She looked up at him again.

“James … If I were to ask you to run away with me … To break your oath and run away with me so we could be together … Would you do it?”

His feeling of despair quickly mixed with one of surprise, and he almost recoiled. Had she really asked him that?

“Twilight, you mustn’t ask such questions,” he rebuked her, a bit more harshly than he intended.

“... Would you James? If I were to ask you, would you run away with me?” she persisted.

“Twilight … please don't ask me that question,” he pleaded with her.

“I am asking you, James. If I were to ask you to break your oath … to run away with me so we could be together. Would you do it?”

He hesitated only a moment before looking her directly in the eyes and responding.

“If you ask it of me, Twilight … Yes, I would do it ...”