"Hey, Princess, do you think you could help me with something?"

"Mmmhmhur?" Luna replied to my query, as she was currently letting a 'Tang' melt in her mouth. She bit down, sending a wave of citrus juice over her tongue, before swallowing, then levitating a napkin to wipe away the juice. "That depends, what is it you require?"

"Do you think you could read my mind for a bit? I'm trying to test out a spell to protect against mind readers."

"Why would you need something such as that?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Because I'm tired of dealing with mind readers?" I offered sarcastically.

"Oh, very well. I'm not as good at this as my sister, since I'm out of practice. One moment...."

"Menti cru ad propheta..... anything?"

"Just that you're trying to give me a headache with that spell. Do I need to give you a lecture about using ponies as test subjects for pain spells? And proper grammar that that. I may not know the language, but from the words and phrases you gave us, you said 'mind pain to prophet.' It's inelegant, but it gets the point across I suppose."

"Wait... lecture? Lecture, lecture... lire is the french for 'read'..... lector would be reader? Menti cru ad lector?" At that point, Princess Luna put a hoof to her head and winced. "Oh hey! It worked! Thank's Lulu." Then I scampered off back to the training grounds to meet up with my team.

"Griffin! You're five minutes late for practice!" Ink scolded me. As the unofficial leader to our little group, (since Carton was the actual leader) I think she got off on bossing people around. After all, life is so much easier when people do what you tell them.

"Come on, let's get started already before Shining's squad takes the track. If they get there before we do, we'll never get to have a run on it." Chilly complained.

"Being on vacation didn't make you slow did it?" Daft chided.

"What are you, daft? Of course not!" I joked, making a play on his name. "I've just been working on some stuff is all. Ready to get to it fat.....so? Posh. DaFUQ happened to you over the two week holidays?" The formerly fat member of our team was still grand, but a fair portion of his mass had been replaced by muscle.

"While you were all galavanting about on your holidays, I spent mine working double time to get in shape. When the spring squad competition comes, I for one will NOT be holding anypony back." He stated with pride.

"You got in shape, over the holidays." Okay, so, it was a drastic change, but since Pinkie Pie can eat an entire cake that's three times her size, and ponies spontaneously combust if they get angry enough, I'll let the physics rest on this one and say if he tried hard enough, the magic would let it happen. "That's not easy. I have to say, I'm proud."

"Hey, save the encouraging speeches for the leader, would ya?" Inky scowled. "So, tell me feather head, what have you come up with that'll drop a full minute from our time?"

"Well, with Pish in better shape, I'd say that'll shave about fifteen seconds. Daft, if you use a self levitation spell while at the balance poles, it'll make them easier to run without falling. That'll take about ten seconds off." I explained.

"Then what about the other 35?" Inky looked at me. "Even with Chilly making a slide under them, you take nearly that long, and we can't do the wall, or finish the race for that matter, without you."

"If I want to pull that off, I'll need to be smaller. Unicorn magic is allowed, but I'm not allowed to use my spells during the race, so it's not like I can swap mid race just for that obstacle..... now that's odd..." I looked up in the sky over Canterlot, to see a sleek, black, bagless airship maneuvering towards the castle. It had my emblem on it, with a white pillar on either side, set on a yellow stripe.

".... I gotta go guys."

"But what about running practice?"

"We'll catch up on that later." Leaving no room to object, I flew off towards the castle, expecting visitors.

"Ah, welcome to Canterlot Miss Oro." That annoying butler pony, Mr. Teacup or something, greeted me on the landing strip. "May I suggest we enter quickly? This January air is quite frigid." He shivered slightly to emphasize his point, as well as shake some snow off his suit.

"Yeah. Sure. Come on everyone." Trixie and Nadene followed, both bundled up as much as can be in various scarves and jackets, while Growl and I, being used to cold weather, went as is. Geirmund came as well, as he had completed Griffin's human eye replacements, though his technology had an environmental control system that kept him warm.

We entered the castle proper, where we saw Celestia sitting on her throne, as usual, dealing with pompous, arrogant, scum sucking... lets just call them politicians. Someone complaining about the increased gem prices, blah blah blah, go contact Marble Pillars, since they're currently the largest legal exporter, blah blah blah. Next. Next... next...

"Ah, Gilda, so nice to see you. I was curious as to who owned that airship. What business have you to tend to?" Her royal haunches asked. So, I pulled out a scroll containing all the notes taken.

"Let's see. Marble Pillars is expanding. With the sudden influx of diamond dogs from both our liberation efforts, as well as a few dens deciding on their own to change their ways..." I saw the princess put on a knowing smile, as if she understood why four dens would suddenly and inexplicably grow a sense of guilt. "... as well as paying restitution to the slaves they held, they've grown to encompass sixty percent of the Gem Fido heartland. They've also reached out to dens in the north, east, and west regions of the province, and are waiting for reply. A number of dragons have also arrived, offering their services. As such, gem export will increase approximately forty percent within the next month. I suggest a 10% tax drop on commodities to make them more available yet still profitable."

"Agreed, though I will await the next shipment from Marble Pillars before changing the figures."

"Signal has lowered clam harvesting, as they're waiting for the spring generation to be stock before gathering the adults, so shell export to Gem Fido will be decreased. This won't cause a food crisis though, what with the increased gem production feeding the dogs and dragons, and the year long harvest of the tropics keeping everyone supplied."

"Excellent."

"The airship 'Hornet', the second ship in our fleet, is based on the light destroyer design currently used by Marble Pillars, though with extra rotors for increased stability and speed, to counteract the single ship length artillery piece in place of numerous smaller ones. It's a sniper ship. We're planning on getting a number of various models, most of them easier to fly than that one. Signal is also producing a number of trade ships, using the bountiful wood from neighboring islands, and our second colony has been completed as well. It hasn't been named yet, but we're leaving that to the zebras, since they put in a lot of effort to help build it."

"The zebras?" Celestia raised her eyebrow in question.

"Due to the increased economic possibility of having another nation spring up next to their own villages, as well as the aspects of weather control for higher crop yield and added security against raids by wild animals, such as harpies and the like, the council of elders made it quite clear that a partnership with the New Dominion would be in everyone's best interests." I explained. "So, they helped build the settlement. A fair number of displaced griffins have also gone to live in the tribes. The zebras have begun making medicines for export as well."

"It seems as though this new year has brought about a fresh start for many. Let us hope things continue going so well." Celestia smiled. A number of diplomats and such agreed, cheering 'Hear hear!' After all, I basically just told them the future trends of the Equestrian stock market, and anyone there could get rich either by playing the market or selling the information to those that could.

"Also, one of the colonists was a brewer before capture, and in his new found freedom, has opened a distillery on Signal, where he makes alcohol from bananas. It should be up to stock this spring when we can start export. Of course, I'll bring a bottle or two so we can try it out in advance."

"I will look forward to that. I trust that concludes our business?"

"Only one more item to attend to, your highness. Where's Griffin?"

"Right here." When I turned around to look at him, I had trouble keeping my jaw where it should be. He looked, well, to say the least, a LOT better. His eyes didn't shift around all the time, like he was expecting trouble. He moved with confidence instead of cautiousness, and the muscles! I know they put him in the military training regime, but that... He was covered in firm, lean muscle that showed though his coat in all the right places, and above all, he looked happy. Truly happy, not like the brave face he'd been putting on all this time. He didn't look like his anxious, tired self.

"Hey... come here often?"..... and he just killed it. I walked up to him and flicked him on the beak.

"You dork." He wrapped his neck around mine.

"I may be a dork, but I'm your dork. That reminds me. You weren't here for hearth's warming, but, I got you a little something anyways." He pulled out two boxes, each matching, and gave one to me. I opened it to find that there was a little red collar, with a silver bell and a red feather hanging from it. When I turned to look at him, he was putting on a collar of his own, this one purple, the same as my crest.. He plucked one of my feathers out with a pinch, and added it to his collar with the little clamp that was in place just for that purpose.

"To remind us of each other. I missed you, you know."

"And I, you. How much longer do you have to stay here?"

"I don't know. They say I'm finally starting to process magic normally again, so, maybe another month or two? Then I'll be good to go. I'll still have cravings though, but I'll just have to deal with them."

"That's good to know....."

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"Hey! Stop hogging Griffin!" Nadene pounced and pulled us both into a group hug. "We missed you too! How about we get out of the throne room so we can catch up without keeping everyone waiting?"

"Uh... right."

"So, anyways, that's what's been going on my end." I had explained pretty much everything that had gone on while they were away.

"So the whole crystal kingdom empire thing is a global chill pill?"

"Pretty much yeah."

"Well, that should make our jobs a little easier at least. Oh! Just remembered, Geirmund got something for ya." The mecha pony stepped forward with a box of his own.

"Ze'se are mechanical eyes zat vork ze same vay as ze ving. I dislike optics, und so it took a great deal of frustration to be able to produce zeese. I am confident zat zey vill be to your liking. If you vould be so kind as to change form, I vill install zem." He pulled out a pair of silver orbs, each with a small diamond in it, and a couple cables coming out the back.

"Alright, forma versus." Everything went black as my eyes vanished and I became human again. "So, do you want me to sit somewhere or what?"

"You may vish to lay down, as you remember, we sutured ze ends of ze optic nerves, it vill take time for zem to be reattached to ze new eyes, und then it vill take time for ze anethetic to vear off und you to be able to see. Now, open your eye holes." So, I removed my sunglasses and opened my eyelids. I felt something cold and metallic against my eye socket, and heard the whirring of gears before a slight sting, and then numbness. "Und now ze ozer vun." Same process. "You vill feel numb for a vile, und you must not change form until ze process is complete."

"Well, no point in just sitting around here for a few hours. Wanna see my room?"

"Kind of difficult with you not being able to show us and all." Gilda replied in a deadpan.

"Guard. Can you show us to my room?" I heard the clip clop of hoof steps as one of the guards entered.

"Of course, if you'll please follow me."

I slung my arm around Gilda's neck so I'd know where I was going, then walked with her as she and every one else followed the guard.

Author's Notes:

So yeah. Pretty much nothing happened this chapter, except Geirmund bringing in the tech eyes he started making a while ago, but it's a nice catch up as to what's been happening in the different parts of the world, and sets the stage for what's to come.