Celestia looked down at the parchment with a sour expression on her ageless face. Her snout parted to let a breath of discontent waft from her lungs. She folded the letter and stood up, trotting about the moonlit study.

Her sister was awake, as she always was at this time. One could not call this hour ungodly, as all times of the day were carried and controlled by the two princesses. Though to call them goddesses was a bit of an exaggeration, as Celestia always thought, Luna took it rather well. The thought that she was revered as a goddess of the night made her wings stiffen.

Celestia allowed a slight giggle at the image, but the contents of the letter came back to set her fur on edge.

To the most esteemed Princesses,

You are in custody of precious property belonging to Sevilin Jacobs himself. He has made it abundantly clear that he sees this as a threat from you and your ponies. Do not bother sending a response back.

He wishes to speak to you personally.

  ~Trixie Lulamoon: Head Legislator and Diplomat

Celestia grit her teeth, thinking of the two ponies that had caused all of this. "Fools…"

She fired up her horn impatiently and teleported out of the white glow of the moon.

Trixie continually shuffled various papers with great skill, ordering and reordering them as she saw fit. To be honest, she was extremely nervous about this little mishap with the Equestrian government. If things got hairy, well… there was only so much she expected from the human.

With no magic, flight, or even extreme resiliency to the elements; he was indubitably screwed. Lulamoon glanced at the amassed guards and soldiers. The Praetorians were suited up and the changeling Spec Ops sat in a small group chatting away. A few unicorns connected the massive carriages to the manticores, making sure to keep the creatures placated.

Doing some quick calculations in her head, she estimated that with enchantments the carriages would easily hold the mob. Chrysalis still hadn't shown up, however, and now even Trixie was starting to be bugged by this. "Where is she? She better not be lounging about with Strake! I swear, if she-"

clunk

clunk

Clunk

CLUNK

CLANK

A tower of silvery blue stopped in front of her, halting her thoughts as it did its steps. The soldiers and fighters around her readied themselves, but before they could act, they heard a familiar voice. Sounding hollow and mechanical, they heard Sevilin from inside that thing.

Its wide, lifeless eyes shone with a brilliant purple glow, reflecting off of the sleek, smooth armor. Chitinous armor plating covered Sevilin's stomach, neck, hands, and arms. The rest of his body was adorned by sturdy, sleek-looking metal. A delicate hum was heard in the quiet, emanating from the man's chest. The faceplate over his mouth moved as two individual pieces while he talked, exposing a circular ring that spun with a delicate yellow.

"Gather up, and move out. I want to be at Canterlot by sunrise." He turned his head toward Trixie, fixing his bulbous, violet gaze upon her. "Where is Queen Chrysalis?"

Trixie shook her head, her heart too far into her throat for her to speak correctly. Sevilin grunted, a rusty, metallic grating accompanying the sound. With a simple about-face, he turned and walked through the doorway to return to his palace's corridors, picking his way through with ease.

"She's definitely fucking Strake," he thought as he proceeded to clamber up a stairwell.

"Crap crap crap crap crap. Oh, crap!" Silk Shot sped down the hallway. The sun was to rise in a little under an hour, and he was in full-on panic mode. Swearing the whole way, his eyes dotted every door, until finally resting on one name plate. Breaking the door down, he jumped onto the bed, bouncing up and down with urgency.

"Get up! Get the fuck UP!" He stopped and eyed the door with a widened, alarmed gaze. After confirming that the doorway was indeed cleared, he turned around to address the pony he stood atop of, before being kicked into the chandelier that hung above the esteemed Lieutenant's bed.

"What in TARTARUS are you doing, Private?!" Force sat on his haunches, his dirty blonde mane scattered about his face. His scowl could curl milk, and he directed it at the dazed Private.

Shaking his head of the plaster from the ceiling, he resumed his panicked stare. "The human! The human is coming back for his weapons! He's pissed, man, REAL pissed!"

Silk's words sunk in, and Force whipped his mattress over his head. There, on his bed frame, sat the blade nestled in its sheathe.

"You kept it under your mattress?"

Noble Force snorted. "I'm an old fashioned pony."

Silk nodded from his place above Force. "Emphasis on old."

Force's scowl returned full force, and Silk Shot's trademark grin disappeared from his face. In its wake were bulging cheeks and a green complexion joining his purple coat. Seconds later, a shower of stomach fluids and chunky white pieces rained down upon the Lieutenant.

Silk spat a few times. "Don't worry, sir! I'm sure that milk'll come right out!"

Sevilin dragged the pouty changeling Queen behind him with an armored hand. "But I don't want to go back to Canterlot! The last time I was there I nearly overthrew their government and sucked all of the happiness out of them."

Sevilin sighed. "I take it you would rather be sucking something else out of Strake now, hmm?"

Chrysalis' fanged smile returned with a sultry wink. "You know it."

"You can enjoy yourself later, right now we've got serious business."

Chrysalis huffed and wore her pouty expression again. "By the way: what is that you're wearing?"

Sevilin's brows meshed together inside of the helmet. "Specialist Mantis armor, suited for telepathy and layered with several defenses against mental attacks. It's not mine," he muttered.

"Not yours? Then who's is it?"

Sevilin maintained silence over the question, instead pulling on her tattered tail with more force. "Up, you. I'm not dragging you all the way to the hangar."

"Pity," she remarked before fluttering her insectoid wings and heading to the aforementioned area.

Trixie sat in the carriage, tapping her hind legs impatiently against the seat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chrysalis and Sevilin approaching.

"Finally! Chrysalis you should have been here hours ago!"

Chrysalis giggled. "My schedule was a little full," she lidded her eyes with a smile, "if you know what I mean."

Before Trixie could get flustered over the implications of that comment, Sevilin pushed the two inside and walked to the front of the carriage. "Pilot, take us to Canterlot immediately."

The Alloy Dog nodded once and called out to the napping manticores, gathering their attention. After a promise of a snack for the both of them, they took off. The other carriage followed suit, trailing Sevilin's with ease.

The two sturdy carriages sailed through the night, allowing everyone to relax before the confrontation that was surely to arrive.

"Where are those two?!" Twilight tore through room after room relentlessly, not bothering to knock or even open the doors.

Splinters flew around, magic permeating the air and making the entire wing reek of ozone and sawdust. She blasted apart doors and bureaus with reckless abandon, furious at the two soldiers.

"Stupid stupid STUPID!"

Down the hall, Silk slunk behind a corner.

"Sir, she's super-duper pissed. Orders?"

Noble Force hummed thoughtfully. "You ever had a marefriend, Private?"

"Yessir. Why?"

"Emergency code: Bloody Valley. All male units proceed with caution and tread lightly. Let's put aside our differences and get out of her peripheral vision, smell, and aim."

Silk froze for a minute. "Uh, sir? I'm pretty sure she's not-"

"Same difference, numbnuts! Let's just cheese it before she swiss cheeses us!"

And with that, the aged Lieutenant took off down the hallway in the opposite direction. Having no choice except to face a possibly-ovulating mare with the destructive capabilities of a Death Star, Silk Shot tailed his comrade.

Sevilin slowly tapped his foot on the carriage's wooden surface, his emotionless metal face glowing with an ominous purple light.

"You know, I never imagined you'd be able to pull off blue and purple," Chrysalis chattered. Sevilin's mouth plating moved, signifying his forming of words.

"DeShurio pulled it off quite well… for thirty-nine years…" Sevilin trailed off into mumbles, his face-plate not even bothering to register them.

Trixie coughed a bit, an awkward vibe hanging in the air. "What is the suit made out of, m'lord? I've never seen anything quite so… intimidating."

Sevilin clicked his tongue a few times before answering mechanically and sounding eerily detached. "Osmiridium-carbon hybrid alloy. Tempered in excess of three-thousand degree heat and coated with the extra-terrestrial polymer 'Ciuviene'. The polymer coat allows for free traversal and easy transition between below zero, above melting, and deep space environments."

The violet orbs lit Trixie's face. "And refrain from naming me as your lord. Such titles are trivial and useless. No mortal being can truly be a lord, as death beckons all of us to join peace sometime."

Every pair of eyes in the carriage were on him, his voice sounding strange. An accent accompanied his usual tone, and he sounded far more philosophical than usual. The occupants left it at that and returned to polishing their weapons and inspecting their armor, allowing Sevilin to bask in the silence.

"Touching down in thirty minutes, sir!"

Sevilin nodded. "Acknowledged."

"Dodge!"

A crate exploded just a few feet away from Silk, peppering his hide with splinters. He slid across the scorched marble and into cover with Noble Force. Panting, he checked around the corner for the murderous purple mare.

"She's gone, sir. What do we do?" he panted with more than a hint of fear in his voice.

Noble Force grunted. "Mark my words, she's still there. Tartarus hath no fury like a mare's capacity for bitchiness." He swiveled his head to and fro. "Make for that hallway. Three. Two. One…"

On "Go," they both sprinted for the opening, only for a massive wooden crate to smash down in front of them.

"Shit!"

Turning around, the two stallions gawked at the form of Twilight Sparkle; wreathed in pure magical energy and eyes aglow with white angelic light.

"IDIOTS!" she roared.

"Shake the sword! Shake the sword!" Silk shouted over the cacophony of crackling magic and coltish screaming.

Whipping out his sword, Force began pumping it up and down furiously. Soon, he overcharged it, spinning around quickly and releasing its powerful load upon the delicate boxes in front of him. With a groan and a pop, the boxes tore themselves asunder and allowed the two soldiers passage.

Taking their chance, they broke off down the hall at break-neck speed. Wooden splinters and chunks of masonry bombarded the area around them, taking pieces off of the walls and shattering furniture in a pony-made meteor shower.

Scampering out of the enclosure, the turned the corner and sped down the hallway to enter the throne room. They threw tables, chairs, and large pillows in front, tossing anything they could in an attempt to slow down the powerful unicorn.

A low rumble sounded behind them, and they heard cracks of electricity behind them.

Turning slowly, they gazed with fear into the equal glares of the Princesses, both surrounded by scattered papers and ink wells. Luna in particular had a dripping inkwell on her horn, the black liquid seeping down the ebony horn and between her eyes, which burned with ferocity.

They both sat on the marble flooring, sprawled on their hind legs.

The two soldiers looked back at the amalgamation of objects thrown at the door, and back at the Princesses.

A small violet pop and Twilight stood beside them with the same glare, her horn smoking.

"Parley?" Silk inched his hooves up in defense.

"Approaching destination sir!"

Sevilin placed the shoulder guard back onto his armor, the clicks and hisses of the machinery sounding off. He patted it before looking up at the window. "Fire flares, take us in."

The driver nodded and pulled a tube from his waist. The tube itself was used to signal air traffic controllers of lander and arrivals. Celestia had informed him to use a green flare to alert them.

The dog waited, holding the flare.

Sevilin payed attention to a lone griffin that he had sent out. The griffin pulled the green flare and fired. He was allowed inside, and guards immediately swarmed him and pointed weapons upon him. Sevilin saw it all with his monocular system set in his armor.

He continued to watch as the guards checked the griffin for weapons, prodding him with their own. Once it was confirmed that no weapons were stowed away, they nodded to one another.

Then they began beating him.

Sevilin's eyes widened at this, and he shouted to the driver. "Take us down! Immediately!"

The entire cart lurched forward, and Trixie yelped in surprise while Chrysalis merely yawned.

"Having fun, Legislator?"

"Shut up! I never liked heights! Never ever eve-"

A roar punched the air, making the walls of the cart vibrate, then Sevilin leapt out to meet the ground with heavy metallic boots.

CLUNK

Nine guards. Targets locked on all of them, listing various weaknesses per race.

Standing slowly, Sevilin stared at the nine guards with his pulsating violet eyes. A few raised their weapons, the rest kept them pointed at the griffin. Sevilin didn't speak, instead his suit screamed. The suit's telepathic resonators began bringing the ponies' muscle functions to a screeching halt, attacking their musculature systems and scrambling brain wave patterns.

The frightened griffin flew away, darting over the edge of the city. The guards twitched and jerked erratically, weapons clattering to the ground while they held their heads with their hooves, as if trying to squeeze the infernal screams out.

The two carts touched down, surrounding Sevilin defensively. Now backed up on all sides, Sevilin halted his telepathic assault and nodded toward the palace. "Let us go."

"Sir. What of them?" Terrace nodded to the panting guards.

Sevilin snorted, the sound echoing to sound like a growl. "Leave them. They aren't worth our time. It seems I have more to discuss with Celestia than I originally believed."

Guards lined the halls while Sevilin led his procession through, the silvery-blue armor reflecting their wary expressions. His heavy footfalls let everyone in his presence know that he meant serious business.

With his armor, he towered an extra yard above the ponies that had their weapons directed at him. Their grips were strong, unwavering in his presence, but their eyes gave away their true feelings.

Trixie and Chrysalis glanced nervously around them. No doubt that Twilight was here, and that had Trixie extremely on-edge. As for Chrysalis, however…

"I'm surrounded, I don't have enough changelings, Sevilin looks really scary! There's no love here! THERE'S NO LOVE HERE!"

Chrysalis felt weak. For the first time since she could remember, Sevilin Jacobs had stopped radiating love. Through changeling eyes, Chrysalis stared at him, and what she saw made her eyes bug. No pun intended.

The usual emotion field swarming about Sevilin was calm. A muddled grey, fluctuating as if to a drum, orbited around him. Once in a while a blue, pink, or yellow flash would occur, but they would be snuffed out immediately.

Blinking a few times, Chrysalis looked around her, and noticed that they were absolutely surrounded by red. The guards, the nobles, even the servants. While some were mixed with the underlying purple hue of fear, the red was still prevalent.

Chrysalis moved a touch closer to the hulking man of stoicism.

Approaching the throne room, the doors opened with a quiet slide, and they all moved inside. None of Sevilin's soldiers had drawn their weapons as of yet, but they continually eyed the guards that had their's ready.

In the thrones sat Luna and Celestia, looking very troubled. Silk Shot and Noble Force cowered under the disapproving scowl of Twilight Sparkle.

All eyes went to Celestia and Luna, and the Princess of the Sun spoke first.

"It is favorable that we have met in person. We have much to discuss."

Sevilin's armor produced a guttural growl, its eyes glowing tenaciously.

"Yes. We do."

The doors closed behind his group. Next Chapter: Chapter 8- Tension Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 15 Minutes