Exhausted was the best word to describe her brother. His eyes were half-open, just like his mouth. He hissed and panted at every step they made with his arm over her shoulder. His hair seemed unwashed and greasy, although Danielle knew this was not true. It hung loose and much too long on him, brushing just over his shoulder. The beard on his face managed to make him look ten years older. Danielle was uncertain what it said about him or herself, but somehow he seemed to weigh almost nothing. That could not be since no one could lose so much weight in so little time.

She was probably not the only one to notice his condition as they stepped out of the dark bedroom into the brightly lit living room. Amaryllis turned at the sight of Thiemo. She sat with Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Cadance on the sofa. Princesses, alicorns, immortal beings with the power to move the sun and the moon. Even after two days with Rarity, she still hadn’t fully grasped the concept or the reality. After all, it was one thing to hear about it from her brother and something else entirely to be caught in the middle of it.

“Everyone’s looking like somebody kicked a puppy. Have I missed something?" Thiemo croaked, followed by a short grunt as they reached the first step of the stairs.

No one answered. Danielle had only learned a few hours ago what exactly had happened. It was nothing to laugh at. She would’ve given her brother a subtle jab in the ribs, but that would probably not be the healthiest thing for him these days. "No jokes," she whispered to him instead. "Please be serious. Try." She knew the painkillers could be a bit disabling, but he did not receive a dose potent enough to be really high.

She led him down the stairs to the living room, where there was a small sofa for both of them. With a last loud groan, Thiemo slumped onto the cushion, scratching his belly through his grey T-shirt and placing the fingers of his right hand in the waistband of his boxer shorts. "Peggy, what's for dinner?"

"Thiemo, this is serious," said Cadance. "We need to talk."

He took a deep breath. "I know."

"Shining is dead and the Crystal Heart was stolen." He nodded. "Equestria supports us but expects considerations in return."

"Soldiers against Ti?"

"We have no standing army, though we possess a large airship fleet. While it is intended for transporting goods, it can safely be converted."

For the first time, Thiemo showed a clear reaction, even if it was only raised eyebrows. "I've never seen an airship here."

"They fly over the cloud cover to escape the storms. The teleporters are then used for loading and unloading."

"Doesn’t Equestria own airships?" That question of Thiemo’s went to Twilight.

"Hold on!" Danielle finally interrupted the conversation. "Could someone please enlighten me?"

Twilight sighed. "The only access to the interior of the continent is protected by Fortress Hoovegorod. It lies at the mouth where the white river flows into the sea. The changelings could only come from there into the country. The coast is otherwise protected by mountains and winds that can bring even large airships from the sky. So either my mother has let changelings and humans into the country or the fortress has fallen."

"Both very unpleasant scenarios," agreed Thiemo. "Wasn’t that where Night Hawk was stationed?" The Princess of Magic nodded. "So, again I’ll ask, doesn’t Equestria own airships?"

"The few that we have are in use to guard our other borders. A few, of course are always in the dock, but only the smaller frigates. If my mother really wanted to attack Ti, she needs more. "

"Okay, makes sense. What else have I missed? "

Twilight looked briefly at Rarity before she spoke. "Eris is also dead. It happened a few days after she had sent you to Earth. She suddenly appeared in my mother's apartments, badly wounded. Eris died a few seconds after her arrival. The news reached me one day later, and when I was about to deliver it to Fluttershy... she had disappeared. Cottage empty, no animals, no furniture, nothing, as if nopony had ever lived there."

"Equestria is without its strongest weapons and Celly wants to strike before anyone realizes. That's why she needs the ships." He considered the situation briefly. “I just figured out why humans attacked the Empire."

"What?" came from almost all mouths at the same time, which made Thiemo twitch.

"Simple. I wondered at the time why Eris was not punished for the story of the labyrinth. Then it clicked. Eris is a creature of chaos, a being of uncontrollable and unpredictable and all that. There is hardly any better defence. Sure, other countries are also afraid that Celly or Luna could throw a small planet on their heads, but that is a one time thing. If they did it, it would mean the end for everyone. Eris would just plant a few flowers and turn an advancing army into zombies and that would be it. Celly wanted to stay on her good side. Whoever killed Eris…”

Thiemo pointed to Twilight. "Whoever it was, did they tell the humans of Ti about it?"

"Or maybe they’re one of them. And what does it take to kill someone like Eris?"

"An alicorn," Cadance finished with wide-open eyes.

"Or an angel." Questioning glances met him, except from Danielle. She suddenly had a very good understanding of what her brother wanted. "You are not the only ones who exist as demigods. Got one back on Earth. Fiery personality."

"Megan," Amaryllis hissed.

"We are working against an alicorn that’s allied with humans. It had no problem facing down Eris, has a changeling queen as his allies, and it wanted the Crystal Heart." Rarity slumped. "Well, that sounds like a bit of a problem."

"And my mother is no help." At that, Cadance put a leg around Twilight and hugged her sister-in-law.

"We need any help we can get," Cadance said. "Thiemo, will you fight with us? "

He did not need to think. "No."

Author's Notes:

Chapter 5 had many tasks. It should show my dear readers in what relation Earth stands to Albion. Is it another dimension or just another planet far away. It showed who Thiemo is as a human, were he came from and what he left behind. It introduced Danielle as fourth and last member of our crew and hinted at many things. Let me leave one here too: Did any of you ever hear about the Anthropic principle? Or the counter theory "design"? I will say know that the world of Journey follows the latter.

Special thanks to JBL for translating & editing.