I lay in bed, awake, staring holes into the ceiling. Fluttershy lay next to me, curled up and nestled against me, breathing rhythmically. Outside, Luna’s Grace floated over the sky, its silver light flowing through the window of the bedroom. I shut my eyes, blocking the world around me to think. It was, however, not quiet. Whispers clouded my mind.

‘-Kill the yellow one in her sleep-’

‘-Oh, the night sky is pretty. We should go flying again-’

‘-All is one, one is all… All is the universe, one is Me-’

‘-Your wife is pretty, yes. But don’t forget Sandsturm…-’

I scrunched my eyes tighter and pulled my pillow around my ears, almost as if I expected the voices to cease. They never do. I tried to ignore them as I thought about tonight.

The news brought forth by Tigerheart was troubling indeed. My father was indeed getting desperate to preserve his authority, as to my fears, meaning attack by his hoof was now inevitable. I tried to think of a way to settle the dispute without bloodshed, but every scenario ended in either my father’s death, or my own. Blood will spill blood in a struggle for power. I hate politics.

I exhaled deeply, releasing a breath I did not realize I was holding. Fluttershy moved a little. I looked down, and her eyes met mine. Her beautiful, aquamarine blue eyes stared into my golden, amber eyes.

“Red Storm. You were talking to yourself again.” Really? For how long? “Yes, you were,” she added, “For several minutes.” I realized that I was still thinking aloud. ‘I need to watch out for that…’ I made a mental note of this new symptom as Fluttershy’s eyes filled with worry.

“I-I’m sorry, love. I have a lot on my mind. I… I’ve put everypony in danger. You, your friends, even that carrot salespony in the marketplace. Everypony is in terrible danger, all because of me. My father-“

“I heard the whole thing earlier,” Fluttershy said, interrupting me. “I was only in the kitchen.” My worried expression softened ever so slightly.

“But of course. So you understand the problem here, don’t you? I promised to protect you, no matter what. As of late, all I have been doing is endangering you, along with everypony else involved. I… I… I should have left months ago!” I flared up in an instant, pulling myself away from Fluttershy and off the bed, kicking off the sheets and moving to the window.

“I can do nothing! Should we stay to fight, he will kill us, and everypony else in Ponyville! If we were to flee, he would only search the entire country for us, turning all into dust and ash before him until he finds us! Then he will kill us! I cannot hope to combat the combined might of my father and an entire army alone and expect to win, nor can I protect an entire country from his wrath! There is nothing I can do to protect you!” I smashed the window in frustration, lacerating my foreleg. I fell onto the bed, holding my injured leg with my good hoof, whimpering.

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I have failed you as a husband. I cannot protect you. I had one job… one duty… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!” My head fell into my hooves, as I began to cry. Not even in a dignified way. This was a slobbering, nose dripping, choking-on-your-own-tears weep. I felt Fluttershy wrap me in her wings, pulling me closer into a caring embrace. I moved into her caress, crying into her breast, not unlike a foal with his mother. Fluttershy stroked my mane with a hoof as she patted my back, whispering a lullaby in my ear:

As she sang, I felt my sobs weaken, and by the song’s end, they had stopped completely. Fluttershy wiped the last of my tears from my face with her wing as she dabbed my muzzle with a tissue. She kissed me gently on the nose, before looking into my eyes. Her blue orbs shone with the deepest compassion and love.

“Red Storm... I never, ever want you to say that you regret staying again. I am happy that you stayed, evil warmonger father or not. Everypony who knows you are happy that you have stayed. I love you with all my heart, and I know you feel the same about me. I never want you to say that you regret falling in love together again. Understood?” Her shift into ‘Authoritative mode’ made me grin.

“I understand, Princess Fluttershy. Won’t happen again.” My sarcasm during such a serious moment earned me a punch to the jaw. It actually hurt for once. I chuckled lightly, as Fluttershy giggled. However, I soon became serious once more.

“What are we to do then? It’s quite apparent that I cannot face the might of the Kingdom on my own, and my father can always track us down should we flee…” We sat in a few moments of silence. Then, Fluttershy perked up.

“I know! You said that you couldn’t face your father on your own! If we told the Princesses about the invasion, they can send soldiers!” I pondered the thought, but shook my head.

“No, no. A single Sanguinary Guard is worth ten Equestrian soldiers, and my father has at least a hundred Honour Guards to choose from. Not to mention that he himself is coming, if not my sister and mother. Even an army backed up by the Princesses themselves would not be able to repel power of that magnitude.”

“What if we rounded up some Sanguinaries of our own?” I nearly shat a brick at the voice coming from behind me. I turned slowly to the owner, gritting my teeth.

“Whitewash… what have I told you about interrupting me? Or sneaking up on me? Or breaking into my home, for that matter.” Whitewash just shrugged, sitting atop a set of nearby dressers.

“Sorry. Not my fault if you can’t smell me anymore. And besides, your window was open. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is keeping you two alive. Let’s talk tactics. Like I was saying, we can always gather up the rebels.” I firmly applied hoof to face at the idea.

“Whitewash. Please, be reasonable. How are we to find them? The status is called ‘Missing in Action’ for a reason. How do you suppose we will contact ponies that the Kingdom can’t find? And if we did, why would they help us?” Whitewash rolled her eyes.

“Well, for one, they rebelled against your father ‘cause they like you better. They think you are in the right, and that your father is batshit.” Then, Whitewash grinned a devilish grin. “Besides, when have I never been able to track somepony down?” I thought for a moment about her career choice, and decided that she did have experience in the field.

“Very well. However, we both know that it will take time to assemble a sizable force. What are we to do until then?” Whitewash shrugged again.

“Why not form a militia? You are a general, after all. I’m sure you could whip up a platoon in no time at all.” I pondered the thought. I would require permission from the Mayor, but considering the circumstances, that shouldn’t be too hard. But still…

“What if my father uses the Horses? What do we do then?” Whitewash looked rather pale.

“I… I hadn’t considered that. Should he mobilize the Horses, you may as well kneel over and die on your own. Even Discord, Nightmare Moon, Celestia, Luna, and Chrysalis combined wouldn’t be able to stop them. They would be High Gods at that point.” Fluttershy nudged my shoulder.

“Um… by ‘Horses’ do you mean the Horses of the Apocalypse?” I gaped at Fluttershy for knowing such a thing. “You would talk in your sleep about them. Maybe… maybe the Elements of Harmony could nullify the Armour’s effects? At least, weaken them?” I considered that, and nodded.

“That right there may just be our best bet. It’s one hellova gamble, and should it not work, we may as well go with Whitewash’s plan of kneeling over. However, it might work, and if it does, then it would certainly level the playing field.” I stifled a yawn. “Oh my. It is rather late, isn’t it? I think we should continue our scheming for a later date. One cannot plan such a biblical defense without rest. Whitewash. You are dismissed.” The crème mare nodded, and in a flash of light, was gone. The window was even repaired. I then returned my attention to my wife, who was already returning to her side of the bed. I slipped under the sheets, and spooned her with my forelegs. I planted a kiss on her check, earning me a smile in return. Then, Fluttershy asked, looking slightly worried;

“Red Storm… do you think we can pull this off?” I smiled back, and said:

“Of course. I have a renewed sense of hope for our survival. I think everything will be fine.” That seemed to please her, and she nuzzled my foreleg before quickly fell asleep. I closed my eyes, smiling wider than ever. There was silence as I fell asleep next to my bride. Genuine silence… no voices.