Soft white flakes of snow drifted down all around Discipula Star as she walked through the mostly empty streets of Canterlot on her way to Brass Heart’s house. There was a fine layer of the natural icing enveloping the city already, causing the unicorn to shrink further into her cloak as she tried to keep warm. Still, Star was glad that she hadn’t worn the skirt that she’d donned the day before, which hadn’t offered much resistance from the cold bite of the winter winds. The tranquility that had fallen over the sprawling metropolis was a welcome relief from the usual hustle and bustle that tended to permeate the streets in the warmer months at least, she thought, as she focused on the rhythm of her hooves crunching softly along the cobblestone sidewalk.

It was still early, but Star had decided to find Brass Heart and Down Glory soon after finishing her breakfast. Both of the pegasus soldiers, she’d been told by Princess Celestia, who had just finished raising the sun, were on a short leave after returning from Cloudsdale. They had been the ones to discover Rainbow Strike’s treachery and had apparently managed to escape by the skin of their teeth, so the princesses had offered the two stallions some time off to recuperate before being sent off on another mission. Sadly, Star was on her way to interrupt their short vacation, because Axel needed some assistance designing the new flying chariots and they were the only soldiers that the unicorn knew well enough to feel comfortable asking for help.

Brass Heart’s residence was the closest, though it was still a good distance from the castle property, so Star had left right away, leaving Inferno sleeping in their bedroom while she took care of the simple task. The little dragon had been dealing with a mild hangover the day before, so her mother figured that she could use the extra sleep. A few extra hours of rest could have done the unicorn some good as well, but there was so much left to do before the first battle was waged against the Crystal Empire’s forces, that she’d been unable to get back to sleep anyway and keeping herself busy helped take Star’s mind off of the fact that some of her friends would be facing down dangerous enemies while she was safe in the capitol. It didn’t seem fair, but Luna had assured the worried mare that Canterlot is where she was needed most and Star had accepted the alicorn’s words, like the faithful student she was.

A few other ponies passed by as Star crossed the last street before reaching her destination, but they all seemed to be in just as much of a hurry as she was, so they didn’t even bother sparing a second glance at the small unicorn. It was most likely the cold that put the pep in their step, Star assumed. It had certainly quickened her pace as she had left the castle that morning. The cloak shrouded mare rounded the last corner and walked up the short, brick path leading up to the doors of a small brick home. As far as she could remember, this was Brass Heart’s house, so she knocked on the door a few times. The white pegasus pulled open the door a moment later, blue eyes blinking in surprise as they adjusted to the early morning glare glinting off of the crisp snow in the front yard.

“Star?” Brass Heart questioned with a yawn. “What are you doing here at this hour?” The confused stallion glanced up at the grey skies, as if to make sure that it was indeed morning and he hadn’t lost a few hours somehow.

“I needed to ask you for a favor,” Star replied. “May I come in?”

“Oh, excuse my rudeness,” Brass Heart apologized. “Please, come in.” The pegasus stepped back from the door and Star walked inside, eager to get out of the freezing wind for awhile. Her nose had begun to sting it was getting so cold during the walk. “Would you like something warm to drink?” the pegasus asked, as he led her through the small home to the plainly decorated living room.

“Some tea would be lovely,” Star told him as she took a seat on one of the two mismatched seats. It was obvious that the house belonged to a single stallion, because even though it was fully furnished, not one thing seemed to compliment the colors of another and there was certainly a bit of tidying up that could have been done.

“Alright, I’ll be back in just a moment,” Brass Heart said, before leaving to start the process of making a pot of tea for them. Star occupied herself by examining the room around her, but unfortunately there wasn’t much to see. One window, with wrinkled, blue curtains framing it, took up one wall, the small fireplace another and a few shelves with various knickknacks, as well as a couple of the soldier’s medals, took up yet another. The chairs were worn, but comfortable, despite one being green and the other dark blue. A frayed, burgundy rug tied the mess together with its various muddy hoofprints. It was apparent that the guard pony didn’t have much free time to spend cleaning, but it wasn’t the worst place the unicorn had been in.

“I’m sorry to bother you on your vacation,” Star shouted out, confident that her friend would still be able to hear her voice in the small home.

“Don’t be,” Brass Heart replied. “I’ve mostly just been sleeping anyway, so it’s probably a good thing for me to get up and do something with myself.”

“Well, I might have something to help keep you busy,” Star replied.

“Oh, what’s that?” the pegasus shouted back.

“My friend, Axel, needs help designing the flying chariots that the princesses requested her to build and I thought that working directly with a pegasus soldier might make her job easier,” Star explained. “It shouldn’t take too long and it would really help us out.” The winged stallion walked back out of the kitchen a moment later, balancing a tray containing the teapot and two cups between his wings.

“Yes, of course,” Brass Heart replied as he carefully set the scratch marked tray down on the table and took a seat opposite the young mare. “I would be more than happy to help with whatever I can.” The pegasus picked up the teapot as he spoke and poured a steaming cup of the beverage for each of them before setting it back down again.

“Thank you so much,” Star said as she delicately lifted her cup with a levitation spell, bringing it to her lips, whereupon she blew softly into the hot drink before taking a small sip. It was a rather cheap tea, but he had sweetened it with honey and it was the perfect way for the formerly shivering mare to warm up. “Do you think that Dawn would be willing to help us as well?” While Brass Heart was a corporal in the military, his long time friend, Dawn Glory, had only reached the rank of private, but both were well versed in combat and would be invaluable assets.

“I don’t see why not,” the pegasus replied.

“Great, then I suppose we should head over there next,” Star commented as she waited for her cup to cool a little more.

“Sure, but there’s no need to be in so much of a hurry,” Brass Heart chuckled. “I think that we can afford to sit here and enjoy our tea for at least a few more minutes.” He followed up his statement by taking a long sip from his cup and then sinking back into the faded blue chair with a contented sigh.

“I guess you’re right,” Star replied with a smile as she tried to relax a bit more. “So, how many days of leave do you have left before your next mission?”

“Well, I guess that all depends on what my superiors say,” Brass Heart said, as he absentmindedly ran a hoof through his blonde mane. “I had been hoping to be a part of the mission that your friends were given. I’ve always found Sergeant Rainbow Strike to be insufferable, but Princess Celestia insisted that Dawn and I take some time off, so here I am,” he sighed, with a casual wave of his hoof. “I would imagine that it won’t be long before the princesses send forces up north though, so I’ll most likely be a part of that, whenever it happens.”

“I’m… glad to hear that?” Star replied. Brass Heart was one of the few soldiers the magical mare had actually developed a rapport with, so she wasn’t very accustomed to ponies actually hoping to be involved in something dangerous. Although her friends seemed to constantly be facing some form of hostility, none of them tried to find it and most of them, with the possible exception of Downpour and Strata, tried their best to avoid it. “But if you like conflict so much, then why are you always escorting me around, instead of facing actual enemies?” the curious unicorn asked the soldier.

“Princess Luna told Dawn and I that she didn’t trust anypony else with your protection and who am I to argue with one of the princesses?” Brass Heart shrugged before tipping back his head and downing the remained of his tea in a single swallow.

“Oh, I hadn’t realized that you weren’t given a choice in the matter,” Star quickly replied. “I would be more than happy to speak with Luna and let her know that I would be perfectly safe with one of the other gua-”

“No, no, it’s not like that at all,” Brass Heart interrupted, before the apologetic mare got too worked up. “If I truly didn’t wish to be your escort all of the time, then the princess would not force me to do so. I actually enjoy traveling all around Equestria with you, but it isn’t everyday that the country is going to war and I feel that I would serve the princesses better out in the middle of battle, rather than sitting here in the city.”

“Are you certain?” Star asked. She had just finished her tea and was contemplating pouring herself some more, but decided that they had spent quite enough time sitting around. “I meant it when I said that I could speak with the princess for you. It wouldn’t be any trouble,” the unicorn continued. “I don’t blame you fo-”

“Star!” the pegasus exclaimed, with a clap of his hooves for effect. “There is no need to worry. I am more than happy to be your guardian for Princess Luna and perfectly content to help build the chariots Equestria will need to win this war.”

“Oh,” Star sighed, “okay then…” The blonde maned soldier smirked at her as he shook his head and then chuckled softly. He stood up a moment later and gave his wings a good stretch before folding the feathered appendages against his sides once more.

“Now, if you’re about done worrying over nothing,” Brass Heart chuckled, “I think that it is about time for us to make our way to Dawn’s house.” Star smiled back at him and nodded before getting up from the chair and shooting the stallion a questioning glance, as she set her empty cup on the scratched up tabletop. “Yeah, you can just leave it there. I’ll pick it up… eventually,” the soldier told her before turning towards the door. Star gave a small shrug and proceeded to follow him out, back into the freezing Canterlot winter that awaited them.

The shining sun hadn’t even managed to crest over the thick cover of clouds that blocked the sky from view before Star and Brass Heart had made their way to Dawn Glory’s home in the middle of the mountain city. The pegasus let the two visitors in and it wasn’t long before Brass Heart had talked him into helping them with the chariot designs. The light blue maned stallion seemed just as eager to keep his hooves busy as his superior and readily followed them out into the frosty streets of Canterlot. Both of the soldiers asked Star questions about the work that they would be doing, but the unicorn didn’t have much information to give, aside from the fact that they would be working on vehicles for the military. Between the two of them though, Star imagined that it wouldn’t take Axel long to solve whatever problems she had been grappling with over the flying chariots.

Inferno wasn’t in their bedroom by the time that Star finally returned to the castle, with the pegasus in tow, but that was no surprise to the unicorn, considering it had taken them a good portion of the morning to reach Dawn’s house and then make it back afterwards. She led the two soldiers around the upper halls for awhile once they’d arrived, before eventually finding her daughter in Axel’s room, where they were having a late breakfast. Axel ushered the three newcomers in right away, with all of the overexcited charm that Star had come to expect of the energetic mare and not long after, the group was joined by Ursa, who looked as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before. The crystal pony had dark bags under his eyes and his shaggy mane was even more unkempt than usual as he crossed the small room in a few long strides.

“How are things looking down at the shop?” Axel asked, after offering Ursa one of the few available seats in the crowded bedroom. “I’ll bet that you have that place looking pristine now, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Ursa replied, as he sank into the couch beside Star. “There are still a few things left to do, but it should be ready for you to start your work,” he added with an exhausted yawn.

“How long were you working out there?” Inferno asked him, having picked up on his rather obvious lack of sleep. Ursa rubbed a hoof against the side of his emerald face and blinked a few times, as if he was having difficulty just staying awake long enough to answer the question.

“Uh, I actually just got back a little bit ago,” he sheepishly replied.

“I could tell,” Star said, as she took in his disheveled appearance. “You know that you didn’t have to work yourself that hard, right?” The large stallion waved off the question with his hoof before releasing another drawn out yawn into the air.

“It needed done,” he finally replied.

“Well you should at least take the morning off,” Star told him. “There is no sense in working yourself to death and besides, Draft wouldn’t be too happy with me if I let you keel over while helping us out.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ursa chuckled dryly. “It would take much more than a night of cleaning to kill me.” The earth pony leaned back in his seat with a groan after he had spoken. Star was still certain that there was something bothering the reserved stallion, but didn’t want to question him further while everypony else was around, so she dropped the subject once again.

“Oh, Ursa, you remember Private Glory and Corporal Heart,” Star said, gesturing towards each of the soldiers in turn. It wasn’t often that she used the proper titles when addressing the pegasus, but since this was a business meeting of sorts, the small mare figured it best to be formal.

“You’re the stallions that told the princesses about what was happening in Cloudsdale, right?” Ursa asked, as he eyed the pegasus from across the table with his bloodshot gaze.

“That’s right,” Dawn said, with a nod in the crystal pony’s direction. “Not the best circumstances to meet under, but it’s a pleasure all the same.”

“Likewise,” the emerald pony replied.

“These two have agreed to help Axel design the new chariots,” Star explained, “so I guess that means that we will all be working together for the next couple of days.”

“Oh, about that,” Brass Heart interrupted, “I was just wondering exactly what you’ll need us to do. I don’t know a whole lot about building wagons and the like, but I will certainly lend whatever assistance I can.” Axel giggled at his confusion and shook her head quickly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be the one actually building the chariots, at least until I can train some other workers,” the scarlet mare laughed. “I just need to figure out the amount of weight the average pegasus soldier can pull comfortably, while still retaining enough mobility and speed to effectively fight back against other aerial forces.” The earth pony took out a short length of ribbon as she spoke and haphazardly tied her blonde mane into a messy ponytail, so that it wouldn’t hang in her eyes, then she began searching around for something. “You see, when I built the prototype, I had the help of Ursa’s coltfriend, Draft, but he and his brother aren’t here right now,” she continued, “so I need two other pegasus to test out harnesses and take the machines for test runs, just to make sure I’m on the right track with my designs.” The earth pony finally found what she had been looking for, her various sketches and plans, which she held with her smiling mouth as she cantered back to the couch and flopped down.

“Okay,” Dawn slowly replied, “I… think that I actually see what you mean now.” Axel’s eyes questioned him from across the table, so he elaborated. “As an earth pony, you have no idea what issues come with trying to fly in general, let alone while trying to pull a suitable armored chariot, therefore, we just have to tell you what improvements need to be made before the military begins using them.”

“Mhmm,” Axel beamed, “easy as pie.”

“Well, we will certainly do what we can,” Brass Heart assured everypony present. “When do we need to begin our work?”

“Right after we leave here,” Axel replied. It was a rather sudden proposal, but Star could understand her friend’s eagerness to get started on the task. They had already wasted one day and in a war, one day could mean the difference between victory and defeat. “I just have to grab a few things and then I’ll be ready.”

“I suppose anypony who hasn’t eaten breakfast should probably do so now,” Star stated, as she got to her hooves. She wasn’t actually hungry and Axel had eaten breakfast with Inferno, but the unicorn hadn’t seen either of the guards eat anything that morning, so she figured they would want to grab a bite before heading over to the shop. Ursa, Star assumed, would most likely be going to bed, since he had been up working all night, but to her surprise, the crystal pony looked as if he would be joining them. “Ursa, shouldn’t you try to get a couple hours of sleep before you finish cleaning the shop?” she asked.

“I can sleep when I’m dead,” Ursa humorlessly replied.

“Damn right!” Dawn exclaimed.

“I wish the other soldiers in my platoon had that attitude,” Brass Heart chuckled in agreement, “because then we would have probably won this war already.” The pegasus didn’t know Ursa well enough to see that he wasn’t acting like himself, but the fact was painfully obvious to Star, who decided to get the stallion alone to talk, as soon as the opportunity to do so arose.

“Well, I am going to go get something to eat really quickly,” Dawn said. The pegasus stood up from his seat in the crowded room and impolitely scratched his flower marked flank as he headed out the door. Everypony seemed to ignore his rude behavior; either that or they didn’t find it as uncouth as Star did. The unicorn wasn’t sure which.

“Yeah, I guess I should get a little something in my stomach before we leave too,” Brass Heart groaned as he stretched out each of his flawless white limbs, as well as his elegant wings. “We’ll meet you in the main hall as soon as we’re done?”

“That works for me,” Axel replied with a grin. The soldier nodded his head and then turned to leave, his light blue tail twitching back and forth slightly as he left the cozy bedroom behind. Ursa let loose another large yawn after the two pegasus had left and Star decided that it was about time to confront the earth pony about his recent mood.

“Ursa, do think we could take a walk for a minute?” Star asked him. The exhausted stallion fixed her with a questioning glance, but shrugged his shoulders and nodded as he slowly forced himself up from the plush chair.

“Where are you two going?” Inferno questioned. The little dragon had been so quite the whole time they were in Axel’s room, that her mother was surprised to hear her raspy voice calling out as they walked towards the hallway.

“I just need to talk to him about something,” Star replied. “We’ll meet you in the main hall in just a few minutes, Inferno, so just help out by making sure Axel doesn’t forget anything that she needs to start working.” The serpentine girl snorted a cloud of smoke in a huff, but nodded her head in agreement none the less. Star turned back towards the open door, which Ursa had already exited through, and trotted off, so that she could get to the bottom of the crystal pony’s mysterious issues.

“What did you want to talk about?” Ursa asked in a slightly annoyed tone as the unicorn caught up with him.

“Actually, I figured that you were the one who might want to talk,” Star replied hopefully, as she peered over at the sullen stallion.

“What would I need to talk about?” Ursa picked up his pace a bit, as if trying to outrun Star’s concern, but the small mare wouldn’t let him get away so easily and began trotting just to keep up with the earth pony’s long strides as they walked through the ornate halls of the castle.

“Well, how about the reason that you’re working yourself so hard,” Star suggested. “That may be a good place to start.”

“I just want to do my part,” he flatly replied.

“So do all of us,” the shorter pony responded, “but that doesn’t mean we’re going to work day after day without rest. That’s just stupid.” It may have been a bit blunt, but Star was finding out that ponies often listened better when she didn’t mince words. This time proved to be no exception, as the emerald stallion stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, his bloodshot eyes brimming with tears.

“I- I’m just worried about Draft,” he admitted.

“Of course you are,” Star replied, “but that still doesn’t explain why you refuse to take a break, for Celestia’s sake.” The unicorn waited for his answer patiently for a few moments, until the earth pony finally took a deep breath and began to open up to her.

“I tried to talk Draft out of going to Cloudsdale, but he wouldn’t listen to me,” Ursa explained. “He just kept saying that he wanted to fight for his country and it didn’t help that his damn brother was there egging him on the entire time. I just, I- I lost somepony very close to me once and I never want that to happen again, but now Draft is out there, in harm’s way, and I’d rather not think about it anymore. Staying busy is the best way to accomplish that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Star quietly replied. The earth pony’s actions over the past day and a half were beginning to make much more sense to her. “Was it somepony in your family that you lost?”

“No, well, not really,” the large stallion said, doing his best not to let the lump in his throat choke off the words that he spoke. He took another deep breath and wiped his watery eyes as he elaborated. “He was the last coltfriend I had before Draft and h- he died while exploring the Crystal Mountains. I hadn’t wanted him to leave, so I didn’t stick around to see him off a- an- and I never got the chance t- to say goodbye.” Star lifted up a hoof and hesitated for just a moment before placing it against the emerald pony’s broad shoulder, as she tried to convey a little comfort through the simple touch.

“I’m so sorry, Ursa, I had no idea,” Star replied, as he squeezed his eyes shut. She could tell that the heartbroken pony was fighting back tears, but wasn’t sure what else she could say to give him peace.

“How could you have?” Ursa asked rhetorically, as he opened his dark green eyes once again. “You don’t even know me well enough to have learned my real name.” Laughter bubbled up from underneath his tears as he stopped fighting and let the torrent of emotions have their way with him.

“You mean Ursa isn’t your real name?” Star asked as she wrapped her forelegs around the earth pony’s neck. It was a strange turn for the conversation to have taken, but she did always enjoy learning new things about the ponies around her.

“Nope,” he chuckled, tears still glistening in the corners of his vision. “My actual name is Verd, Verd Monts. Everypony just started calling me Ursa when I was younger, because of how big I am; that and the fact that I wear my mane pretty damn shaggy.”

“Verd Monts.” Star whispered the words just to get a feel for them. “Huh, that’s a really nice name. You should use it more often,” the unicorn told him and then she finally released his powerful neck from her warm embrace.

“Do you really think so?” he asked, as he scratched a hoof against the back of his messy, blue mane awkwardly. “I mean, I suppose I could start going by my real name, but ponies have been calling me Ursa for so long that it sounds a little strange now.” Both ponies laughed at the absurdity of his words. Star couldn’t imagine having her own name sound foreign, but she also had never had anypony give her a nickname before, aside from Luna calling Star her student of course.

“That’s just my two bits,” Star replied. “It all comes down to whatever you’re the most comfortable with I suppose. Now, let’s get down to the main hall before everypony leaves without us,” she added, as Ursa wiped the remaining wetness from his cheeks with the front of his foreleg. The crystal pony glance down at Star a second later and silently nodded his head in reply before following the smaller pony down the gleaming halls.

“Hey, Star,” Ursa suddenly spoke, causing the smaller pony to look back in bewilderment. “Thanks,” he said with a sincere smile that Star happily returned and then they continued on, as if the exchange had never even happened, though the unicorn was fairly certain that she had helped her newest friend, at least a little bit.

“By the elements…” Brass Heart uttered in mild horror as he gazed at the dilapidated building in which they were expected to work. “This place should be condemned.” The pegasus walked around as he spoke, examining every cracked window and rotted out floorboard. His face was contorted with obvious distaste.

“Oh, don’t be such a little filly, Brass Heart,” Dawn laughed, as he followed the higher ranking stallion around the large, badly lit building. “It really isn’t all that bad. There is plenty of space and if we clean up some of these windows-”

“What windows are left,” Brass Heart interjected sourly.

“Then there will be plenty of sunlight shining into the place,” his friend continued, completely ignoring the fact that he had been interrupted.

“If you say so,” Brass Heart sighed, as he stepped over a large puddle of black fluid. “Just watch where you step, okay?”

The shop was actually in much better condition than it had been in the last time Star had seen it. Ursa had managed to clean out most of the trash that had collected in the abandoned building and had also swept away the majority of rat feces that had once littered the scummy floors. All of the large crates and barrels that he hadn’t thrown away were pushed back against the far wall, where they would be out of the way, and he had even erected a few makeshift tables for Axel to work at in the center of the open space. There was still a bit of work to be done, of course, but Star was pretty impressed with what the crystal pony had managed to do in one night. It made sense for him to be exhausted after so much work, she thought, as she evaluated the remaining mess.

The floor of the shop needed the most attention by far, thanks to the rainwater that had settled on the boards under the broken windows, causing mold and rot to form. Thankfully that was all contained to the back though, so Axel could start her work near the front, until the major repairs had been taken care of. The windows themselves would be the smart thing to fix next, otherwise everypony was going to freeze to death trying to work out in the cold shop. Judging by the pile of wood and nails, Ursa had intended to board up whatever windows were broken, but Star had a better idea. She knew a spell that was fairly trusty when trying to repair old pottery and assumed that it would work just fine for repairing the windows, so long as they were merely cracked and not completely decimated.

“What are you doing over there?” Inferno called out, once she noticed her mother wandering around near the rear of the spacious building.

“I’m going to try fixing up these windows,” Star called back. Her horn began to radiate white light, as she started to weave the simple spell. The unicorn focused on the window, no more than a yard above her head, and it was soon enveloped by her magic as the fractures along the glass slowly disappeared from view. “Whew… one down,” she sighed, as she peered up at her work. The window looked as good as new, although it still had a fair bit of grime built up on it, but that was easy enough to deal with, now that she had taken care of the hard part.

“Good job,” Ursa said, as he walked up behind the black mare. “That works much better than boarding them up like I had planned on doing.”

“Yes, well, after seeing how much you’ve done around here,” Star replied, “I felt like I should do something to help out too. At least we’ll be able to see better, once we wash these windows off anyway.”

“It looks to me like you both have things under control here,” Axel called out, as she bounded over to her friends, with Inferno following just a few paces behind her. “I need to go meet with Gentle Gem at his shop and see what he can do to get me a supply of enchanted stones. I’m going to have to clear out his stock just to get a small fleet of chariots built.” The rust colored mare came to a halt beside Star and she stared up at the window that the unicorn had just finished repairing, nodding her head in satisfaction as she inspected the work. “That’s some quality repairing.”

“Thanks,” Star laughed. “Make sure that Gentle Gem knows that the princesses will be paying for whatever supplies you will need, so he doesn’t have to worry about getting reimbursed,” she added, as she turned away from the window to face her friends.

“Will do,” Axel replied with a smile. Brass Heart and Dawn took that opportunity to wander over to the others, just as Axel was tightening her saddlebags and preparing to leave. The pegasus seemed mildly surprised that the earth pony was headed elsewhere, especially after Star had gone through the trouble of getting them down to the shop in the first place. It didn’t make much sense, but the mechanically inclined mare already had a plan for them to follow while she was gone. “I need you to go get me a chariot,” Axel told the soldiers, “just like the ones that you would use in the military right now and I’ll start designing from there. It will be good to have a base to start working with.”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Dawn readily agreed.

“Does it matter if it’s an old, broken down chariot?” Brass Heart asked, intending to find a vehicle that had been retired. There were some of them sitting behind the barracks building, awaiting repairs, that wouldn’t be missed by anypony.

“Yeah, that’ll be fine,” Axel replied, as she began trotting towards the open doors of the shop. “I just need to figure out how to reduce some weight without stripping away its entire defense. We can worry about making it fly after that.”

“Wait,” Inferno called out, as she hurried across the dusty, wooden floor, her claws scraping slightly with each quick step. “I’m going to help you with the jewels. I have a pretty decent eye for them,” the dragon explained.

“Are you sure that Star doesn’t nee-”

“We’re fine here,” Star said, cutting off her friend’s words. “And Inferno would probably be a big help for you, because she is very good at finding flaws in gems.”

“It’s a dragon thing,” Inferno agreed.

“We if you don’t mind, then sure, I’d love to have some company,” Axel replied. “Let’s get going.” Inferno nodded her head and wrapped her mother up in a quick hug before bounding after the energetic earth pony, who had already trotted through the open doors of the dilapidated storehouse.

“And while they do that, I suppose we should haul that chariot back here,” Brass Heart stated, as he turned his attention back to Star and Ursa.

“That sounds like a plan,” Ursa said with a nod. “Star and I will keep cleaning up here for now, I guess,” he added, with a questioning glance in the small mare’s direction.

“That works for me,” Star agreed.

“Okay, we’ll be back in a little while then,” Dawn said, as he rose into the air on well toned wings. Brass Heart lifted into the air beside his friend and then the two stallions took off for the open skies of Canterlot to retrieve the chariot Axel would need. Star stared after them for a moment before turning her attention back to the task at hoof. There were still a number of windows that she needed to fix and a large pile of junk for Ursa to haul out before they could focus on cleaning.

“Let’s get this over with,” Star sighed, as she walked over to the next window in line. Ursa nodded his head and headed over to the pile of broken boards and empty crates where he began to tie ropes onto one of the larger pieces of junk. Star’s horn started to glow again as she cast the spell on the next piece of cracked glass. Within seconds it had reformed, still covered in filth, and the unicorn moved further down the line. She could hear the shrill sounds of scraping as Ursa began to pull some of the scrap wood across the old floors and out of the building, but she closed her eyes and focused her attention on the magic slowly growing in her horn.

Star and Ursa continued on in that manner for the majority of the afternoon, stopping only to eat a quick lunch as the sun crested in the cloudy skies above. It wasn’t long before the unicorn had finished fixing the windows and the earth pony cleared out the last of the trash. They started cleaning right after, each of the ponies content to work in silence and let the monotony of the job allow their attention to wander as they worked. Star lost track of time as she scrubbed window after window, while her companion did the same to the floors. If only every problem could be cleaned up with just a bit of soapy water and some hard work, Star thought, as she vigorously rubbed a wet cloth against the cold glass before her, until a crystal clear reflection stared back at her. The world would be so much better off if the darkness and filth could be scrubbed away so easily, allowing the light to shine through. Life was never quite that simple though.

The repetitiveness of washing a window, dunking the washcloth and scrubbing the next window continued on, helping Star to take her mind off of the fact that her friends were somewhere out there, possibly in danger, that Suri had left without saying a genuine goodbye and most of all, that somewhere out there a hippogriff family was missing one member, because of her. The screams were still sharp in her memory, but focusing on the simple act of cleaning alleviated every one the unicorn’s worries for awhile and she relished in the escape.

After a few hours had passed, Star heard the sound of hoofsteps coming from the front of the building, accompanied by the squeaking of rusty wheels as Brass Heart and Dawn Glory returned with their prize. The old chariot certainly needed some maintenance, but the unicorn imagined that it would serve Axel’s purposes well enough. She dropped the washcloth from her magical grip and trotted over to greet the pegasus as they shirked off the harnesses binding them to the vehicle. Ursa noticed the other stallions return and walked over to join them a moment later.

“You two have been pretty busy I see,” Brass Heart noted, as he peered around the shop in astonishment. Star hadn’t actually taken the opportunity to admire their work yet, but was pleasantly surprised as she followed her friends gaze about the open room. There were still a few windows left for her to clean, but all of them that had been cracked were now repaired and those that could not be repaired were boarded over for the time being. Even Ursa had made quite a bit of progress with the floors, though there were still a few spots that needed patched up. All in all, Star thought, it looked as if they’d be able to get started on the real work in the morning.

“Yeah, it’s looking pretty good in here,” Dawn agreed, as he walked over and took a seat in the back of the chariot.

“Thanks,” Star replied with a smile.

“Have Axel and Inferno gotten back yet?” Brass Heart questioned, joining Dawn on the chariot bench, where he immediately flopped down with a sigh of relief.

“Not yet, but they’ll probably be back anytime,” Star replied.

“Speak of Discord,” Ursa commented, as he noticed the girls walking up from behind everypony else.

“That was great timing,” Dawn called out, as he turned around on the worn bench and waved at them. “We just got back too.”

“Sorry it took so long,” Axel apologized, as she walked up to her friends. “Gentle Gem sold us what stock he had and said that he’d be more than willing to make more if Inferno doesn’t mind helping out.”

“I told him that wouldn’t be a problem,” the dragon added from where she was leaning against the side of the slightly rusted vehicle.

“Okay, great,” Star replied. “Ursa and I have this place mostly ready for you to work in, but there are still a few things that we’ll have to do tomorrow.”

“I can see that,” Axel commented, as she began to pace about the room, inspecting the few worktables and the windows that had been mended. “It’s perfect,” she added a few moments later with an approving smile. “Now I can’t wait to get started.”

“We do still have a couple of hours until it gets dark out,” Star observed. “What can I do to help?” The earth pony shook her head, sending her blonde ponytail bouncing around behind her.

“No, no, no, you should head back to the castle and get some rest,” Axel replied. “You and Ursa have both been working pretty hard today and all that I can do for now is to take a few measurements with Brass Heart and Dawn’s help, so there isn’t much else you could do anyway. I’ll just be another hour at the most and then I’ll meet you back at the castle,” she continued, as she ushered her friends towards the door. The rust colored mare was talking so fast that Star didn’t even get the chance to argue before she found herself outside of the shop, along with Ursa. Inferno was also ushered out just a few seconds later.

“Okay, I suppose we should head back to the castle,” Ursa stated with a shrug. Star nodded her agreement as she turned her sights on the cloud cover above, where snow continued to fall in a gentle breeze. Drifts of the fluffy stuff had settled in piles all around the city, though most of the major roads had been cleared earlier in the day. Star sighed as she took her first few, careful steps across the ice slicked sidewalk. The wind picked up around her as they crossed the street and the small mare pulled her old cloak tight as she involuntarily shivered. Large wet flakes of snow clung to her hide wherever it was exposed and her every breath came out in puffs of vapor.

“It has been unseasonably cold this year.” Star complained as she stared up at the oncoming downfall of icy droplets. “Don’t you agree?”

“It does seem to be snowing more than usual,” Inferno observed, “but that’s probably just because the pegasus are too busy with the war to worry about managing the weather.” The dragon’s yellow eyes glinted in the dull light of the sun shinning mutedly from behind the thick storm overhead, as she tilted her head back. Inferno snaked her forked tongue out to catch a couple stray flakes soon after, which immediately dissolved at the warmth of her breath. “It’s not so bad though, when you actually have the chance to enjoy it.”

“That’s exactly right,” Star agreed, her face breaking apart into a sly smile as she used her magic to discreetly roll up a ball of snow while her daughter’s attention was elsewhere. She raised the finished product up a moment later; a small, perfectly round ball of snow that hovered just in front of her violet eyes, as she tried not to give away her plan with premature laughter. “Hey, Inferno,” she called out to the serpentine girl.

“What is i-” Thump! Inferno’s voice was muffled by an explosion of powdery snow as Star’s magic flung the ball into her face. Pffft! The dragon brushed off the icy assault and immediately dove for the ground, while her mother finally released the pent-up laughter she had been holding back.

“Hahaha, I got you,” Star teased playfully as she got to work, making another perfectly shaped snowball with her magic. It had been quite awhile since the unicorn had made time to play in the snow. She usually spent her winters doing research or practicing magic, but had to admit that the childlike thrill of throwing snowballs was a welcome break from the recent stress she’d been enduring and her daughter’s laughter was heartwarming. Whoosh! Thump! The black mare’s thoughts were cut short as she was struck by a large ball of snow flung from Ursa’s direction. Whoosh! Thump! Another ball struck the surprised pony from her daughter’s direction, as her two companions teamed up against her. “That’s not fair!” Star giggled as she took off galloping away from them.

“It’s completely fair,” Inferno argued. “You can make snowballs way quicker with your magic, so Ursa and I are on a team.” The red dragon scurried over the freezing ground, gathering up a decent sized pile as she made her case.

“That sounds fair to me,” Ursa agreed, between hardy bouts of his own laughter.

“Alright, but I’m not going to hold back then,” Star called back from behind the snowdrift where she had taken refuge. Every so often, another few snowballs would impact in a scattered pattern around the mare, but she ignored the attacks as she busied herself with creating a stockpile of snowballs. Once she was satisfied with the large pile, the unicorn lifted them all in the white glow of her levitation. “This is your last chance to run!” she shouted, a moment before jumping out from behind her cover and launching the barrage of cold projectiles.

“Woah!” Ursa exclaimed, as he dove out of reach. Inferno saw the attack coming just a second too late and was unable to escape her fate. Whoosh! Thump! Thump! Thump! The first few snowballs struck the ground around her scaled feet before a black torrent of flames shot up into the sky as she fended off the volley. Every single projectile was consumed by the magical dragon fire.

“Hay, now that is definitely cheating,” Star stated, as she watched the cloud of resulting steam dissipate into the air around her daughter. Inferno’s laughter was the only reply that the unicorn received and just as she was about to start throwing another volley of snowballs, one of Luna’s night guards descended from the sky to break up their evening games.

“The curfew will be going into effect,” the bat winged stallion called out, as he touched down on the snow packed street. The fact that Luna’s personal soldiers were left to enforce a curfew with which the princess of the night was in disagreement was not lost on the black mare and her smile slowly faded.

“We’re already in the city,” Star retorted, “so we aren’t breaking any laws.”

“Yes, but all children are to remain indoors after curfew,” the night guard replied, “and that includes young dragons.” Star was about to argue the point, but quickly realized that the effort would be wasted, even for the princess’s protégé.

“Alright, we were just getting ready to leave anyway,” Ursa said, as he dropped his large snowball on the ground. “Come on, Inferno, it’s time to get back to the castle.” The red dragon snorted a cloud of acrid smoke in protest before reluctantly dropping her last two snowballs on the ground as well. It looked as if their brief bout of winter fun was over for the night.

“That’s so unfair,” Inferno huffed, as she walked up to her adoptive mother.

“I know,” Star replied, placing a hoof on her daughter’s black spiked head, “but it’s for our own safety… I guess.” The guard nodded his head and offered an apologetic smile in return.

“It won’t be long before this curfew is lifted,” the dark coated pony assured them, “and then you can enjoy the night as much as you want again.” He waited until the three companions were prepared to leave and gave one last nod of satisfaction before lifting back into the air on silent, leathery wings, leaving the snow splattered ponies to take the young dragon back home.

“Can we do this again tomorrow?” Inferno asked hopefully, as they started down the icy sidewalk once again.

“We’ll have to wait and see,” Star replied. “It all depends on what time we finish up at the shop tomorrow and how much energy we have left.” Even the brief period of running around in the snow that they’d just done had left the small mare fairly winded, but she considered it an acceptable price to pay in exchange for her daughter’s smiling face. “I’m sure we’ll get the chance again soon though, one way or another.”

“Yeah, it’s been awhile since I’ve played in the snow like that,” Ursa chuckled. “We will definitely have to do it again sometime.” Inferno smiled up at the two ponies, content with their answers, and then she gave a small yawn as she rubbed her tired eyes.

“Now come on,” Star said, noticing the young serpent’s exhaustion, “we need to get you something to eat and then it’s off to bed. We have a busy day ahead of us.” Ursa nodded in agreement as he too yawned and shook himself awake. Star’s mouth formed a slight smile as she gazed up the road, at Canterlot Castle, where the lights from inside could be seen glowing faintly through the falling snow, off in the distance. Tranquility had fallen over the large city and it was silent all around, save for the soft sounds of the cold wind blowing around the three friends and the soft patter of their feet over the frozen cobblestones as they walked.

Princess Luna was pacing restlessly back and forth across the front of the dais on which her and her elder sister’s thrones sat. The midnight blue alicorn had been waiting for Star’s return and now her young student was walking down the isle of the throne room, accompanied by Ursa and Inferno. Upon seeing them, Luna finally decided to take her seat, beside Celestia, who had been waiting patiently in her throne unlike her younger sister. Star walked up to them and stood before the royal sisters, wondering what they needed to speak with her about. If the stallion who had ushered her and her companions towards the throne room had known the purpose of the princesses’ summons, he certainly hadn’t informed the young mare. Then Celestia cleared her throat and addressed them quietly, while Luna cast a silencing spell over the room, as she had done just a few nights before, in fear of prying ears.

“Good evening, Discipula Star,” Princess Celestia greeted the unicorn and then nodded to her friends in turn. “Inferno, Ursa, I trust you are doing well.”

“Of course, Princess Celestia,” Ursa replied, as he bowed low to the ground, with only a slight grimace to betray the fact that every muscle in his body was aching from working himself so hard. Star and Inferno bowed as well, the unicorn’s violet eyes never leaving her mentor’s face as she tried to sense the reason behind the alicorn’s distress. “It is a pleasure to see you both, as always,” the emerald stallion added, standing up with a slight groan. Princess Luna cleared her throat and began to speak, obviously eager to get to the point of the discussion.

“We have called you here tonight because we have just received some troubling news,” Luna explained. “It seems that Rainbow Strike has sealed off Cloudsdale, before Downpour, Backdraft and the soldiers could get inside. That leaves us with no choice left, except keeping the city under siege, until we can find a way in or until the former sergeant surrenders himself.” The younger princess’s tone was calm at the moment, but her blue eyes held a glint of anger in them that only her student appeared to notice.

“We hope that it is the former, because there is no way of knowing what Rainbow Strike may do to the innocent ponies in the city,” Princess Celestia continued. “If he is willing to betray his country and our rule by selling weapons to the enemy, then I can’t begin to imagine what other treachery he will perform.”

“That is very troubling,” Star acknowledged, “but I don’t believe that there is anything we could do to help.”

“No, you are correct,” Celestia replied. “There is nothing that you can do to solve this problem. We must all rely on the soldiers to take back the city and bring that criminal to justice. We just assumed that you would want to know any news about your friends as soon as it is received.”

“We are very grateful for your consideration, your majesties,” Ursa assured the princesses. The crystal pony had very refined manners, Star noticed, which was a welcome improvement over Nature Spark and the pegasus brothers. Both of the alicorns seemed to appreciate the respect which the foreigner showed them as well, with Celestia addressing him normally instead of snapping orders as she commonly did while speaking with Spark, though sometimes the blind unicorn did for it with the tones he used.

“Tell us, Star,” Luna said, as shifted in her throne, “how has your work been going? I don’t believe that I have seen you since yesterday.” Luna paused for a moment as she thought. “You must have been keeping very busy.”

“All is well, Princess Luna,” Star assured her mentor. “The building that you gave us has been made suitable for Axel’s work and she has begun taking measurements and drawing designs, so I am quite certain that the first few military chariots will be manufactured very soon.” Both princesses smiled at the news. They appeared thankful that at least one aspect of their plan seemed to be working out as it should have been, though Star imagined that they would have preferred the situation in Cloudsdale to go smoothly instead. “We had actually just left the shop and were on our way back to the castle when we stopped to play in the snow for awhile,” the raven maned unicorn added, as she blew a few stray strands of purple and blue hair out from her eyes.

“I am sorry to hear that, Star, but the curfew applies to everypony,” Celestia told her, “even my sister’s personal student.” Inferno opened her mouth to expand on what her mother had said, but a nudge in the side from the unicorn effectively silenced her.

“I am aware, but we were just a few blocks away from the castle and Inferno was with me,” Star argued, fully intending to make her displeasure with the new law known. “It isn’t like anything was going to happen to her right then.”

“I am sorry, my little pony, but if we start making exceptions for you, then we will have to make them for every citizen,” Luna sighed. The younger alicorn seemed just as unhappy with the curfew as ever, but she also appeared to have accepted that it was her duty to see that it was enforced, whether she liked it or not.

“I see,” Star said quietly, “then I am sorry that I brought it up,” she added a moment later. Arguing further would serve no purpose it appeared.

“Is there something else?” Inferno asked, doing her best to suppress a yawn as she rubbed her yellow eyes. The long day spent working had finally caught up with the dragon.

“That was all that we needed to speak with you about,” Celestia told them. “We will inform you as soon as we receive any further word from Spark or Downpour and Backdraft, but I don’t expect to hear anything over the next few days.”

“Thank you again, Princess Celestia,” Ursa said, as he dipped into another bow, “Princess Luna,” he added, turning to the younger alicorn as well.

“Good night, your highnesses,” Star added, immediately following the stallion’s lead. Beside her, Inferno also bowed, nearly falling forward as she fought off the encroaching exhaustion taking its toll on her small form.

“Good night, you three,” Celestia replied with a nod.

“Sleep well, Star,” Luna added, before turning her attention to the large, white moon which hung in the cloudy skies beyond the stained glass windows. Star noticed that her mentor’s attention had been elsewhere during the meeting, but it didn’t come as a surprise. Recent events would no doubt leave anypony distracted.

With nothing left to be said, Star and her companions turned away from the raised platform on which the immortals sat and returned the way they had come, across the thick, red carpet lining the center isle. Silence followed their hoofsteps as they exited the throne room and Star didn’t break it until the doors had slammed closed behind her.

“I suppose it wasn’t the worst news that we could have received,” Star admitted, “though I must confess that I had been hoping for something better.”

“I’m so hungry,” Inferno whined. The dragon hugged her mother’s foreleg as she slid to the tiled floor, clutching her stomach for emphasis. “I want to eat and go to bed.”

“Go right ahead,” Star replied, shaking her leg to dislodge the clinging child. “Get something for the both of us and take it to the bedroom. I’ll meet you up there when you’ve finished getting it.” Inferno inhaled sharply, as if trying to muster the energy for the task, and then she got to her clawed feet and marched away, muttering something that Star didn’t catch.

“How are you doing?” Star questioned Ursa, as she watched her daughter turn the corner on her way to the dining room.

“Uh, I’m alright,” Ursa replied with a perplexed glance in the mare’s direction. “Why do you ask?”

“I know you were worried about Draft and I just figured that after what Celestia and Luna told us,” Star began.

“Oh, that I might be more worried,” Ursa finished. “To be honest, I was at first, but I think part of me is happier that Draft is stuck on the outside of Cloudsdale, further from danger,” the earth pony explained, as he and Star made their way towards the stairs that would lead them up to their rooms. “I know it’s probably selfish of me, considering that they’re trying to save an entire city of innocent ponies, but I can’t help how I feel.” The shaggy stallion sighed deeply, before shoving open the large doors of the main hall.

“I don’t know if that’s selfish or not,” Star replied honestly, “but I can tell you that I’m sure I would feel the same way if our situations were reversed.” The stairs rose in front of the two ponies now and the mare took her first step up as they continued to speak. “I’m sure that Draft will be fine when they do finally breech the walls, especially with his brother and Strata watching his flank.”

“Hmm, well I suppose.” Ursa grunted. “I know that Downpour will look out for his brother, but I’d still rather be there myself.” Star couldn’t hold back a giggle at the very serious expression he wore when talking about the older of the two brothers.

“That wouldn’t do very much good, considering you don’t have wings,” she snickered. The crystal pony rolled his dark green eyes in response.

“Maybe you could cast that cloud walking spell that I heard about and then both of us can go to their rescue,” Ursa jested.

“I’m sure the princesses would love that,” Star replied sarcastically, “and I wouldn’t want to leave Axel and Inferno behind anyway.”

“So they can come along as well,” Ursa said, as his large hooves connected with the top of the stairs. “We’ll make a wonderful team of wingless warriors to siege a pegasus city.” Both ponies broke out in laughter after that, the joyful sound echoing throughout the second floor halls as they continued walking.

“I’m sure that we’ll get our chance to help soon enough,” Star sighed. The unicorn also yearned to be out there, with the rest of her friends, even if she despised violence. They had grown so close since Spark and the pegasus brothers had shown up at her door all those weeks ago and Star couldn’t remember ever being happier, despite the terrible circumstances under which they had met. “Nature Spark will be returning soon and perhaps Celestia and Luna will grant us permission to go with him.”

“Otherwise we may have to leave without their blessing,” Ursa added. Star thought the emerald stallion was joking at first, but his face held no hint of a smile.

“Yeah,” she mumbled with a dry laugh. Star wasn’t sure whether she would be willing to disobey the princesses’ orders and leave if the earth pony did or not. On one hoof, she would love nothing more than to be by Spark’s side when he confronted the stallion responsible for so much evil, but on the other hoof, she had never gone against Luna’s wishes in the past and was afraid of betraying her mentor during such a precarious time in Equestria’s history.

“I guess that it’s about time to get some sleep,” Ursa commented, pausing by the door to his room. Star hadn’t even realized that they were standing there, because she had been lost in thought. The shaggy maned stallion pushed open the door to his bedroom and yawned, as he turned back to the small mare behind him. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow,” he assured the unicorn before leaving her alone in the hall.

“Leave without their blessing,” Star mumbled, as she shook her head dismissively. Chances were good that fate wouldn’t see fit to test her on her willingness to defy the alicorns, as far as the small mare could see. “Princess Luna would surely allow me to leave at least,” she tried to convince herself, “but maybe I’ll show her that I could defend myself in a fight, just to be certain.”

There were many books in the Canterlot athenaeum that Star could learn battle magic from. Hundreds of books on the subject had been written during the course of Discord’s chaotic rule, if not thousands, so there were bound to be some useful spells that she could teach herself before the time came for Spark to leave for the Crystal Empire. It would take quite a bit of extra work, but the unicorn made the decision to go through with her plan, as she stepped over the threshold into her dark bedroom.

Star let out a small yawn and then lit a candle with her magic, while simultaneously shrugging off her damp cloak. The tiny flame let off a flickering light which was just bright enough for her to navigate around the room without any problems. Completely drained of energy, the mare wandered over to her welcoming looking bed and crawled atop the blankets, intending to merely rest her eyes for a moment while she awaited her daughter’s return. Sleep soon took hold of the unicorn however, and she sank into the dream world before Inferno made it back with their dinner.

Author's Notes:

Normally I will try to get a chapter posted every five days, but once in a great while I do make plans and lose a day or two of free time, so I can't always meet that self imposed deadline. This chapter was one of those times. Though this chapter was mostly for character building, I assure you that excitement will be coming into the story very soon, I just have to develope the relationships between everypony along the way.