Discipula Star had sensed a familiar presence as she’d fallen asleep waiting for Inferno to return with their dinner. Princess Luna was waiting for her student in the dream world and somehow the unicorn always received a certain hard to explain feeling when that happened. She drifted down from the surreal skies of the dream and could see Luna waiting for her at a small table below. The princess glanced up as her hooves touched the ground, sending a barely perceptible ripple across the illusion of ground as the walls of Star’s home in Dodge began to materialize around them. It had been weeks since she’d actually been home, the small mare realized, as she walked over to the only other chair and took a took a seat, foregoing the customary bow since they were having an informal visit, or so it appeared.

“Princess Luna.” Star greeted her mentor with a smile. “I’m surprised to see you here, seeing as we just finished speaking a short while ago.” The alicorn nodded her head, causing her twinkling mane to flutter even more than it naturally did.

“Yes, and I am sorry to be pestering you again so soon,” Luna apologized. “I know that you must be quite exhausted after everything that you have done today.”

“Oh, it is no bother, I assure you,” Star replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Although I suppose I did fall asleep waiting for Inferno to return.” The unicorn summoned a cup of tea for herself as she spoke and then did the same for her mentor, because tea seemed to go hoof in hoof with late night discussions, as far as she was concerned. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I just wanted to check in with my protégé,” Luna replied, though Star sensed that it wasn’t the whole truth. “I know that it must be difficult for you, being separated from all of your friends at a time like this.” The unicorn sighed softly and nodded her head in reply as she swirled around the cup of tea resting between her hooves.

“It is,” Star admitted, “though I know that it is for the good of Equestria,” she added a moment later. “Spark and Suri will be returning from whatever business they had to take care of though, so I’m sure that we will be seeing them in just a few days time.” Heart Charm, the mare that Spark had fallen in love with, was most likely the blind stallion’s destination, the young mare assumed. There was a bit of jealousy present in her mind as she considered this fact. Though Star was still in love with his sister, Suri, she had to admit that she held a certain respect for Spark, which may have bordered on genuine admiration. In spite of the countless trials placed before him, Spark seemed to face the oncoming storm with a silent resolve, though Star had to wonder how he would deal with explaining his typhlosis to his marefriend. It was a conversation that she was glad to be far removed from.

“I would imagine so,” Luna commented, stirring her student from the thoughts in her mind. “I am more worried about the success of Downpour and Backdraft’s mission, personally. That traitor, Rainbow Strike, is obviously receiving something in return for the weapons he has been selling. Most likely large sums of bits or possibly even the promise of his own soldiers and territory should Doré Langue succeed.” The princess paused in her speech long enough to take a sip from her steaming cup, though it was purely habitual and not because she was actually thirsty.

“I understand why the duke would have tried to kill the empress and her husband,” Star said, as she stared into the shimmering liquid inside her own cup. There was no reflection in the dream world, the unicorn remembered, which was one of the few surefire ways she had to tell it apart from reality those times when her subconscious wove a frighteningly convincing lie during her nightmares. “Their deaths would be the only path for him to take in order to rule the Crystal Empire, but I don’t see why he would have blamed you and started this war in the first place. I can’t imagine that contending with the Equestrian military will move his plans along any faster.” She pulled her violet eyes away from her lack of reflection and saw her mentor, staring at her with a weary gaze. For the first time since Star had known her, the princess of the night looked tired.

“You should not trouble yourself with trying to decipher the inner workings of such a stallion’s mind, my faithful student,” Luna replied. “If there is any semblance of sanity buried in his subconscious, then I fear it has been drowned out by the hatred and disharmony which caused his hooves to start walking down the path of corruption. Contemplating such evil will only lead to madness and confusion, I assure you.”

“I suppose you are right, princess,” Star admitted with a sigh. “I guess that I was just thinking that if I could understand the reason, then maybe I could end this.” It was a foalish though of course, because nopony who was willing to betray their country, take innocent lives and cause such disharmony in the world would ever be able to be stopped by mere words alone. “The only way I would ever learn the reasons would be from Doré Langue himself, I know, and there is no chance of that happening peaceably… is there?” She stared hopefully up at her mentor, but knew the answer deep down, before the alicorn had even responded.

“No, Star, I am afraid that the duke may have fallen much too far for us to be able to pull him back up again. Even if we were able to cleanse the twisted thoughts from his mind and somehow reform him, ponies from here clear to the farthest edges of the Crystal Empire would demand justice for what he has already done. The only acceptable price for him will be his lifeblood.” Only a few weeks ago, the young mare would never have dreamed her teacher could even think such thoughts, let alone voice them to her, but now, in the wake of the trials they had all faced, the revelations made to her and the loss they had all suffered, Luna’s reaction seemed perfectly at place.

“At one time, I believe I would have argued over that fact,” Star sighed as she gazed up into the nightscape. “I would have said that the duke should be given the chance to change and that peace could be reached between every country once again, but now… after everything that I have seen… that I have done…” The horrors of the Ponyville fire flashed through her mind, as well as the screams of the griffon whose life she had taken and, consequently, shades of those memories played themselves out in the background of her dreams. “I- I think that I’ve changed. I think that the whole world is changing, but I don’t think it is changing for the better.”

“Calm yourself, Star…” Princess Luna urged her, having noticed the shift in her student’s consciousness. The small mare took a few deep breaths and complied. “You are correct, my little pony,” the princess continued, as she too stared up into the heavens. “You have changed. You were forced to grow and mature so much in such a short time and I am sorry for that and for the terrible experiences which caused it, but I am not sorry for the pony that you are becoming. In the face of so much pain and suffering, you have remained strong and your heart has remained untainted.” Star’s gaze dropped back to her mentor’s face, where a sparkling tear was rolling down the midnight blue mare’s cheek as she spoke. “I only hope that I can say the same when all of this is over,” she added as she used the tip of one wing to flick the droplet from her countenance, “and that you can say the same of me.”

“Whatever do you mean, princess?” Star asked in bafflement. “You lived through discord’s rule and emerged from the flames of his defeat the way you are now, so you have nothing to fear from a mere mortal.” Luna closed her eyes and took a deep breath before replying to her student.

“Discord caused disharmony, that much is very true, but he was not the embodiment of evil that the history books would have you believe,” Luna finally responded. Her eyes opened a moment later, revealing a stoic gaze that made Star sit up rigidly in her chair as it rested on her, though her mentor’s eyes seemed to be looking past her place at the small table and into the past. “I would not argue that he was villainous by nature, because nopony can live in a world of chaos, but I do not believe that Discord was genuinely monstrous.”

“But I don-” Star sputtered.

“Please, allow me to finish,” Luna replied. “Yes, he indirectly caused the deaths of many ponies and who knows how many other races suffered loss, but never did the draconequus end a life with his own claws. He simply changed the world so rapidly and in such a frightening way that everypony was overcome by the disorder and turned on one another as well as the embodiment of disharmony himself.”

“So you mean to tell me that Discord wasn’t evil?” Star asked, aghast at the immortal’s revelation.

“Not quite, Star. I’m telling you that life isn’t always as simple as good and evil,” the princess explained. “While what Discord did was terrible and ruined many lives, he was simply acting in his nature as a being of chaos. That is why my sister and I used the Elements of Harmony to turn him into stone, rather than completely destroy him. History, however, is always written by the victors.”

“So there is hope for Doré Langue after all?” Star asked, trying to make sense of what her mentor was saying. “Just like there is for Discord.”

“I am not certain,” Luna replied with a soft sigh before draining the last of her cup and banishing the object from the dream. “I would like to think so, but even if his reasons were pure, his methods are not, as we have all witnessed. Perhaps he can still be saved one day and if so, then Celestia and I will turn him to stone just as we have done with Discord in hopes of someday finding away to reform his wicked ways, but I fear that the duke is playing with a power that he does not fully understand, a power which will soon push him over the edge of the abyss and into true evil.”

“You mean the book, don’t you?” Star questioned. Luna’s surprise quickly turned to understanding as she stared back at her student.

“You overheard Celestia and I talking the other night,” Luna commented. Star nodded her head and looked away from her mentor, focusing her gaze on the nearly empty cup in her hooves, even as she felt the princess’s gaze on her. “Yes, the duke has somehow managed to get his hooves on Starswirl the Bearded’s book of spells,” the alicorn admitted. “Starswirl was a brilliant magician, as you know, and he discovered many wonderful spells that have helped to shape Equestria into the place it is now, but he also believed that no spell was truly evil. He was convinced that any form of magic could be used with pure intentions, but I am not so sure that he was correct.”

“And now the duke has access to Starswirl’s power,” Star replied.

“Yes, but that power will soon corrupt him completely I’m afraid,” Luna told her. “Even an immortal such as I would fear that much power, because it has the potential to consume the user.”

“Much like the Alicorn Amulet,” the unicorn commented.

“Precisely,” Luna agreed. “Imagine, Star, the power of the amulet magnified tenfold. That much raw energy used for such a terrible reason…”

“I see,” Star whispered as her cup vanished from its surreal existence. She was no longer in the mood for tea. “Then his madness will only be countered by his death.”

“It would seem so,” Luna responded.

“I’m not sure what to make of everything that you have revealed to me,” Star admitted. “Nothing seems right anymore, as if the world I knew never actually existed.”

“Do not think that way, my faithful student, the world that you believed in is still all around us and though a shadow has begun to consume it, I still believe that harmony can prevail once again.” Luna stood up from the table as Star absorbed her words. “These things that I have told you are merely my observations and it is up to you to divine whatever wisdom they truly contain, but I must go now, there are many ponies whose dreams are turning into nightmares in the wake of these tragic events and they all require whatever comfort I can give them.”

“Of course, Princess Luna,” Star replied. “Thank you for your wisdom and your concern.” The princess nodded sympathetically before pushing off of the ground and ascending into the dark skies as her student continued to ponder on their conversation. Luna had condemned a mortal stallion and defended a creature of chaos, but her student still couldn’t fathom the reasons. Both of them seemed evil to Star, but perhaps it wasn’t all that simple. Morning came before the unicorn had reached a final conclusion.

A gentle nudging on Star’s shoulder woke her from her sleep in the morning. As the unicorn’s violet eyes fluttered open, she expected to see Inferno’s clawed hand resting on her, but the dragon was still snoring peacefully. Star blinked in confusion a few times before gasping in shock as she noticed the lumbering presence to the side of her bed. It was only a split second after that she realized it was only Ursa, there to wake her up for their day of work down at the shop. The now wide awake mare placed a hoof against her chest as her heart continued to hammer from the shock of her friend’s unexpected appearance.

“You startled me,” Star huffed, as she kicked off her blankets.

“I’m sorry about that,” Ursa apologized. He was obviously trying to hold back his laughter so as to not wake the sleeping girl beside her. “I honestly didn’t mean to. I just thought you might want to get up and when I noticed that your door was unlocked, I assumed it would be better for me to wake you quietly instead of pounding on the door and waking up Inferno as well.”

“No, it’s fine,” Star assured the emerald stallion. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you there is all. Thank you for thinking of my daughter.”

“Yes, of course,” Ursa replied. “Well, now that you’re awake, I am going to grab some breakfast. I’ll meet you downstairs whenever you’re ready to leave.” Star nodded her head and yawned as she slowly forced herself up from the cozy mattress.

“Did you already make sure Axel was up?” she asked as she made her way towards the bathroom. Brass Heart and Dawn Glory the unicorn wasn’t very worried about, since they were more accustomed to strict schedules and early mornings, but the rust colored mare was a different story.

“I have no idea where that mare ran off to,” Ursa admitted. “I went to her room just a few minutes before I came here, but she was already gone and so were her bags.”

“Hmm,” Star mumbled as she used her magic to turn on the sink faucet in the small room beside her, “I guess that she already left for the shop. She must be eager to get started on building the new chariots.” Ursa shrugged his broad shoulders in response as she excused herself to the bathroom.

“I’ll be in the main hall when you’re ready to leave,” Ursa reminded her before leaving. Star mumbled a response from her side of the door and then listened to the heavy steps of the crystal pony as he left her bedroom.

“I can’t believe that Axel got up earlier than this,” Star said aloud as she grabbed a cloth and wetted it down, so that she could scrub her face before combing out her mane and tail. Exchanging sleep for a conversation with the princess wasn’t as helpful as it could have been, she mused, as she grabbed the small comb and got to work on her mane. It didn’t take long for the unicorn to finish up her morning routine and then she set about the next task on her new mental list for the day; writing a note for her daughter, telling the dragon to head over to Gentle Gem’s store after she’d eaten breakfast.

The glow of Star’s horn faded after she had placed the quickly written note on the nightstand near Inferno’s face and then she scooped up her cloak and trotted out the door, choosing to struggle with the garment as she walked down the halls rather than stopping long enough to properly slip it on. Doing so caused her to graze against somepony, whom Star assumed was one of the maids busy cleaning the windows, as she passed by. She muttered an absentminded apology, but the cloak over the unicorn’s eyes had obstructed the fact that it was actually Princess Celestia whom she had nearly knocked over.

“Ah, Discipula Star, I was hoping to bump into you before you left for the day,” Celestia said, startling the black mare for the second time that day, “though not quite so literally, I must say.” The princess laughed at the joke, a sound that ponies seldom got the opportunity to hear anymore, Star realized. It was a joyful sound, like the gentle rays of sunshine that warmed the earth once winter had been wrapped up.

“I am terribly sorry, Princess Celestia,” Star apologized with a quick bow, as she finally managed to get her cloak on properly. “I was in such a hurry that I failed to see you walking there.”

“’Tis quite alright, I assure you,” Celestia replied. “I was just wondering if you had gotten the opportunity to talk with Luna lately. She seems very troubled these days.” Having to deal with a country at war, horrible accusations and the new curfew might be the reason for that, Star thought. She refrained from voicing her opinions however and waited for the princess to continue. “At first I was under the impression that it was the stress of the war causing her to be so sullen and agitated and I am aware that the curfew hasn’t been easy for her to accept either.”

“That’s very true, princess,” Star replied as she stared up at the alicorn’s mane, which was in perpetual motion caused by some unseen magical force. Every color of the sunrise could be seen waving behind the regal mare. “I’ve spoken to her briefly on the subject, but she has evaded most of my inquiries.” Celestia nodded knowingly as she began walking down the hall. The small unicorn took her lead and continued on her way to the stairs. “Perhaps if you were to remove the curfew it would help ease her stress.”

“It very well may, but I am not willing to go against my citizens decisions, nor am I willing to place them at risk just to satiate my younger sister’s perceived affront to her nights,” the princess replied. “Though I suppose I should have a conversation with her in an attempt to alleviate some of her concern,” she added a moment later, as both of them began to descend the spiraling staircase.

“I think that is a wise decision, Princess Celestia,” the unicorn agreed. “The sun does tend to cast a far reaching shadow on everything beside it after all.” Star didn’t wait to hear Celestia’s response, if the princess had even been considering one, because she noticed Ursa waiting for her near the front gates of the castle, looking anxious to leave. “I am sorry, but Ursa and I must be getting to the shop now. Axel is already down there waiting for us,” the small mare stated with a hurried bow.

“Yes, of course, Star,” Celestia mumbled, her thoughts obviously dwelling on something that had been said earlier in their conversation. “I must be leaving as well. Duty waits for no mare.” With those final words, the flawlessly white alicorn turned in the opposite direction of Star and walked away, her gold clad hooves tapping gently across the gleaming floor, though she was of such large stature.

“Did you need to grab something to eat?” Ursa asked upon noticing Star’s approach. The unicorn shook her head and quickly tied the sash on her cloak, preparing for the inevitable snowy march towards a day of hard work.

“It’s a good thing that we finished boarding up windows yesterday,” Star commented as they stepped out past the guards and into the early haze of sunrise. The large clouds overhead were still pregnant with snow, despite the fact that it had been falling all through the night. It seemed that even the ponies responsible for maintaining the castle grounds were having some troubles clearing the white blanket that had shrouded the yard. “I can’t imagine having to work all day in this cold.”

“I know what you mean,” Ursa agreed. Though the crystal pony had a shaggy mane and thick fur, he had still decided to don a thick cloak, but it appeared that he had chosen not to wear any boots or had forgotten them just as Star had. “It still won’t be that warm in the old warehouse, but it will be a blessing to get out of this accursed wind.”

“I wonder how bad the weather is up north,” Star said as they left the front gates behind and started down the slippery sidewalk. Downpour and Backdraft were just outside of Cloudsdale and the unicorn knew that the weather there was often times more severe than it was further south. She hoped that the pegasus would be fine out in the elements, but was still worried about their health.

“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing,” Ursa replied. “It’s just one more reason that Draft should have stayed here with me, instead of going off to take on that despicable sergeant.”

“You’re still upset about that, huh?” Star questioned. It sounded to her as if the earth pony wanted to talk about it more and the fact that conversation helped take her mind off the cold was a bonus.

“I’m trying not to be, but it’s difficult,” he told the unicorn as they passed by one of a number of shops that had been closed due to the foul weather. Not many ponies appeared to be out and about at the early hour, which was a little strange considering how busy the city usually was, but Star couldn’t blame them for wanting to stay inside their homes, where it was warm. “I’m sure that he had his reasons for wanting to go. I just wish he had told me what they were,” Ursa continued. “We may have only known one another for a short while, but I was under the impression that the feelings I had for him were mutual.” Star sighed as she continued to struggle with matching the large stallion’s long strides as they traversed the icy streets.

“I have seen the way that you two are around each other and I can say with very little doubt that Draft loves you,” she assured the crystal pony.

“I know, I know,” Ursa responded. “He’s told me as much before, but I- I guess that I just want us to have more time to spend together, because I feel like we hardly know one another and that doesn’t seem like a good foundation to build a relationship on.” The large stallion scowled as he thought about it.

“No, but I’m sure that you’ll get the chance, once all of this…” Star said, as she gestured around at everything, “shit gets sorted out.” It wasn’t the most elegant of replies, the unicorn realized, but it did seem to help ease Ursa’s concerns, which was all that truly mattered.

Axel was indeed at the shop already by the time that Star and Ursa shoved open the front doors of the derelict building and walked inside. Brass Heart and Dawn Glory were present as well; the former standing in front of the chariot while the rust red mare fiddled with the various straps and latches connecting him to the vehicle. Dawn stood to the side observing and making the occasional suggestion as Axel worked. Star shouted out a greeting as she and Ursa headed over to their friends to see what sort of assistance they could offer and the soldiers waved to them, though the mechanically inclined mare was too absorbed in her work to have noticed their presence.

“How early did you get here?” Star asked her friends as she came to a stop beside Dawn. “The sun is just rising,” she added after.

“I’m not sure about her,” Dawn replied, as he pointed to Axel, “but last night she told us to meet her here and we arrived about an hour ago.”

“The eawly biwd gesh the wom,” Axel mumbled around the pen in her mouth, which she was using to furiously scribble notes down on a sheet of parchment.

“I’m pretty sure that whatever birds are still hanging around here wouldn’t be dumb enough to go out in this kind of weather and especially not at this unholy hour,” Dawn chuckled in reply.

“At least you aren’t the one stuck standing here while miss machine here pokes and prods you all morning,” Brass Heart retorted. Star had to smirk at the annoyed expression that the corporal wore as he followed Axel’s directions. The blonde pony had her hair up in the usual messy ponytail as she watched Brass Heart unfurl his wings and move them around a bit.

“Oh, quit your whining,” Dawn scoffed. “I already told you that I would take the next turn whenever she needs me.” Brass Heart rolled his light blue eyes at his subordinate and friend.

Ursa decided to move the conversation along by asking, “Is there something that we can help you with or should Star and I just get started on cleaning up the last of the mess?” There wasn’t much left for them to finish, Star noticed, but it would still take them a good hour at the very least.

“Not at the moment,” Axel replied. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to start the next part of my work though, because I will need some help with that, although I could probably manage it on my own, but that would be a pain in the flank.”

“Okay, just call us over when you need some help,” Ursa replied as he slowly shook his head. The rust colored mare seemed to be more animated than she had been the past few days, most likely because she was enjoying her work, Star assumed.

“Great, let’s get to work then,” Star said before heading off to finish scrubbing the last couple of windows that were still marred with years of dirt and grime.

“I’m right behind you,” Ursa replied as he followed the black mare to the back of the building, to resume his vigorous cleansing of the worn floors.

“It’s going to be another long day,” Star sighed quietly to herself, while she mixed up a bucket of soapy water using one of the spigots conveniently placed throughout the former warehouse. Once she had her cleaning solution and an old rag, the unicorn was ready to begin her work and proceeded to the window she had been in the process of washing the day before. There were still thick streaks blemishing the clear pane of glass and with a little help from her levitation spell, Star set out to rectify that problem. It wasn’t long after readjusting to the simple pattern of scrub, rinse and scrub some more, that her thoughts began to wander from the task.

Spark and Suri had taken a flying chariot when they’d left Canterlot, which made Star wonder exactly how far they had already traveled. It would really depend on who was pulling them, a fact which the unicorn hadn’t had the forethought to learn yet. If Ponyville was their destination, as she assumed, then they would most likely be returning any day, but then another thought crossed Star’s mind. Spark would probably want to check in on his family before leaving for the Crystal Empire, since there was a distinct possibility that he wouldn’t return. They had all left Dodge over a month ago, with no intention of being away for so long. It was a long time to be away from ponies you cared about, especially without them knowing where you actually were.

While moving on to the second, or possibly third, window along the wall, Star’s thoughts turned from the blind stallion to his alluring older sister. She and Star had shared a moment of wonderful passion and those few minutes were forever burned into the unicorn’s mind, along with the dying screams of a mercenary and a few other memories she would have been more than happy to forget. Having her affection spurned by the beautiful older mare had hurt more than she had expected, but maybe time would prove to heal the wounds, though it wasn’t helping anything right then. Star was fairly inexperienced at love, having had very few coltfriends and no marefriends to speak of, but she was fairly certain that the feelings she had for the white unicorn were genuine and not just some naïve infatuation that could be easily dismissed. Obviously the pony of her affections hadn’t felt the same way though.

The rest of the morning passed in the same general way, with Star doing her best not to over think the problems which she had no control over, but failing miserably. Eventually she absentmindedly dipped her washcloth in the now murky water to rinse it, only to realize that the final window was already sparkling in what little light managed to peek through the grey clouds outside. The unicorn sucked in a deep breath and let out a satisfied sigh as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. It hadn’t taken all that long for her to finish the job and a quick glance around the shop revealed Ursa to be working on the last patch of filthy wooden floorboards, so she decided to lend a hoof.

“Wow, you’re just about done with that,” Star commented as she strolled over to where the earth pony was crouched down on the floor.

“Mhmm,” Ursa mumbled without glancing up from his work. “You would have been done long before me if you had actually been focused on washing windows.” The smirk on his face gave away the friendly jest.

“Yeah, well, I had some things on my mind, okay,” Star told the emerald stallion as she picked up her washcloth and crouched down beside him. “I’ll help you with the last of this to make up for being so slow though.”

“I was just joking, Star,” Ursa replied as he busied himself with wringing out his rag. “I really don’t mind taking care of this last bit by myself if you wanted to take a break. It’s not like it would take me too long.” Star just shrugged before dropping her damp cloth on the dirty floor and using her magic to vigorously rub the dirt off the boards.

“It’s no trouble,” she assured her friend. “Washing windows isn’t exactly the most mentally or physically exhausting task in the world.”

“Ha ha, yeah, I suppose it’s only about as bad as scrubbing floors, which isn’t really saying much,” Ursa chuckled.

The work went much faster with both of the ponies working together and Star even found it a bit easier to keep her mind on what she was doing while Ursa was there by her side. The crystal pony’s low humming as he tended to the boring job helped make the experience a bit more enjoyable and passed the time fairly quickly. When they put their washcloths away for the final time, Star was practically beaming as she inspected their work. The satisfaction of a job well done made the whole process a success in the unicorn’s eyes and her companion seemed to agree.

“I guess we should go see if Axel needs our help now,” Star sighed as she turned away from the windows and relatively clean floors. Ursa simply nodded his head in reply.

Their assistance wasn’t really required for the next part of Axel’s work, Star realized, as she sat in the back of the old chariot while the energetic mare hurriedly strapped Dawn into the harnesses at the front of the vehicle. It was up to Star and Ursa to ride in the chariot while Dawn and Brass Heart pulled them around for awhile and then the pegasus would give a detailed analysis of how well the harness worked for each of them. While Axel’s first two sky chariots had been operable by a single pony, the military models would boast thick plating to shield against attacks and would also need to support the weight of a battle ready earth pony and/or unicorn. Still, a few sacks of grain could have done what she and Ursa were supposed to, Star mused.

“Alright,” Axel stated as she finished checking the new riggings, “that should just about do it. I really hope this works, I mean, I know that this is only my first attempt, but I’d rather not have to waste anymore time on the harnesses when I have so much work to do on the actual rebuilding. I suppose that it’s just a part of mechanical work though.” Star watched as the soldiers exchanged an amused glance at the blonde mare’s antics.

“I’m sure it will work just fine,” Brass Heart replied.

“Can we start pulling now?” Dawn asked as he fidgeted impatiently with his wings. Axel gave him a big grin as she nodded her head and motioned for the stallions to begin pulling the chariot. It took a moment for them to gain momentum, but once they had, it seemed like everything was working smoothly enough as they left the shelter of the shop. Granted, they weren’t actually flying through the air at the moment, Star thought, but so far the new harness designs looked fairly promising.

“It isn’t too heavy with the both of us in here, is it?” Ursa asked. The earth pony was obviously aware of the fact that he had quite a few pounds on most stallions, even other earth ponies, but neither Brass Heart nor Dawn seemed bothered with the task.

“No, it’s actually going quite a bit more smoothly than I expected,” Brass Heart admitted, as they turned the corner and started down the snow covered street towards the center of Canterlot.

“I agree,” Dawn added, “though I’m sure it would be even better without all of this Luna blessed snow everywhere.” The light blue maned pegasus huffed in annoyance as he and Brass Heart avoided another large drift of the icy substance, their breath coming out in foggy plumes that were quickly lost in the breeze.

“Well, I’m sure Axel will be happy to hear that when we get back,” Star commented. They had all decided that the pegasus would pull her and Ursa over to Gentle Gem’s shop, so that the unicorn could check in and make sure her daughter had actually arrived in one piece. Even the capitol of Equestria could be dangerous for a young dragon once in awhile, especially with how much worse the weather had gotten since that morning. It looked unsafe for full grown ponies to be out in for an extended period, let alone Star’s beloved little girl.

“I can only imagine,” Ursa chuckled and then he pulled his cloak around him more tightly as the wind picked up again. Star also took a moment to make sure that her own cloak was firmly tied together before crouching down on the bench and hugging herself to keep warm. Winter in Canterlot had never seemed so cold before.

The wind and snow continued for the entire bumpy ride to the enchanted gem store, with the sun making only brief appearances whenever a gap formed in the dense covering of clouds, but whatever heat it tried to grace the ponies with was lost amidst the icy breeze. Star hardly saw anypony outside during the whole trip and those few that she did happen to notice outside the comfort of their homes seemed to be shopkeepers who had decided to return to their families in lieu of a day’s wages. The unicorn couldn’t blame them in the slightest, because if Axel’s work wasn’t so important to the princesses she wouldn’t have been outside that day either. Even after less than an hour of being in the snowfall, the black mare’s nose had gone completely numb and she couldn’t keep her teeth from chattering.

Ursa was holding up better than Star, since he had a thicker coat and was much larger, but even the crystal pony, who had lived at the foot of the Crystal Mountains most of his life, began to rub his large hooves together for warmth by the end of their ride. Brass Heart and Dawn didn’t seem to be suffering as much as their companions, because they had been moving at a slow, but steady gallop the entire time. It had kept the cold from seeping into their bodies, but they were obviously quite winded. Star could hear the stallions practically gulping down the frosty air over the muffled sound of their hooves against the snowy streets. Both soldiers looked positively relieved when they finally pulled up outside of Gentle Gem’s place of business.

“Do you think that he stuck around to work today?” Ursa asked as he slowly got up from his seat. “I remember somepony saying he is an older gentlecolt, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed in his house where it’s safe.”

“I really hope he is,” Star replied, her jaw moving like molasses after being exposed to the harsh elements for so long. Having the ridiculously cold wind blowing against her constantly hadn’t helped any, she thought, as she rubbed her hooves against her numb face. “I would rather not have made this trip for nothing.” Ursa nodded in agreement as they both carefully crawled down from the chariot. Star had to pick her way over to the sidewalk delicately so that she wouldn’t slip on the ground and eventually found her self standing beside the emerald stallion, while they both waited for Brass Heart and Dawn to undo the straps tying them to the vehicle.

“Can I get a hoof over here?” Brass Heart asked exasperatedly as he fiddled with one of the latches to no avail. “Everything below my fetlocks feels like an ice cube.”

“Yeah, give me just a second,” Star replied with a smile. Her horn began to glow white as she yanked off the last few straps holding the pegasus in place. Dawn asked her to do the same for him right after and once she had finished the four ponies walked up to the doors of the gem shop, which was aglow with inner light.

“Well, it certainly looks like somepony is here,” Dawn commented. Ursa reached out his hoof to tug open the door and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was unlocked.

“Mhmm, somepony’s definitely inside,” the crystal pony agreed.

“What a relief,” Star replied, as they all followed Ursa into the store. Each of the four ponies’ smiles blazed at the warmth that washed over them as soon as they’d gotten out of the freezing wind. “Hello! Is anypony here?” After receiving no answer, the slightly shivering mare decided to make her way past the various display cases packed with glittering stones and to the back door of the building.

“Where are you going?” Brass Heart asked, after noticing the unicorn leaving them all behind.

“I’m just going to see if Inferno and Gentle Gem are back here,” Star replied.

Knock. Knock. The sound of Ursa’s heavy hoofsteps got closer as Star waited for somepony to answer the door. Both of the soldiers came walking up behind them just a few seconds later and then the door finally opened. A flash of red scales was all that the black mare needed to see before she quickly scooped her daughter up in a tight embrace. Inferno’s feet drug against the floor as her mother began spinning around while she squeezed the chubby dragon tightly.

“Ack, that’s… kind of tight,” Inferno gasped, before her adoptive mother finally set her all of the way down. “What the hay was that about?” she asked once she had caught her breath again.

“Inferno, who is that at the door?” a friendly sounding voice questioned. The shopkeeper, Gentle Gem, poked his bearded face out in confusion. “Oh, you’re Axel’s other friends.” His dark blue eyes lit up with joyful recognition as he spied Star. “I’d remember that cute of a face anywhere.”

“Mhmm, it’s very nice to see you again, Mister Gem,” Star said as she tried not to blush at the compliment he had given her.

“Please now, mister makes me sound so old,” the blue unicorn replied as he walked the rest of the way out of the back room. “I’d much rather have you call me Gentle,” he added with what he must have thought was a seductive wink. Star had to bite her tongue to keep from snickering, but she could here a few chuckles from the stallions behind her. “Now, what brings you to my humble store?”

“That’s what I was just wondering,” Inferno told him.

“We were just out testing the new harnesses for the chariot and I thought it would be a good idea to come check on you,” Star explained. “The weather is so nasty that I wasn’t sure the shop would even be open.”

“Is it really that bad outside?” Inferno asked, as she stood up on the tips of her toes and peered out the front windows of the building, gripping one of the wooden display cases in her clawed hands for balance. “Wow. We’ve been in the back room sorting through his stock of gems since I arrived. I didn’t even know that the snowstorm had worsened that much.” The dragon’s yellow eyes glanced away from the scene outside and back to the ponies gathered around after she’d spoke.

“That’s why I was so glad to see that you’d made it here in one, unfrozen piece,” Star reiterated, her face graced by a warm smile.

“You four came all this way,” Gentle Gem stated, “so the least I could do is offer you each something warm to drink.” The old unicorn’s eyebrows rose questioningly as he looked to each of his guests, who all nodded in turn. “Splendid! I hope everypony is fine with hot buttered rum, because I’m afraid that I am all out of tea at the moment.” Star caught a glimpse of the opal marking the stallion’s flank in the corner of her eye, just as he was returning to the storage room to fetch the beverages in question.

“We probably shouldn’t stay here for too long,” Brass Heart mentioned while waiting for the shopkeeper to return. “I’m sure that Axel will be getting impatient before long.” Dawn opened his mouth as if to protest, but then the pegasus quickly shut it again.

“I’m sure she’ll forgive us for taking a few extra minutes to share a drink with the old stallion,” Ursa said.

“Mhmm,” Star mumbled in agreement. “He’s her friend after all.”

“Really?” Brass Heart asked with genuine surprise. “But he’s a little bit of a pervert and Axel is… Well, an odd mare, but a mare none the less. I would think that he would make her sort of uncomfortable.” Inferno scoffed at the blonde maned soldier.

“This is Axel that we’re talking about,” the dragon replied. “Don’t take this the wrong way, because I love her as much as the rest of our friends, but I’d imagine that pony gets so excited when she comes here to shop for new enchantments for her creations that she doesn’t notice anything more than the stones in front of her face.” It was probably true, Star realized, as she held back a smirk.

“I just assumed he would be constantly flirting with her, like he was doing with Star,” Brass Heart said with a shrug.

“Oh like you’re one to talk,” Dawn chuckled at his superior officer. “The way you’re always staring at S-”

“I just realized that you might not want Inferno drinking alcohol,” Gentle Gem called, interrupting the pegasus, as he peeked out from the storage room.

“No, it’s fine if she has a little bit to keep warm,” Star replied, “but I don’t want you drinking more than a cup,” she added, her attention focusing on the chubby dragon, who feigned a look of ignorance. “Now, what were you saying, Dawn?”

“Oh, I was just- ouch!” The green eyed pegasus shot a glare at Brass Heart for some reason that the unicorn wasn’t following. “Never mind,” he mumbled a moment later. “It wasn’t that important.”

“Mhmm,” Ursa grunted before he wandered away from the other ponies. “Is there somewhere that we can all sit or are we stuck with this cold floor?”

“What’s that?” the old shopkeeper shouted back.

“Do you have somewhere for us to sit?” the earth pony questioned more loudly than before. “I’d rather not have to sit on the cold floor.”

“There are some extra chairs in the back room,” Inferno informed the emerald stallion. “We might as well all head back there. It will be a bit crowded, but it’s fairly warm and besides, I want to show you all how much we’ve gotten done since this morning.” The serpentine girl gave a big stretch of her arms and underdeveloped wings before taking off for the storage room. “Gentle Gem and I spent all morning sorting through his inventory, but there is still quite a bit to do,” she said while leading the others to the back.

Inferno hadn’t been joking, Star acknowledge, upon seeing the mess of glittering stones in a hue of colors scattered about a large, well lit table hugging the far wall. There were boxes of the precious stones stacked just to the side of the workstation. Boxes stacked up taller than Ursa and each one containing more of the gems. Even with the impressive pile of discarded jewels that the little dragon hadn’t approved, there was still a couple of days work to be done at least. Inferno’s toothy grin and bright eyes made it clear that she was proud of herself however and Star swelled with pride at the excellent job her daughter had done.

“Yup, your little girl certainly has a very keen eye for this job,” Gentle Gem commented as he used his magic to levitate steaming cups of hot buttered rum to each of the ponies who were slowly crowding into the small room. There was enough room for them to each sit down in a chair, but doing so took up what little space there had been. “After all of this nonsense is over and done with, I would love to have her come work for me,” the grey bearded stallion continued, “but only if you don’t mind of course.”

“He says I have an eye for gemstones like he used to have when he was a young stallion,” Inferno said, her scaly mouth still curled up in the corners, “but enough about how impressive I am,” the dragon giggled. “How are the sky chariots coming along?”

Star and her companions spent more time than they had originally intended visiting with Gentle Gem in the back of his shop, but between the soothing warmth of the hot buttered rums they were drinking and the carefree laughter coming from each of them, the unicorn decided that it was all worth while. The vicious snowstorm that had been raging most of the day subsided by the time that the four ponies, plus one dragon, headed out the front doors of the old unicorn’s store. It was a welcome relief for Star and even more so for the pegasus, who were going to have to pull them all back to the shop with the added weight of Inferno to contend with as well.

Everywhere Star turned her gaze she could see nothing but shut up buildings and thick blankets of freezing snow. The city looked eerily peaceful after such harsh weather and she had to admit, quite beautiful as the few sunbeams that poked through the cloud cover were reflected off the icy surfaces, causing the whole scene to sparkle majestically. It almost made up for the intense shivering she had been forced to endure on the first ride through the city, she thought. Almost.

“Can you help us with these straps again?” Dawn asked, as he and Brass Heart once again wrestled with the ice slicked metal clasps connected to the thick ropes. Hooves were not conductive to delicate work.

“Sure,” Star replied with a sympathetic smile. It only took the small mare just a moment to get her friends ready to pull using her magic and then she, Ursa and Inferno all piled into the old vehicle. The dragon chose to snuggle up next to her mother, since she hadn’t donned any protective clothing of her own before leaving. Normally foul weather didn’t concern the naturally warm serpent, but today’s cold proved to be an exception and even she could feel the icy embrace of the crisp air against her hard scales.

“Are you three ready to go?” Brass Heart asked as he peered over his muscular shoulders to check on his friends.

“I believe so,” Ursa replied with a nod of his blue maned head.

“Then let’s get going,” Dawn said, as the two pegasus began to pull against the fully loaded weight of the chariot. Once they got moving the chariot was easy enough for the soldiers to pull, especially now that they weren’t fighting the wind. Star leaned back in her seat, one foreleg wrapped around her daughter as they prepared for the trip back. Axel would be happy to learn how well the harnesses had held up to the task they had been forced to endure, the unicorn thought, as she felt Inferno hug her back.

Snow capped buildings and empty streets passed by, each one almost indistinguishable from the last as the cart half rolled and half slid over the slick streets of Canterlot, while the three occupants of the chariot tried their best to ignore the bumping and jostling of the vehicle’s wheels over the weather beaten terrain. Star was perfectly content to sit back and relax as her wandering violet eyes took in the sights of the city and for awhile her two companions seemed just as happy to do the same. Eventually however, her daughter fell asleep and Ursa decided to bring up a topic that the unicorn wasn’t very eager to discuss; her current feelings concerning a certain pony whom she had been pining over for the last week or so. How the burly stallion had even picked up on said feelings was a mystery to her, but he was obviously more intuitive than the unicorn was concerning those matters.

“Have you heard from Suri since she and Spark left?” Ursa asked nonchalantly, though the fact that he had specified the white mare and pony of Star’s affections should have been a red flag of the conversation to come.

“Nope,” Star replied flatly. She was still upset about the fact that Suri hadn’t had the common decency to break her heart face to face and the pain had only festered in her over the past couple of days. “I would imagine that she and Spark will be back within a week though. Time is of the essence, after all.”

“I take it from your tone that she doesn’t share your feelings then.” It was a statement of fact, not a question and the black mare realized that the crystal pony knew more than she had expected, which was a bit disconcerting. The small unicorn checked to see if her daughter was paying attention before answering, but to her relief, Inferno was still sound asleep beside her.

“What makes you think that I have feelings for Suri?” Star asked with a fair bit of irritation in her voice.

“Well, I know I may not be the smartest stallion to have ever walked the world, but I like to think of myself as suitably learned in the ways of attraction,” Ursa told her. His reply was accompanied by a wink and slightly cocky smile that made the small mare groan and hang her head a little lower.

“No,” Star admitted sadly. “I told her how I felt the night that we all met with the princesses, but she just played it off as a harmless crush.” The memory made the unicorn’s heart ache. “As if I don’t know what real love is,” she scoffed.

“I have to ask,” Ursa began, “and I mean this with no disrespect, but do you know what genuine love is?” Star was about to snap back at the earth pony, but the sincerity in his dark green eyes gave her pause to consider his question carefully.

“Of course I- I mean…” Star began to falter in her response as she actually gave her answer some thought. “I… I think I do,” she finished, but there was obvious uncertainty in her voice.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if you didn’t,” Ursa replied. “You strike me as somepony who has always been better with magic and studies than personal relationships.” Star had no arguments to make. She wasn’t good with other ponies, namely stallions. Her father had seen to that when he started drinking, though whether or not he had intended to leave those sorts of scars the unicorn couldn’t be certain. Regardless of her late father’s intentions, the damage he had done left his daughter with a few issues when it came to dealing with the opposite sex, which was to say that she avoided getting too personal. That only served to make the current conversation even more difficult for her.

“Who in the hoof are you to tell me that I don’t know what love is?” Star questioned angrily, her violet eyes beginning to fill with tears as she lashed out at him instinctually. The emerald stallion wasn’t even the focus of her pent up frustrations, but he had unwittingly opened the floodgates upon himself never the less. “Just because you happened to find Draft and seduce him, that doesn’t make you any better than me,” she retorted in a voice that was slowly building in volume. “Maybe I haven’t had it so easy and sure, maybe I struggle with relationships, but I’ll be bucked before I let you talk down to me!” The small unicorn broke down after that and her head sank into her waiting hooves as her body was wracked with frantic sobbing. Ursa stared at the scene in shock for a moment and Star saw him out of the corner of her eye, but it was too late for her to regain her composure.

“Star, I’m so sorry that I upset you so much,” Ursa apologized, as Brass Heart and Dawn tore their eyes away from the road long enough to see what all of the commotion was about. “I was just trying to get you to open up, like you did for me. I though it might help you to talk about what you’re feeling, but I- I guess I just didn’t realize-”

“It’s not your fault,” Star interrupted once she had found her voice again. Tears were still rolling down her wind burned red cheeks as she stared up at the large stallion, but she managed to get her wild emotions in check long enough to speak. “I shouldn’t have exploded like that,” she whimpered as she dried her watery eyes. “I guess the wound is still tender.” The unicorn’s voice was a mixture of sobs and strained laughter now, which only served to confuse her friend even more.

“Hey, are you alright back there?” Brass Heart asked, while he and Dawn slowed their pace down to a trot, so that they could split their attention between pulling the cart and checking on the ponies they were chauffeuring around.

“Yeah, I’m fine Brass Heart,” Star assured him with a tear streaked smile that the pegasus seemed wary of. “Ursa and I are just talking about some… sad stuff.” The soldier shot a cold glare towards the large earth pony before reluctantly turning his attention back to pulling the chariot across the last few blocks separating them from the old warehouse, where Axel would most likely be waiting.

“Did you see that?” Ursa asked once they had picked up speed again.

“Did I see what?” Star asked in confusion.

“The way that he glared at me,” the earth pony explained. “That is what real affection looks like.” Star’s face clouded in puzzlement. Ursa seemed to be suggesting that Brass Heart had intimate feelings towards her, but that was ludicrous of course. Star knew that if that were the case she would have picked up on it… most likely. Then again, he had chosen to be her personal body guard of sorts for the past few years, even though there were far more rewarding jobs he could have taken, the unicorn mused, as the chariot rolled through the drifts of snow and they approached the weathered shop. Still, there were far more important things for her to worry about, like surviving the Celestia damned war, to begin with. Love could wait.

Axel hadn’t been in the decrepit old warehouse when they’d arrived and at first Star had begun to panic, until the others assured her that the energetic mare had most likely gotten sick of waiting in the drafty building and had returned to Canterlot Castle. It had seemed like the most probable scenario, so Star, Ursa and Inferno bid farewell to the winged soldiers for the day and headed back home on hoof. The goodbye that the unicorn had given Brass Heart was decidedly awkward since she had begun to over think what Ursa had suggested to her, but she managed not to blush too furiously as the hansom corporal pulled her into a quick embrace, where she could feel the warmth radiating from his muscular frame. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice how flustered it made the small mare or if he did, then he chose not to mention it.

The walk home didn’t take long for the three friends, although Star did find herself beginning to shiver by the time they passed the wrought iron gates surrounding the sprawling, snow covered property. Ursa didn’t appear bothered by the cold now that the wind had died down, but Inferno’s toes got numb enough that the dragon asked to be carried for the last half of the trip; a request which the crystal pony happily accepted so that Star wouldn’t have to. Inferno seemed reluctant to ride on the large stallion at first, but the feeling of ice against the soles of her small feet outweighed her personal pride and she eventually climbed up on his shaggy back.

“Good evening, Miss Star,” One of the guards said, as he and his partner quickly pushed open the front doors of the castle so that they could enter. The black mare nodded politely to each of them as she followed Ursa’s large hoofsteps inside, where a wave of welcome heat immediately washed over all three of them.

“Ah, it’s good to be out of the cold,” Ursa sighed contentedly.

“Absolutely,” Inferno agreed as she hopped off of his back. “I’m ready for some dinner. How about you two?” The rumbling that came from the large stallion’s stomach was answer enough for him, but Star wanted to check in on Axel first, to make sure that the earth pony had made it home without any trouble.

“You two go ahead,” Star replied. “I’ll go look around for Axel.”

“Suit your self,” Inferno replied with a shrug of her narrow shoulders, which caused her small wings to flap a bit involuntarily. “I’m not bringing you food again if you’re just going to fall asleep on me though.”

“That’s fine, Inferno,” Star replied with a smile. “I’ll get my own dinner if I’m hungry.” Ursa chuckled as he walked past the smaller pony, following Inferno to the dining hall. The two began talking animatedly as they passed through a set of doors along the wall to her right. “Now, where could that mare have galloped off to?” Star mumbled the question under her breath as she made her way to the spiraling staircase, with its polished marble railings. Checking her friend’s room seemed like a good place to start, so the unicorn headed up the stairs and to the right, down the second floor hallway, until she found herself outside of the blonde mare’s bedroom door. There was no answer when she knocked, so Star tested the doorknob and found it unlocked. The room was dark when she peeked in, but the unicorn could see her friend’s sleeping form upon the large bed, her chest rising and falling with shallow breaths as she slept. Star smiled sweetly as she back out of the shadowy room and carefully closed the door behind her.

With nothing else to do and little appetite to speak of, Star decided that it was as good of a time as any to start learning some offensive spells, should the need to defend herself ever come up, which it undoubtedly would. It was a simple task to find a book of basic attack spells in the castle’s athenaeum and once she had what she needed, the studious mare headed back to her room, where she could hopefully study in peace for awhile before her daughter returned and started asking too many questions. There was no need to worry the young dragon by telling her that her mother was practicing combat magic, after all.

The first part of learning any spell was, of course, reading the proper way to perform it, so that is where Star began her work. She decided on a simple spell that would require her to focus her magical energy into a single point at the tip of her horn and then, once it had grown to the desired intensity, all that the unicorn needed to do would be to release said energy in a beam pointed at whatever target she was focused on. It seemed easy enough and after running through the spell in her head multiple times to get a feel for it, the unicorn decided to put her new knowledge into practice.

Star closed her eyes and focused on the magic that flowed through her. She could feel the raw energy begin coursing into her horn as she steadied her breathing and clenched her jaw in concentration. Soon enough, there was a distinct pulsing coming from the very tip of her magical appendage and the small mare grinned with confidence. It had been even a simple task to perform the spell.

“Huh, well that was easier that I tho-” Buzzap! Star’s focus slipped momentarily as she had been talking and the spell launched itself straight up into the ceiling where it immediately ricocheted off. “Oh, shit!” Star cursed as she dodged the white beam, which hit the floor and exploded in a shower of sparks and smoke. A large black mark remained behind afterwards, with a thin trail of smoke drifting up from the scorched tiles that she had just marred with her carelessness. Obviously practicing attack spells indoors was a bad idea, she mused, but there was plenty of unused space out around the castle property that would make a perfect shooting range. “I guess I’ll hold off on practice until tomorrow,” the unicorn sighed as she levitated the book over to the nightstand. It would be better than accidentally destroying the castle anyway.

And so Star’s new routine came into being. The studios young mare would wake up every morning and grab a quick breakfast before leaving for the shop. Once there, she would help with whatever Axel needed that day, which usually meant holding parts and tools for the mechanically inclined earth pony. It wasn’t a fun job, but it was what needed done and Star was happy enough to lend her assistance. The fact that she stayed so busy every day, compounded with the fact that Axel didn’t need any more assistance from Brass Heart and Dawn Glory until the next stage of the vehicle’s development, meant that whatever connection might have been developing between her and the corporal was left uninvestigated for the time being. The unicorn had too much on her mind to worry about that though, because right after she would finish up her work at the old warehouse, she headed straight for the back fields of Canterlot Castle, where she could work on mastering her new spell alone.

The first time Star had run off to practice, Inferno questioned her about what she had been up to all evening, so the unicorn had been forced to explain her actions, because she despised lying to the dragon. Her daughter had accepted the truth easily enough and even helped cover for her over the next couple of days, while the committed young mare honed her skills. The new routine she had adopted was exhausting to maintain, but it was for the good of Equestria and Star took to it like a fish to water, until the day after Inferno brought her the letter that Nature Spark had sent. That was the day that her new routine finally got a few unforeseen wrenches thrown into the works.

Author's Notes:

Well, even though I think Star's naivety is adorable, I figured it was about time somepony told her what was up and who better than Ursa? Their conversation and Gentle Gem's dialog were probably my favorite parts of this chapter, because who doesn't like writing dialog for a pervy old guy? I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, so updates should start coming regularly every five days now, but no promises if the chapters are longer than usual.