The morning after Discipula Star received the letter from Nature Spark started the same way that the previous days had, which was to say that the tired unicorn forced herself out of the warm comfort of her blankets and reluctantly dragged her body to the bathroom where she splashed some freezing water in her face to wake up. After that was taken care of, Star returned to the side of the large bed, with its enticing, velvety soft blankets and gently nudged Inferno awake. It took a few tries, but eventually the young dragon opened her yellow eyes and yawned as she sat up. No words were exchanged between the two as Inferno wandered over to the bathroom, just as her mother had done only moments before. Their routine was practically second nature now and they each knew what the other would be doing next, so talking was unnecessary for them.

While Inferno was busy in the small bathroom, Star tended to the business of getting them both something to eat before they had to leave. The small mare threw on her cloak without a second though, as well as her boots this time, before leaving the cozy room behind in exchange for the slightly drafty halls of Canterlot Castle. Thankfully, her clothing kept the cold off well enough while her body adjusted to the change in temperature, so the unicorn wasn’t too bothered. Ursa spotted her just as she was taking her first step down the winding staircase and lazily waved a hoof, so she stopped in her tracks long enough for the crystal pony to make his way over to her.

Ursa’s eyes looked a little red and there was a noticeable darkness under them from waking up so early. The large stallion was also sporting an impressive mess of shaggy blue hair atop his head to go along with the disheveled appearance of the thick cloak he was currently struggling to get on. Star didn’t bother mentioning any of this however, because he was most likely aware of it already and she knew that she probably didn’t look much better at the moment. The long days were beginning to take a toll on both of them it seemed. They had more serious concerns at the moment though.

“G’morning,” Ursa yawned before giving his head a quick shake to help clear the sleepy fog from his mind. “Did you sleep well?”

“Ugh, well enough I guess,” Star replied with a slight scowl as they both started descending the stairs. “I could have used a couple extra hours though.”

“Yeah, and ponies in the desert want water,” Ursa chuckled dryly. Over the last week that they had been working together, Star had grown fairly fond of the crystal pony. He wasn’t only somepony for her to make small talk with; he also genuinely understood what she was going through, because he was right there with her most of the time. Axel was there too, of course, but the energetic mare was so used to working in such a way that the long hours and tedious tasks didn’t seem to faze her in the same way that it did her friends. It was probably for the best, Star thought, considering that the blonde pony was in charge of everything that happened in that old warehouse that they called a shop.

“Too true,” Star replied with a weary smile. “I wonder if Axel got any sleep last night. I know she stayed behind after we left.”

“Yeah, she has a habit of working all night,” Ursa acknowledge as he and Star stepped off the last stair and turned the corner on their way towards the dining hall, where a warm breakfast would be waiting, just as it always was. “I don’t know how she manages to function on so little sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open while I’m carting around scrap metal all day.”

“I know what you mean,” Star replied and then smiled at one of the maids busy cleaning the polished pillars spaced along the hallway. The castle was always kept in pristine condition, though Star figured that it was done more as a way to provide jobs for ponies, rather than because either of the princesses cared that their large home was always spotless. “This job is so boring that I can barely keep my eyes open most of the time too, but at least she has nearly finished the first of the chariots, because that means she can start training other ponies to manufacture them, which also means that our work is almost over… I think.” She couldn’t imagine that the princesses would want them both working down at the shop if their talents could be utilized elsewhere, but that still remained to be seen.

“Mhmm,” Ursa mumbled in agreement. “As soon as Brass Heart and Dawn deem it fit for air travel we’ll be ready to start making more of them.” With all the time and effort that everypony had been putting into the vehicle, Star didn’t doubt for one second that the chariot would float through the air like a feather when the pegasus came to test it. “How is the corporal doing?” Ursa asked with a sly smile as he held open the dining room door for the small mare.

Star blew a few stray purple and blue hairs out of her eyes with a huff before replying, “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen either of them for a couple of days now.”

“Really?” Ursa’s face held a look of genuine surprise as he followed her over to the table, which was heavily laden with all sorts of delectable looking breakfast items. “But… Then who in the hoof have you been running off to see after we leave the warehouse every evening, because I know you don’t head straight to the castle when we finish up. I would have seen you at dinner least once.” Star’s mouth curved up in a smile and soon she was trying to stifle her giggling so as to not disturb the few other ponies who were eating at the table on the far side of the room.

“I suppose there’s no reason for me not to tell you,” Star said, while the emerald stallion scratched the back of his head and stared at her. He seemed to be genuinely dumbfounded until she explained what she had actually been up to over the past few evenings. “I actually have been going back to the castle after work, but I head to the back of the property to practice my magic, instead of grabbing dinner with you and Inferno.”

“Really?” Ursa questioned. “That’s all that you’ve been up to?” He didn’t seem very convinced.

“Yeah,” Star assured him. “I’ve been teaching myself a self defense spell, in case I ever have to fight again.”

“Well, that’s not very exciting,” the earth pony scoffed. “I was hoping that you’d been having a passionate fling with Brass Heart, so you could tell me all about it.” The burly stallion began to chuckle and the unicorn blushed crimson.

“I’m sorry to disappoint,” Star replied with a fair bit of sarcasm. She then busied herself with grabbing an apple which she immediately took a large bite out of. “If the time comes when my love life does devolve into a sordid affair though, I promise that you will be the first to know.” The crystal pony shot her a grin which she returned before swallowing her mouthful of the juicy, red fruit and then taking another bite.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ursa chuckled as he snatched a warm bagel from the table.

“Fair enough,” Star replied. She soon overheard the sound of metal tapping against the tiles behind her. The small mare glanced back to see Princess Celestia approaching them with all the poise that one would expect of an immortal ruler. Ursa quickly dropped into a bow, mouth still full of food and Star did the same just a moment after.

“Good morning, Discipula Star,” Celestia greeted with a warm smile and nod of her crowned head. “Ursa, it is good to see you both.”

“And you as well, Princess Celestia,” Star replied as she rose up to her full height, which still only put the tip of her horn level with the princesses withers. Nearly every morning since they had begun their work on the flying chariots, Celestia had greeted them during breakfast, though appearances by her younger sister seemed to be becoming far more infrequent. Star almost as if she was the only pony to see Princess Luna anymore and even then, it was usually within her own dreams.

“I see that Miss Sapphire is not with the two of you this morning,” the princess commented as she cast a quick glance about the large room, giving a polite nod whenever she met the gaze of one of the other ponies dining at the far table. “I take it that she spent another night working on the sky chariots?”

“I believe so,” Star responded, while Ursa did the best he could to finish his breakfast as quickly and politely as possible. “We are very close to finishing, so I would venture to guess that it’s the reason for her extra effort these last two days,” the small mare continued.

“That is splendid news,” Celestia replied, practically beaming with pride as she floated one of the bananas up from behind the two ponies into her waiting hoof. The yellow fruit seemed to be one of the alicorn’s favorite breakfast items, Star had noticed. “I want you both to make sure she doesn’t work herself too hard though. We wouldn’t want her collapsing from exhaustion, after all.”

“Yes, of course,” Ursa agreed. “Do not worry though, because Star and I will make sure that Axel gets some sleep tonight.”

“Be sure that she does,” Celestia said. “Now, if you will excuse me, I must attend to my duties.” The princess nodded to each of the smaller ponies in turn, to which they responded with polite bows before she left them to finish their early morning meal.

“I suppose we should get going,” Ursa commented as he quickly poured himself a glass of juice and then downed it in one swig. Star nodded her head and soon after the two set off side by side to meet their friend down at her workshop.

The walk through town was pleasant enough for Star and Ursa since the foul weather had calmed down a bit over the past couple of days, although there was still a fine sprinkling of snow that had fallen overnight. They reached the old warehouse just after the sun had peaked over the horizon and Axel was already hard at work taking measurements and jotting down notes, just as she had been doing the last time that Star had seen her. The rust colored mare was still moving nearly as quickly as she had been when they started the project, despite the fact that her friends hadn’t seen her sleep for the last two nights. It was actually quite the amazing feat, the unicorn thought, as she and Ursa walked over to the chariot, where the earth pony was crouched down near the wheels.

Axel’s blonde mane had begun to come loose from the ribbon that she had tied it back with and every few seconds she would absentmindedly brush it back from her face so that she could see what she was doing. She looked a little worse for wear, but they had brought some extra food down just the other day so that she wouldn’t forget to eat. Whether or not Axel had actually stopped working long enough to ingest some sustenance, Star couldn’t be sure, but the machine savvy mare had been doing this sort of thing long before coming under the princesses’ employment, so the unicorn wasn’t too worried about her bad habits.

“Good morning,” Star said as she and Ursa came to a stop behind their friend. “It looks like you’ve made some progress since we saw you yesterday.” It appeared as though Axel nodded her head, but the unicorn couldn’t be sure. The chariot looked as if it was nearly completed to Star, with its newly fabricated parts and polished finish gleaming in the early morning light. There were still a few pieces missing from it of course, mainly the magic infused gems that would make it fly, but all in all the vehicle looked as if it was ready for its first flight.

“Is there something that you need our help with,” Ursa asked as he watched the crouched over mare use the quill in her mouth to scribble some numbers on a sheet of paper at her hooves.

“Um, now that you mention it,” Axel mumbled as she wiped the sweat from her brow, “I think that I’m ready to plug in the jewels we need to get this old girl airborne, if you wouldn’t mind grabbing them from the table over there.” The rust colored mare gestured quickly to one of the tables behind her and Ursa headed in that direction, while Star continued to observe her friend’s work.

“The princess wanted us to make sure that you get some sleep tonight,” Star told her. “I assured her that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Okay, I’ll be sure to do that,” Axel replied and then slowly stood up, her joints quietly popping from having been in the same position for so long. “I just want to see this baby fly and I’ll take a break after that.”

“Do you promise?” Star asked.

“Mhmm,” Axel mumbled as she stretched out each of her aching legs and then arched her back while yawning quietly. “What day is it?” she asked a few moments later.

“It’sh Thurshday, Axshel,” Ursa said as he walked back over to the two mares, carrying the three gems that he had been asked to fetch in his mouth. He spit them out on the wood floor, where they bounced once before coming to a rest near Axel’s hooves.

“Really? I guess I was a little focused for the past couple of days, huh?” Axel bent over and scooped up the gems, grimacing slightly at the strain on her already overworked muscles. “I do that once in awhile.”

“So we’ve noticed,” Star sighed as she slowly shook her head. “Have you at least been taking breaks to eat?” Axel’s tongue stuck out of her mouth as she stopped to consider the question. It was the same look she always got when she was thinking hard.

“I’m pretty sure that I have,” she replied a few seconds later. “I remember eating something last night anyway, although I’m not sure what it was… dumplings, maybe?” Star and Ursa both groaned audibly at her answer.

“We didn’t bring you any dumplings,” Ursa replied.

“No?” Axel asked as she scratched the back of her head. “Well, it might have been a sandwich then. Anyway, all that I know is that I don’t feel very hungry right now, so I’m not going to starve.” It was clear to Star that they weren’t going to get a much better answer, so she reluctantly dropped the subject, intending to watch her friend eat some lunch when they time came. “For now though, I need somepony to go get Brass Heart and Dawn, because I’ll be ready to have them take the chariot for its virgin flight in about an hour.”

“I can do that!” Star replied more eagerly than she had intended to. Axel didn’t seem to notice the intensity of her outburst, but she saw Ursa smirking in her peripherals. “I mean, I don’t mind heading over there if you don’t need my help with anything.”

“I don’t think that I’ll need any help getting these stones into their fittings,” Axel replied. She slowly sat back down on the cold floor of the shop. “I can always have Ursa help me anyway,” she added.

“Yeah, I can manage everything here, so you can go find Brass Hunk, I mean, Brass Heart,” the emerald stallion teased. He shot Star a wink which caused her cheeks to burn with embarrassment as she turned away.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Star called behind her as she hurried towards the door of the warehouse, her cozy boots thumping against the floorboards with every step. The fresh air helped relieve the warmth radiating from the unicorn’s blushing cheeks as she stepped outside and soon enough she was actually forced to tighten her cloak to keep the cold off. The wind wasn’t raging like it had been only days before, but the snow that had already fallen around the city was more than enough to be an inconvenience as she traveled the streets on her way to the corporal’s home. “I just hope he hasn’t been deployed somewhere already,” Star said aloud as she rounded the first corner.

“Mom?” The sound of Inferno’s voice startled the unicorn and she jumped back in surprise, only to slip on the slick cobblestones and land squarely on her owl marked flank with a grunt. “Omigoshareyouokay!” the little dragon sputtered as she reached out a clawed hand to help her mother back to her hooves.

“Inferno,” Star giggled as she hoisted herself up again. “Yes, you just surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to see you until tonight.” The smiling mare used her magic to brush the snow off her rump before fixing her violet eyes back on the serpentine girl. “Why are you out here anyway?” she asked with a puzzled expression.

“I was just on my way to the shop,” Inferno replied. “Gentle Gem and I finished sorting through the entirety of his current stock, so there wasn’t anything left for me to do today. I figured that I would head up here and see if you three needed a hand.” She shrugged her scaly shoulders and then scratched behind her orange ear flaps. “Wait, why are you out here?”

“Oh, well I was just on my way to get Brass Heart and Dawn,” Star explained. “Axel says that she’s just about ready to have them take the chariot for its maiden flight, so she sent me to find them.”

“Do you mind if I tag along?” Inferno questioned.

“Not at all,” Star replied, though she had been hoping to have a few minutes alone with Brass Heart, so that she and the reserved soldier could talk about their relationship, whatever it might be. Ursa had insisted that the attractive stallion had feelings for her and though Star hadn’t noticed herself, she had to admit that she wasn’t the best at picking up on that sort of thing. “You won’t be too cold though, will you?”

“Nope,” Inferno replied as she patted her scaly hide and grinned. “As long as there isn’t a sudden blizzard, I should be fine.” The cold weather had rarely ever caused the little dragon problems, but her mother still worried, as mothers often did.

“Alright, if you’re sure that you won’t be too cold, then follow me,” Star said and then started walking down the sidewalk once again. Inferno took up a position right beside the unicorn and the two continued on their way to the pegasus’ houses. It was wonderful to spend time with her daughter, Star thought, since they hadn’t seen much of each other lately, except upon waking up in the morning and when they had a few minutes together before bed. Still, there were definitely better situations for family bonding than a cold walk through the city.

“I was just thinking,” Inferno said from her place beside her mother. “What are your plans for after Axel has fixed up the chariot? Are you planning on continuing to assist her or are the two of us going home?” she asked. Star hadn’t really given the situation much thought, but she assumed that it would depend on what the princesses expected of them.

“Actually, I wasn’t thinking about going home,” Star replied, the memory of her cozy house near the center of Dodge seeming almost foreign to her as she spoke. “I guess that is really up to Luna to decide. If she says that she wants us to return to Dodge then I will, but I would much rather do my part to help Equestria win the war.” The young dragon nodded her black spiked head in agreement as she carefully hopped over a frozen puddle in the middle of her path.

“I thought you might say that,” Inferno replied. She had always been quite the precocious child, Star had to admit, and so it was no surprise that she had already given the question some consideration.

“Why, what would you like to do after we’ve finished our work here in Canterlot?” Star asked her adopted daughter, who didn’t have to think long before giving her answer.

“I want to stay with our friends, wherever they end up going,” Inferno replied.

“Yes, so do I,” Star agreed with a smile.

A small shiver ran along Star’s back as she and Inferno stood outside the door to Brass Heart’s house and waited for the pegasus to answer. Knock. Knock. Knock. The unicorn pounded her hoof against the door with a bit more force this time, on the off chance that the corporal had foregone his usually strict schedule in favor of getting some sleep. It was unlikely, but still possible, Star thought, as she stepped back from the entrance to continue her waiting. A few more minutes passed with no response, while her daughter shifted from foot to foot impatiently.

“I don’t think that anypony is home,” Inferno stated in an annoyed voice.

“You might be right,” Star agreed, though she rapped against the wood a few more times just to be sure. “Well, I guess we can go to Dawn’s house and see if he’s still around, although I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those stallions go out on a mission without the other.” The small dragon simply shrugged and turned around to leave, while her mother let out a defeated sigh and followed after, but the sound of somepony pulling open the door caused both of them to pause in their tracks.

“Star!” Brass Heart called out as the black mare whirled around to face him. “I’m sorry, I was just in the bath and it took me a minute to get to the door.” The white pegasus was indeed sparkling clean, his dripping blonde mane pushed back behind his ears casually. Despite the icy chill of the early morning wind, Star still found her body feeling rather warm as she tried not to stare at the handsome stallion’s well toned chest. “You two must be freezing out there. Please, come in,” the soldier invited. The unicorn’s mouth opened to reply, but she couldn’t seem to form any words. Thankfully her daughter was with her to pick up the conversational slack.

“Thank you very much, Brass Heart,” Inferno replied with a grin as she gently shoved her mother back up the stoop and through the corporal’s front door. “It was getting a bit chilly out there.” Star managed to sort her thoughts out enough to follow her friend into his unkempt home, without any further help from her daughter. The mare was a little unsettled by how flustered she had gotten by the simple sight of him and vowed to keep her focus strictly on business for the time being.

“So, what brings you over to my humble abode this early in the day?” Brass Heart questioned as he took a seat on the plush, dark blue chair. Star and Inferno both squeezed into the slightly larger green chair beside him and got comfortable, or as comfortable as they could get sitting side by side in the well worn seat.

“We’re actually here to bring you back to the shop,” Star replied, finally finding her voice. “Axel is finishing the last few touches on the sky chariot and we need you and Dawn to test it out so that she can make her last few adjustments before they can start being produced on a larger scale.” Brass Heart’s light blue eyes lit up at the good news and he seemed genuinely impressed by the quick progress.

“Wow, that mare certainly knows her trade, doesn’t she?” he asked rhetorically, shaking his head back and forth in mild disbelief. “I thought for sure that it would be another week before she got the old chariot to this point, but I guess that there’s a good reason why she was the first pony to build a vehicle that could fly.”

“Axel is quite the mechanic,” Star agreed.

“”Oh, pardon me,” Brass Heart suddenly said. “I should have offered you both something to drink or eat. I think there might be some food in the kitchen that hasn’t quite gone bad yet.” He started to get up, but Star held a hoof up to stop him, because they didn’t really have time to waste. Axel was probably getting impatient as it was.

“We should probably leave for Dawn’s house,” Star explained.

“Can I at least have a glass of water first?” Inferno asked. “That was kind of a long walk and I’m pretty parched.”

“Oh, do you mind, Brass Heart?” Star asked with an apologetic smile.

“No, of course not,” the pegasus replied. “That’s why I offered in the first place.” Brass Heart quickly got up from the chair and headed back into the kitchen, taking care not to step on the various pieces of clothing and other random objects strewn about his home. Star couldn’t help thinking that he was a little messier than she had expected, considering how formal and straight lace he was while on duty, but she couldn’t really blame him either. Working as a guard for the princesses didn’t leave ponies with much extra time on their hooves, after all.

“Ahem.” Inferno audibly cleared her throat to get her mother’s attention. “I couldn’t help noticing that you seem to be staring at Brass Heart a bit more intensely than usual.” She followed up the statement with a toothy smirk. Sometimes Star wished that her daughter wasn’t so perceptive, because she hadn’t even realized that she was being so obvious and it made her wonder if the corporal had picked up on the extra attention.

“What?” Star asked, feigning ignorance rather poorly. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” The little dragon shot her a look that conveyed the disbelief she was currently experiencing as she rolled her large, yellow eyes.

“Well, he’s certainly better than the last stallion that you dated,” Inferno admitted. A unicorn named Apropos, who fancied himself a poet, had been the last stallion that Star had been infatuated with. The relationship had only lasted a week, because that was the length of time that it took for her to realize he was completely self absorbed. Needless to say, they hadn’t been very compatible as a couple and he had taken their break up poorly. That was almost a year ago and the unicorn had lost interest in pursuing anymore intimate relationships since then, barring her encounter with Surinam, of course.

“Even if I did fancy Brass Heart, which I am not saying that I do, I’m not even sure how he feels about me,” Star replied dejectedly.

“Please,” Inferno scoffed. “With the way he’s always checking you out when he thinks nopony is looking?” Apparently everypony except Star was aware of the connection that she hadn’t picked up on until Ursa had pointed it out for her. The thought caused the young mare to mentally facehoof.

“Here you are,” Brass Heart said as he brought out a glass of water for each of his guests. “I don’t have any ice, but I didn’t think that would be a problem considering the season.” The pegasus chuckled as Star and Inferno each took one of the offered glasses.

“That’s perfectly fine,” Inferno told him. “I’m pretty sure that ice is the last thing that either of us need more of right now.” She took a long drink of water after she had spoken, draining the glass before she set it down on the table and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Do you feel better now?” Star asked after she had taken a few sips from her own drink. Her daughter nodded enthusiastically and then hopped up from the old chair.

“I suppose that we should get going then,” Brass Heart said as he gazed through the part of his living room window that wasn’t covered by frayed, blue curtains. Snow had begun to fall once again, though not nearly enough to be problematic, Star noticed, when she followed the gaze her friend’s blue eyes to the view beyond the glass.

“Yes,” Star replied, “and preferably before it gets cold enough to start bothering Inferno, who didn’t think to bundle up before she left.” The chubby dragon stuck her forked tongue out in response, which only made her mother smile.

“You two can head on out,” Brass Heart told them. “I need to dry off a little more so that I don’t freeze out there and then I’ll be right behind you.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Star replied as she followed Inferno back through the hallway to the front door. The unicorn cast a furtive glance back at the stallion’s taught flank, admiring the detail of the heart shaped shield on his side, before hurrying out the door with only a slight reddening of her dark cheeks to betray her quick peek.

“Okay, now we can go,” Brass Heart stated a few moments later as he joined the girls on his front stoop. He had seen fit to throw on a thick cloak, much nicer than the one Star always wore, which he quickly tied it before they began their walk. It was a light grey color with a much darker grey trim and matching boots. Star gave the stallion an appraising look before turning her attention to her own, worn out clothing and groaning internally at the impression she must give ponies while wearing it. Perhaps it was time to take Suri’s advice and get some sexier outfits, the unicorn mused, as she and her daughter began to follow the corporal down the icy sidewalk.

“So does this mean that we’ll be going back out in the field?” Dawn asked as he walked alongside Star, Brass Heart and Inferno, “Because I’m afraid I might start loosing my edge if I don’t see some combat here soon.”

“Implying that you ever had an edge to lose,” Brass Heart chided, which earned him a punch in the shoulder from his only slightly shorter friend. The trio had picked up Dawn Glory from his house and then immediately turned around and headed back towards the old warehouse, where Ursa and Axel would undoubtedly be waiting on them. Between the earth ponies, Star imagined that it probably hadn’t taken long to attach the gemstones and make whatever other last minute adjustments that needed to be done.

“Harsh words coming from a stallion who can’t deal with a little bad weather,” Dawn teased back, referring to the fact that the corporal had worn boots while he had gone without. The two soldiers had been off duty for so long that Star was beginning to forget what they were like when they were being serious, but jesting may have just been their method of coping with the tragedies that had befallen their country lately.

“The fact that you’re not bright enough to think ahead does not make you tougher than me,” Brass Heart argued. “It just means that you’ll never move up through the ranks like I have.” The blue maned stallion snorted in response to his superior’s statement.

“Thanks for the tip, but I think I’m better suited for following orders anyway,” Dawn retorted. “All I have to do is go where I’m told and take care of business. I don’t have anypony breathing down my neck or watching my every move… well, except for you of course, but that doesn’t really count,” he added with a smirk. Star and Inferno watched the exchange with amused expressions as they neared their destination.

“Yeah, it’s probably for the best that you stay a private, otherwise we’d never win this war,” Brass Heart replied, chuckling at his own words.

“Right you are,” Dawn agreed as he joined in on the laughter. He was the first one to walk through the open door of the repurposed warehouse and then commented, “The chariot certainly looks like it’s finished, but where did those two earth ponies run off to?” His light green eyes scanned the dim building for a moment, until he received his answer.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Ursa called out from somewhere in the rear of the open room before stepping out from behind a large pile of scrap metal that had been brought in days before. Star saw Axel following behind him as she and her other two companions followed Dawn inside.

“We finished this over twenty minutes ago, but there was no sign of you four, so I asked Ursa to help me sort through the scrap metal for when we start building the next chariot,” Axel explained as she and the emerald stallion began dragging over a thick sheet of iron plating using a couple of ropes tied around their midsections. It created a terrible noise as it scraped across the dusty floorboards and Star cringed at the sound. “Brass Heart, you and Dawn can start getting strapped in and we’ll get this old girl airborne!” Axel shouted to be heard over the grating of metal against wood. Thankfully, Ursa had repaired the floors himself, putting his natural born talent to good use, so there was no chance of the heavy material breaking through on them as they pulled it.

“Come on, I’ll help you two get strapped in,” Star offered. She headed over to the armored vehicle, which had been detailed with polished bronze and reinforced with some sort of metal that Axel had found to be light enough for air travel. The pegasus followed her over and stood motionless in front of the chariot while she fitted them in with a little help from her magic. Inferno stood back and watched, while the earth ponies finished pulling the sheet of scrap to one of the nearby worktables and quickly untied the ropes that they had secured around themselves. “That should do it,” Star said, taking a couple of steps back to admire the full effect of the almost battle ready sky chariot. It certainly looked formidable with both of the soldiers standing before it.

“Very nice,” Axel commented as she walked over to admire her hard work. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s take this thing out for a flight.” Both of the winged stallions nodded their heads in agreement and began to pull the vehicle to the front of the building. It didn’t appear as if they were having much trouble with it, but Star wouldn’t know for sure until they finished the tests.

“Which one of you is going to ride with us?” Dawn asked as they emerged from the musty shop. Even with all of the cleaning and repairs Star and Ursa had done, some aspects of the old building were ingrained it seemed. No matter how long they left the front doors open, the smell of old wood and rot permeated the inside.

“I’ll be the one going up,” Axel replied as she climbed into the chariot and took a seat on the wooden bench. “If something goes wrong, then I want to go down with my ship.” If the earth pony was joking, Star certainly couldn’t tell by her expression.

“Uh, sure,” Brass Heart mumbled as he and Dawn exchanged slightly worried glances. If the vehicle did happen to fall out of the sky, then it would be difficult for the pegasus to shirk their bindings off in time to catch the earth pony before she hit the ground. Axel didn’t seem very concerned about that, which was fine, because the unicorn was worried enough for the both of them. “Alright, we’re going up,” the corporal said as he and his best friend began pulling the chariot down the front walk of the building.

“This is actually kind of exciting,” Ursa said as they watched the pegasus slowly building up speed. The white stallions were moving at a full gallop by the time that they reached the streets and just a moment later they began flapping their powerful wings.

“Yes it is,” Star agreed, “and a little nerve wracking too,” she added when the vehicle rose a short distance off of the snowy ground before dropping back down as the soldiers tried to time the beating of their wings together.

“That’s only because you don’t want Brass Heart to get hurt,” Inferno teased, her eyes fixed on the sight of the chariot as it rolled further away from them.

“First of all, I don’t want anypony to get hurt,” Star corrected, violet gaze completely transfixed on her friends as the cart began to lift up once again. “And secondly, shush.” She could see her daughter smirking out of the corner of her vision, but the chariot had finally begun to rise up through the air, so the unicorn ignored that fact.

“Hay yeah!” Ursa let out a thundering cheer as they watched the pegasus clear the roof of the building on the far side of the street. The ribbon that had been binding together Axel’s flowing, blonde ponytail tore free because of the cold winds and was carried off in the breeze as Star and Inferno joined the crystal pony in a round of whistles and hollering. “I’ll be bucked if that chariot isn’t soaring like a bird!” A flash of white teeth graced the large stallion’s face as he beamed up at the snowflake speckled skies, where Brass Heart and Dawn were slowly climbing higher and higher, the chariot following smoothly behind them.

“I’m just glad it’s not me up there,” Inferno said, but even the acrophobic dragon couldn’t hold back a joyful grin at seeing the new sky chariot working so well.

“What, you don’t like flying?” Ursa asked without looking away from the grey sky. “I find that hard to believe, seeing as how you are a winged dragon and all.”

“I can ride in one of those if I have to,” Inferno explained haughtily. “I took the first one Axel built all of the way to the hippogriff settlement of Sahclawi. Granted, I had a few panic attacks whenever I thought too hard about the fact that the little collection of homes was sitting way above the ocean, but all in all, I like to think that I coped with the circumstances fairly well.” The crystal pony’s blue eyes finally left the sky as he stared down at her in surprise.

“I know that I listened to you, Spark and Strata tell the story about your trip, but I guess I hadn’t really considered exactly what traveling to the hippogriffs entailed,” Ursa replied. “That has to be one of the bravest things that I have ever heard,” he admitted, which caused Inferno to awkwardly swish her scaled tail back and forth in embarrassment.

“Uh, thanks… I guess,” she replied quietly.

“Hey, who is that?” Star asked upon noticing a cream colored pony heading down the hill towards them. “Is it somepony we know?” She hadn’t been expecting a visitor and none of her friends had mentioned that they were waiting for somepony either.

“I have no idea,” Ursa replied with a dismissive shrug. The emerald stallion turned his attention back to the sky soon after, though the chariot had already disappeared from view by then.

“I think it’s one of the mares who works up at the castle,” Inferno said, her yellow eyes squinting as she utilized her superior vision; the same skill that she used to detect minute flaws in gemstones over the past couple of days. “Yeah, it’s definitely one of the maids. I remember seeing her around.”

“I wonder what she’s doing around here,” Star said as the mare drew closer and closer. It didn’t take long for the unicorn to receive her answer though.

“Discipula Star,” the cream colored pony called out as she trotted over the snow packed sidewalk on her way to them. “Princess Celestia wanted me to find you and let you know that you have a visitor waiting for you back at the castle,” the earth pony explained in a huff as she finally reached her. The mare couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Star, but she was still out of breath, most likely from trotting all of the way to the shop, the unicorn assumed.

“Oh, well thank you for telling me,” Star replied before turning to Ursa and Inferno, who were both observing the exchange with peaked curiosity and then back to the newcomer. “Do you have any idea who came to visit me?” Star asked, considering the possibility that Spark had already arrived.

“Sorry, Celestia didn’t tell me,” the mare replied as she swiped a few sweat soaked strands of pale pink mane out of her burgundy eyes. “I was just told to have you return to the castle as soon as possible, although the princess did say that it wasn’t a dire emergency.” It was a good chance that the visitor wasn’t Spark then, Star thought, because his return would have most likely resulted in the royal sisters calling a meeting with her and her friends.

“Okay,” Star said as she turned back to Ursa again. “Make sure to tell me everything that happens,” she told the crystal pony, who simply nodded his head as he watched the two soldiers emerge from the thick cloud cover with the flying chariot still in tow. “Inferno, did you want to come back to the castle or stay here and watch them test the chariot until I get back?” Her daughter tapped a short claw against her cheek a few times as she considered what would be more exciting.

“I suppose that I’ll just head back to the castle with you,” Inferno eventually replied. “I don’t think I can be much help around here anyway, now that Axel only has to fiddle with the finishing touches.” It was true enough, her mother figured.

“Alright, we’ll see you later, Ursa,” Star said before she and Inferno took off up the street, with the earth pony who had been sent for them casting a curious glance above her before following after. The unicorn cast one last glance up into the sky as well, where she could just make out the shape of the sky chariot heading back above the clouds.

The pink maned mare whose name Star had found out was Ribbon, didn’t have much to say during the walk home, mostly because she was already fairly tired from the journey down to the shop, which was fine with the unicorn. Star was enjoying her speculations as to who it might be that had come to the castle to see her. She had a few guesses, but considering the strange turn her life had taken recently, anything was possible. Ribbon had told her that Princess Celestia said it wasn’t an emergency, so she wasn’t too worried about getting bad news at least and the answer actually proved to be a rather welcome one, as she found out soon after stepping through the large double doors of her home away from home. A familiar face graced her with a joyful smile.

“Star, it’s so good to see you again,” Doctor Suture greeted her as she stepped into the main hall, where the light yellow mare was waiting.

“Suture, so it was you who came to visit,” Star commented as she embraced the middle aged unicorn in her forelegs. “How have you been,” she asked as they parted. The doctor shrugged her narrow shoulders as she gave a weary look.

“As good as can be expected, I suppose,” Suture replied. She wore a plain looking robe that looked better suited for a slightly warmer climate, but her old boots certainly appeared warm enough, Star noted. “I haven’t been quite as busy these past couple of days, although I was swamped with work for awhile, doing checkups on all of the soldiers before they were deployed,” she explained. “How about you? I hear that you have been working on an important project for the military.” News traveled quickly even in such a large city it seemed.

“I guess you could say that,” Star replied, “though I’ve mostly just been assisting my friend, Axel, while she does the hard work,” she added with a laugh.

“And Inferno, I trust that you’ve been doing your part as well,” Suture said with a nod in the red dragon’s direction.

“Of course,” Inferno replied with a smile of her own. It had been awhile since Star had seen the doctor, the last time having been while she was assisting the older mare with the disaster relief in Ponyville, but she had written a letter to her. No response had come back, but the younger unicorn knew that it was only because of how busy her friend had undoubtedly been. “What brings you up to the castle?” the little dragon questioned as they started walking through the large hall on their way to the stairs.

“I actually had some free time today, which doesn’t happen very often,” Suture explained to the dragon, “so I thought that I would drop by and see if your mother had made any progress finding the gems we need to repair Nature Spark’s vision.”

“For the love of Luna, I haven’t even been looking!” Star replied as she mentally kicked herself for putting off something so important. “Between meeting with the princesses and helping Axel build the new sky chariot, I just haven’t gotten the opportunity.” Although skipping out on magic practice to go look for them after working would have been possible, she mused.

“She may have been too busy,” Inferno said as they began walking up the stairs, “but I’ve been working in an enchanted gem shop… I haven’t found anything suitable though.” The little dragon’s head sank at the confession, but Star was just heart warmed that her daughter had the presence of mind to have been looking while she helped the old stallion sort through his stock. “I did have another idea though, if you’d care to hear it,” she continued in a slightly more chipper tone.

“Yes of course, Inferno,” Star replied. Any chance was worth taking if it meant that they could restore Spark to his former glory.

“Well, what if we go down into the caves below the city and ask my mother if she has the gemstones that we need?” Inferno questioned. Both mares were confused for a moment, but realization slowly washed over Star and she stopped in her tracks, midway up the winding staircase. “I just thought tha-”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that, Inferno,” Star quickly replied as she banished the very thought from consideration. The red dragon had never gotten along with her biological mother and most of their brief visits ended with Inferno either crying or spending the remainder of the day in a foul mood. “Besides, what makes you think that she would even help us?” she asked as she continued up the stairs again, her brown boots muffling the sound of her hoofsteps against the gleaming floors.

“I’m sorry, but I must be missing something,” Suture stated with an expression of utter bewilderment. Star had spaced the fact that the older mare had no clue that there was full grown dragon living in the mountain. It wasn’t exactly common knowledge and even the black unicorn wasn’t certain of why this was the case, but it also wasn’t a secret as far as she knew. “I thought that you were Inferno’s adoptive mother.”

“I am,” Star replied, her voice falling into little more than a hushed whisper, “but she was talking about her biological mother.” Suture’s orange eyes sprang wide open in surprise and her mouth hung agape as she tried to process the revelation.

“Am I supposed to believe that there is a full grown dragon living beneath Canterlot?” the doctor asked as she followed her companions up the last few steps and down the hall towards their bedroom, where they could continue their conversation away from anypony who might accidentally overhear. “That’s impossible,” Suture stated.

“Yes, I thought the same thing when I first head about it,” Star replied as she held the door to the bedroom open while Inferno and Suture walked in. “I assure you that Inferno’s mother does dwell in this mountain though and she is not the friendliest of serpents either.” Her daughter nodded her head emphatically in agreement. The room was dark, but a quick flash of magic from the tip of the black mare’s horn effectively pulled back the frilly purple curtains, allowing the early evening glow to light the room naturally as she kicked off her boots and got comfortable. She chose to keep her cloak on however. “I would prefer that you didn’t tell anypony about this, Suture. I don’t believe that the princesses would reprimand me for alerting you to her presence, but I’d rather not test that theory.”

“Uh, yes, of course,” Suture replied, her soft orange eyes still radiating a mild bafflement. “Why would a dragon choose to live beneath Canterlot though?” she asked a moment later as they each took a seat. Star and Inferno shared the couch at the foot of their bed, while the doctor took one of the fancy chairs opposite them.

“I’m quite sure that I don’t know,” Star replied.

“She’s never actually told me,” Inferno added. “Not that she tells me much of anything, even though I keep going back to visit her every couple of months.” Even if she wasn’t close to her biological mother, Star could still see a shimmer in the little dragon’s yellow eyes before blinking back a tear.

“Then what makes you think that she would give you the jewels that we need?” Suture questioned, “And how do you know that she even has two flawless gems of equal size and cut?” Inferno gave a knowing smile as she laughed humorlessly.

“Believe me, Incendiaura has ten times the number of gems that would fit our criteria, if not more,” Inferno replied coldly. All of the talk about her mother seemed to be putting the serpentine girl in a bad mood, so her adoptive parent decided to change the subject to something a bit lighter.

“Enough talk about that though,” Star said with a smile. “There is nothing that we could do tonight anyway.” The black mare turned to her friend and asked, “What are your plans for the next few days? Do you have anything important that you will be taking care of?” The yellow unicorn’s flat expression melted into a warm grin as she thought for a moment.

“Well, to be honest, I have been thinking about assisting the military out in the field,” Suture replied. “Tending to the sick, mending broken bones and that sort of thing, you know.” It wasn’t quite what Star had been expecting to hear, but the news also didn’t come as much of a surprise to her either.

“That sounds awfully dangerous,” Inferno commented as her previous unhappiness began to dissolve. “Won’t that put you in serious danger, being so close to where the battles are being fought and all?” The doctor nodded slowly, her wavy orange mane falling over her face before being pushed back in place.

“It does pose a greater set of risks than working in the hospital,” Doctor Suture admitted, “but I think that my particular skills as a surgeon will be most beneficial to our troops’ well being and besides, I have missed doing actual doctoral work quite a bit. The time Star and I spent in Ponyville reawakened that old need to help ponies as I once did.” The black mare could see a sort of fiery passion in the doctor’s eyes as she spoke of her plans. It was the same look that she had seen in her friends’ eyes during the last meeting they’d all had with the princesses.

“I am sure that what you do in the hospital is quite indispensible and saves many ponies’ lives as well,” Star replied, “but I can see how strongly you feel about doing this, so I will wish you the best of luck and perhaps we will see one another in the midst of the danger that lies just outside the city walls.” One of the doctor’s eyebrows rose appraisingly as she gazed at Star from across the low table.

“Are you planning on lending you medical assistance as well?” Suture asked with a pleased smile. “I must admit that you do have quite the knack for that sort of magic, though I suppose you just have a talent for magic in general.”

“Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of accompanying my friends with their missions, namely Spark, as he journeys into the Crystal Empire to put an end to this conflict,” Star explained unwaveringly, though giving voice to her plans made her realize how terribly dangerous they really were.

“I would argue that doing so is a good way to get your self killed,” Suture sighed, “but I can already see that the point would be moot, much like if you tried to convince me to stay at the hospital.” The black maned mare gave a half smile as she nodded her head. “I do hope that you will be very careful though, Star, because things are growing more and more dangerous every day. The ponies hiding in the protection of this city may not see the truth so clearly, but you and I have seen first hoof the horrors that this war has brought. I hope that your resolve stays as strong as it appears to be now.”

“You and I both,” Star agreed in a quiet voice.

“What about you, Inferno? I would assume that you have already made your stance known,” Suture said as she turned to the young dragon. “I can only imagine that you will refuse to leave your mother’s side, no matter what tragedy befalls her because of the path she has decided to travel.” Inferno offered no smile, but only a silent nod. “As much as I hate to see one as young as yourself being put in danger, I suppose that it is for the best. You two share a strong bond and it may help to drive back the shadows that will undoubtedly try to ensnare you along the way.” Star wasn’t really sure what to say to that, but appreciated the sincerity of her friend’s words.

“You make it sounds as if-” Fwoosh! Whatever the dragon had been about to say was interrupted as black flames suddenly spurt forth from her mouth, bringing with them a letter from one of the princesses. “Ugh, sorry about that,” she apologized as her mother snatched the letter from the air in a white glow. “Why wouldn’t they just come to the room and talk to us?”

“It’s from Luna,” Star said as she quickly scanned the page. “She says that she wishes to speak with me. Suture, I’m sorry to cut our visit short, but you are more than welcome to wait here while I see what the princess needs,” she added as she stood up from the couch. The middle aged mare shook her head as she too rose to her hooves.

“No, that is alright. I should be getting back to the hospital anyway,” Suture explained. “I have to get everything in order before I head off. There are plenty of papers to fill out and ponies to speak with before then.” Star nodded her head understandingly as she held out her forelegs for a hug. “I will try to visit you again before I depart though.”

“It was good to see you,” Star said as the yellow unicorn wrapped her up in an embrace. “I will send you a letter if we do happen to get the gems that we need.”

“Goodbye, Suture,” Inferno said as both of the mares headed to the door.

“Until next time, Inferno,” the doctor replied before leaving the room, with Star following behind her. “Take care of your self,” she before they had parted ways.

“Princess Luna,” Star called out from the other side of the alicorn’s bedroom door, which was locked, just as it had been for the past few days. The princess, it seemed, was turning into a bit of a recluse since she and her elder sister had officially declared war on the Crystal Empire. “Princess, you wanted to speak with me,” the unicorn called again. The clicking of a lock being disengaged sounded out just a moment later as Luna opened the door and welcomed her student inside. The young mare didn’t even try to mask her curiosity as she stepped back from the entrance.

“Star, thank you for coming to see me so quickly. I do hope that my summons wasn’t too much trouble for you,” Luna said as the smaller pony walked into her unlit room. “I know how busy you must have been down at the warehouse, but there is something on my mind and the sooner I can get it off, the better.”

“Actually, Axel has gotten the new chariot airborne already,” Star replied, “so there isn’t much left for me to do as of today, although I was visiting with a friend when I received your letter.”

“I am sorry to have interrupted you then,” the princess apologized as she shut the door behind them and lit a few candles with a flash of her magic.

“Don’t be. It was nothing of grave importance,” Star assured her mentor. “Doctor Suture happened to have some free time and wanted to tell me that she would be lending her assistance to the soldiers being sent into battle.” Star followed the dark blue alicorn over to a pair of chairs and took a seat facing her, noting the pallor in the princess’s normally flawless skin. It didn’t look like she had been getting much rest over the past few days.

“The dean of the hospital,” Luna commented. “Well, she will be an invaluable asset to our cause.” The room grew quiet in the few seconds after the immortal mare had spoken and Star could feel a tension in the air as she waited for her to continue the conversation. “I haven’t been sleeping well,” the princess finally admitted. “Many of the ponies throughout Equestria have been suffering from nightmares lately and try as I might; it is difficult to relieve their fears every night.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Star replied. “I have no doubt that their fears will only grow worse as this war progresses, but you shouldn’t forget to take care of your self as well as your subject, princess.” Luna seemed to brush her concern aside, but the way she had been acting recently truly worried the young mare.

“Has Nature Spark returned yet?” Luna asked, seemingly to dodge her student’s remark. Star noticed this, but she decided to let it slip for the time being.

“I’m afraid not,” the unicorn replied, “although he should be arriving any day now, barring any unforeseen circumstances of course.” The alicorn nodded in silent acceptance of her answer. “What is it that caused you so much trouble that you needed to see me though?” Star’s mentor gazed in her direction, but the princess’s mesmerizingly blue eyes seemed to stare past her at something else entirely as she opened her mouth to speak.

“I was worried because I’ve been th- I, well… I suppose that it had just been some time since we have had a conversation face to face.” Star was about to interject, since they had spoken just the other night. “Outside of your dreams, that is,” Princess Luna amended when she noticed her protégé’s expression.

“You have been showing a rather serious aversion to making contact with anypony lately,” Star observed. “I hope that you have at least spoken with your sister about your concerns.”

“Celestia,” Luna scoffed, “as if she has any answers that will assist me in this time of need. She doesn’t understand the importance of the night or how dire the tortured dreams of her subjects can be.” The princess’s wings shifted behind her in agitation as she spoke and Star could hear a distinct pain beneath the insincere anger directed toward the elder alicorn.

“I still wish that you would converse with her,” Star restated. “I know that she loves you and would be most displeased to see you in such a state. She has brought up her worries with me already.” The faithful pony’s concerns were well founded, she knew, but there was a delicate balance between a making a strong suggestion and full blown nagging, which would most likely be detrimental to the situation. “I heard that she tried talking with you about said troubles, but she never told me how that went.”

“She believes my current plight would be corrigible if I were to just push through the unhappiness I have been feeling, but I don’t think that it would make much of a difference as long as our subjects are suffering through fighting, night terrors and that ill-advised curfew,” Luna replied a bit heatedly.

“I am sorry to hear that,” Star admitted and her mentor’s expression softened a bit, revealing more of the hurt she felt. “If there is anything that I can do to alleviate your burden, please, let me know. It is the least I could do after everything you have done for me.” The unicorn actually caught the briefest flash of a smile on the alicorn’s face before it was replaced by worry once again.

“There is one thing,” Luna replied quietly. “No matter what happens, even if we somehow fail to stop the duke and Equestria falls, please don’t leave me alone, my faithful student. I feel as if you are the only pony who truly knows me and I do not believe that I could face the future without your friendship.”

Star was stunned for a few breathless seconds, but then swore, “I would never stop being your student and your friend, Luna. I promise.” The immortal didn’t smile, but she did nod her approval, the tears forming in her blue eyes conveying the thanks that she was unable to give voice to. “Would you like me to stay here with you for awhile longer?” the unicorn asked after awhile.

“No, Star, I am sure that you must be tired and I would much rather have you well rested for whatever tomorrow brings and besides, I must away to tend to the shimmering moon and restless dreams,” Luna explained. “You can go and get some sleep now. Thank you for consoling this immortal fool.” The princess laughed quietly, but there wasn’t much joy in the sound.

“Anytime,” Star replied sincerely, giving a polite nod as she stood up from the chair, “and please, never hesitate to call for me whenever you need a compassionate ear,” she added as she gave a glance back at her mentor, who simply nodded again.

Star left Princess Luna alone in her bedroom and decided that it was late enough for her to retire to her own chambers for the night. Inferno would most likely be sleeping peacefully already and she had no doubt that Ursa and Axel had probably returned awhile before and gone straight to bed. Hopefully he had seen to it that the blonde mare had actually eaten something before going to sleep, Star thought, as she traversed the noiseless halls of the castle. Her hooves were the only thing to break the tranquil silence. Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop. The halls echoed as the tapped a melody against the cool blue and white tiles on her way to her room.

The painted, wooden door squeaked faintly as it swung open on its hinges when Star applied just a touch of magical force. Not loud enough to awaken the slumbering dragon inside, thankfully. The black mare entered the pitch black room and navigated to the bed from memory, dropping her clothing to the floor and carefully picking her way along the carpet. She could hear her daughter snoring softly as she gently climbed up onto the large bed, relishing the smooth feel of silky sheets against her hide as she delicately slid between them. It didn’t take more than a few minutes for her to calm down, each breath becoming softer and more uniform by the second. Soon after, she had drifted off with one foreleg wrapped gently around Inferno’s chest as they slept side by side.

Author's Notes:

I love writing the awkwardness that Star exhibits most of the time, although it can be a little painful when I go back and read it all together, but it's supposed to be. Hahaha. I must say that I had some trouble deciding what to name Inferno's mother, but 'Incendiaura' sounded pretty cool and I'm happy with it. She will be in one of the upcoming chapters, although I'm not sure if it will be chapter 5 or not. We'll just have to see.