The Princesses had seen them off hours before and now Discipula Star sat in the sky chariot, musing over the wreckage of her day. It was far from the worst the mare had ever experienced, but it was also far from enjoyable. The awkward chariot ride served as a perfectly horrid ending to the fiasco. It was possible fate just had a sort of twisted sense of humor that the unicorn hadn’t yet grasped, but she was beginning to wonder if things really even happened for a purpose. It was a nagging uncertainty that she tried her best to ignore as Ursa and Nature Spark slept beside her. She had tried to rest as well, but the vehicle had never been designed for comfort. It was built for the military, where luxury was low priority. Between the night chill and the cramped quarters, sleep appeared to be nothing more than a distant desire to be left unfulfilled.

Star sighed with discontent as she draped her foreleg over the edge of the chariot and rested her weary head upon it, staring off into the starry skies as she listened to the steady tempo of beating wings mixed with the soft breathing of the stallions sleeping to her left. It was most likely for the best anyway, the mare mused, because without having smoked some of Spark’s herbs she would no doubt be visited by nightmares again. They were becoming the one constant she could count on. Her friends and the princesses were the other constants, though her emotions seemed set on distancing herself from the former as much as possible. Her relationship with Brass Heart had certainly changed at the very least and the fault was entirely her own.

The only thing that the corporal had ever asked of Star was her love and despite how she had felt for him, something had prevented her from reciprocating his feelings. The way she felt about Surinam had been the excuse she’d used, but deep down she knew that pursuing Spark’s sister would be a lost cause. Whether or not Suri was attracted to mares held no real weight anymore, because she had made her feelings toward Star painfully clear before leaving. It left the raven maned pony wondering what the real cause of her trepidation could be as she watched the gleaming moon slowly climb above the world. Star had always blamed the few stallions that she had dated for the pathetic way that all of her relationships had ended, but perhaps she had unconsciously sabotaged them herself. Delving into her own psyche had proven it to be a very confusing place full of contradicting emotions and ingrained fears, so anything was certainly possible.

A sudden drop in altitude frightened Star from the self-dissection of her thought process as Brass Heart and Dawn Glory began to descend from the clouds. Her head snapped around as she looked for the cause of their sudden change in direction, but the small mare could see no threat around them. It occurred to her that they weren’t exactly hurrying towards the ground either, merely drifting lazily down like a leaf carried on the autumn winds. They weren’t in any sort of a hurry so she had no reason to worry, but curiosity was still present as she peeked down below the vehicle.

“Why are we landing?” Star asked, her gentle voice raising in volume just enough to get the soldiers’ attention without disturbing her sleeping companions. Obviously they had assumed everypony else was sleeping, because the sound of her question caused both of the pegasus’ wings to snap out in surprise for a moment.

“Mother of Celestia!” Dawn exclaimed. His voice cracked with laughter as the sudden fear quickly faded. “I thought you three were asleep. You scared me half to death.” He chuckled briefly and then shot a playful glare back at the unicorn. “Anyway, we’re landing because this chariot is exhausting to drag around. Brass Heart and I just need a couple hours to rest and then we’ll be ready to leave.”

“Is that alright with you?” Brass Heart questioned a bit vehemently. The words stung a little, but Star figured that if anypony deserved his anger then it was her, so she simply nodded her head and resumed sitting in silence. It wasn’t long after that the wheels of the vehicle bounced off of the frosty ground and the pegasus reversed the force of their wings to slow the formidable momentum that they had attained. Ursa groaned quietly and rolled over as much as he could, considering the cramped space that he was sleeping in, but Spark didn’t even twitch. At least some ponies were getting a full nights rest, Star thought, as she glanced away from her friends and out at the dark hills and valleys stretching out around them.

“You’ll have to wake up either Shpark or Ursha if you plan on shleeping now,” Dawn informed Star. He tried to speak around the metal clasp in his mouth which elicited a sigh of pity from the mare, whose horn began to radiate white light as she quickly unfastened the soldier from the straps around his back and chest. She then turned to the corporal, but Brass Heart had already gotten free of the chariot and stepped away just before she could offer her assistance to him as well.

“I’m not so sure that I could sleep even if I wanted to,” Star admitted. “I’ll just keep watch and try to get a few hours in while were flying tomorrow.” Dawn shrugged his shoulders and yawned.

“Suit yourself,” he mumbled sleepily, “but I have to get some rest or we might just fall out of the sky… and nopony wants that.” He smiled weakly and picked his bag up off the pile of supplies sitting just behind the front wall of the vehicle. It took just a few seconds for him to wrestle a couple blankets out and then he wandered off, presumably to find a relatively level area to make into his bed. Brass Heart hadn’t even bothered grabbing extra blankets. The blonde mane pegasus had immediately walked off into the shadows instead. Star hadn’t done anything to stop him. It was obvious to her and most likely everypony else that he was sulking and she was the last pony whom he would want to see right then. Even Dawn had been wise enough to give their friend his space.

“Only I could manage to wound a royal guard with words alone,” Star mumbled quietly to herself. She brushed a few strands of purple and blue hair from her face as she leaned back on the uncomfortable seat. The lonely mare tilted her head back and blinked her weary eyes a few times, staring up at the plethora of stars suspended in the fathomless blackness above while she waited for time to creep ever so slowly by. It was going to be a very long night, she thought unhappily, but at least something was happening now and that was infinitely better than waiting around Canterlot while her friends were putting themselves in danger without her. Another sigh escaped her slender lips as she shifted around once more, which caused another slight stirring of the crystal pony to her left before stillness reclaimed the night around them.

Snap! Star’s eyes sprang open in bewilderment as her mind tried to recall where she was and why. She remembered that the princesses had seen them off the evening before and after being momentarily inconvenienced by two soldiers enforcing the curfew, who had received a stern tongue lashing from Brass Heart, they had left Canterlot and flown throughout a good portion of the night. The unicorn’s violet irises flickered back and forth wildly as she scanned the immediate area around the chariot. Her companions were still sleeping soundly, so the sound that had awoken her could not have been made by any of them. Perhaps it had only been in her dreams, she thought. That only raised more concerns though, because she was supposed to be keeping watch while everypony else slept. It seemed that her insomnia hadn’t lasted long enough however.

Crack! The second sound had come from the tree line just a couple yards beyond the spot where Brass Heart had made his bed, not that a flat spot and single blanket qualified as much of a place to sleep. Star began climbing out of the chariot as quietly as she could manage. Her small hooves touched down silently one after another without waking her friends and then she headed towards the mysterious noise that had pulled her from the nightmares she’d been stuck in. Some animal had been walking near the edge of the woods more likely than not, Star figured, but it couldn’t hurt to be certain. The hazy light of early morning wasn’t yet enough to illuminate the space beyond the outermost branches blocking the small mare’s view, so she continued past Brass Heart, walking forward until she was close enough to peer through the leafless limbs.

“H-hello,” Star whispered. The slight stutter to her words was enough to make the unicorn realize that she was a little more frightened than she had originally thought. When no answer came after a few moments she tried again in a slightly louder, but no less shaky voice. “Is somepony there?” Crunch! Another branch broke from somewhere in the shadows causing her heart to skip a beat as panic set in, but the feeling was short lived once the reply she had been waiting for finally arrived.

“Star, is that you?” a familiar voice asked and a tall figure stepped out from behind the cover that the forest provided. Backdraft blinked down at her in confusion as the sunlight washed over his grey muzzle, sparkling in the depths of his steely eyes. Star was no less shocked to see her friend staring back at her, but a smile spread across her face soon after as she cleared the last few steps separating them and jumped at the lanky pegasus. Her forelegs wrapped around Draft’s slim shoulders as she squeezed him tightly and laughed.

“What in the wide world of Equestria are you doing here?” she questioned, her voice cracking with ecstatic relief that the noise had been nothing to fret over. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, you jerk!” The small mare punched him in the shoulder much harder than she had intended to, though her friend simply laughed it off.

“I could ask you the same,” Draft replied with a bemused grin. “Aren't you supposed to be in Canterlot?” Star released him from her forceful embrace and took a step back as she shook her head, causing the dark mane falling over her neckline to shine in the golden daylight.

“Well, I was assisting Axel with the new sky chariots that the princesses wanted her to build for the military, but after we finished the prototype and Spark returned, Celestia and Luna decided that we should accompany him to the Crystal Empire,” Star explained. “So the five of us left late last night and decided to camp here. We had planned on meeting up with you, Downpour and the soldiers outside of Cloudsdale, but you clearly aren't there anymore…”

“No,” Draft muttered disinterestedly. His gaze was focused on the field behind the unicorn, where the chariot and their friends rested quietly. “Is that Ursa sleeping in the chariot?” he asked a moment later.

“Mhmm,” Star mumbled in response. The joy that lit up her friend’s features upon hearing the news was enough to return the ridiculous smile to the mare’s face as she watched him take a few steps past her. “He’s been worried sick about you since the day that you left,” she added as she followed him back to their makeshift camp.

“I’ve missed him too,” Draft readily admitted, “but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to pass up this opportunity to mess with him while he’s asleep.” A mischievous grin stretched across his face as he quietly approached the slumbering crystal pony, taking care not to wake Brass Heart and Dawn as he crept ever closer to the stallion he loved. “Ursa…” Star could hear him whisper quietly as he leaned over the side wall of the vehicle. The emerald stallion’s ear twitched in response but he still didn’t wake, so Draft leaned in closer until their faces were mere inches apart. Star could tell that the pegasus was trying hard to contain his laughter as he stuck the tip of his tongue out and quickly flicked it across Ursa’s cheek before ducking out of sight.

Star heard the crystal pony groan while absentmindedly swiping a large hoof across the cheek that Draft had just licked, but he still didn’t wake from his peaceful slumber. A few seconds later the pegasus peeked over the side of the chariot once again and this time a quiet snicker managed to sneak past his lips. He leaned in once more and stole a quick kiss before jumping back quickly and clamping a hoof over his mouth. This time the effect was enough to cause his coltfriend to stir from the dreams he’d been experiencing. Deep blue eyes shone from behind heavy eyelids as Ursa blinked a couple of times. His thick forelegs stretched up towards the cloud dotted skies as he yawned deeply, a slight smile turning up one side of his face.

“G’morning,” he mumbled quietly to Star, who was the only other pony awake that he could see at the moment. Star for her part tried to contain the telltale smirk that was tugging at her cheeks when Draft held a hoof in front of his mouth as a silent signal to be quiet about his presence. “I was just having the most pleasant dream… or at least the end was enjoyable enough anyway.” His special somepony beamed knowingly from just out of sight.

“Lucky you,” Star replied casually as she walked around to the other side of the vehicle in an effort to pull the burly pony’s gaze in the opposite direction of Draft’s hiding spot. “What was it about?”

“Who, you mean,” Ursa replied with a contented sigh, as if Star would really have to give the question any thought to divine the answer. The unicorn rolled her eyes imperceptibly before responding.

“Fine. Who was it about?” She snickered as the top of Draft’s head slowly rose up just behind Ursa. The crystal pony didn’t notice, even as a few strands of the pegasus’s flowing grey mane brushed gently against his back in a stirring of the breeze.

“Who do you think?” Ursa answered with a rhetorical question and a smile that Star could only have described as stupidly loving. It was adorable, but not enough to stop her or Draft from having a bit of fun at the crystal pony’s expense.

“I’m going to go ahead and guess that it was about that pony looming up behind you,” Star said in a completely serious tone as she nodded her head at the place behind his left shoulder. A perplexed furrowing of the brow was the only reply from Ursa as he slowly turned around on the stiff bench of the sky chariot. He was tackled over by a flash of grey before he could make sense of what was happening. Star watched a tangle of grey and emerald limbs wrestling around frantically in the vehicle, accompanied by fluttering strands of gray and blue manes. Draft was alternating between trying to kiss the crystal pony and tickle him, laughing all the while. Ursa responded with confused shouts and flailing, but the element of surprise was on the much lighter pegasus’s side and he’d pinned his coltfriend within moments.

“I got you,” Draft laughed as he gripped the large green wrists and held them firm against the backboard of the chariot.

“Draft!?” Ursa shouted in ecstatic surprise. “Is that really you?”

“Nope, I’m just a figment of your romantically deprived mind as it attempts to reproduce a hallucination of the original,” Draft retorted with a wink.

“What in Tartarus are you doing h- you know what? I don’t even care,” Ursa admitted before quickly arching his neck forward and placing his lips against the smaller stallion’s own. Star glanced away out of a combination of respect and slight discomfort at the public display, but she couldn’t really blame either of them. They had been apart for weeks and the resulting effects of a surprise reunion were only to be expected.

“Did you miss me?” Draft asked as he pulled back from his lover’s lips to stare into the pools of the crystal pony’s eyes. His grip began to slacken a bit as he melted into his lover’s warm embrace.

“Ahem, not at all,” Ursa lied before playfully turning up his snout in feigned disinterest. “Okay… maybe just a little bit,” he replied a second later, peering down from the corner of his eye as Draft closed the distance between them yet again.

“Who in the hoof!?” A flash of green magic nearly blinded everypony near the chariot as Backdraft was suddenly yanked up from his position atop his coltfriend. “We’re being attacked!” Spark shouted loudly as he suspended his friend a couple yards above their heads with a strong levitation spell. The blind stallion’s magic had definitely improved, Star thought, as she stared in stunned silence at the scene before her. Common sense kicked in soon after and she tried to explain what was happening while Ursa stared up dumbfounded, too confused to voice his objections to the magical ensnarement of his coltfriend.

“Spark! It’s just Draft!” Star shouted, trying not to laugh because of the absurd situation. Draft couldn’t speak because of the force surrounding him, so he stared silently down at the three ponies below him with a look of genuine surprise frozen on his face. “It’s just Draft. We’re not under attack,” the black mare giggled.

“Huh?” Spark mumbled in confusion as his horn continued to glow. A gentle light radiated out as he felt out his friend. “What the- I mean… what’s going on?” The blind stallion’s magic dissipated immediately once he had confirmed the identity of the intruder. Draft managed to catch himself with his graceful wings and gently dropped back to the ground near the chariot as Star began her explanation, holding back amused giggles with every word.

All of the commotion from before had been enough to wake the last two of Star’s sleeping companions as well and now they all sat around a small fire while Star did her best to make a decent breakfast out of the supplies that were available for her to work with. That meant that their meal would consist of fresh fruit and some cooked spinach for the first couple of days, after which they would be forced to eat the provisions which held a slightly longer lifespan. Hot tea was on the menu as well, thanks to Spark having bought a nice supply while back in Canterlot. It was over said breakfast that everypony sat listening while Draft caught them up on what had occurred during the siege of Cloudsdale. It sounded to Star as if they had been having an even worse couple of weeks than she had been having.

“We waited for days after Rainbow Strike sealed off the city, just hoping that we would eventually find some way inside, but when search after search turned up nothing, the captain of the royal guards decided to change tactics and plant ourselves around the fortress,” Draft continued after taking a sip from his steaming cup.

“Where are the others now?” Brass Heart asked, his silence having been forgotten for the time being, though he still seemed to be set on avoiding Star’s pleading eyes.

“Most of them are on the ground, just outside of the city and a few others are in the skies surrounding its walls,” Draft replied. He blew on his tea softly to cool it and took another sip.

“Then what are you doing all of the way out here?” Spark questioned. “I may be blind and may have been asleep for a while, but I can’t imagine that we’re already close to the city.” Draft shook his head, not that Spark could tell.

“You’re right, Cloudsdale is still a few miles off, but late last night somepony left the city, er, some griffon that is,” the pegasus explained. “I was sent to follow him because I’m the fastest flyer in our group.” Spark nodded his head knowingly at the explanation.

“So did you catch the bastard?” Dawn asked around a mouthful of apple, the juices trickling down his already sticky chin. Draft hesitated before giving a slight shake of his head.

“No, whoever it was managed to outfly me,” he replied.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Draft,” Ursa said as he draped a foreleg over the slender stallion’s shoulders and fixed him with a loving gaze.

“Yeah,” Draft mumbled sheepishly. “Anyway, how long before the five of you have to leave for the empire?”

“The sooner the better,” Brass Heart replied flatly.

“But first we’ll see if we can lend a helping hoof to all of you,” Dawn added immediately after. “Perhaps a few more willing bodies can make some difference.” Draft nodded his head while giving them all an appreciative smile.

“It’s definitely worth a shot… thank you,” he replied with a quick squeeze of his foreleg, which was still wrapped around his coltfriend’s body.

“Do you have some way of contacting your brother to let him know we’ve arrived?” Spark asked as he stared blankly into the cup of aromatic tea between his hooves. Draft nodded his head and started to bare his chest. It took just a moment for the blind stallion’s friend to correct his mistake.

“Mhmm,” Draft mumbled. “We were each given a Call Stone to keep in contact during the siege. I’m out of range way out here, but as soon as I get close enough I can tell Downpour and Strata that you’re all here.”

“Alright, well then we should finish up breakfast as soon as possible so that we can leave,” Spark said with a curt nod. He drained the last of his hot drink in a few quick gulps and stood up. “Ouch… that wath much hotter than I exthpected,” he moaned with a burned tongue lisp. The others couldn’t hold back a few stray laughs as the overeager pony headed back to the sky chariot, leaving them to clean up the breakfast mess. Star didn’t mind and it didn’t appear as if anypony else did either.

“Celestia and Luna sent the captain to head up this mission?” Dawn asked, although it sounded as if he was merely thinking aloud.

“The loss of Cloudsdale would be terrible were we not at war, but during this conflict it is completely unacceptable,” Brass Heart told him. “Equestria would be left unable to defend itself.”

“There are still the Elements of Harmony, right?” Ursa asked. Star glanced over to the crystal pony and sighed, but decided to explain the situation just as the princess had explained it to her.

“Not only would the princesses have to enter the Crystal Empire and then get close enough to focus the power of the elements on Doré Langue, they would also face the reaction of the crystallite ponies,” Star told the foreign stallion. “How do you think your ponies would respond to an attack from the rulers of Equestria?”

“They would turn the heart on you,” Ursa replied in a quiet voice, his expression cold as he began to understand. Draft looked up at him, steely eyes questioning his companion’s answer.

“The heart, I think the duke spoke about it when I first met him, but… i-it’s foggy,” the smaller stallion said, using his free hoof to brush an unmanageable hair behind his ear. “What is the heart?”

“As Equestria relies on the elements of harmony to protect them from serious danger, so too does the Crystal Empire have a very old, very powerful relic,” Ursa began in a solemn tone. “Beneath the Crystal Palace you can see a large heart carved out of the most flawless crystal. When the empress first took seat upon the throne she used this mystical relic to amplify the compassionate love she felt for her ponies across the entire nation. Should something ever break the peace that Empress Serenade created then her vengeance would be amplified by the Crystal Heart instead.”

“The empress was taken by Doré Langue’s minions though,” Dawn reminded him. “Celestia and Luna would have nothing to fear from the heart.”

“Unless the duke has figured out a way to use it for his own devious means,” Draft gasped as he sat rigid, his foreleg falling from Ursa’s waist.

“Would that be possible?” Star questioned, equally concerned over what it would mean for everypony in Equestria.

“I cannot say for certain,” Ursa admitted. “I have no doubt that the duke will try his best to find a way though,” he added soon after.

“As serious as this news may be,” Spark interjected, “it changes nothing about the mission we have been given. This news simply adds to the urgency of us stopping Doré Langue before anypony else is forced to suffer.”

“But first we had better help detain Sergeant Strike and squash his little group of traitors,” Dawn said as he slowly got up from the ground, warmed by the fire and stretched his wings out into the cool winter breeze. The blue maned pegasus took a deep breath and walked past the others, to where his armor rested beside the sky chariot’s harnesses.

“Dawn is right,” Brass Heart agreed flatly. “The more time we waste sitting around, the closer the duke will be to reaching his goals.” The corporal rose to his hooves and followed after his fellow soldier, though he had seen fit to sleep in his armor and started to attach himself to the vehicle first.

“As much as I would rather stay right here,” Draft sighed as he lifted his leg off Ursa, “I think that they have the right idea.” He stole another quick kiss from his unsuspecting coltfriend and then sprang up with a push of his slender wings. “I think that we may very well have a chance now that everypony is together again.”

“Besides Suri, Axel and Inferno,” Star breathed quietly. Once they had reunited with Downpour and Strata she might feel a bit better though. White light enveloped her horn as she rose from the ground and created a small cloud above the burning flames in the midst of the campsite.

Rain fell from the newly formed cloud and the fire was snuffed quickly, but Star had already turned away. She headed back to the waiting chariot as the cloud evaporated behind her. The others followed her lead and had soon retaken their positions. Star sat on one side of the chariot, Spark on the other and Ursa was wedged between them. Brass Heart and Dawn took a running start and were airborne easily enough, while Draft took up the rear, flying slightly above his friends to keep watch over them as they soared through the clouds, closing the distance on Cloudsdale and Sergeant Strike.

“Downpour should be somewhere up here with Strata.” Draft’s voice fell quite in the wind, but Spark had heard and relayed the message to Star and Ursa, who informed Brass Heart and Dawn soon after. The clouds were thick this close to Cloudsdale, a result of the smoke constantly billowing out of the forgeries. No smoke came from the city today as Star saw whenever she managed to sneak a glance at the hovering fortress beyond the veil of clouds. Even the rainbows that normally spilled forth from the reservoirs beyond the walls had dried out to a mere trickle over the weeks of neglect with nopony left to maintain the weather. Already Equestria seemed a bit darker for it.

“He’s up this way!” Draft shouted down to the sky chariot, breaking Star’s gaze on the distant city as she scanned the sky above.

“Is that them?” Star asked. She pointed out a small gap in the thick cover and those who could see followed the gesture with their eyes.

“I think I see movement,” Dawn replied. Draft’s sudden takeoff towards the spot was enough to confirm their suspicions. The soldiers veered around and followed after him at a much slower pace. Downpour and Draft were already waiting by the time they had arrived to the vantage point in the sky.

Star closed her violet eyes in concentration as they neared the cloud landing, her focus fixed upon the cloud walking spell she had taught to Spark not long ago. A flash of light and tingling in her hooves was proof that she could still cast it just as easily as she ever had and a second burst of power graced Ursa with the same magic. Spark cast the spell on himself just a moment later, the task posing no problems now that he had honed his magical abilities. It surprised the gifted mare to see such an improvement in somepony who had been hard pressed to perform even a simple teleportation spell not long ago. She bounced off of the bench as the chariot’s wheels touched down, the unexpected force stirring her from her thoughts.

“I must admit,” Downpour called out from the landing as he watched his friends unload from the armored vehicle, “that I didn’t expect to see everypony so soon.” The stocky pegasus chuckled and took a few steps forward, raising his hoof in Nature Spark’s direction. Star watched as the blind unicorn rose his own hoof in return before bumping it against his friend’s and cracking a smile.

“I didn’t think I’d see you this soon either,” Spark joked. Using his magic to feel out everything around him was an ingenious solution, Star had to admit, but she still knew that it would never make up for his actual eyes. “Where is Strata at? I figured that we would be interrupting something.” Downpour answered his friend’s question with an icy glare directed in Draft’s direction.

“That bucking idiot told her that I cheated on her and now she won’t say a word to me,” he replied angrily as he continued to stare daggers at his brother.

“You did what!?” Star gasped in horror. She knew well enough that Downpour was brash and didn’t always think his actions through, but betraying Strata like that was something else entirely. “Where is she now?” Downpour nodded his head to the east and Star headed that way, her steps slow and measured as she picked a path over the soft surface of the massive cloud. “I hope she kicked your sorry flank up and down the street for that one. How could you be so stupid?” Star continued to lecture him even as she jumped a small gap and walked around a smaller cloud in her path.

There were no clouds left to block out the sunlight in this place and magnificent rays of golden warmth cascaded around Star as she continued on her way. Every cushioned surface seemed to reflect a different shade of blue, purple or orange and it all mixed with the off-white of the clouds in a way that nearly took the young mare’s breath away. The true beauty of Equestria had a way of making itself known when she least expected it, but sightseeing would have to wait because sitting a few yards away, bathed in soft light and weeping softly was her friend, Strata. The hippogriff glanced back at the sound of somepony approaching her and then away again just as quickly.

“Strata, do you mind if I sit beside you?” Star asked, knowing that there were many times when sympathetic words would only make the situation worse. She hoped that this wasn’t one of those instances.

“It’s fine,” Strata replied. She tried to quell the choking sobs caught in her throat, but it would not have made any difference since Star could plainly see the salty trail that her tears had left behind. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s not just me,” Star answered as she walked up to the sullen falcon-pony hybrid. “All of our friends are here to help with your mission.” Strata snorted, though it sounded closer to a whistle coming from her sharp beak.

“I should have known that your princesses would grow impatient,” she replied as Star took a seat beside her on the large cloud’s springy surface. “I’m not so sure that a few extra hooves will make much difference though. Cloudsdale is truly a triumph of pegasus ingenuity, shit… the ingenuity of your whole race.”

“We can figure all of that out later,” Star assured her friend. “I’m more concerned about you, Strata. I just heard what Downpour did.”

Humorless laughter escaped the hippogriff’s beak as she turned her gaze to the vast emptiness beyond the edge of their cover. The usual fire in Strata’s brown eyes was quelled by sadness and she took a deep breath as she blinked in the bright light from the burning sun. Her resolve had grown weak and the temporary wall she had built crumbled as her lower mandible began to tremble. She closed her eyes just as new tears spilled out, rolling down the soft feathers on her face and disappearing through the clouds beneath her claws. Somepony below might mistake them for a sign of coming rain, Star thought, as she placed a hoof on her friend’s back.

“I trusted him,” Strata choked out in heaving sobs. “How could he betray me like that? Like I mean nothing to him?”

“You’ll have to ask him that,” Star replied softly as she slowly stroked the hippogriff’s back, trying to offer what little comfort she could. “Not now though… whenever you are feeling up to it.” Star gasped in surprise as Strata nearly knocked her over, burying her tear soaked cheek against the smaller mare’s chest and sobbing unrestrained. There was little else the unicorn could do, aside from doing her best to console a friend that needed her. “How did you find this out?”

“I overheard Downpour talking to his brother about it yesterday.” Her reply was muffled but understandable. “Draft wanted him to tell me, but he said he wasn’t going to and then I confronted him an- and…” The hippogriff paused to suck in a few ragged breaths. “There was yelling and screaming and I said terrible things to him.”

“Shh,” Star cooed softly, “I’m sure that Downpour knows you were just hurt.” Strata just choked out another sob. “I can go talk to him for you, if you’d like,” Star offered a few seconds later.

“Maybe later,” Strata whimpered. “For now, I just want to cry. I’m sick of trying to be strong every day, of holding everything in.” Star smiled and laid down on the cloud, sinking in just a bit further as Strata rested her head on the unicorn’s side. She had stopped crying and was content to simply stare out at the horizon, allowing the sun to dry her eyes. The pain was still there of course, but having a friend close by seemed to be helping her deal with it much more easily. “Thank you, Star,” the hippogriff sighed.

Downpour stared down at the cloud beneath his hooves, cringing with each word that was spit at him. It hadn’t taken Star long to have the usually boisterous stallion stammering and whimpering each of his replies to her barbed questions. His betrayal of Strata’s trust and love had opened the gates of the unicorn’s anger, plus she had wanted to give the pegasus a piece of her mind since the first day she’d met him. He was far too reckless and self-absorbed. Somepony needed to confront him before his relationship with Strata crumbled beyond repair. Everypony else simply stood by and watched as she took the task upon herself, except for Brass Heart and Dawn who had disappeared.

“Were you out of your little pony mind!?” Star questioned. Her hooves shook in anger as she fixed her gaze on the mess on his blue maned head.

“Sort of…” he mumbled quietly.

“How could you treat her that way? I thought you loved her!?” Downpour winced again at the sting of Star’s words. “Out of all the things you could have possibly done, this is by far one of the lowest.”

“I tried to apologize,” Downpour replied. “It was a stupid mistake an- and, well, I know I don’t deserve it, but I just want a second chance.” The stallion’s shoulders trembled slightly as he spoke. “I just want to talk to her…”

“Oh, Downpour,” Star sighed, her rage subsiding as she observed his crushed demeanor, “I doubt that Strata feels like talking with you right now. Maybe with a little time you two can work this out, but…” The pegasus lifted his head and gazed up into her violet eyes. She slumped as the last trace of fury was drained from her heart. “You hurt her very badly.”

“I know,” Downpour admitted.

“How did it happen?” Star asked. Everypony else noticed the change in conversation and began to disperse from their places around the chariot, giving her an opportunity to speak with her friend alone. “I know that you didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to buck everything up.” She smiled at the sullen stallion, but his usual humor was nowhere to be seen. The mare had been so mad at him just moments before, yet she knew that he was punishing himself far worse than she would ever be able to. He was silent for a short time as if trying to speak past the shame was too difficult a task for him to accomplish. “Downpour, I cannot help unless you talk to me,” Star urged.

“It was during our trip to the empire,” Downpour sighed, his usual boldness having evaporated in the light of truth, “not long after I had first learned about Draft and Ursa.” The pegasus’s words came slowly, but Star stood in rapt attention, hoping that his misdeeds had been blown out of proportion. “I was having trouble dealing with the fact that my own little brother was… well, you know.”

“That he’s gay?” Star asked. He just nodded his black maned head in reply. “It was really that much of an issue for you?”

“I- it’s hard to explain why,” Downpour groaned, “but yes, that’s sort of what started this whole mess.” Star opened her mouth to protest and tell him that he needed to take responsibility for his own bad decisions, but the downtrodden stallion held a hoof up to silence her, as if he already knew what she was going to say. “I know that it was no excuse for what I did next, Star, but you have to know my state of mind at the time.” Downpour lifted his gaze from the ground and the unicorn could see streaks running down his dust coated cheeks, a testament to the quiet tears she had forced out of the stallion with the verbal lashing she had given. “My mother was never fond of the sort of, erm… lifestyle that ponies like my brother lead. I’m not certain of her reason, but I know that I was always told that it was wrong for two colts to love one another past friendship.”

Star’s brow furrowed as she replied, “That may be close minded, but no matter how pious your mother may have acted, that still doesn’t really explain why you thought it would be okay to cheat on Strata, to break the trust shred between you two.” She watched her friend fidget back and forth on his hooves before suddenly stomping against the cloud. Thump! The sound was stifled by the plush surface, but the pegasus’s frustration was not.

“I dealt with it the same way that I’ve dealt with my problems for years now,” Downpour continued in a voice caught between anger and sadness. “I had been using some of Spark’s medicine.” Star knew the pegasus really meant some possibly dangerous drug, but didn’t bother to correct him. “It was slightly, um, addicting to say the least and I fell back on the numbness it provided when my anger started to get the best of me.”

“So you were pissed off and high,” Star restated without the mincing of words her friend had used, “and for some reason decided that sleeping with somepony who isn’t your marefriend was a good idea.”

“Ponies,” Downpour corrected in a whisper.

“What!?” Star asked, wishing that she had misheard.

“Nothing,” he dodged. “I went to a bar later that night and after a few drinks… you know the rest by now, more or less.” Star watched him drop his gaze back to the cloud beneath their hooves, not that it mattered much since he hadn’t been capable of meeting her eyes during the entire conversation anyway. “I know how stupid it was and it’s not the only terrible choice I made that day, but you have to help me convince Strata that I should get another chance. I would do anything to take it back if I could, Star, honestly. I just want her to talk to me again…” He sucked in a shaky breath and choked back a sob as he awaited her response.

“Downpour…” Star thought about what she could say to provide her friend even a little comfort, but his transgressions could only be forgiven by Strata and she wasn’t speaking with him at the moment. Trying to force the headstrong hippogriff into a conversation with Downpour would only cause problems, so there wasn’t anything to be done. It was best to let the wound bleed a little more before trying to mend it, as much as it would pain the both of them to do so. “I still think that you’re going to have to give this one some time,” she sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Downpour admitted, leaving Star to stare back at him in stunned silence. “I just need to wait for the right time to try and fix this mess I made.” Not only had the formerly brash stallion agreed with her, he had decided that patience would be the best course of action. It was a pleasant surprise to see some maturity from him. “I just hope that she can forgive me… one day.” Star just nodded her head silently and smiled. Perhaps he had taken a few steps back not long ago, but today he had taken a small step forward and sometimes the first step could be the most difficult of all.

“I’m sure she will,” Star told him. She couldn’t help but to wrap her forelegs around his neck for a quick hug, hoping that it would ease the pain, even if only by the tiniest margins. He shirked back slightly at first, but soon melted into her as the last of his tears dripped from the stubble that had started to sprout from his chin. Weeks on the road had left the pegasus tired and the emotional blows he suffered had taken their toll to be sure, but she could tell that even the little sympathy she had to offer was making all the difference in the world right then.

Downpour cleared his throat as he pulled back from her and said, “We should probably go to the others now and figure out our next move. I’m sure that the captain will want to speak with all of you before attempting to infiltrate the city again.” He dried his tattooed face and donned the brutish mask that he wore so well.

“I suppose that you’re right,” Star sighed. A night with almost no sleep had done little to refresh her, but it couldn’t be helped. There were more serious problems to worry about and with that in mind she turned back to the chariot, walking off in the same direction that their friends had gone just moments before.

“Do the princesses really believe that you five will be enough for us to finally get through the city’s defenses?” Downpour questioned as he followed her across the widespread cloud cover. “It’s not that I don’t have faith in you, but Draft, Strata and I have been working with an entire platoon of trained soldiers and we still haven’t managed to find a way in. I’m having trouble seeing how a few more ponies can change that fact. Cloudsdale was designed as a stronghold that can sustain itself for months while cut off from the outside world… perhaps even years.”

“Don’t you remember what Celestia and Luna said? The bonds of friendship between us are strong enough to overcome any obstacle, even a floating fortress full of traitors and cowards,” Star replied, though she wasn’t as sure of her own words as she may have sounded. It seemed to her as if the bonds between them were slowly dissolving and the thought frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

“Ha ha, yeah,” Downpour chuckled. “I’m not sure what I was so worried about. As long as we stick together then I don’t see how we could ever fail.” Hopefully he was right, Star thought. “We’ve come this far after all.”

“Mhmm,” Star murmured. “I’m sure that Celestia thought bringing all of us together once again would prove an auspicious move and I trust in the wisdom of her and her sister.” Downpour nodded curtly as his eyes fixed on their friends, grouped just a short distance away. The other ponies were facing the pegasus city and speaking in quiet voices as they approached.

“I trust that you two have managed to push aside Downpour’s personal issues for the time being,” Spark said, not bothering to face them even though he had obviously sensed their presence. “I don’t mean to be rude, but there are more important issues for us to tackle at the moment.” The blind unicorn’s brief lapse into his casual demeanor had vanished again it seemed.

“Yes, we’re ready to meet with the other soldiers whenever you are,” Star replied, doing her best to reassert the measured control on her emotions that their situation demanded. “I’ll go and get Strata, then Draft and Downpour can lead us to the captain.”

There was some cover to be found near the forest below Cloudsdale and it appeared as if that was the location of the soldiers that they had all come to assist. It was a bit close to enemy territory in Star’s opinion, but she supposed that the captain wouldn’t see it that way. The floating city was still above Equestrian soil and no number of traitors would change that fact. It was a dangerous position to have put her ponies in, but not without its benefits. The campsite was close enough that Star could even see what remained of the Rainbow Falls as Brass Heart and Dawn pulled the sky chariot down the rough dirt road. Flying would have been dangerous, so the two had decided to touch down at the edge of the forest and continue on hoof from there. At least it gave her a chance to see what remained of the falls before the rainbows dried up completely though, the small mare mused.

It wasn’t long after Star pulled her gaze away from the scenery that she noticed four other guards, one unicorn and three pegasus, stepping out from the shadows close by to meet them on the trail. They all wore the same shining armor that Brass Heart and Dawn were encased in, but their faces were gaunt and eyes heavy from exhaustion. She was just beginning to wonder how they had managed to get so close without anypony spotting them, especially in such a sad state, when Spark spoke up from the other side of the vehicle and explained the method of their silent approach.

“They’ve been cloaked in some sort of spell,” he quietly informed his companions.

“A look-away spell most likely,” Star replied. “It isn’t full proof by any means and anypony who knows what to look for could have seen them, but it certainly helps to keep wandering eyes from picking up on your location.” It was one of the dozen or so spells that the unicorn had in her arsenal, although she hadn’t needed to cast it in quite a while. “I should have expected as much from the military.”

“You’ll have to teach me that one sometime,” Spark told her, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk. “I’m sure it would be a useful trick.”

“Halt! Who goes there?” One of the pegasus, who seemed to be the highest ranking of the three stallions, called out to the chariot as it slowed to a stop in front of them. Star and her friends were quiet as they let Brass Heart speak for them.

“Corporal Brass Heart and Private Dawn Glory, by the request of Princess Celestia and Luna of Equestria,” Brass Heart replied in a strictly business tone. “We were sent to lend our assistance with the siege on Cloudsdale. The two civilians, Downpour and Backdraft are accompanying us.” The corporal nodded his head back and Draft waved a hoof at the guards for confirmation, though they could already plainly see him.

“I’m not sure what the princesses are hoping to accomplish by sending two more soldiers and a few extra civilians, but they would know far better than I,” the head guard replied with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “We’re happy to have the help, sir.” He lifted his right foreleg up and saluted, to which the corporal replied with a quick salute himself.

“You three can keep to your post, we’ll find our way to the camp,” Brass Heart assured the stallions.

“Yes, sir!” the three replied as Brass Heart and Dawn resumed pulling the vehicle down the wooded trail.

“It looks like they’ve had a pretty rough couple of weeks,” Dawn observed once the other soldiers had disappeared back into the shadow draped tree line.

“You’re right,” Brass Heart agreed. “It looks as though they haven’t been getting much sleep lately, though I suppose that shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

“Nopony has been sleeping well since we arrived,” Downpour called out from his place at the rear of the group, where he walked just a few steps behind Strata. “At first I thought that it might just be me, what with the stress of being part of a siege and all, but everypony seems to have been having some sort of nightmare each night.” That statement caused Star to perk up, because she had been suffering the same problem for a week or more. It seemed that her mentor hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said that everypony was experiencing the bad dreams.

“Could it be something that the duke has done?” Star wondered aloud.

“It certainly seems too widespread to be mere coincidence,” Spark replied, slowly scratching his chin as he spoke. “Maybe he’s gotten somewhere with the Crystal Heart already. Could that cause nightmares for the rest of us?” He was clearly asking Ursa, even if he didn’t face the emerald stallion while doing so.

The crystal pony sat upright on the chariot bench and replied, “That is a very good question.” He was silent for a moment as he contemplated the possibility. “I suppose that if Doré Langue managed to actually corrupt the heart it could have some sort of adverse effect such as nightmares, but I cannot say for certain. I would hope that the two are unrelated, because our job will be infinitely more difficult with him wielding that sort of power.” Spark nodded silently once the larger stallion had given his opinion.

“We’ll just have to be even more wary during our mission,” Star chimed in. Overthinking the situation would do little to help anyway, so the sight of the camp up ahead was her excuse for dropping the subject. “This is the spot, right, Draft?” she asked the youngest of the pegasus escorting her.

“Mhmm,” Draft mumbled from above her. It seemed that he had taken wing at some point during their walk, but she had been too focused on the conversation to notice. “There should be another group of guards stepping out to meet us anytime.” Before he had even finished speaking, Spark was already nodding towards a large, dark green shrub on the edge of the wide path. Three more soldiers, two unicorn and one pegasus this time, stepped out from the cover of the serrate leafed foliage, weapons at the ready as they approached with caution in their weary eyes.

“Don’t move!” It sounded to Star as if these soldiers were even more restless than their counterparts further away from the camp. “You’re surrounded.” Sure enough, a glance around revealed three more guards drawing up the rear.

“Stand down, soldier,” Brass Heart replied calmly. “I am Corporal Brass Heart and this is Private Dawn Glory of the Equestrian Royal Guards. We have business with the captain.” The formalities never ended for the military, Star mused.

“On whose orders?” one of the unicorn asked, sounding a bit suspicious and for good reason. Rainbow Strike’s betrayal had obviously made all of the other soldiers more wary of one another’s true loyalties.

“By the orders of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of Equestria,” Brass Heart retorted a bit more forcefully. “Now stand aside, because we can hardly afford to waste more time at this point. The corporal flashed a metallic badge signifying his rank in the military, which seemed to put the newcomers at ease. The five guards stepped away from the path, hooves held up in salute as their comrades passed by on the way to the group of large tents gathered just around the corner.

“They’ve got another spell working over the campsite,” Spark observed quietly as he stared straight ahead. “Most likely the same sort of spell that the patrolling stallions had cast on themselves,” he reasoned. It seemed likely to Star as she peered around the collection of makeshift barracks and lookout posts.

“How can you tell?’ she asked him.

“I can sort of… I suppose sense is the word to use. I can sense the residual magic that’s lingering over this place,” Spark explained.

“Interesting.” His new way of seeing went beyond just sensing objects nearby it seemed. Star began to wonder what else she may have done to him when the spell failed, but before she could ask the cart slowed to a halt in front of the largest tent in the clearing. The makeshift command center was a squat, blue structure with very plain features. It had been tied up to a few tree branches and staked down with thick ropes on each corner. It wasn’t much to look at, but Star imagined that it served its purpose well enough for the captain.

“This is the captain’s tent,” Downpour said as he trotted up along the side of the immobile chariot, stating the obvious in a way that only he could.

“You three can wait here for now,” Brass Heart called back to Star, Spark and Ursa. “Dawn and I need to have a word with our captain, but we’ll send for you when the time comes to plan a new strategy.” It was the most words he had said to Star all day, though she realized that it was only because everypony needed to be told.

“You know where to find us,” Spark replied as he crawled out of the vehicle. The corporal simply nodded and walked away, vanishing through the hanging cloth that served as the command center door. “Downpour, Draft, do the two of you mind taking a stroll with me?” the blind stallion asked. His face was buried in his saddlebags as he rummaged through them in pursuit of something he had packed. Spark paused in his search and then added, “Star, you can come along as well if you’d like.”

“Umm… okay, I suppose,” Star replied.

“What about me?” Ursa asked, sounding just a bit offended at not being included, until he saw what Spark pulled out of his belongings. “Oh, never mind. You four have a good time. That stuff will just put me to sleep.”

“That’s why he didn’t offer, sweetie,” Draft chuckled.

“Oh, I see,” Star said. She’d finally realized out what the purpose of the walk was and had to keep from slapping a hoof in her own face at how long it had taken her to figure it out. “Let’s go,” she continued, her smile dropping away as she noticed Strata’s sullen form slinking past the group. “On second thought, I think that I’ll just stay here,” she amended.

“Well come find me if you change your mind,” Spark said with a shrug of his shoulders and then the three friends headed down the same dirt path that they had just arrived on, leaving Star to console Strata while they were off smoking herbs.

“You don’t have to stay here for my sake,” Strata said as she leaned against the side of the sky chariot. “Just because Downpour is a selfish asshole, that doesn’t mean you should suffer.”

“No, I don’t mind at all,” Star replied with a carefree smile. “The three of us can just find a place to talk instead. Right, Ursa?” The crystal pony shot her an indignant expression, but buckled at the sight of pouting that she responded with.

“Ugh, if you insist,” Ursa sighed. Star smirked as she hopped down from the chariot and started walking off to find a quiet place for the three of them to sit down at. There were soldiers scattered about every part of the campsite, but she was determined to talk in private and the others had nothing better to do at the moment, so they followed dutifully as she searched the entire clearing. It wasn’t long before she discovered a suitable collection of logs that could be used as seats, just near the far end of the camp.

“That still doesn’t give him an excuse to do what he did,” Strata argued with a frown on her face. “How can I ever trust him again?”

Star sighed, staring back into the grief stricken depths of the hippogriff’s brown eyes. Despite having told Downpour to give the situation some time before trying to apologize again, the hypocritical unicorn was attempting to resolve the issue on her own. She hadn’t made much headway though; even with what encouragement Ursa saw fit to offer. The crystal pony shifted on the log he was using as a seat and glanced between his two companions waiting for the answer with actual interest.

“I must admit,” Ursa began with a short sigh, “Although I may not be very fond of Downpour most of the time, he does care about his friends and he cares about you most of all, Strata.” The hippogriff snorted dismissively in reply. “I mean it. He spent the whole trip back from the empire panicking over how he was going to tell you, but he just didn’t have the heart to break yours.”

“No, he didn’t care enough to stop himself from sleeping with another mare,” Strata scoffed. “He was just too much of a coward to come clean about it after the fact. And where is he now? Huh? I certainly don’t see him here trying to make amends.” Star grimaced and swiped a loose strand of hair from her eyes.

“That’s mostly my doing, to be honest,” Star admitted. “I was the one who told him to be patient and give you some time to mull things over before talking again.” Though he agreed more readily than expected, the mare thought. “He truly would want nothing more than to talk to you and beg for your forgiveness, but I don’t think it would matter much right now.” Strata dropped her gaze to the earth and nodded slowly.

“I suppose you’re right,” she sighed. “I’m just, ugh! I’m furious with him!”

“I know,” Star replied, the corners of her mouth turned down unhappily. “I really believe that stallion would do anything to make it up to you though, if you would just give him another chance.” Strata smiled softly and laughed.

“Since when are you his spokespony?” the hippogriff chuckled. “Is he blackmailing you with something even worse?” Star laughed quietly and shook her head.

“Of course not.”

“Star was simply being rational,” Ursa agreed. “The two of you have rather… erm, short fuses. I can see why time to cool off would be beneficial as well.”

“Exactly,” Star said with a nod. “Can you honestly sit there and tell me that you would have listened to his side of the story without punching him or worse?”

“Well, maybe once or twice,” Strata admitted, “but that’s only because he deserves a couple well placed shots to the face and that would still be letting him off easy.” She glared unhappily out at the shaded trail that Downpour had taken with his brother and Spark. That was proof enough for Star that she had given sound advice to the two quarreling lovers.

“I can only imagine how you must be feeling,” Ursa said as the hippogriff turned away from the empty dirt path and back to her companions. “I’m not sure what I would do if Draft ever betrayed me like that. I- I’m not sure that I could forgive him.” He closed his dark green eyes and was quite for a few moments before speaking again. “I would like to think that I could forgive him if he apologized and showed me that he was genuinely sorry, but I’m just not certain.”

“They say that time heals all wounds,” Star offered, not knowing what else to say for comfort.

“They’ve obviously never had their heart broken,” Strata replied quietly.

“No, I suppose not,” Star mumbled under her breath as she looked up at the leafless branches stretching overhead. The sun had vanished behind the thick clouds that hung around the forest below the floating city and now a paltry grey light was all that managed to reach the group as they sat near the edge of the military encampment. The black mare shivered slightly when the breeze picked up and she peered longingly over her shoulder towards the sky chariot, where her cloak waited in her saddlebags.

“Where are you off to?” Ursa questioned as he watched Star stand up from the log she had been resting upon.

“I’m just a little cold,” she replied. “I’m going to the chariot to grab my cloak, so if you want me to grab anything, tell me now.”

“No, I haven’t gotten a manecut in a while, so I’m pretty warm still,” the shaggy stallion replied. “Check around and see if Brass Heart and Dawn are ready for us though, because I’m getting really bored with waiting here. We don’t need to be wasting all of this daylight for nothing.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Star agreed. “I’ll check on them.” Her violet eyes fixed on the largest tent, situated roughly in the middle of the clearing and then she took off at a trot, sidestepping only when one of the many soldiers happened to cross her path. Getting Brass Heart and Dawn to hurry was more important than keeping the chill away, so the unicorn had decided to take care of that business first. She walked up to the thick cloth tied closed over the doorway and hesitated for just a second before pulling the string to loosen it. “Sorry to interrupt, but don’t you think that we have wasted quite enough time,” she called out as she pushed her way into the tent.

“Star!” Brass Heart shouted. “This is the captain’s tent and you do not enter without permission!” His unexpected outburst surprised Star and she tripped over her own hooves as she stepped back in surprise. Thud! She dropped to her flank on the cold earth and blushed crimson from embarrassment.

“Corporal, I don’t think that there is any reason to scare the poor girl half to death,” a mare’s voice scolded. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that we have been formally introduced. I am Captain Gale and you are..?” Star stared blankly up at the white maned pegasus, who wore a gleaming helm and nothing else at the moment, too shocked to make her lips form words. “Corporal, is this a friend of yours?”

“That is Discipula Star, ma’am, the personal protégé of Princess Luna,” Brass Heart replied flatly. The captain’s electric blue eyes flickered to her subordinate and she nodded her head understandingly.

“I see,” the captain replied as she shifted back in her seat, taking up a more casual position on the civilian’s account. “Well, on you hooves, Star. What is so important that you needed to push your way into my tent?”

“W- where’s Dawn at?” Star asked. She hadn’t actually meant to give voice to the passing thought, but she’d blurted it out from surprise. The captain’s eyes were mesmerizing and caused the slim mare to radiate with an intensity that could take unsuspecting ponies by surprise.

“That’s why you interrupted?” The captain questioned. “I sent the private to find your friends and let them know that I would be ready to see you all shortly, but obviously some ponies are more impatient than I expected.” Her light blue face broke out in a brief smile before reverting to an emotionless state. “What is it that actually brought you here?” This time the younger mare stood up from the floor and found her voice.

“I am very sorry to interrupt, ma’am,” Star apologized as she quickly brushed the dust from her backside with a flick of her long, dark tail. “We just have an important mission to take care of and were getting a bit impatient. I should have known better than to barge in like I did.”

“Yes, you should have,” Brass Heart chimed in a noticeably annoyed tone.

“No harm came of it,” Captain Gale replied. “Just get permission from now on, Miss Star. I will not grant special privilege to you just because you are the princess’s student, after all.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Star said with a nod. “I’ll wait outside with the others for now. Just send for us whenever you are ready.” The unicorn turned for the door and hurried out, but she managed to catch the next words, spoken at little more than a whisper as she exited the sparsely furnished command tent.

“I really cannot fathom what the princesses are thinking by sending her and her friends into enemy territory. It’s liable to get them all killed.” The captain’s voice caused Star to pause as she glanced back at the bold eyes on the other side of the room, until the cloth door obscured her line of sight.

“That was pitiful,” Star groaned aloud as she headed over to the waiting sky chariot, where she had left her belongings.

“Hey Star,” Dawn called out from the edge of the clearing. He cantered up into view, accompanied by Spark and the pegasus brothers who had gone to smoke with him. “The captain should be ready to meet with you all soon.”

“Yes, I’ve figured out as much,” Star replied as she dug her cloak out from the top of her bag. “I stumbled in there just a moment ago.”

“Oh, so you’ve already met Captain Gale then,” the private laughed. “She’s a bit intense, isn’t she?” Star just nodded her head as the memory of those captivating eyes flashed in her mind.

“Mhmm,” Star mumbled. “I should go fetch Ursa and Strata so we’re ready when the captain wants us.”

“Good idea,” Dawn agreed as he watched the unicorn toss her cloak on with a brief flash of white light. “We’ll wait right here for you.” Spark and his friends joined the soldier near the chariot while she trotted back to the others.

“Ursa, Strata, it’s almost time!” Star shouted over to them, waving a hoof in the air to catch their attention as she did. The two got up from the circle of logs and made their way over to her quickly, despite having to weave through the soldiers hurrying about the place.

“Have the others returned from their walk?” Ursa asked as he slowed to a walk beside Star, who had turned back the way she’d just come from.

“Yes, they’re waiting by the sky chariot, because Captain Gale wishes to meet with us so that we can plan the next move,” Star answered while leading the foreign stallion back to their friends.

“You know Captain Gale?” Strata asked with genuine surprise.

“Not really,” Star admitted. “Before today I only knew the captain by reputation, but what a reputation it is.” The stories of the captain’s prowess in battle were known by nearly everypony in Canterlot, whether young or old. The stories about the mare with eyes that glowed blue were certainly true enough, so many of the other tales that had once seemed exaggerated might be as well, the unicorn thought.

“She does leave quite the impression.” Strata chuckled quietly as they arrived at the chariot, where everypony else was already waiting.

“It should be any minute now,” Star muttered to nopony in particular. She crawled up into the chariot and took a seat on the stiff bench while she waited with the others, yawning just as her eyes caught sight of the first snowflake she had seen in a couple days drifting to the earth. Another followed it and another after that. Soon the entire sky was filled with soft, white flakes that clung to every surface they could. Everypony seemed to move as one, readjusting whatever clothing they had chosen to wear. Ursa was the only exception, unbothered by the chill of the early evening weather.

“The captain will see you now,” Brass Heart called from the opening in the tent. Star groaned quietly as she stood up and jumped back out of the vehicle and followed her friends inside. At the very least she would be escaping the snow, though the coldness emanating from the corporal was another matter entirely. There were no chairs, the small mare noticed, so everypony was forced to stand in front of Captain Gale’s desk as she cleared her throat and prepared to speak. Her bright eyes stole the breath from each of them in turn.

“I am Captain Gale,” the middle aged pegasus began, “and you are all a bunch of troublesome nuisances.” Star could hear one of the stallions trying to stifle a laugh and she nearly choked on her own breath from surprise. “But the princesses have ordered you to help and asked me to use your services, whatever those may be… So let’s discuss the situation and see what we can come up with, shall we?”

Celestia had set the sun hours ago and her younger sister’s celestial powers were already hard at work, raising the moon to its peak. Down in the forest below Cloudsdale, Star and her friends were working just as hard, though they all had much less to show for it. Every plan that they suggested, every possible angle, was dismissed by Captain Gale as being doomed to failure. The constant dismissals and berating of ideas had worn on everypony’s nerves. Tensions were high and tempers flared when Spark took a few steps back and grunted in annoyance. He was the only one not intimidated by the captain’s icy stare, so the effect of her glaring was lost on him.

“I need to step outside and cool off,” the blind stallion griped. “I’ll be back in five minutes. Let me know if you find a solution while I’m out,” he added sarcastically. Not wanting to miss out on another smoking session, Star decided it best to excuse herself as well, though not quite so rudely.

“I, uh, I should probably go check on him,” she mumbled a moment after he had left the stuffy tent behind. “I’ll be back in a few.” The exhausted unicorn hurried out behind her friend, hesitating only slightly as her hoof sunk down into a thick covering of snow that had managed to drape itself over the entire clearing during the course of their meeting with the captain. “Spark, are you around here?”

“Yeah, I’m by the chariot.” His reply was followed by a short coughing fit, lending proof to Star’s assumption that he was smoking.

“Do you mind if I join you?” she asked. Spark simply shrugged his shoulders and sent a small joint floating over to her.

“This is getting really old.”

“She has been making fairly sound points though,” Star replied before bringing the herbs up to her lips and taking a long, slow breath of the thick smoke. “The city is like one big floating brick. I just don’t see how we’re expected to get inside the walls.” She leaned against the chariot as relaxing waves of pleasure began to radiate through her limbs, eliciting an assuredly odd looking grin as she took another puff.

“What about that look-away Spell?” Spark asked. Star offered the rolled up paper back to him and laughed dryly.

“I’m sure that they’ve tried that a few times already,” she replied. Spark rubbed a hoof over his bloodshot eyes and sighed deeply in frustration.

“We don’t have time for this,” he complained. The tip of the joint flared bright red as he took a long drag and held the smoke in for a short time before exhaling. “There’s just no way in Tartarus that we can get through the city’s defenses. Rainbow Strike is sure to have his stallions watching for enemies every second of the day.” The blind stallion’s words caused his companion’s breath to catch in her throat as she stared up at him in shock.

“That’s it!” Star cried happily, her violet eyes alive with fevered thoughts of a solution to their current predicament.

“What? What’s it?”

“Rainbow Strike won’t let any Equestrian through the gates of Cloudsdale,” Star replied, her voice still ringing with glee.

“Yes, I just said that,” Spark responded flatly. He fixed her with a puzzled expression, but the young mare was already caught up in the excitement of her idea and failed to notice. “How is that good news?”

“We just need to send in one of his allies!”

“Mhmm… well, you’ve lost me, but I like the enthusiasm,” Spark chuckled, “so let’s go back and have you explain it to everypony at the same time.” Star smiled back at him and nodded eagerly. She was almost certain that her plan would work, if only she could manage to cast a certain spell.

Star took off towards the command tent at a steady trot and called back, “Hurry! I want to get started on this as soon as possible,” before ducking through the door, leaving Spark to catch up with her just a few moments later.

“So you’ve wasted enough of my time then?” Captain Gale’s question cut through the awkward silence of the tent as Star tried to catch her breath and start speaking all at the same time.

“No… well, yes, but I- I had an idea.” Star stumbled over her own words as she tried to explain the plan she had come up with. “Rainbow Strike won’t attack us if we aren’t us.”

“I already told her that she wasn’t making much sense,” Spark interrupted. “But we should at least hear her out. Princess Luna fully trusts in Star’s judgment, so we should at the very least offer her the benefit of the doubt.”

“We just have to disguise ourselves as allies of those traitors hiding in the city,” Star expounded. “If we can make ourselves look like crystal ponies then he may let us in the city. We may even find out what drove him to betray the princesses. Everypony’s eyes turned back to the captain once Star had finished speaking. They were all waiting for her to tear apart their friend’s suggestion and expose its flaws, but were soon caught by surprise instead.

“What exactly do you have in mind?” Captain Gale questioned with peaked interest.

“I think that I have a spell that we may be able to use for this,” Star replied. “I’ll have to practice it for a bit to make sure that I can still remember how to perform it, but with a little luck I think it will do the trick.” The light blue mare behind the desk folded her hooves atop one another and leaned in, interest etched on every feature of her stern face as she waited for more. “I can disguise some of us as crystal ponies and we’ll stroll right into the city underneath the former sergeant’s muzzle.

“Could that really work?” Dawn asked from his place beside Brass Heart.

“Yes, I think she may actually be on to something,” Brass Heart replied quietly. Even if he was upset with the unicorn, the corporal had to acknowledge a good idea when he heard one. “What do you think, captain?”

“It’s extremely risky,” Captain Gale replied in a measured tone. “If he catches on, then I have no doubt Rainbow Strike will kill whoever tries this…” She fell silent for a moment and Star feared that her plan was over before it had even begun. “But we don’t have any other choice as far as I can see.”

“This all relies on Star being able to cast this spell on enough of us to take back the city though,” Downpour reminded them. “I know that you’re good at magic and all, but it seems like that would be difficult for anypony to pull off.”

“It would be,” Spark agreed with a curt nod of his head. “But if anypony can do this it’s her.” Star beamed over at him, glad to have the faith of a friend backing her up.

“I’m with him on this,” Draft agreed. “Star is our best bet for success.”

“I suppose that settle it then,” Captain Gale said as she sat up straight in her seat and fixed the group with a deadpan stare. “I would suggest that you all make peace with your demons before tomorrow, because there may not be another chance after that.” Star swallowed dryly at the forewarning, but her resolve was unwavering. They needed to snuff out Rainbow Strike’s treachery as soon as possible and the small mare intended to do just that, no matter the consequences. The princesses were counting on her and her friends to succeed, after all.

“How long do we have to prepare?” Strata asked. Her voice was much less forceful than usual as she spoke up from her place near the front door of the candlelit tent. “How long will this plan take?”

“Just long enough for me to perfect the spell,” Star replied.

“And how exactly are you planning on doing that?” Brass Heart questioned. “If I recall correctly, you’ve never actually seen the duke nor any of his soldiers.” Star’s eyes flashed wide as the truth of the corporal’s statement cut through her previous excitement like a stray lightning bolt on an otherwise gorgeous afternoon.

“I… I hadn’t thought of that,” the unicorn reluctantly admitted. Her idea had crumbled before it could even really begin to take shape. “Damn.”

A hush fell over the gathered occupants of the command tent as yet another plan fell through before it could be enacted. Star slumped visibly at having over looked such a vital detail. Things were beginning to look hopeless and they hadn’t even started their real mission. She could hear whispers from her friends as she stared down at the dirt floor underhoof. No doubt whispers about how stupid a mistake she had made, the youngest of the group mused. Somepony cleared their throat a moment later as if preparing to speak, so Star reluctantly lifted her gaze back to the captain, expecting to be berated for having wasted precious time.

“I’ve seen Doré Langue up close,” Draft said, breaking the silence with a few honest words. “And some of the palace guards as well.”

“So have Ursa and me,” Downpour agreed.

“You two don’t have magic though,” Spark replied flatly, “at least, not the kind that can disguise somepony’s identity.”

“But maybe we can describe them to Star and have her create the illusion from that,” Draft hopefully suggested. Both of the brother’s turned to the unicorn, awaiting her answer. “Well?”

‘I- it’s… possible?” Star hesitantly replied. “I can certainly make an attempt.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Downpour said with a grin. “I suppose that it’s up to Captain Gale to decide though.” Star and her friends fixed the captain with their pleading eyes as she quietly contemplated her answer. Light blue hooves tapped rhythmically against the hardwood desk for a short time before finally coming to a rest.

“I do not see how this little project of yours could impede on my work, so I will allow it,” Captain Gale sighed. “I will however, ask that you be sure not to get in the way of me or my soldiers while staying here. Draft, Downpour and Strata, the same goes for the three of you as long as you are off helping your friends.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the brother’s replied in unison. Strata simply nodded her confirmation of the rule.

“I will be working to find a backup plan should this scheme of yours fail to garner the results we require for victory,” the captain explained. “I received word from the princesses shortly before your arrival and they gave me two days to break Rainbow Strike’s hold on the city. You have until tomorrow night.” The older mare’s words hung heavy in the muggy air. Star and her friends had only a day to ready themselves and she was uncertain that they would find success.

“Very well,” Brass Heart replied with a quick salute in his commanding officer’s direction. “I would make a request though.” The captain’s vivid gaze fixed on the corporal with only mild curiosity. “Please, allow Private Dawn and myself to keep working with them while we are here.”

“Yes, of course, corporal,” Captain Gale replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “I had assumed that much was to be expected.”

“Oh, well thank you, Captain Gale,” Dawn chuckled. The captain didn’t return his laughter, but instead dismissed all of them with a wave.

“Good luck,” she called after them as they filed out of the single opening into the snowy night outside. A soft, white blanket had draped itself over the whole of the barren forest, falsely claiming tranquility despite the den of traitorous enemies floating high above. Star closed out the image of the night sky and took a deep breath, allowing the herbs to relax her and ease some of the stressful pressure that she could feel creeping ever so quickly into her thoughts.

“I suppose that we should find a quiet place and get started then.” The unicorn peered around the clearing and inevitably settled on using the area around the flying chariot. It was one of the few places that they could be sure nopony would bother them. “I just need the help of Downpour, Draft and Ursa for the time being, so everypony else may want to take this opportunity to sleep, while you have the chance.”

“Heh, well you don’t have to tell me twice,” Spark chuckled. He crouched down slightly and stretched each of his long legs out in a satisfying stretch before yawning and taking the first few unsteady steps toward the vehicle, where his saddlebags held his blankets and their lightweight tents. “Good night,” the unicorn called out as he slung the bags over his back and strolled off to find a flat place to make camp. The others followed suit until there were only three left around the snow covered chariot.

“First things first,” Star finally spoke. She dug around in her own bags with her magic for a few seconds before eventually pulling out a rather thick book that appeared to be made up of various scraps of paper and notes written in precise script. Downpour, Draft and Ursa’s faces each hardened with determination to equal her own. “I will find the spell we need, while the three of you describe the duke’s appearance and his mannerisms.” The moonlight was just enough for her to read the texts, but it was disappearing fast as the weather worsened around them. The young mare’s horn glowed brightly and she illuminated the area around them with the glow of her horn. “We have quite a few preparations to make if we expect to have any chance of victory.” The three stallions nodded once and soon started discussing each and every little detail they could recall from their single meeting with the enemy, while Star scanned over page after page of her notes, looking for the transformation spell she needed to perfect in one day’s time.

Author's Notes:

After a very long wait, I present Chapter 7. Star and the others have reached their friends and began the first part of their mission, sidestepping her personal issues for the time being. She's not too bad at that is she?
Well, I had expected to have this up at least a week earlier, but unforeseen circumstances have left me working seven days a week, so it took a bit to finish. I hope that it lives up to the wait and I'm glad to be writing this story again, even if only a little at a time. I actually rewrote the first quarter at one point because I had been having trouble getting back into the flow. I hope that doesn't have to happen again anytime soon. Expect another chapter sometime this month. I wish I could be more presise, but summertime has left me very busy.