LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME

Chapter 25: The Waiting is the Hardest Part

A bright, sunny morning greeted Twilight upon waking. Looking at the mares in her hooves, she felt an incredible lightness in her chest, knowing that Spitfire would soon be home to complete them, if only for a little while. Not wanting to wake them, she used her magic to open the curtains, and let in some of the early morning light. A small blue bird that had been sitting on the windowsill was startled and flew off, seeking a more hospitable perch.

Unfortunately, the peace was not to last, as she heard someone knocking on the front door. With a sigh of great reluctance, she slid out of bed and moseyed over to the door. She opened it to find her friends standing there. “Here to talk about what happened yesterday? she asked.

“Sure as shootin',” Applejack replied.

Rainbow Dash flew in without bothering to wait for an invitation and landed beside her. “Yeah, you gonna spill the beans about why we were all dreaming about you being an alicorn, or are we going to have to wait for the paperback?”

With a roll of her eyes, Twilight trotted towards the kitchen and said, “Oh please, do come in. I was just about to make coffee.”

“Though a situation may call for sarcasm, it doesn't make it any less unladylike, Darling,” Rarity replied as she walked over to assist her with the task, while the rest gathered around the table.

Dash blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes. “Pbbt. Whatever.”

The coffee brewing, Twilight turned to her friends with a sigh. “Alright. I think I got a little bit more of the picture, since I was physically there- or at least, as much as you can be on the Astral. There is a reason all six of us were chosen as the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

“A very, very long time ago, there were three alicorn sisters, not just two. Celestia, the eldest, who controlled the sun, Luna the youngest, who controlled the moon, and Twilight, the alicorn of magic who formed the connection between the two. You already know how they wrested control over Equestria from Discord, but another threat followed in his wake.”

“The Nightmare?” Rarity asked.

Twilight nodded and poured them all some coffee. “I'm still not sure what it originally was, or if it was just something left behind by Discord, but in either case, it grew to be just as dangerous, if not more so. Of the three sisters, only Twilight was able to take on this new threat. Celestia was too important to risk, being that she literally brings life to the entire planet, and Luna was too young to fight such a powerful enemy. So Twilight took it upon herself to fight this enemy alone.”

Fluttershy raised her hoof tentatively, and squeaked out a quiet question. “But what about the others?”

“Other who?” Pinkie asked.

The shy pegasus sunk into her seat and mumbled something unintelligible. “What was that, Darling?” Rarity asked.

Twilight rested a hoof on Fluttershy's and gave her a supportive smile. “I think she means the immortals other than the sisters.”

“What? There were more?” Dash shouted incredulously. “Then why didn't they help, too? What's wrong with them?”

Giving the pegasus her best librarian's “Shh.”, Twilight glared at her. “Keep it down. You wake Sunny, you're the one who'll quiet her down again.” Rainbow sat back in her chair again and had the decency to look abashed. Satisfied there would be no further interruption from her, the unicorn continued, “As I was saying, there are other immortals; Nyx is one of them. Unfortunately at the time, most of them had already disappeared. I'm not sure to where or even why at this time, but by then, the majority were effectively out of the picture, and of those that remained, most were noncombatants.

“In any case, She was the only one available, and having a strong sense of responsibility, she threw herself into the fight to defend the ponies they had so recently freed, as well as as much of the world as she could.” Twilight looked sadly down at the mug of coffee in her hoof, remembering all the losses the alicorn had suffered. “The war was a long one, and the price very high. Throughout it all, she had continued her research, looking for a way to defeat the Nightmare decisively and permanently.

“Her search bore fruit, but required a personal sacrifice. As a last ditch effort, she cast a spell that divided her power, her life force, and most importantly, her soul into six parts. She had calculated that the split would remain in effect for only a short time, and her immortality would allow her to rejoin herself on her own; while the energy released by this act would annihilate the Nightmare. Unfortunately, she was wrong on both counts. The 'side effect' lasted far longer than she had thought it would for reasons she didn't know, and the Nightmare was only sealed away, rather than being destroyed outright.”

Applejack set her mug down and asked, “But what does all this have t'do with us, Twi?”

Twilight rubbed the back of her head nervously with a hoof. Here's where we find out if they're ready for this or not, I guess. “When she cast the spell, she not only divided her intangible qualities, but also her physical body, which formed the Elements of Harmony.”

“So what you're saying is that the Elements are the physical body of an alicorn?” Rarity asked.

Pinkie gushed and grabbed Fluttershy beside her. “That is so cool! But sad, too. That poor pony, trapped like that, never able to party or have fun or-”

“Actually, she can. Have parties and fun, that is,” Twilight interrupted. They looked at her in confusion. “See... though the Elements have a physical form- that of the tiara and necklaces- they still require a wielder, and who better than the original holder of that power? The life force and soul shards form into physical beings capable of using the Elements which contain the essence of her magical might.”

Fluttershy peeked out from behind her curtain of mane. “Are you saying...”

Twilight nodded. “We are the Elements of Harmony, and the Elements are... Princess Twilight.”

“Say whut?” Applejack asked in a flat voice.

“It happens once a generation,” Twilight replied. She took another sip of her coffee before continuing. “The Elements gather their energies and find a suitable mare. There, they bond with the mare and use their life force to form a new life within the mare.”

Rarity looked especially upset at this news. “So... our fathers...”

Twilight quickly waved her line of questioning off. “Oh, no, no, no. No. Our fathers do still have some biological influence, as much as our mothers, in fact; but a lot of our traits are guided by the Elements themselves.” Her gaze became far off and unfocused as she considered the possibilities. “I'm still unsure how it all works; I'll have to consult some magic theory as well as some magical biology textbooks, but it looks like our parents provide the biological material, while the Elements provide the direction.”

“Wait, I'm confused,” Rainbow Dash said, scratching her head. “Are you saying that we wouldn't be as awesome if the Elements hadn't made us?”

Shaking her head, Twilight replied, “No, Rainbow. I'm saying that we would likely still have been born, but we'd lack our connection through the Elements because somepony else would have been chosen.”

The pegasus sat there in silence for a moment before getting up. “I need some air,” she said before flying out the house, leaving the door hanging open.

Twilight sighed in defeat. “Look girls, I know it's a lot to take in all at once-”

“You're dag-blasted right it's a lot t'take in!” Applejack replied, slamming a hoof down on the table.

“Dearest, please. Twilight didn't mean-” Rarity laid a restraining hoof on her marefriend's shoulder, only to have it shrugged off.

“Ah think Ah need some air, too.” Applejack rose to her hooves and stomped out, slamming the door shut behind her.

Fluttershy looked between Twilight and the door, terrified to move. With a sigh, the unicorn nodded. “Go on. I know somepony needs to calm them down, and right now, that pony isn't me.”

Pinkie-Pie patted her shoulder on the way out. “Sorry your 'info-dump party' didn't work out, Twilight,” she said and led Fluttershy out to look for their marefriend.

“I do so apologize for leaving on such a sour note, Darling, but...” Rarity smiled at her sadly, and gave her a quick hug before heading out to find her own better half.

Trixie and Cheerilee walked out from the hallway, Sunny asleep and nestled in one of the teacher's forelegs. “Are you alright, Twilight?” Trixie asked, sliding a foreleg over their alpha's withers.

Twilight nuzzled her cheek and sighed. “I suppose it went better than I had feared. Three out of five are still speaking to me.”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

“Rainbow Dash, you come down from that cloud this instant!” Fluttershy shouted and daintily stomped her hoof. Of course, shouting for her meant that she elevated her volume to what amounted for any other pony to a slightly raised voice. “You know that Pinkie can't fly up there on her own, and I can't carry her!”

“I said I'm getting some air!” shouted a lone cloud hovering not fifty hooves from the ground. “Can't a pony get some air around here?”

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed and a deadly silence lingered in the air. Knowing that she'd regret it, Dash peeked over the edge and spotted her newest marefriend standing next to her other marefriend, giving her The Stare. With a gulp and an “Eep,” she ducked back, letting the fluffy white barrier do it's work. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. She sighed, and slowly flapped down to the ground, her head hanging low.

Satisfied that they could now have a conversation without having to resort to shouting just to be heard, the normally quiet pegasus regarded her oldest friend, and one of the only two ponies she's ever loved physically. “Now, what was that all about, Rainbow?”

“Yeah, Dashie. You know you can tell us anything!” Pinkie chipped in.

Rainbow Dash scuffed her hoof, kicking over a pebble, exposing a small divot on the ground. “I just... it's... look, it's complicated, alright?” She was surprised by a kiss on her cheeks from each of her marefriends.

“Come on, Rainbow. We're your oldest and best friends. There's nothing you can say that will make us think less of you,” Fluttershy said gently.

Dash gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, barely holding back a tear. “It's just that I don't like ponies talking bad about my parents. They worked hard to raise me and all my brothers and sisters, and deserve better than that. Saying that they didn't have anything to do with my birth is just... it makes me want to bash somepony's face in!” She finished her tirade, breathing heavily like she had just sprinted a marathon.

Pinkie sidled up to her and rubbed the whole side of her body against Dash's, sending delightful chills up her spine, and calming her down. “Oh, Dashie. You know Twilight didn't mean anything like that!”

Leaning into the whole-body caress, Dash sighed. “I know. It's just a sensitive subject for me. S'why I never really talk about them, so nopony can have something bad to say about them. Over half of what I earn as Weather Manager here gets sent back to them, so they can take it easy. It's the least I can do after they nearly killed themselves raising all of us.”

Fluttershy came up on the other side of the pegasus and rubbed cheeks with her as well. "Oh, Rainbow. You're going to make such a wonderful momma!”

Rainbow Dash smiled as she leaned into the affection until what she said registered in her brain. “Wait, what?”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

It didn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out where Applejack went. Rarity found exactly where she suspected she would, doing exactly what she knew she'd be doing.

Setting a rock on the mound of dirt, Applejack took careful aim as she turned around. Quick as a flash, she kicked out, sending the rock flying into a tin can set on the fence rail. The can went flying, arcing up and over the apple trees behind it, landing somewhere in the orchard.

Seeing that the range was clear for the moment, Rarity came out from behind a tree and approached the love of her life. “Want to talk about it, Dearest?”

“Nope.”

Rarity sighed inwardly. I swear, she's more taciturn than her brother when she's upset. “Then I'll talk, and you can listen. I'm not sure what brought all this on, but I want you to know that you'll always have me in your corner; and nothing will ever change that.”

With a sigh, Applejack let the rock she had picked up fall back to the ground. “Ah 'ppreciate that, Rares, really Ah do. Was just a lot t'take in, yah know? We had no warnin' no build up, no way o' preparin' ourselves; an' then Twilight comes in an' spects us to jus' accept it like it was nothin'.”

“What was Twilight supposed to do to prepare us for it, Darling? It's not like they make greeting cards for this sort of thing, you know,” Rarity asked.

That actually got a chuckle out of the farmer. “Ah s'pose so, Darlin'. Maybe she should have asked Pinkie-Pie first? If they do make a card for it, she'd know 'bout it.”

Rarity hid a little snort of amusement behind her hoof. “I can see it now. 'Happy Secret Revelation Day!' Or perhaps, 'So you've discovered your secret past...'”

Applejack gave her own snort of amusement. “That last one there sounds more like a pamphlet they give out in hospital waiting rooms.” With a sigh, she looked back at the town, and the library clearly visible, even from there. “Ah s'pose Ah should go back an 'pologize t'Twi.”

“It would be the right thing to do, Love,” Rarity replied, giving the farmer a chaste kiss.

With her head hung low, Applejack made her way back to her friend's house to make reparations.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Waiting at the train station ranked number eight on Twilight's worst ways to spend her time. It wasn't the waiting itself that bothered her. Being a patient pony, she was able to comport herself with a calm demeanor rather easily. No, what bothered- nay, annoyed her about waiting at the train station was that there was rarely time in which to get comfortably involved in a book before the train arrived. She would constantly look up from her reading to make sure she wouldn't miss her train, thereby becoming ta- well, the less said about that the better. Of course, that was before the new dimension was added; namely waiting for the train with a hyperactive foal in tow, anticipating her injured herd-wife's arrival.

Make no mistake, she loved Sunny Days with all her heart, but if she or one of her wives had to pull the filly away from trouble once more... well, something would happen, and sadly, it would be likely be nothing more than waiting to pull her away yet again.

After the third time of yanking her back from the edge of the platform, they decided to wait on the benches away from all the traffic. Naturally, all the ponies complimented them on their adorable filly, some even staying long enough to make some small talk before moving on. It was with great relief, when they spotted the train coming, and only an hour late, too.

They eagerly rose to their hooves, and had huge grins plastered on their faces when the train pulled in to a stop. The whoosh of steam as the train eased its pressure obscured the vehicle for only a moment. When the wind finally cleared the mist away, Spitfire stood there, looking around. One of her wings was in a sling, her barrel was bandaged and a large gauze pad covered one cheek where three claw marks were healing, but at least she was home. Her face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree as she spotted her family and hobbled over to them as well as her mending bones would allow.

Five ponies collided in a gentle crash, hugging each other and crying happily. No words were exchanged, indeed, none were needed at this moment. It was enough that they were all reunited and whole once more.

While this reunion was going on, a griffoness and a pegasus slipped out of the other side of the train to meet with their superior in a darkened alley. Plain Sight was easy to spot when she wanted to be, and the duo walked up to her casually. “You were quite thorough in your report,” the gray mare said without preamble, or even a greeting.

“Hello to you, too,” Limnear replied with a smirk. “Miss me?”

“Like a rock in my shoe,” Plain Sight shot back. She looked over to Cloudchaser, and nodded. “Well done. Head back home and take the rest of the day off. Make sure to report back for duty, bright and early tomorrow.”

Cloudchaser gave a sardonic salute, and flew off towards the home she shared with her sister. Limnear turned to say something, but was cut off by Plain Sight planting lips on her beak. Their kiss went on for quite some time, neither one wanting to be the first to break contact. However, the gray mare finally pulled back, relishing the sensation of the griffoness's tongue on her own. “Feels like it's been ages since we did that,” she said a little breathless.

“Almost as good as our first,” agreed Limnear. “Shall we head back to your place to finish up my 'debriefing'?” she asked with a coy smile.

Plain Sight playfully smacked her forepaw away as it tried to sneak onto her withers. “You know the rules. Business before pleasure.”

Limnear smiled at her with adoring eyes. “Tease.”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight sighed in contentment as she laid her head over Spitfire's withers.

“I quite agree,” said Cheerilee as she laid her own head across the pegasus's forelegs. The rest of her was currently resting on her back so that Sunny could nurse at will; though the filly was currently too busy to stop for something so mundane. She was far too concerned with the business of stacking blocks next to her.

Spitfire smiled down at her, and gave her a long, yet too passionate kiss, given that their daughter was still in the room. “I have to say that I rather like spending my time like this as well. My three favorite mares, as well as my favorite filly, all sitting in a warm sunbeam and- ah! The cherry on the sundae approacheth.”

Trixie waddled into the room, supporting four tall glasses of iced tea. She floated a glass over to each of the mares, keeping one for herself. She gave Spitfire a kiss of her own before she laid down next to her on the unoccupied side. “Indeed,” the magician said smugly. “Trixie quite agrees with you. She would even go so far as to say that your taste was impeccable.”

“Why, thank you, oh Great and Powerful Trixie. You do me much honor,” Spitfire replied with equal smugness.

Clearing her throat, Twilight warily ventured into what she hope proved to not be as rocky a topic as she feared. "You know, this might be a good time for us to discuss something potentially unpleasant.”

Turning her head to regard her, Spitfire arched an eyebrow, but it was Trixie who said, “Really, Twilight? Does it have to be now? We just got her back; can't we just enjoy her for a bit before diving into that?”

Twilight lifted her head, but placed her forelegs over Spitfire like she were a great big cushion. “The sooner we address the manticore in the room, the sooner we can come to a resolution; whatever it might be.”

“Alright, Girls. What's going on?” Spitfire asked.

Trixie rolled her eyes and let out a huff, but remained silent, as did Cheerilee. Twilight took this for acquiescence, and said, “We were thinking about asking if you would be amenable to perhaps going into inactive duty for a few years.” She tried to play it off as no big deal, but everypony in the room heard the nervousness in her voice.

“What,” Spitfire asked flatly.

“It would just be for a few years,” Twilight hurriedly explained, “just until the fillies are little older, you see. I mean, we all just got married, and no sooner did we settle into our home than you get sent off to fight and get injured- not that it was your fault, these things happen, but we don't want to lose you so soon after we finally started our life together.”

Spitfire sighed and hung her head sadly. “I was wondering when this conversation would crop up.” She looked Twilight in the eye as best she could given their positions. “You do know why I do this, right? Why I'm in the military?”

“I know, I know,” Twilight replied, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “You do it to make Equestria safe.”

“Wrong.” Spitfire grinned as she managed to catch her alpha by surprise, and bumped their heads together. “I do it to make Equestria safe for my mares and our fillies. The Princesses and the rest of the ponies rank somewhere below that, but they do factor in; along with patriotism, and a plethora of other reasons. But my herd? You're ninety percent of the reason I do this in the first place.”

Her words seemed to have the desired result, as Twilight as well as Trixie and Cheerilee appeared to be seriously considering them; though they didn't seem to like where it led them. “That being said,” she continued, “I think that after what happened, I can see that Equestria isn't in the position of power we tend to think it's in.” Her herd-wives looked at her in surprise. “I have an appointment next week to see the Princesses about starting a special training program for our forces. All these years of peace have made us... soft.”

“Was it that bad?” Cheerilee asked from her comfortable position.

Spitfire shook her head. “Worse. A full squadron of Wonderbolts only just managed to fend off a surprise attack by a couple dozen griffons.”

“Sounds like a victory to me,” Trixie said. “Griffons are much larger and fiercer than ponies.”

“True, but we're talking about Wonderbolts here.” the pegasus replied. “We should be able to take on three or even four-to-one odds before suffering losses like we did. Granted, nopony was so seriously injured that they'd have to be given a medical discharge, but simple two-to-one odds shouldn't have given us that much trouble, surprise or no.”

“What's being done differently now from when Equestria gained its reputation?” Twilight mused aloud.

Spitfire shrugged, replying, “That's what I'm hoping to find out.”

Twilight grinned at her. “That sounds suspiciously like research to me. It just so happens that we have access to the greatest library of all time.”

Spitfire grinned back at her. “I knew I could count on my brainiac. In any case, I think that the Princesses are going to need some one to run these new training regimens, so you may get your wish of getting me out of the direct line of fire.”

Just then, the front door opened, and Spike walked in, a dreamy, faraway look on his face. He didn't even acknowledge them as he practically floated past them towards his room in the basement. The mares looked to one another and giggled.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

The hospital waiting room was far too small for pacing, but that didn't stop Blueblood. Cheery Jubilee watched him as he passed back and forth in front of her, with a worried expression on both their faces. It was several minutes after they were told, “Wait here,” that a pony came in to speak to them. Right away, Blueblood was in his face, asking questions. “How is he? What happened to him?”

The unicorn doctor pushed him back to give himself a little space and calmly said, “Prince Blueblood, I'm afraid your father has suffered a complete mental breakdown. His butler, Brass Tack told us that he had been under a lot of pressure lately, and he had begun to lose touch with reality. He was found in his office, hiding behind his desk, unwilling to come out for fear that 'they' will get him. Just who 'they' are is unclear, because he refuses to elaborate; but he put three orderlies into the hospital with various broken bones and a concussion when they tried to help him. We currently have him sedated, so you may go in to see him, but be aware that he will be sleeping for some time.”

Blueblood staggered back as if he had been kicked in the gut. “How...”

The doctor rested a hoof on his withers. “Like I said, we believe it's due to stress. It wouldn't be the first case of it I've ever seen, sadly. Some ponies take on so many responsibilities that they just overwhelm themselves. We believe that to be the case here.”

“Can... can he be cured?” the Prince asked.

“It's hard to say,” the doctor replied. “In cases like this, patients sometimes come out of it on their own, some with the help of professionals, others... well, we have to face the very real prospect that he may never recover.”

Blueblood sat down heavily on his rump, his jaw hanging loose. “I... he...” He looked up at the doctor with pleading eyes. “Is there anything we can do for him? Any procedure, spell, specialist he can see?”

The doctor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was apparent that he hadn't gotten much sleep lately. “I've already sent for the best specialist in Equestria. She's the number one psychologist in this field, really top-notch. She'll be able to better diagnose your father, and perhaps come up with a treatment.”

The Prince was silent for a moment, then asked, “May I go in and see him?”

“Of course,” the doctor replied, standing aside.

Blueblood walked in alone on shaky legs. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darker room, but it was hard to miss the prostrate form of his father lying on the bed. He walked up to him quietly, noting that all four of his legs were restrained by cuffs tied to the bed, presumably so he wouldn't hurt himself. The old stallion had aged since he had last seen him, almost all of his golden mane now turned gray, and it had thinned out considerably. Wrinkles that had not been present last time he had seen him, now crisscrossed the Duke's face. Apparently, he had a lot of practice frowning lately, as that appeared to be where they gathered most. His normally immaculate appearance had suffered as well, with his snowy mane in disarray and looking like it had not been washed in some time, and a five o'clock shadow gave him a rough appearance. A line of dried drool marred his pristine coat, and his tongue lolled out stupidly to the side.

The young stallion approached the bed and laid a hoof on his father's. Unshed tears glistened in his eyes as he spoke gently and quietly to him. “Oh, Father. What have you done to yourself? You used to be such a strong pony; an icon to be emulated, and now... Why did you let this control you? You always told me to be in control of my obsessions, lest they control me. Why didn't you follow your own advice?” He took in a shuddering breath, not even caring anymore that his tears finally escaped their bondage and fled down his cheeks.

Unable to take seeing him like this any longer, Blueblood turned around and walked back to the door. He paused before opening it and looked back at his sole living parent. “Don't worry, Father. I'll make our family name one to look up to once more.” Having said his piece, the Prince left the darkened room, letting the door quietly click closed behind him.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(")(")

Soarin' really hated this part of the job. Hanging back with his wingmen was bad enough, but watching as the rest of his squadron engaged the enemy while he hovered over the field so as to get a clearer picture just felt like he was shirking his duties. A courier pegasus flew up to him and almost saluted before stopping himself.

"Sir! Message from the Euryale. The Admiral's ground forces are in flanking position and will engage at fifteen-twelve exactly."

Soarin' pulled out a pocket watch and checked it, then stowed it back in its pocket. "Thank you, Corporal. Return to the ship and let her know that we're going in to engage the main forces as well." He acknowledged the soldier with a nod as he flew off. Looking to Fireflash, he smiled. Sound the charge, Lieutenant."

As the three of them performed a wingover and dived into the fray, Fireflash blew into the silver whistle in her mouth, letting loose a short tune that carried due to the whistle's magical enchantment. The reaction from the other Wonderbolts was immediate. They left off their harassment of the Hegemony's forces, and took their place in a huge wedge formation with Soarin' at the apex. The pegasi dove into the occupied town, flying right up the main street taking down minotaurs and grounded griffons at will. The already battered forces were quickly driven back out of their hiding places.

Cunning Eye growled in frustration as he surveyed the scene from the open doorway of the saloon. He had been holding on (just barely), but once the Euryale arrived, things had deteriorated considerably, and with much alacrity. It didn't help matters any that his contact with the money had not been seen for several weeks, and his soldiers had long since ransacked this tiny town, meaning that he was running out of money to keep them interested. Such was the way of the bought soldier. "Ehg. It was getting time to head back anyways," he said with disgust. He turned to his aide de camp and nodded. "Sound the retreat. No stopping for anything until we're safely back across the border."

The female minotaur nodded silently and walked off to deliver his orders, leaving him alone with the pony bartender, who was trying hard not to glare at him. "Well, it was a good run, I suppose. Broke up the monotony, if nothing else. I just wish you ponies made it more entertaining. Not a single backbone among you."

He was still watching out the door, so he didn't notice the stallion slip a powder into his drink which quickly dissolved. Hearing the retreat horn finally being played, Cunning Eye grunted and hit the door frame as he turned away in disgust. He wandered over to the bar and picked up his half full mug and waved it at the pony. "Well, here's to war and all the profit to be had in it." He drained the mug with a flourish and slammed it down on the counter, throwing a punch at the stallion at the same time. "Ha ha ha! Don't think of it as goodbye, just see you later."

The stallion glared up at him, holding a hoof over the black eye forming. Not getting a reply, Cunning Eye gave another laugh and leaned over the bar to peer at him. "That's what I like about you, pony. You know when to shut up. I... I..." Cunning Eye wobbled and collapsed on the bar.

The stallion smiled despite the pain from the hit and stood up. He grabbed a bottle in each hoof and poured the contents all over the minotaur and the bar, making sure to spread it everywhere. He then walked to the door and looked back at the snoring minotaur. He pulled out a match and struck it, holding it before his swollen shut eye. "No, I think this is goodbye." He threw the match at the puddle of alcohol, but didn't bother to wait around to watch as the flames quickly engulfed his bar and its final customer.

The smoke joined the similar columns coming from the other torched pony buildings as the Hegemony forces retreated.

Author's Notes:

So many reunions; not all of them happy. At least you all know now what is going on with the Elements, right?

Pregnancy Counter:

Trixie: 9 months

Twilight: 5 months

Sunny Days: 1 1/2 months old

The usual disclaimers go here. I own the arrangement of the words, Sunny Days, Limnear, Plain Sight, and Golden Bit. All else is owned by Hasbro and Lauren Faust.