• Published 27th May 2012
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Fallout Equestria : New Roam - Delvius



The city of Roam is tortured by ambient and open hostility. Finally, a Praetorian arises to protect the city like the Legionnaires of old, and nothing will stop him. Nothing but himself, that is.

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Chapter 22 - Waging War

Chapter 22
Waging War
"It is a bad plan that cannot be changed."





More than anything else, I saw my life at this particular juncture as... complicated. Sure, the Legion being revealed to be an overall friendly group was one big cloud of worry gone, but that left me with the chimeras, the literal big cloud of worry down to the south, the artillery to the east, the Tod-Tom conflict and its effects on every mind they had their alien hands on, and then of course my many internal and group problems. Those ranged from Skyfire's depressed demeanor whenever around me and Myst to the fact that my own head was fighting itself. That last problem I had to really not think about to not go mad over, but there was always this weight... like an inexplicable tension in my head, and whenever I felt I knew, without doubt, that he was in there. Planning. Secretly and silently watching, using my own knowledge and instincts against me. What made it all so much worse was that all of those problems were connected somehow; Tod to Tom and to my head, somewhat to the anomaly to the south, and then of course to the chimeras... it was almost like one huge convoluted scheme. And then there were all the smaller questions nagging at me, asking how Tod had gotten his own little Triumvirate in Decarius, Maladus, and Autherius, and what he had them do. Then Veltrio and his little exploits in Equestria, then the background worry emanating from my unfinished efforts in trying to stop the slavery in the Colosseum... then any residual anger that was left about me leaving my Stable... then Predator and his lies, then my worry over lack of plans for the future... ugh.


Very. Tiring. Life.


But there was some good to it, of course. Little or big strokes of fortune. In this case: help, or at least potential help, in the form of a possible companion. Really, more than much else, the notion of having a professional, well-trained Roaman soldier with me was exhilarating, and for various reasons -- for one thing, he was a good acquaintance, bordering on friend, and therefore a welcome presence; for another, his possible combat applications were numerous, and his skills could certainly be put to use; on more equinitarian and social levels, he was a good conversationalist by my standards, and could provide a nice little bit of variation and life in my little group of misfits. And he shared some similarities with me, I had to love that.


But as much as I saw Delvius as the manifestation of potential great fortune amidst a sea of troubles, I had to tone down my excitement and wait until he was officially within my group before I started getting my hopes too high. So I trotted with him to Flavianicus' tent in silence, quietly hoping that all would go well. Those hopes were put to an abrupt stasis the moment we entered the tent and were met with one very angry executor...

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

"You!" Flavianicus shouted from behind his intricately carved wooden desk, pointing a hoof over at us. He sounded and looked genuinely pissed. I didn't think I would ever have seen him so angry. He seemed like the type that never took anything quite so seriously.


The volume of his voice only really astonished me, not Delvius. He seemed shocked for only a moment before his expression relaxed a little. He still looked doubtful of who Flav was referring to, though. "Me, sir?"


"Yes, you," Flav said darkly, snorting out hot air from his nostrils. "Come over here. Now."


We looked to each other, and he shrugged before trotting over to the table. When the two were close enough to be within a sword's reach of one another, Flavianicus clicked his tongue and tapped on the table repeatedly, as if trying to suppress his anger. And all the while I just stood there, feeling as useless as a tree stump. The seconds dragged on in tense quietness that nearly made me break my silence in the hopes of having some questions answered, but just as I was about to, Delvius beat me to the intent. "I'm guessing something's wrong, sir?" he asked calmly, looking at his glaring executor in the eyes.


"You bet Tartarus' flaming anus there is," Flav barked back, making me arch an eyebrow. Well, that was... one metaphor I didn't like to visualize. "You should know. You caused it."


Delvius didn't seem to mind the swear in the slightest, but the accusation made his eyes pop wide. "I'm sorry, sir, but do give me some context here," he requested, keeping his tone of civility. But through his calm tone I sensed a touch of worry. And he rightly should have been, considering the fierce, murderous look Flav was giving him and the fact that he was his superior. His eyes darted to me for a quick second, silently asking for a little support. I got the message, and trotted up beside him slowly.


Flav, despite his unexpectedly angry demeanor, had the courtesy to shoot me a small smile, saying in a rush, "Oh, hello Goldwreath. Good to see you; don't worry, I have nothing against you in the face of this morning catastrophe. Now, you..." His face hardened and he looked right at Delvius. "... I have something against. You have horrible packaging skills!"


"I... have what?" Delvius replied, sounding confused.


"Horrible packaging skills! You misplaced something of mine," Flav growled.


"I did?"


"Confound it, boy!" Flav snapped. "You misplaced my coffee beans! How am I supposed to enjoy the day without coffee?" He fumed, panting from his rant. "When we arrived here, I entrusted you to place them in a convenient, obvious location. Such an important package, and it cannot be found!"


His coffee beans? That's what he was getting all worked up about? What in the actual fuck. My disbelief showed on my face as an expression of incredulous bemusement -- an expression that Delvius mirrored with almost perfect detail.


"Sir, your coffee beans are next to your bed," Delvius said, pointing next to the elevated, ovular mattress behind the fuming zebra. True enough, there was a box there with the explicit label 'Executor Flavianicus' Coffee Beans. No touchy unless you're me (or Bucephalus).' How Flavianicus could possibly have missed that, I don't know.


He rolled his eyes and turned around. "Oh please, like hell they -- ARE!" He gasped, then rushed over to it and hugged it close like a teddy bear. I could hear his squeaks as he held it close, nuzzling it. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't suppress a smile at how childish he was acting.


Delvius did the same, though his expression seemed to indicate that he was familiar with and used to this behavior... somewhat. "You're welcome, sir," he said simply, smiling and shaking his head as he looked his eccentric commander over. "Just doing my job."


When Flav got himself under control and ceased rolling on the floor, laughing to himself in relief, he got up and slammed the box of beans onto the table, giving us a wide beaming grin. "Okay, I take all the bad things I said back. I don't know how I missed it -- I blame lack of coffee yesterday. In any case, I owe you so much for locating this, my lad. My debt can be repaid with TEN THOUSAND DENARII!" he screamed, then yanked out a pouch from his belt and threw it down onto the table. Several of the golden coins inside spilled outward. He chuckled, "Or, you know, whatever's in there. I'll add some more to your account."


"Thank you sir," Delvius said, smirking, as he gathered up the denarii and placed it away. "Always glad to fix up little emergencies for you," he said, then murmured, "No matter how often they happen..."


Flav's grin was toned down to a thankful smile, and he turned and placed the box onto a smaller table, upon which was what looked like a water heater and a grinder, and returned to us. He looked us over. "Anyway, sorry for that little display of righteous worry. A stallion can't live without his coffee, I always say." And as if to prove his point, he brought out a single bean from another small pouch and tossed it into his mouth. "Mmm! Tasty!" he said as he chewed on the bean, then swallowed. Then he brought out another and started eating that as well. Next he brought out a whole bunch and started crunching them in his teeth, his face an epitome of culinary bliss.


Much as I was relieved to see jolly and nice Flav again, we really didn't come here to watch him eat coffee; was that even normal? "Pardon us, Flavianicus, but we need to talk to you about-..."


"Ah, confound me!" He facehoofed. "Of course! Sorry, Goldwreath, I should have remembered sooner. You deserve a reward, too." He reached under his table.


My eyes widened and I looked to Delvius, my eyebrows raised in a questioning expression. "A reward? What's he talking abou-..."


"TEN THOUSAND DENARII!" Flav yelled as he emerged from under the table, then threw a pouch of heavy gold coins into my chest, blasting the air out of me. I barely managed to catch the pouch, and even then I really couldn't find it in me to feel good about possessing gold amidst all my confusion and pain. "Whoops, eheh," he said apologetically, "I guess that's not ten thousand. Well, take it or leave it."


Delvius smirked at first, finding it all amusing somehow, but upon seeing my pain decided to spare us both time and trouble talking to that eccentric commander of his by cutting in, "Sir, what Goldwreath was trying to say was that he needs to talk to you. Or rather, we do. He didn't need a reward; he doesn't even use denarii."


"Ah," Flav replied, finally seeming to understand. "Well, you could have said so sooner. Honestly, some people just don't understand the value of initiative..." He sighed, looking at me with disappointment. I didn't even bother to respond to that beyond letting out a low, long breath. Then he shook his head, "Ah, but enough of that. You came, you saw, you talked; that's how I'll describe what happened here on the official log that I'll be sending to Vespy up there, anyway. He loves his paperwork."


He put on a formal little smile and sat down, planting his hooves onto the table. He opened his mouth to talk but stopped himself dead, then ducked down and pulled out a paper titled 'Daily Log'. He cleared his throat and scribbled something on it. As he did I gave Delvius a little nudge and asked quietly, "Seriously, his coffee beans?"


The auxiliary shrugged. "He's eccentric, and really this isn't the worst 'incident'. Now shush."


We looked back to the table and saw Flavianicus looking at us. "So, gentlecolts... how may I help you?"


I would have hesitated, really. Over the month I'd been in the wasteland, I'd developed a habit of speaking bad or otherwise possibly upsetting news slowly. I'd often try to soften the blow, and given how Flavianicus seemed to know each of his troops by name, it only made sense that he cared for each of them. And with that care must have come a desire to keep them close.


Delvius, it seemed, was different from me in that regard. "Sir, I came here to request a transfer to the Distributable Auxiliary Regiment. A job has come up, and I believe it's important enough to risk leaving friends and familiarity behind for the sake of doing what I feel is right," he said firmly, though with a twinge of hesitation. He sighed, looking saddened for a moment before hardening his expression. "It's for the good of Roam."


"Ah, I see," Flav replied, looking between us. He didn't sound surprised in the slightest, and that surprised me. He treated it with an almost casual demeanor. "This job, I presume, involves you traveling with Goldwreath over here?"


Delvius himself was visibly taken off-guard by the calm response. I suppose, like me, he'd expected some immediate verbal resistance. "Y-yes sir, but how'd you-..."


"Boy, I am an executor," Flav said, his lips curling into a smile of quiet pride as he sat there looking the both of us over. "I got up to this position for good reasons -- my skills were exceptional, my achievements were significant, and my connections were wisely-made. With all that comes an instinct. It acts up when I'm fighting, making decisions, and talking to good people; just to name a few occurrences." His expression turned bashful as he stood up, his smile leaning on one side of his face. "Besides, why else would Goldwreath be with you? Sure, you could say 'because he wanted to be' or 'because he's here to help me convince you in case you disagreed', but those are both far less likely."


We looked to each other, and he could only shrug. "Well, I guess there's no point in trying to hide it. Yes, he intends to travel with me," I said. Then I had a thought. "And by any chance, would you happen to know of any... 'threat' that could be the reason he's deciding to do this?" I asked, hoping to perhaps get another ally. It was a high-aimed hope that wasn't likely going to happen, but there was no pain in asking. Delvius must have thought otherwise, as indicated by the skeptical glance he threw my way.


"What? No!" the zebra executor replied, shaking his head. "It's an instinct, not knowledge. Two totally different things. But for your question: I honestly don't care!" He laughed aloud. "Really, I don't. Not in the bad way, mind you. If he feels like he needs to do whatever it is he says he needs to do, then he should go and do it.”, but after a moment he looked at me and added, "That is, unless you feel like you need to tell me what it is one of my well-loved soldiers -- also an author and entertainer, and for those reasons a well-appreciated individual in my cohort -- will be doing?"


Now that was a question neither of us were too keen on answering. "Ah, super-secret apocalypse-tier business, then?" he asked with a joking chuckle, making Delvius shift uncomfortably.


"Almost apocalypse-tier," I said, making him stop laughing and look at me with an uncomfortably flat gaze. "It's, er, really quite hard to explain," I continued uncomfortably.


He cocked his head sideways and fixed me with a stare that drilled right into me, but then he relented. "Well, don't explain either way. The details of this should be heard by Vesperius, first and foremost. His word will reach all cohorts all at once if he deems it important, and really I think it's better if such knowledge is imparted to us officially. He'll know when to give it, so I'll trust him to let us know when he believes we should know. Not now, not on the eve of Roamana's assault. I'll not have a troubled mind now of all times; as it is, just the thought of this threat is troubling enough." He fixed us both with a hard stare again and said firmly, "You two understand? You will tell him of this; I won't have what sounds so terrible a threat faced by a few. It must be dealt with appropriately."


Delvius nodded and gulped, clearly getting the message. "We will tell him, sir. Goldwreath and I will make sure he understands." He glanced my way, and I nodded.


Flavianicus kept a hard gaze on us both for a moment, but then he relaxed. "Good, good. As long as threats are dealt with appropriately, worrying of them is useless. So let us get back to the matter at hoof." He sat down again, pulling out some papers from under his desk. One fancy-looking scroll crowned the small pile he brought out. "So, a transfer to the D.A.R... complicated business, I'm sure you know," he said, looking up at my striped companion.


"I know, sir," Delvius replied, nodding and biting his lip in anxiety.


"I mean, you have to go through all the official institutions -- the Legionary Office of Inter-unit Affairs for a formal re-allocation of all your assets and identity to the D.A.R, then to your chosen unit. In this case, Goldwreath's group not being an official Legion unit will make it more complicated; then you'd have to go to the Centurionate Office of Officer Awareness to send a notice to all officers that would be affected by your transfer; then of course you'd have to go to Roamana's branch of Legion Resources and Logistics to relinquish any assets you can't bring with you, if you have any that is. Then there's the hassle of notifying the cohort, and of course your friends..." the executor continued, making Delvius sigh and nod with each mention of an institution.


"I understand it's going to take a while, sir," Delvius said, eyes downcast. Seeing him like that made the background guilt of making him do this come to the front of my attention, and I found myself casting my eyes down as well.


"And then of course I'd have to approve of the transfer myself; no need to worry in that regard. But you know what?" Flav asked, getting Delvius to raise his head up and look at him.


"Yes, sir?"


Flavianicus took the scroll and pulled away the binding. "How do I put this... oh yes, all that processing crap can go suck it." He rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Roaman military organization's good for combat and for maintaining a constant army, but you're one auxiliary. Don't take this the wrong way, but no one's gonna notice you're gone except anyone who bothered talking to you." He lifted the unbound scroll and waved it around. "Now, this scroll should, under normal circumstances, be the last piece of paperwork in a transfer process. Also the only real one that matters, seeing as the auxiliary centurions don't usually much care if one of their own transfers. So how about I just sign this thing and save you two a lot of time and energy?"


The frown on Delvius's face and the guilt I was feeling both disappeared in an instant. "R-really sir? You could do that? For me?" Delvius asked, his eyes wide and expectant.


"Yes I can, and I dare anyone who has a problem with it to come to me," Flav replied, and with an inked quill started filling out the scroll. "Destination unit... Goldwreath's friends... D.A.R number... er, one-two-three-four-five-six-seven... bla bla, paperwork paperwork... and... done. There, I just saved you both about the whole day." He smiled and held the scroll forward.


"Thank you, sir!" Delvius gave him a wide, thankful grin and took the scroll. "This-this is great. I-I don't know what else to say. Um, thank-thank you! Oh, gods, I um... well, I don't even really have any real Legion assets anyway, so... so..." Suddenly his smile disappeared. "... so now I guess I should tell my friends, huh?"


My guilt returned.


Flavianicus' smile turned sympathetic. "Only if you feel you should. Personally, I think the sooner the better. Don't delay it if you can help it."


Delvius nodded, casting his gaze downwards once more. He sighed, then stiffened up and rendered the Roaman salute. "Yes sir. I'll... I'll go tell them now." He was trying hard to keep his internal conflict in; I could see it in his eyes, in the anxious tremble of his limbs. I thought he'd reconsider coming with me. I wouldn't have blamed him, but I would have done everything I could to try to convince him to stay with me. But as it was, he kept it to himself, conflicted as he was. He put on a ghost of a smile before giving a quick bow, then hastily trotted out. I could only watch as he did, all the while wondering the true depth of the decision I'd made him take.


"You ask much of him," Flavianicus said, looking over at me. "You know this, yes?"


I nodded. "I saw the conflict in his eyes; I heard the hesitation in his voice. Trust me when I say my only comfort is knowing he chose this of his own accord."


"Still," he said, "You should talk to him. I know Delvius. He does his duty, and he doesn't let how his orders are worded get in the way of actually carrying them out. In this case, he knows his duty is to Roam. If things were such that it was only you who needed his help... I think he may have declined. But you've convinced him of the level of this threat, whatever it is." He sighed and shook his head. "He's a good soldier, willing to put aside everything to serve his nation. In leaving friends and familiarity behind to join your little adventure, he shows he trusts you. You can ask no more of him."


I nodded, slowly starting for the tent exit. "I... understand. I'll see what I can do to ease the pain of his decision." And I meant that. After having felt all the indecision and confusion of being forced into the wasteland, I couldn't quite bear seeing any of it in others. I suppose, next to my Praetorian mentality, that was another reason I wanted to help. "Thank you, Flavianicus." I gave a tiny mirthless smile, then lifted the heavy flap and took a step outside.


"Goldwreath, wait," Flav called out, stopping me right in my tracks.


I dared a glance over my shoulder. "Yes?"


He was silent for a moment as he stared at me from behind his table. "You watch out for him, alright?" he said, his eyes almost begging. "He's a good soldier. His death should be good, too. Don't let him die out there."


I stared back into his pleading, fatherly eyes and nodded with every bit of sincerity I could muster. "You have my word." And with that, I too left the tent and trotted out onto the dirt and marble. Then I looked around, and in the distance spotted him trotting slowly back to their ramshackle little tent. He turned a corner and got that much closer to where his own friends were. He probably intended to break it to them on his own. He'd talk to them. Make them understand why he was going.


But like hell was he going to do it alone. I'd made him do this, so I was going to see it through with him. My wings stretched and my legs tensed, and with a hard flap I sent myself on gallop that got me right up to him. He seemed surprised, but managed to shoot me a little smile of appreciation.


"You know, I can tell them myself," he said. "They know me, they trust me. If I just tell them I'm going because I need to, that'll be enough for them. They'll have more than just a few questions, sure, but I can handle it."


"But you don't have to handle it yourself," I replied. "Roamans are always better in groups, you know this. Whether on the field in formation or in the aristocracy in secret alliances, we're stronger together. And like hell am I not going see this through after having asked you to do this."


He gave a tiny little smirk. "Well, glad you see it that way. Because I actually don't think they'll just let me go." He gave a sheepish little grin. "Yeah, eheh... get ready to answer those questions."


Oh. Well, this was gonna be great...

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

"You're what?!" asked Bailan, eyes wide and mouth agape. He and all of Delvius' other friends stood before us in a semicircle, and each of them looked pissed, incredulous, or both.


Delvius sighed, and I did my best not to show my anxiety. I couldn't help but squirm where I stood as they stared at me, though. "Listen, guys..." he began lamely, pausing to try to think of what exactly to say. "I know it's a bit sudden. And I really should have told you guys first, but-..."


"You're damned right you should have!" Venaius interrupted curtly. He took a step forward. "What the hell were you thinking? We fought and bled together for months, trained for years in the Field of Mars, and shared all our problems between each other, and now you're leaving with this guy?" He pointed a hoof at me. "Don't get me wrong, he does good. Had you asked us first and gotten our approval -- if we actually approved -- days before actually going, I'd have thrown you a fucking farewell party for all I cared. Has our time together meant nothing to you?"


Delvius frowned, looking down. Then Gravetanicus took a step forward and nudged the seething Venaius. "Let him speak, friends," the stoic zebra said; of them all, he seemed the most calm. "We know him. Among all of us, I believe he has shown most passionately how much he would have Roam well again. Correct me if I'm wrong." None of them spoke. "Exactly. Now Delvius, what reason do you have for deciding to do this?"


It took my new companion a long moment to reply. His voice cracked and his expression was anguished, but he managed to get out, "There's a, um... a threat. Something Goldwreath here knows of that no one else really cares for." With a tiny mirthless smile he continued, "You guys should know; you kind of laughed every night I rode out of camp to look for the 'mythical lizards'."


Venaius groaned and Bailan facehoofed, while almost everyone else covered their eyes. "Not this again..." Venaius sighed. "Look, Delv, we've been through this. It was one report; it took almost a dozen from Ursalanix to confirm the existence of Ursa babies. Babies! Who would have expected babies to exist when there were almost no adults?" He took a step forward and placed a hoof on Delvius' shoulder. "Maybe they do exist, maybe they don't. But come on, this thing was supposed to have been spotted by a Canesian auxiliary when he was bleeding out on the Appian way. You know how perceptive some of those guys are."


Kevanus added as he read a piece of paper, "To be fair, the Canesian Legionnaires who saved him testify to his witness." Everyone gave him a stare, and he stuffed the paper away hastily. "Hey, I'm not in favor of him going, I'm just saying."


Delvius nodded idly as his comrades turned back to him. "Don't you get it, Venaius? Don't you all get it?" he asked softly, looking them over. "There is no 'maybe'. They do exist, and they are very dangerous. Goldwreath can testify to that; he saw them and fought them." They all stared at me, but he got their attention again by continuing, "And before you go barraging him with questions, consider this: it wouldn't matter if they existed. Even if that one report turned out to be a lie, even if Goldwreath turned out to be crazy, Roam would still be dying and crumbling around us. To restore it, each of her soldiers must have the initiative to do what needs to be done as well as the discipline to know when to back down. In this case, initiative takes priority."


Bailan tried to cut in, "Alright, that may be true, but-..."


Delvius stopped him with a hoof, pressing forward and continuing, "Not done. Now, consider this, too: have we all done our part? Have we all gone that extra mile to look for ways to help our dying nation outside of combat? Not all of us have, that's for sure. But I'm going to make that effort because I know that I can do more neutralizing a great threat like this than guarding our cohort when they're on the move despite the fact that five-thousand other auxiliaries are doing the same thing. And even if we don't eventually stop this thing, then at least I'll have done something more than just riding a mount and scouting around."


The others were quiet, pondering on what he said and coming up with their own reply. They never answered, but none of them still looked pleased. "Still, what about-..."


"And it's also my own choice," Delvius cut in firmly, looking more certain of himself than I'd thought he could have possibly felt. Then he looked them all over as they stared back at him with frowns and grimaces, and his expression softened a bit. "Alright, look..." He trotted over and sat down, and they promptly followed suit, sitting down around him. "I know this was way too sudden. Hell, I only got informed of the need to do this this morning and made my decision less than an hour ago. I wouldn't just leave if I didn't think it was important. And trust me, I appreciate you guys like I do my siblings."


He pointed a hoof at Kevanus. "I mean, remember back in training when Venaius and I snuck in some wine while your officer was out?" He gave his fellow auxiliary a fond little smile.


Kevanus couldn't help but snicker and shake his head. "You crazy bastards almost got all of us flogged, but... yeah, I remember." Venaius, too, gave a quick smirk before forcing on a grimace.


Delvius nodded, then pointed over at Bailan. "And then you. Remember the little incident with your cousin?" The auxiliary gave a devilish grin, and Bailan flushed.


"Er... y-yeah..." he stammered, looking away and forcing back a shudder. "Come on, don't bring that up. She needed that itch scratched." Everyone chuckled, making him huff and cover his face. "Look, I showed my appreciation for what you did in full. Didn't think you'd actually like it, though."


Delvius pointed at Gravetanicus, "And you. Have I not paid off the bills for your expenses time and time again?" he asked with a knowing smirk. "You know, the ones for your 'hobby'?"


The gaunt, stern zebra just gave him a little chuckle. "Oh, I sent you a thank you card each time you did. I never would have gotten so many helmets unless I had a Legionnaire's pay, but you just went and bought them. Thanks again, by the way."


Delvius nodded again, and his expression turned eager as he finally turned to Venaius, who seemed the most opposed to all of this. "And you... Venaius, my oldest and best friend." The zebra smiled and scooted closer to his compatriot. "All these long years, we've been friends. You've trusted me and believed in me, just as I've trusted and believed in you. You have, without a doubt, been all I could ask for in a friend and an ally."


Everyone smiled somewhat, and Venaius hiccuped and covered his face, trying to hide his own pained and crooked smile. "Damn it dude, that is so cheesy," Venaius said with a choked snicker. "The fucking cheesiest thing I've heard next to your Saturnalia speech, and you remember how it was."


Delvius laughed and nodded. But he pressed on, placing a hoof on Venaius' back and saying softly, "Trust me as you always did, hm? Let me go. Let me do this. For Roam."


Venaius sniffed and stared back at his friend, his eyes puffy and his coscience thoughtful and anguished behind the mask of a conflicted smile he was wearing. Everyone else was silent, waiting to see how it would end. I suppose in Venaius they saw all they had in word and sway to try to keep Delvius with them. If he agreed, they'd agree. If he said no, they'd say no. It was as simple as that.


The stare and accompanying silence seemed to stretch on for eternity until at last Venaius sighed, then huffed and whacked Delvius' helmet. "I hate you and myself, but... fine. I can't stop you, and though I wish I could, this is your choice. Just, please..." he begged, his voice dropping low, "... when all this is over, come back alive, okay? Because I swear to the gods if you're not here on my birthday, then even if I don't know where you are I will find you and I will kill you. And if you're dead, I'll pray to Pluto to bring you back until he can't stand it, then I'll kill you again."


I expected a disturbed or otherwise troubled response from all of them, especially Delvius. But they just chuckled, laughing away the few tears that had come to their eyes. Then Delvius nodded hectically, "Yes, yes! Alright, yes." He took a moment to compose himself, as did everyone else. "Alright. Alright, I'll be back. You have my word. I'll even bring you some of those snack cakes you love so much if I find any, too."


"Good," Venaius said grumpily, crossing his forehooves. "But I'm still not happy about it. I don't want my best friend to leave and go kick flank without me."


"Oh, get over it. I'll still maintain contact, though, so don't you worry," Delvius said, getting up. "I'm leaving physically, but we set up that radio chat room, remember? Frequency sixty-nine point sixty-nine? The one you set up yourself?"


Venaius suddenly beamed a grin. "Oh yeah! Right, now I remember." He pointed a hoof at his best friend and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, you better be on that frequency to talk to us, you hear? You'll have no excuse, because with all our vehicles rolling around acting as radio hubs, we could contact each other from the edges of the empire if there's a tank every mile."


"Sixty-nine point sixty-nine..." Kevanus snickered, shaking his head. "What the hell is wrong with you, Venaius?"


"Nothing's wrong with him," Delvius said. "The gods just made him to be the perverted little shit we all know, right?" he asked with a smirk, getting a glare from his friend. Delvius withdrew in a gesture of submission. "Oh, I'm just joking. I happen to love your innuendos." But with all that said, he finally stopped joking around and just uttered plainly, "Alright, well.... I guess it's time for me to go. I'll set my own radio to the frequency, so as long we're in range we could talk, but I guess this is goodbye. For now." He looked over at me. "Give us a minute to say our farewells?"


I nodded. It was the least I could do, and considering how he'd stopped them from interrogating me, I guess I owed him. So as I trotted back around the corner and left them to themselves, I couldn't help but feel relieved that I didn't have to say a single thing in all that. Heh, everything went better than expected.


A few minutes passed by, bringing to my ears the last of their goodbyes. At last the final word was said, and he came back around the corner. Despite everything he'd just given up, he managed to find it in him to smile.


"So, ready to head up to the Forum to meet my crew? Maybe talk to Vesperius afterwards?" I asked him.


Smile still up, he replied, "Oh yeah. Those guys'll be in touch. The relief of that added with this... rush... that I'm feeling makes me feel like I can do more than I ever could. I sure hope it's true, because a part of me's nagging and saying that I'm truly and utterly fucked."


I snickered, patting him amiably on the back and nudging him back onto the road that led up to the Forum. "Oh, you're not fucked. Long as we stick together, we're like a turtle formation weathering a rain of arrows."


"I suppose," he replied, trotting along beside me. "So, we're going up to meet your friends? I sure would like to meet them all. They'll be the people I'll be working with now, after all."


I nodded. "Yes we are. Just... be considerate around some of them. Especially Myst, the grey mare; oh yeah, and don't try asking Skyfire, the orange mare, about her military background -- yes, she has a military background. So... yeah, just be careful. They're a crazy bunch, in more ways than one."


He smirked. "Oh please, they can't be worse than those crapsacks back there." He nodded over at the half-tent he used to call home. "I'm sure it'll be fine."


It was my turn to smirk. "Oh, we'll see. Hey, what time is it?"


He looked around for a moment, up at the sky and at the shadow cast by the looming Forum. "Er... about noon -- lunch time."


I chuckled softly. "Oh, then prepare to be met with a culinary mess as an introduction to my group."

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

I hadn't told him what exactly I meant by that, even after his several attempts at interrogation. And any way, his mind's attention was quickly captured by the magnificence and grandeur of the Forum -- he'd never actually entered the Forum itself, apparently. His idly said, inattentive explanation was that Legionnaires from cohorts that went on their exodus were thrown to combat right away, capturing and securing the Roaman island before rushing off immediately to their assigned destination. Then he started trotting about, his eyes wide and gleaming as he took in the sights. I followed him around for the first few moments, but my attention was at once grasped by a more immediate detail. One that was all too prominent in the advent of the praetorian cohort's departure.


That detail was the praetorians themselves, or rather the distinct lack of them. Where before every corner and hall was marked with them, now there were barely enough to patrol half the main chamber. There were spaces in between them were there was supposed to be another guard, leaving those who'd stayed behind isolated and far-flung, staring off at walls and statues where before there'd stood another praetorian. It wasn't supposed to be like this. What the praefect had done with the majority of Roam's remaining praetorians just had to have been been unprecedented or at least uncalled for by the praetorians themselves. Yet there was almost no word of unease from the silent guards, as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened. It made me wonder if they ever talked at all before we came.


But there was one of them who was giving the occurrence the disgruntled attention it warranted, and that was the tribune. Justinian was fidgeting on an elevated platform that split the main stairway in half, pacing back and forth behind a rectangular table and stopping every so often to wipe his mask with a hoof. Clearly, whereas the regular guards who'd stayed behind for whatever reason were keeping their reactions to themselves, he was far more troubled.


I would have asked Justinian what it was about. And if the tribune himself couldn't give a definite answer, then I'd ask the regular guards as well, however fruitless it may have been. But Delvius was starting to wander off down into places he shouldn't have been going, and the last thing I wanted to do was waste time looking for a lost auxiliary. So with questions formulated and reserved for later, I went over to my new and wide-eyed companion and let him wander around for a few more moments before slowly guiding him to our real destination. He followed without even taking his sight off of everything around him; it was remarkable he didn't bump into any of the greatly diminished praetorian guard or anything else he failed to see. I suppose with his elation came a tremendously sharp sixth sense. And he remained elated and perceptive all the way down the many flights of stairs and narrow hallways that led to our room's doorway. Then his fixation on the marvelous Forum was shattered brutally when an olive flew straight through the air and caught him right in his agape mouth. He choked and spluttered, collapsing forward and pounding his armored chest to cough the offending fruit out.


He looked like he was in serious trouble. Me, I wasn't so worried, and even had the bit of humor to chuckle. "A flying olive. That can only mean one thing..." I muttered and glanced into the room.


Now, I may have been wrong or otherwise disproven in many things, but one of the few things I knew with absolute certainty was that Doodle was not someone you wanted to have to a meal if you wanted to maintain civility. Because standing atop a table, tossing olives into the air and and trying to catch them with your mouth and accidentally lobbing one right into another's throat... not good manners at all. At least she had the good sense to be genuinely shocked upon discovering the ramifications of her actions.


"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" she babbled over and over again, galloping off to the choking auxiliary. The many other people in the room -- Myst and Skyfire sitting on opposite ends of one of the couches, Doomtune bobbing his head to a slow beat coming from his helmet laid on the table itself, and two servant mares standing by near them -- pried their eyes off of the provided meal and looked over at the doorway, all their eyes wide in shock. "Mister soldier, a-are you okay?" she asked in a frantic rush.


With one extra-hard pound that flexed his kevlar-studded lorica segmentata (segmented plate armor), the olive flew out his throat and onto the ground. He gasped as he lay there, holding a hoof to his throat. Slowly, his eyes rolled over the scenery and finally to the worried filly. "You... must be... Doodle..." he said with heavy breaths.


Suddenly her worry faded and she beamed a grin. "Oh, you know me?"


"Goldwreath... mentioned you... said you had 'wonderful' table manners." He panted for a moment as I finally decided to reach down and help pull him up. "I suppose he had some sarcasm in that sentence I couldn't quite detect." While he recovered, leaning against the wall, everyone else slowly started receding back into their previous behavior. Myst didn't say anything, predictably, but the less antisocial Skyfire and Doomtune showed immediate interest in the new arrival.


Skyfire, having previously seen him, was of course the first to react. "Hey! It's you! D-... Del... something." Skyfire gave a sheepish little grin. "Yeah, I didn't exactly catch your name that time I had an oxygen tube down my throat." Myst hadn't shown anything but an anxious, wide-eyed stare at anything but Delvius, but the moment she heard that, her head snapped to face her best friend. "Yeah, I'll explain later."


"Delvius, for reference," he replied with a receding pant. Then he pointed down at Doodle. "And you... filly with bad table manners, you don't keep sending fruit down other people's throats, alright?"


"Sure thing, mister Delvius! I'll stick to flinging oatmeal, instead." She rendered an Equestrian salute and put on a stern face, then whirled around and marched back to her seat.


Devius' brows furrowed in deep thought. "Oatmeal... I don't understand, but uh... oh, nevermind." He shook his head and finished composing himself, then stood more formally and nodded to each of them in greeting. "Good noon to you all, I hope I'm not interrupting your lunch any more than I'm sure it's been interrupted." He took a quick look around, his eyes lingering on splatters of porridge and shreds of vegetables flung around and onto the couches.


I nudged him from behind before anyone replied, getting him closer to the couches. "Oh, from the looks of things they're as normal as can be. Really, no need to be so formal." I gestured for him to take a seat, and with the barest of hesitation he complied. I myself sat down in between the two mares in my group and wrapped a hoof around my marefriend, hoping my presence would put her obvious unease to more suitable levels. Then I noticed everyone was staring at me and at him with questions in their eyes. "Oh. Right. I guess I should explain." I cleared my throat.


"Ex-explain what?" Myst asked as she pressed against me, her voice dripping with suppressed anxiety. It made my words catch in my throat, knowing that what I was about to say would... cause her unrest, but it had to be said.


After a moment of silence I finally got out, "Friends and fellow Roamans, I would like to formally introduce Delvius, former auxiliary of Roamana and now an official member of our little band of adventurers." Well, that wasn't so hard to get out once it started flowing.


Nevertheless, the surety of my voice was met with polarized reactions.


"What?!" Myst's shrill, disbelieving blurt coincided perfectly with Skyfire's far more calm and civil, "What?" Both had the tones of skepticism or unease, however, and while both were certainly stronger in Myst's voice, Skyfire's feelings on the matter still concerned me.


"I can see some more explanation is in order. Very well." I cleared my throat and continued in the most civil tone I could muster, "You see, I awoke this morning and came to the conclusion that we need help. Doomtune hasn't encountered the creatures we fought in the subterranean metros, and Doodle..." I took a glance at the filly as she started doodling something on a piece of tissue. "... doesn't seem to care. Ergo, as Doomtune is not a permanent group member and thus need not truly concern himself in our problem, and because Doodle is a non-combatant when viewed from a military perspective, I came to the conclusion that another member was necessary."


"Hold up there," Doomtune chimed in. "Creatures in the metro? What, you mean ghouls? Centaurpedes? The occasional terra comedenti -- giant earth-eater worms? Or hell, even the mutated snakes?"


"None of those," I replied, then turned to Myst as she stared off into the air in wide-eyed thought. "Now, Myst," I started with the intent of assuaging any and all concerns, because we needed him with us. "I understand this may come off as... terrifying to you. You're shy, and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. It's one of the things I love about you. It doesn't irritate me, and I never intend to let it." Despite everything, she smiled. "But nevertheless, I need you to realize that, your anxiety aside, you -- and by extension the rest of us -- need another combatant. Numbers are useful in any combat situation after all, and he could be the difference between you getting hurt or not. I'll not have you dying on me, okay?"


She wasn't okay with it. Not yet anyway. Everyone who paid any attention to her could see that it was obvious. "You could have told us first. I'd have liked to know," she said softly, her voice the volume of the first time I'd met her.


I sighed and nodded. "You're right, you're right. I should have, and I'm sorry I didn't. But now that he's here I need you to know that you don't have to be scared around him. We're all safe with each other. Please try to get over your anxiety, alright? For me." I placed a hoof on her back, waiting for her reply.


It was barely audible, but under her breath she managed to breath out, "Okay," and fell silent. It was still obvious she wasn't fine with it just yet, but I saw the effort in her eyes, the thoughts racing around her head as she came to terms with it all. She'd made great strides in becoming more social the last month. She could do this, I knew she could. I had faith in her and hugged her to express that faith.


With Myst's objections more or less neutralized for the moment, I pulled myself away and turned to my light-yellow pegasus companion. "And Skyfire-..."


"Hey, no need to give me a talking," she said before anything else came out of my mouth. I rose an eyebrow. "I don't mean anything against Myst over there," she was saying, and the gray earth pony was apparently so cautioned by the use of her name as to give her best friend a wary gaze, "But I ain't her. I have no problems with it. In fact, I see it as an awesome opportunity!" She grabbed one of Delvius' guns and held it in her hooves and watched as the originally compact metal rectangle expanded into a full-sized rifle. "I mean, look at this stuff! I can tinker with this."


Delvius gently took it back from her before she started salivating over it. "Yes... tinker with your own weapons, please. I happen to like my custom-made rifle as it is."


"Alright, alright." She waved her hooves dismissively and continued, "So yeah, no real problems. I can get to know him just fine. My only concern is his combat role. He's not replacing me, right?" she asked with a twinge of paranoia.


"Not going to unless I can fly," he smirked. "Depends on the combat role, though. As an auxiliary, I skirmish and do anything that needs to be done to make sure the advance of a larger force -- in this case you three -- goes unimpeded. So... I guess I'm your scout. Goldwreath from what I saw in the Colosseum's probably your frontliner, seeing as he likes to take the fight to the enemy even if it means using a sword; you, from the look of those plasma rifles next to your seat, are the striker -- you deal damage but don't take it; and finally, Myst, judging from her anxiety and camo outfit, is the sniper or similar long-ranged hitter. From the look on Doodle's cheery face, she's morale support, and you..." He trailed off and looked at the operative. "... are the jack of all trades. Correct me if I'm wrong on any of that."


"Well, I'd correct you if you were wrong. You got a wonderfully quick and analytical head," I praised. "Doomtune doesn't really count, though. He isn't really with us."


"It's true," the black-clad zebra chimed in. "I was just here to accompany Goldwreath on a trip to confront the Legate back when tensions were high. I'll be going back to my people soon enough. For now, though, all the things I need to relay have been relayed. Even the contents of this envelope." He pulled out the paper container within which was the ceasefire document Vesperius had given him. "Now I can wait for orders to come back -- and hopefully get a commendation and raise for what I did here -- or go of my own accord." He let out a carefree breath and kicked back. "Honestly, I'll just wait. Madran will think on the ceasefire. Right now, everything's looking fine and dandy, and I intend to feel good for as long as I can."


"Well, after all the things you went through, I'd say you deserve it." Skyfire smiled with friendly concern. "I remember how you started breaking down when we got here... hopefully it doesn't happen again."


"It will," he deadpanned, as if he didn't much care for it at all. "But a few days rest should help. That and being around people that aren't dead or dying or hostile. Like you." He looked her in the eyes and returned her smile.


After a few short moments of awkward wherein they just stared at each other with identical expressions of fondness and concern, I finally broke the silence and got up. "Well then, that's that. Zaita should be informed as well. You wouldn't happen to know where the Forum's garage is, would you?" I asked, looking at Delvius.


"Well, the entrance is outside..." His voice trailed off as he fixed me with a questioning look. "Why? Who's this person who stays in a... a garage?"


"That would be their transport," Doomtune answered. When Delvius gave him the look, he elaborated, "Harpy-class APC, S3 system. One of the hundred units fabricated for the war. This one's named Zaita, apparently. Been his transport for as long as I remember."


"She's also my friend," I said flatly. "So I'd appreciate it if you could occasionally refer to her as a person rather than just an object."


"Well, fine, but it doesn't change what she is." Doomtune got up and stretched his neck. "But whatever. I gotta get back to the radio system and listen in on the happenings of my order. No eavesdropping, especially you..." He pointed a hoof at Delvius and glared. "Officially we're still enemies, so if I catch you snooping I won't hesitate to knock you out."


"Go ahead and try," Delvius replied cockily, getting Doomtune to raise both brows in surprise. "I'm trained for single combat, not to stay in formation like Legionnaires. I can take you."


"Oh, quit it you two." I placed myself in between them. "Joke or not, Delvius, I'd rather you not try. Respect privacy and yours will be respected. Am I clear?" I furrowed my brows.


He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fine. But likewise with him, right?" Doomtune just shook his head and trotted back into his room.


"Well, you'll just have to assert your own privacy, but he should respect yours either way," I replied. "Now, when you're ready I'd like you to lead me to this garage. I'm not going to try contacting her over this place's electronics. Can't imagine G.LA.D.I.U.S would let me, not since their little cyberwar started."


He looked around and shrugged. "I can take you now. Not like I'm hungry this soon after my brunch, anyway."


I nodded. "Alright, looks like it's back to the fields." My legs ached a little, protesting to moving down the mountain just after I'd climbed the absurdly high stairwell. But I'd been through worse, and the soreness had been present for almost a month, so I just ignored it. "You guys can come if you want. I wouldn't mind having friends I can talk to down there, in that place where all the zebras are too busy to do anything but work." I looked to the auxiliary as he stood up, and with a signatory nod he started out the door, leading the way.


I'd only taken one step after him when an unknown force jerked me to a halt. I looked around and found Myst's hoof on the slack of my dirtied toga. She was fixing me with a stern expression, but it didn't last under my surprised gaze. She withdrew with a squeak, giving me an embarrassed smile. "Erm... eheh..." she started, in typical shy-and-awkward Myst fashion. "You... um, don't want to change first?"


"Change? You mean my clothes?" I looked down at the muddy toga. "Well, maybe later. The troops seemed to appreciate a guest of honor getting down in the dirt with them. I think wearing this until I don't need to is a wise course of action when dealing with them."


"I wouldn't say the clothing's necessary now that they've come to recognize you, just like the mud isn't necessary now that you've worked with them," Delvius chimed in as he stood under the doorway.


I looked over at him. "Well, it might throw some hopefully positive clout my way. Besides, this thing isn't even that dirty."


"Yeah it is."

"Have you seen that thing?"


Myst bit her lip, eyes darting shyly between me and the pegasus and operative who'd just spoken up. "Yeah, it kind of is... I don't know, I think you'd look nice in clean clothes." She coughed, clearing her throat, then added softly, "Maybe we could clean your coat, too. Why don't you take a bath with me?"


Skyfire choked on her drink, and the two servant mares who were silently waiting for us to finish went red.


Myst coughed and looked away to the sides, only to be met with a wide-eyed Skyfire on one side and Doomtune on the other. Even Delvius was looking at her. Only Doodle didn't seem to care. "Well, er... yes." She gulped, blushing. "I- well you know, I want to see you clean. I remember the first time I saw you, and already you were grungy and muddy. Why don't you give it as a gift to yourself for all the things you've done for people? I-I'm sure you'll love it!" Her eyes fixated on me, and her teeth were in full view from the width of her nervous grin.


I smiled, then brought a hoof up to my chin in thought. On one hoof, taking a bath definitely seemed nice... and honestly, it wasn't like I could say no to her -- like that, she was so adorable I felt a part of me tugging the rest of my psyche to sweep her up into an embrace just for the sake of it. Of course, on another hoof, I felt like I had to maintain the image that had gotten me the favor of some of those troops down there. Then again, I was just going to tell Zaita something, and it had been a long time since I had decent bath. I was sick of feeling dirty and tired and sore, and right then I was all three. I sure as hell didn't want to climb back up the mountain again. I also wanted to spend the rest of the day with those close to me, especially she who was the closest...


Before I could finish my train of thought Delvius spoke, "Well, I could go and tell this 'Zaita' myself that it- she, that she will be accommodating another combatant."


I glanced over at him. "You sure? I wasn't done weighing the scales."


He shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, sure, why not? One thing they teach you as a soldier of Roam is to not delay. Now I'm not saying you're ineffective as a fighter for thinking -- thinking's important, too. What I am trying to say is that if I take the initiative I'll save time and spare you unnecessary effort. 'Always do what you can to spare others the pain' dad said. He was a Legionnaire, too."


I grimaced in thought. "Well, that's... nice. You sure, though? The bath's only going to be a few minutes, so you could-..."


"Yeah I am. Time's precious, and so are friends. I'll save time and let you stay by going. Can't be that hard informing it- her anyway. Who knows, without you there to do it yourself I might learn something. Now you get yourself cleaned, alright?" He turned around and waved a goodbye before disappearing around the corner.


At last I was left alone with my friends. Well... he liked to take the initiative. It was an admirable quality, though I must admit not getting to finish my train of thought and act accordingly was kind of disgruntling. But I didn't dwell on that. I had a bath to take, and one of the best people to take it with.


"Now come on," Myst tugged at me, pulling me to the bathroom. "You really are starting to smell. You'll love some of the soaps they have in there. Lavender, vanilla... I'd only read of those plants. But now that I know how they smell it's like a mystery solved." Skyfire eyed us all the way to the door, making me feel a pang inside. While I trusted Myst to know what to do, given her comparatively vast social knowledge, I still didn't feel alright with making Skyfire witness us. Maybe the bath was a necessity, and maybe for some reason she also had to join me. But even if both were true, was it worth the pain we were causing her? She'd given me up, but she wasn't over me.


'She'll have to just suck it up and get over it. It's the only way,' I thought, and settled for that as best I could. There was no point in letting her problems dictate what we did. Relationships were not built on hesitation.


Finally we were inside, and she locked the door. Smiling, she said, "So, we should take off our clothes..." She cleared her throat and with a twinge of eagerness moved forward towards me.


"Already on it," I said, and started unfolding the toga -- to her disappointment, apparently.


"You don't need any, um... help?" she asked in hopeful tones, lifting a hoof up as if to touch me.


"Nope, I got this. This is gonna take a while, though; the Roaman toga was like a bedsheet. But it's okay. You should start undressing, too." I shot a smile her way. "After that... well, we'll see. Maybe something'll happen that'll make this memorable for us both."


She sucked in a breath, smiling and nodding eagerly, "O-okay! I'll go start the shower!"


She galloped over behind the curtains and started running the water, while I finished unwrapping myself. You'd think that having to take time to put on and take off a toga would get annoying, but such was the obligation of the higher-ups of Roaman society. And while I viewed myself as a fighter more than anything else, it ran a few glorious fantasies through my head about donning a toga in earnest, officially joining the aristocracy, giving speeches in the oratorical platform... fantasies like that.


The curtains were drawn to the side and a gush of steamy air rushed forward. I looked up, and some part of me went limp at the sight. I'd seen Myst without clothing... what, once or twice... but never like that. Hot water cascaded down her soaked mane, dripping down in rivulets onto her grey shoulders and to her hooves. The soft velvet of her face's fine fur was glistening with pearled water droplets. And that smile. Damn. If love had a face, that was it.


And if it all that wasn't enough, the giggle she gave at my stricken quiet sent waves of overwhelming warmth to my heart. "Well... I'm waiting," she purred, then withdrew back into the shower, the curtain concealing her as she went. I gulped, feeling parts of myself grow... tense, before stepping in with her.


Hot water... glorious, heavenly hot water... oh, gods above, I couldn't remember the last time I had hot water. Actually, wait... four years ago: my birthday. Then the water heater was directed permanently to the growing middle-class in my Stable. I hadn't questioned or complained or asked for any bit of heated water afterwards. But now, standing under the assault of muscle-numbing hot liquid... I couldn't help but smile in absolute, juvenile bliss. I started laughing to myself. Damn whatever part of me felt like I didn't deserve it. After all I'd been through, I needed this simple pleasure to remind myself I could enjoy things and just let the world go by.


And she knew it, too.


I don't know when it happened, but eventually she pulled me out of the rim of the shower and into the center. I shuddered in delight, even more so when she started scrubbing my coat with the most sweet-smelling soap I'd ever smelled. Every touch sent my eyes rolling into my skull. I barely had the mind to open my eyes and shampoo her mane and scrubbing her shoulders in reciprocation. Hard work given how strongly I was tempted to do nothing, but it was worth it to see her throw that warm smile my way... and then place her hoof on my cheek... and then finally her lips on my own. My wings extended, pulling her close and sheltering her underneath as our kisses turned more and more eager.


But before long she pulled away, leaving me confused and soaked on the bathroom floor. She smiled as she stroked my cheek. "Goldwreath... are you getting any ideas?" she asked softly.


I chuckled lightly in response. "Well, eheh, the only thing I had in mind was to just let everything go on for as long as possible. I guess things ran their course."


She nodded understandingly. "So... no ideas?" She continued stroking my cheek.


I went red. Well... it would have been obvious if I wasn't red already. "Well... I'd like it if we just continued kissing, eheh..." Well, those were some words I never thought I'd say to a mare. "You and I cleaning each other was pretty good, too. Whichever one you want to continue is fine with me, eheh." I gave a wide grin.


She nodded again, smiling but with a slight twinge of disappointment. I frowned, but she said, "Alright. Continue either one?" She kissed me again and pulled me up, giggling but with a trace of mirthlessness. "Alright then... time to rinse. And preen your feathers." Her smile turned more sincere as she added, "After that... I wouldn't mind if you helped me clean my tail."

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

By the time we stepped out of the shower, we were as fresh and clean as we could possibly be. The only downside was that the layer of grime and filth that had masked all our ugly scars and scabs was now gone, showing off pockmarked and bruised sections of our flesh. And as I dried myself, I couldn't help but stare at my face's reflection, at the gnarly scars running down my cheeks and temples.


But I wasn't able to dwell on those for very long. That session of sensual kissing combined with the intimate experience of getting to know each other's bodily quirks had left me glowing and elated, almost unbelievably so. Now Myst knew that I was ticklish only from under the ears, and I learned that she was ticklish basically everywhere along her abdomen and chest. More than just a bath, our time together was a bonding moment I wanted to cherish.


"See? Being clean is nice." Myst smiled at me as she finished drying her mane, then got it right back into its style with a good shake of her head. I never really got to appreciate the sight of her mane much because of her hoodie, but despite it being messy I couldn't help but find it perfect for her.


"Well, to be fair, I never said it wasn't nice," I replied. "I was just saying that maintaining an image had some importance."


She rolled her eyes, sighing as she approached. She wrapped a hoof around my neck. "Image is nice, but you have to take care of yourself, too." She pressed her nose to my neck and sniffed, and I felt her lips curl into a smile. "Well, at least you smell good now."


I laughed, hugging her head close and taking in the smell of her mane. "And so do you. Ah, lavender... the smell makes me want to just throw you in bed and cling to you until a whole season passes."


"Mmm..." she purred, pulling away and fixing me with a half-lidded gaze that made my heart skip a beat. "Really? Well, if you won't be doing anything later... you could do just that."


I nodded, smiling like a fool. "Okay, great! I'll clear the rest of the afternoon and evening of my plans -- not that I even had any concrete plans, anyway."


She nodded, but then frowned in contemplation. "Well... maybe not all the afternoon and evening. I almost forgot I had something planned." I gave her a questioning look, and she continued, "I promised Skyfire I'd walk around outside with her, remember?"


"Oh. Right." I cleared my throat and continued, "Alright. That's fine. I can wait for you to get back. Your absence could give me some time to do a few things, I suppose."


"Things like?" she asked as she started putting her clothes on.


I spent a moment dumbly staring at her before answering in a rush, "Well, I need to talk to Vesperius and the tribune about some things. For one thing, I'm hoping they'd know why all those praetorians left earlier today."


She nodded idly, as if not really caring much about it. "Alright. You go and do that. I guess I could use the time with Skyfire to... clear a few things up."


"I'm not really liking the sound of that," I confessed after a moment's hesitation. She glanced back at me with a small frown. "Truth be told, while I care about her and view her as a good friend, I'm afraid that everything we do together hurts her. Do you... feel that way?"


She didn't answer at once, but rather took a moment to zip up her vest. "Well... yes," she admitted. "What's more, sometimes I feel like I don't care enough. I mean, did you see her staring at us when we trotted in here? I knew she was looking. I saw the disbelief and horror in her eyes as every second her fears played around in her head, making her wonder what we were going to do... and I didn't mind." She frowned, looking ashamed of herself. "What kind of friend am I for just shrugging that off? Stupid, stupid..." She started thumping herself.


"Don't go berating yourself," I said sternly, getting her to stop. I sighed and moved closer, sitting down beside her. "Look, I know that you're good friends. I also know that, while I may be the worst person to give advice about what to do with other people, you should talk to her about it. I have done my part, said what I need to say, and have tried my best to not involve her in a negative fashion in our relationship. Now it's your turn. It might never be enough, but it will be all we can do next to materializing that match-making advice of yours -- advice that I've decided we should not follow. Skyfire will realize what needs to be done if she wants to stop suffering, and the problem will hopefully resolve itself. Okay?"


I wrapped a wing over her as she thought, head bowed and eyes downcast. I knew what I was telling her had to be done, and I trusted she knew that. But it was still hard to tell a friend to let someone go. Finally she let out a deep breath and nodded, and I withdrew my wing. "Good. Now, we should get moving. Smells nice in here, but that can't last forever. Not to mention the stuff we both have to do." We both started moving, her checking herself in the mirror while I started wrapping myself in a clean toga. While I did so I replayed the things we said, and I came to the conclusion that we both spoke very relevant things. Just one afterthought bugged me to speak up: "Oh yeah, about Skyfire... I don't really see why she'd be horrified over us taking a bath. It's just a bath. You said 'what we were going to do'; what were we 'going to do'?"


Through the residual fog on the mirror I saw her reflected cheeks go red, and her tail went in tightly in between her legs. She whirled around, a paranoid grin on her face. "Nothing! Nope, nothing. Just a bath, eheh..." she said in a rush as she went for the door. Then she paused, and slowly she turned around. "That is... unless you don't think the bath's over, and we could still do... 'something' in here?"


I raised a brow and looked up to the ceiling, confused. "Er... no, not really. And now I'm confused. Just a while ago you said we weren't doing anything else, now you seem to be suggesting otherwise. Why? Did you have any plans you weren't able to fulfill in there?"


She went even redder, but to her merit she didn't cringe like a ball of living anxiety. "Nope. No plans," was all she said, and she opened the door and trotted out. A few moments later I heard her and Skyfire talking, then after some exchanged words I heard them step out. Doodle seemed to go with them. I wished Myst luck on the task she had to do, then finished wrapping myself up and trotted out, going for the hallway with the intent of heading to my own task.


Just as I placed a hoof on the purple carpet that ran the length of our hall I heard a door close behind me. I glanced back, and saw Doomtune grinning like a maniac as he stared at me. "You lucky bastard," he said, crossing his hooves. "Twice in less than three days, huh? Heh, you dog."


I shot him a confused glare. "The hell are you talking about?"


His overly-smug and maniacal grin wavered a little, but he replied, "You know what I'm talking about." He chuckled to himself.


I cocked my head. "If you're talking about spending time with my marefriend, then I need to tell you that I've done that since we got here. Not just twice."


His grin wavered even more to make way for confusion. "Y-yeah, sure, but last night and just a while ago... wait." His expression crumbled entirely and was replaced with disbelief. "Don't tell me you didn't take those opportunities to do it with her."


I stared at him blankly. "Doomtune, while I'd love to talk to you later, right now I have someone else I need to converse with, okay? Not to sound rude or anything, but just hold onto that thought." I threw him a confused wave of my hoof and trotted out, all the while pondering on the awkwardness of that conversation.


I didn't hear him move, and suspected he was just standing there the entire time as I walked down the hall. Then I faintly heard his words through the wall: "What the hell is wrong with that guy? Doesn't he know anything about mares and their needs?"


I thought to myself as I turned a corner. "Needs? Hm... food, water, air, healthcare, socialization... that's about it. Can't imagine what else he could be talking about. They don't need anything else... do they?" Just then I passed by a painting of a Roaman general and a mare, both intertwined in each other's hooves. My eyes lingered on the general, and where one of his hooves was at: on the mare's flanks.


Flanks... hm...


Wait...


I facehoofed, groaning as I continued on to my destination. "Of course! How could I forget! I need to give Myst a massage one of these days around her hindquarters; all that galloping must have made her sore."


Content at my discovery and the accompanying course of action, I didn't think any more on what mares needed. After all, they didn't need much else.

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

"There's not much to it," Vesperius replied half-mindedly as he wrote simultaneously on several different pieces of paper. "I asked the tribune. He doesn't know either. Apparently the praefect approached several hundred of the guards and... convinced them to go to wherever he plans to go."


Well, that wasn't a response I liked. "So you're telling me there's... what, nothing else to it? They left under these extremely suspicious circumstances and... and you don't know? No one knows? I find it very hard to accept this." And that was an understatement. When I asked questions, I wanted answers that gave context.


He looked up at me sympathetically, his hooves still jotting down notes. "I know you do. Several of the senators, I'm guessing, will be very dumbfounded when they find out. But I truly couldn't be bothered by it. I mean... they're independent. No matter who we are, no matter who I am, I have no jurisdiction over them. Even during the war, once a soldier entered the guard, they answered literally only to the emperor. That's just how it works with them. We didn't expect them to mind us at all when we came up, let alone supplement our forces with military intelligence. That was far more than we thought we could get from them."


I sighed and rolled my eyes around, leaning forward against the table. "I... understand. They're their own people. I got that well enough. What I just can't accept is that... no, what I can't find it in me to forget it for is... well..." I paused, scrunching up my face and groaning.


"Yes?" he drawled. "You can share just about anything with me, Goldwreath. Not only are you in the presence of a zebra who in his opinion can keep secrets, but the gods occasionally converse with me about their dealings with us mortals -- one of which is you -- and what they see in our heads. I'll find out eventually."


I stared down at him for a moment. "That is one of the creepiest things I have ever heard, but I... well, I guess I'll talk anyway."


He smiled, putting away a few papers and setting them aside. "Excellent." He clapped his hooves together, "G.L.A.D.I.U.S, please do materialize a chair for the guest, please."


"Mode -- PERFORMING TASK." The air around me seemed to ripple at the AI's announcement, scintillating and rippling with golden energy. Before I knew it there was a perfectly solid chair where once had been nothing but air. I spent a moment admiring the technology before taking my seat.


"Thank you, G.L.A.D.I.U.S. Much appreciated." I smiled, turning my attention to the Legate in front of me. I did my best not to mind the two guards who stood motionless and silent nearby. If it weren't for the fact that I could hear their raspy breaths I would have thought them to be statues.


"So," Vesperius started, noticing my slight unease at the presence of the guards. He flicked a hoof once, and both guards took several impossibly synchronized steps to the side. "What's this mysterious detail you find difficult to share? And be as honest as you can; I prefer to not have to kill another kitten to get Apollo's attention on a matter you're involved with."


"You know, if you were speaking like this to me two days ago, I'd have started arguing how gods don't exist instead of telling you, but things have changed." And with that extremely feverish and life-threatening night in mind, I continued softly, "The... the 'gods' spoke to me."


"I know they have, that's why I'm talking to you more openly about them," he replied simply. "Now, the detail? I'd prefer to not use up all ten minutes of my allotted free time branching off into different conversations."


I nodded, clearing my throat. Then I just let it slip out, "Okay. I hate the praefect." Hate was a strong word, of course, but in the five minutes we'd spoken he'd proven to be an almost polar opposite manifestation of the things I believed to be good for Roam. And of course, he just couldn't be right in his beliefs.


He shrugged. "Not a very surprising thing. I hear the guards growl that under their breath in the few times they speak of their own accord. You're not the first to say it. When the executors of the cohorts planned their moves in this very room, several of the more idealistic of them grew a disdain for the praefect's stubborn, ultra-Roaman-supremacist attitude. Sure, the executors are almost all exclusively pro-Roaman, but... not to his extent."


"Huh." I brought a hoof up to my lip, thinking. "Well, glad I'm not the only one who finds him disturbing. Even more so now after that occurrence this morning. Ultra-Roaman-supremacist praefect with an almost drone-like guard force of roughly four-hundred praetorians... that just spells trouble to me. And from the way the troops who saw it were acting, they found it troubling as well."


"Yes, I got Flavianicus's report just recently." He pulled up an envelope and showed it to me, and I saw that upon it was written: 'Vespy's reports. No touchie unless your Vespy (or Flavy, aka me)'. I rose a brow at the way it was worded, and as he put it away he said, "Yes, I do find his writing style childish... not at all like Delvius's unnamed book."


His expression suddenly lit up. "Ah, yes! Speaking of him, I just want to tell you that I'm perfectly fine with him accompanying you. I can't offer any support for you, though. I am sorry, but as a zebra of organization and with a sacred vow to the senate's valuable resources, I can't make exceptions to the rules right off the bat. You want my support? You'll need to have him go through all the official organizations, and that's what you were trying to avoid the whole time I presume."


"Yeah, it was," I nodded. "In either case, just knowing you're fine with him accompanying me is good enough. Takes a little load off my chest." But, as was always the case, once a problem was gone another took its place. And so after a moment I added, "I'm scared for him, though. The things we're going to be fighting... they make me shudder." And to prove it, my body gave an involuntary shake.


He nodded, looking down. "I understand. But what was that Flavianicus said... something about fence-sitters... oh yes. 'Fence-sitters are safe but are unremarkable', to paraphrase. But take comfort and don't worry too much for him; he is supposed to be with you. Once a person is given the favor of the gods, then by all laws no enemy can stand against him. You and your friends have survived and met the people you have because you were ordained to achieve such things. For him, it is no different." He gave a reassuring smile.


Again, I nodded. I didn't believe the crap about Tom 'ordaining' our lives, though... it was something I felt a sudden urge to talk him about. Nevertheless, I took his reassurances. "Maybe, maybe..." was all I said.


"You doubt?" he asked, cocking his head sideways.


I didn't doubt. I knew Tom wasn't that powerful. But for his sake, I would lie. "No, no. I met them, remember?" At that he relaxed, taking my response as acceptable. "I just... well, much as you say I shouldn't worry... I still do. I mean, chimeras... damn."


His eyebrows rose. "Ah, chimeras..." he murmured as he shifted in his seat, rubbing his chin. "So that's what they are. Yes, it makes sense... the dragon snouts, the manticore wings and tail, the cockatrice eyes... it all makes so much sense."


"You know of them as well?" I asked, leaning back against my seat. Maybe there was still hope for having the entirety of the Legion fight the chimeras...


He recoiled back, looking askance. "Of course I do!" he said as if insulted, going for a piece of paper. "Yes, they're right here: 'With these organs petrify; black armor; hellish red eyes', yadda yadda. So on and so forth. If there's one person in the entirety of the blood that sprang forth from the shelter below that knows all there is to know upon written and typed mediums, it is I. Never doubt that I know it if it involves files, folders, scrolls, or envelopes."


I waved my hooves around. "Alright, alright. You know everything that's on paper or is digitalized. Now, the chimeras. Can you help me annihilate them or not?" I leaned forward and looked into his eyes.


He looked up at me for a moment, then glanced aside as conflicted thoughts ran through his mind. Then he sighed. "Goldwreath, if I could have done anything about them I would have. Trust me. I understand the severity of their threat; even the gods are cautious of the Great Destroyer who manipulates them. But I have my orders, and can act only within their parameters. If I disobey them and reroute too much of the senate's resources, there'll be hell to pay. Then I will be causing chaos, and that will be detrimental to all of the Legion's efforts." He shook his head, clicking his tongue before looking up at me. "No. If there's anything I can do to assist you, it is making sure the Legion's petty politics and organizational detriments don't hinder your efforts out there. But anything else -- resources, troops, specialists... those will need senatorial approval."


I blew hot air out my nose. "I keep hearing of this 'senate'... they're really starting to piss me off. I need to talk to them and convince them of this threat, because I don't want Roam to be ended by the ignorance of some old farts sitting in a circle and talking about... about politics."


He smirked, tapping a quill against the inkwell it drew ink from. "I understand your frustration, but I have tried convincing them already. It's the same old excuse: 'We can't act on hunches.' And even more irritating is they have one just for my case: 'We can't act on our pontifex maximus' visions because the notion of the gods talking to him is very unlikely.' Pfft, idiots. Why did they even assign me as the high priest if they won't listen to me?" He rolled his eyes in contempt.


"Fucking hell... how did these guys get elected?"


"By administrating and creating a thriving subterranean civilization, that's how," he replied, grimacing as if angered. "But they fail to understand that the exodus changes everything; we aren't just the base any more -- we are Roam's hope of revival. We need to act on it, not idle around. But they continue to cling to the same policies that worked for them when all they had to manage was the Maximilian-class shelter. Beyond the compulsory creation of the cohorts, they do little more. Now we have a whole city to save, and they're... they're fucking slow!" he growled, then huffed angrily, "Gods, I'll be giving them a piece of my mind when they get up here."


"Get up here?" I asked, cocking my head. "As in here? On the surface?"


He let out a hot breath, trying to relax. "Yes, here. I said they were slow, not inactive. Within the week -- maybe three days -- they'll shift their power center from the senate house down below to this Forum. Accompanying them will be the cohors urbanae -- the urban cohorts, the ones specialized to the rebuilding of Roam. The other cohorts are just the fighters. Hopefully the senate'll see how badly they need to speed things up once they get here." He huffed.


Hm, yes... lots of new information, very good. "So they'll be up here... that means I can convince them of the threat. I can convince the entire Legion of the threat!" I hopped off my seat. "Yes. That's what needs to be done!"


He gave me a sad, amused smile. "So ambitious..." he murmured. "Well, Goldwreath, be my guest. They'll not listen to you, most likely -- they'll probably blow you off as a... a degenerate or something. But go ahead."


I frowned. "You give me the go ahead, yet you don't sound very hopeful or enthusiastic," I pointed out.


He sighed, shrugging. "When it comes to the senate... well, I've come to expect the worst. At least in terms of how well they take anything that could shatter their policies. But like I said, go ahead and try. Maybe you can actually convince them." His smile turned a bit more sincere, and suddenly a flicker lit up in his eyes that banished his hopelessness. "Wait... wait, you actually can convince them!" He got up, pacing back and forth behind his table. With every moment that he spent, tapping his chin and mumbling to himself, his enthusiasm grew. "Yes... yes, kill one and bring its corpse back. That will show them. It will have to," he muttered, then looked at me and leaned against the table. "It will have to!" he hissed.


I grinned, "Now you're thinking positive. Fuck the senate, we have an enemy and a plan to deal with them -- and seeing as I have no solid plan for the future at my hooves, this is twice as good for me. When my friends and I go out next time I will go out and, though it may be a bad idea, I will look for a chimera and kill it. Then I will bring it back and hope to the gods that the senate recognizes the threat."


He nodded hectically, forming a grin of his own as he pulled away. I never expected to see him this fired up. "Yes, they will. I'm sure of it. They're unwilling to believe, but they're not stupid. They will recognize the threat. I know it." He took in a deep sigh, then after composing himslef sat back down. Opening his eyes, he said peacefully, "Ah, such a good feeling to finally have a plan for this problem. After being tied up managing the physical affairs of the Legion... well, it's good to have someone to act on what I've been too busy to."


"Well, glad to hear it," I said as I took my seat again. "Just keep those restrictions off me and I'll do my best to bring those creatures to the light. After that... assuming the senate recognizes the threat... I hope to see a Legion at war with Roam's great enemy."


He smirked, "Well, it's something to hope for." By this point the flame of his enthusiasm had died down, and though mine had not, I was not going to let my own energy diminish by talking to him about it. "So that's it then. You came to talk, and we have talked. Now we have a plan, with both of us having a precious stake in its success. Am I correct in my summary?"


I nodded. "Pretty much, yes. Far more than I expected to get out of this visit... at most, I just hoped to just... talk." But of course, my life was far too eventful to ever be that simple. Ah well, at least this time the things that sprang forth were helpful.


He nodded as well. "Well then, if I may say so without sounding rude or making our previous conversation seem irrelevant... I really must get back to work. I leave everything involving those creatures to you; they are our enemy but your charge. My place is on this desk with these papers, and it will continue to be so until you can force the change we both seek. After the change has come... well, gods forbid things turn for the worse."


"They won't," I said determinedly. "This change I plan to force, I plan to make it all for Roam's glory. I will do all it will take to make sure it succeeds. And if it takes a thousand chimera heads to convince the senate, then so be it. But I will not have Roam's last embers of life snuffed out by fools in togas."


The tone of my voice gave him pause, but he nodded. "Very good. Then please do leave me for now; we'll have time to talk later tonight. For now, rest. That is why you are here. It is not good to push oneself at all times, even within one's limits -- if contempt is bred by dangers and the things we do to plan for them, then you will become a walking figure of grim hate. I'm sure neither of us want that."


I got up. "Of course we don't. You're right, I should rest. It's just... I can't find it in me to let my time slip by without having done something relevant with it. Maybe it's the OCD my friend said I have or something else, but it's just me."


He smirked as he started going back to his paperwork. "Ah, OCD... an affliction both helpful and detrimental. In this case, neither. But it should be modulated nonetheless -- rest for now. Within these walls, leave at least half of your problems behind. This is one of the last few sanctuaries of true peace in Roam, maybe even the world. I will not have it destroyed or interrupted unless at the utmost dire of need."


I got up, nodding in concession to his wishes. "I will do my best to not stir up trouble, then. And so if there's nothing else, I will depart." I waited for half a moment to see if there was anything else, but nothing came up. Giving a polite bow, I turned around and went for the door again. The chair dematerialized as I left, and the guards approached their original positions. But as I finally reached the doors and pushed them open, I had the distinct feeling that there was more yet to be done and said before I would rest. That was always the case. Always another question to be asked, always another concern to be tackled... I'd be lying if I said I'd gotten used to it.


I wasn't wrong in my suspicion. The moment I reentered the main hall and closed the heavy doors behind me, Justinian the tribune said quietly as he leaned against the side of the doorway, "So you hate him, too." There was something in his voice. A slight bit of hesitation, like he wished he didn't have to use a word he used.


I wasn't quite surprised he'd listened in on that conversation; I had passed by him and asked him if Vesperius was okay for a visit. I suppose I had piqued his interest. What I was surprised about was that he had heard at all. Were those walls not soundproof, or did he simply have very good hearing? "If you mean the praefect, then yes," I replied simply, making him bow his head and sigh. "Don't you?" I asked concernedly.


"I do... but at the same time I don't ," he answered solemnly, pulling his head up and looking at me with eyes that were dark and sad. I was surprised at how immensely miserable he looked.


"Something wrong?"


He averted his gaze down the hall, giving a mirthless little chuckle and sighing. "Oh, the same things," he said half-mindedly as he trotted a little ways down the left curved hall of the Forum. I followed. "The same sanity-shrivelling days of silence and predictability, except with the twist of what happened earlier. I thought any change to daily routine of patrolling empty halls would be good... I guess I was wrong."


He stopped and leaned against some railings overlooking a relatively small circular chamber, at the bottom of which was a meeting table surrounded by chairs of fine make. It didn't take a genius to immediately know that this was a far less important meeting room, probably even just a place where people of high status spoke of regular things that weren't necessarily classified.


Leaning against the railings myself, I said, "So the praefect took four-hundred or so of you guys out into the city. You don't know why and you couldn't have done anything about it. I know I don't have much right to say it, but I think you should just let it go." Surely it wasn't easy, considering the fact that they'd all spent two-hundred plus years together, but holding onto things like that just didn't get him anything.


"I should," he replied, nodding idly. "But... I can't. I just can't, okay? I can't bring myself to despise him, no matter how much I want to." Clicking his tongue and leaning forward, he looked over at me and said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper, "He is my friend... no, was my friend. Before he became the praefect, we were like two olives on a tree. Then he got his position and... slowly, very slowly but very absolutely, he became what he is now." With a broken laugh and a strained voice he continued, "Haha, such a shame... such a shame. You know, back then we could have shared things even our parents couldn't know. Now? Now I feel as though existence itself is laughing at my efforts to believe that there's still anything left of the person I called my brother."

"Oh." I bowed my head, swallowing hard. Well, that made things extra hard for him. To see a friend transforming into an enemy must have been painful, maddening even. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I didn't know you were listening in; had I been aware, I could have talked of something else. It's just that the way he acted... I thought he was just always like that. It never occurred to me what he was to you."


He straightened up, hissing as though in pain. "It's fine. I have my ways of dealing with it. Most of the time I just don't think about what happened to him. When I'm forced to by circumstance, I go somewhere where there are different memories... like here." He gestured over the chamber. "This was where the past praefects and tribunes used to meet with important visitors. You can't see them, but the walls have hidden doorways through which servants could have come through to tend to the needs of individuals. I myself didn't know until I was already being served, all those years ago." He chuckled softly but fondly; a pleasant change from the sorrowful and solemn tones of our previous conversation.


"That sounds lovely," I commented, trying to build up on his lightened mood. "So tell me, who did you usually meet in this place? Legates? Senators? High-level patricians?"


He nodded to each. "All of those, yes. Often, too. Four times a week, at least. When the guard's officers weren't fighting or on duty, we settled disputes among the higher-ups of the zebra government. The emperor had given us that explicit, unquestionable authority -- in our presence, powerful or no, you were subject to our judgement. Of course, the emperor still had the final say. We just cleared all the details up and put the whole case in a nice clean envelope that went to his throne." He paused, clicking his tongue, "Huh... now that I think about it, I get the feeling we weren't actually needed. Great, another negative notion." He sighed.


"Oh, that's ridiculous," I commented. "You were needed, don't think otherwise. Saving someone the need to extract information can make all the difference between him giving up on judging a case or not. I'd say you played a more significant role that you think." After all, investigating was almost the entirety of the process of solving a case. The final judgement was just the small but culminating event, but like they say: the journey beats the destination.


He looked over to me and gave a tiny chuckle. "Maybe, maybe... I wish I could feel as certain about it as you seem to, though. Even if my past life in the guard doesn't matter anymore, the uncertainty and doubt stemming from the decisions I made still... still haunts me."


"We all make mistakes," I replied, putting a hoof to my chest. "I am no exception, you are no exception, Vesperius is no exception; hell, even the gods, according to mythology, made mistakes." And if Tom really was 'the gods', then he -- possessing a personality and desires -- could make mistakes as much as any other. Anyone who thought themselves perfect was a fool, no exceptions.


"I know, I know," he replied simply. "But some of the things I-..." He stopped abruptly, then took in a shuddering breath. "... some of the things we praetorians did in the Empire's last years... mistakes. Terrible mistakes." And with that said, his voice quieted down to a near whisper as he murmured, "Especially the things that involved that damned legate..."


'Damned legate'. The two words echoed in my head. Decarius had used the Shadow Corps and put them to use in attacking Equestria and doing... other questionable things. He was candidate number one. Autherius had commanded the dragon fleets and had apparently worked with Decarius on some of their exploits. He was candidate number two. Time to ask of them in that order. "I'm sorry, but... this legate... why do you dislike him?" I asked in the most innocently curious and non-interrogative voice I could muster.


"Reasons," he replied flatly, shifting uncomfortably and nervously as he looked over the chamber. He clearly didn't want to continue, but at my increasingly curious look he sighed, "He, uh... said things to us, did things to us. I don't know how or why, exactly; he always met with very specific praetorians, and no one else, whenever he'd interact with us. That made us uneasy. I started hearing the guards' hushed voices echoing down the halls, their suspicion simmering through the air like radiation. There was talk of some of us no longer being themselves. Whispers of conspiracy, murmurs of foul and unholy plans..." He shivered.


Hoping to urge him on, I prodded, "And then?"


"And then? Well, then he somehow got my friend's undying, unshakable loyalty!" he replied incredulously. "I don't know how. He tore the guard in two in mere weeks -- between those of us who started following him like the emperor himself, and those of us who still knew their loyalties. Soon the latter side didn't even exist; the praefect -- my friend -- commanded us to fall in, even saying the emperor gave him authority. So we had to. Out sacramentum demanded it; the invocation of the emperor's name demanded it. I wanted to question it. So many of us who I could have still called praetorians wanted to question it, but..." His voice trailed off as he bowed his head, sighing.


"But what? Why didn't you question?" I asked softly. I watched for a few moments as he fidgeted with his hooves and looked around as if trying to distract himself.


I was certain he wouldn't answer by the time he finally did. "We couldn't," he admitted, shaking his head. "By that time it was too late. We were praetorians, sworn to Roam's protection and the defense of her holdings and her emperor when all others failed. But instead of doing just those, we were being run around the city almost every day doing the things the cohors urbanae were supposed to do. It was almost as if we were being kept from the presence of the emperor. Most of us didn't get to see him for months on end, and when we did it just wasn't the same. No more words were shared, no greetings thrown our way." With a haunted, distant look in his dark eyes he intoned quietly, "He was always there, that legate. Right at Augustinius Caesar's side, smiling... smiling with the glimmer of madness in his eyes." He took a deep breath, then let it out with a tremble.


Okay, anything with 'Shadow Corps' and I might have suspected Decarius. But all that? Was it him? There was only one way to find out. "And who was this guy?" He looked up at me with narrowed eyes, as if skeptical why I cared. "Just curious. He sounds like someone anyone who cares for Roam's history should know of." His eyes narrowed all the more. I withdrew in fake surrender. "Alright, you don't have to answer. Just... wondering."


My withdrawal seemed to turn off several barriers in his head. He looked over the chamber for a moment, sighed, and said flatly, "His name was Decarius. Close confidante of the emperor and co-partner of legate Autherius in their operations to conduct specialized -- sometimes unconventional -- defensive and offensive warfare against the Equestrians. All the other legates were focused on the more common forms of warfare, you see, and left it to them to do things that would turn the tide of war."


So it was him... son of a bitch. Well, add 'wrecking the praetorian guard' to the list of things Decarius did. "And you... you feel regret about it all?" Slowly, he nodded. I sighed; yeah, I could understand. It really was something to feel bad about to have participated in that zebra's schemes, whether he understood the depth of Decarius' involvement with Tod or not. But it wasn't his fault. Like many who didn't deserve what they got, he had been dragged into it and forced to participate. I suppose, given that all those who were involved in Decarius' Tod-influenced existence seemed to turn loyal to him, it was a blessing just to have someone from back then who had long kept his mind his own.


Everything was quiet for a while after that. I suppose all the recollecting of his past after the troubling event earlier that day had done a number on him. I tried to bear with it, even as my deep desire to keep conversing boiled within me. Finally he looked to me and said casually, "Well, enough about me. My life has fallen into maddening routine, broken only by what has happened today. Now for your concerns."


Turning around and laying his back against the railing he said, "I heard about your plans in there. I didn't quite get most of it, especially that part about chimeras, but I just want to tell you to be careful when you get back out there. Roam's more dangerous than you think. As a praetorian I wasn't privy to much of the classified things my government did, but I got the gist of it. Desperation got a hold of us the moment ponies set armed hooves on our soil. We did things, bad things... some of which I don't think are over."


As if the Tod-Tom conflict and my own head rebelling against me wasn't enough... well, life in the wasteland was never fair or kind, only less cruel and harsh. "Like those huge guns in the mountains? The... the defense network, as I've heard of in memory orbs?" I asked skeptically.


He looked at me for a moment. "So you've been viewing memory orbs, the gates to my time... well, if you wish to open doors to the troubled and convoluted past and introduce your life to its madness, then that is your choice. Good because it means you will be more prepared when the past inevitably reaches out for you in your adventures, but bad because you have to get involved at all." He sighed. "In either case, yes, like the network. Decarius' biggest defensive project, that. The emperor convinced him, as one of the shareholders of Roam's money, to divert a staggering twenty-five percent of the Empire's funds to constructing several miles of the most advanced defensive array you'll ever believe to have existed."


"And yet Roam was ruined and its people killed. It didn't work," I grumbled.


He shrugged. "It did and it didn't. The network is the only reason I know of that Roam and her holdings are not all wasteland -- the reason our lands can support life and civilization still. Those guns shot down almost every megaspell sent at us at the war's end. All but fifty of them. I should know; when those fifty hit our soil, we guards stood in a great circle around this place and just watched... it was terrible. Still, to Decarius we owe our lives... but I'll never find it in me to feel any better about him."


"Neither will I," I replied. "Do you think he built the network because he wanted to? Because I saw a memory orb or two with him in it, and frankly I just... don't think so."


"I absolutely know he didn't want to," he replied with a huff. "I knew that bastard. He always spoke of a 'new, perfect Roam' where its citizens were 'perfect and in the stars with the gods', but he never liked the common zebra. Public appearances aside, that legate would always look at any below him with contempt, and he would always say, when questioned, that he did so because he saw their many imperfections and considered them unworthy to be Roamans. Bah, like he was perfect!" he spat. Seething, he continued, "So no, he didn't do it because he wanted to. I just know it. He had an ulterior motive. I'll go so far as to say he may have been the one to select who went into the Roaman Stables, seeing as only the rich and influential families were allowed in, and none else."


I had no trouble believing all that but that final detail. "My family, I think, wasn't exactly rich or influential, and yet I came from a Stable. See?" I showed him my Pipbuck as proof I wasn't lying.


He just shook his head as he looked down at it. "A Stable, yes, but not a Roaman one. You come from a freelance zebra Stable -- there were plenty of those, constructed because most legates still had the heart to see the value of the common Roaman and of the Equestrians who had decided to give their loyalties to Roam. But without the Roaman state's official support on their construction, these Stables were not given predetermined lots and did not meet the absurdly high quality standards the emperor set for the official state-owned Stables. In fact they may not have been created at all had Autherius been of like mind to Decarius. If only the emperor had given him the reigns to forging Roam's plans for the future... things may have been different."


I nodded. I had questioned why the Legion, who came from a Stable as well (albeit one that was apparently very different from my home), did not possess Pipbucks. Now I knew -- like with Roam's separation of its citizens as Roamans and non-Roamans (the latter being comprised mostly of modernized tribes from Roam's classical age), they divided even those who took shelter from the apocalypse as Roamans and -- judging from the almost nonexistent culture of any zebra race in my previous home -- Equestrians. The Pipbuck, a pony invention, served as the dividing mark, I suppose. Not that it mattered what kind of Stable I came from; I was alive and others were alive, and that was all that mattered.


Suddenly I heard the clunking and clattering of metal armor and weapons from down the hall. Justinian heard it too, and we both finally withdrew from the railings entirely and looked down the curve of the Forum's halls.


Praetorians, fifteen of them, arrayed in a... well, it would have been a column formation if there weren't gigantic gaps in between each of them where, it looked, other praetorians would have been in if the majority of them had not gone. They were marching down the hall towards us, maintaining their spacing rather than compressing to form at least a square. There was something oddly grim and depressing about seeing them like that. Not adjusting to the absence of so many of them, like all they knew anymore was their unchanging routine... it was sad.


Justinian sighed and took a step forward to meet them, and they stopped right in front of him. Rendering the Roaman salute, one of them greeted him, "Ave, tribune!" I knew the voice. Tintulius was his name, if I remembered right.


Immediately after the greeting the others followed suit with their own, "Ave, tribune!" The force of their greeting felt weak and flat in the face of their diminished number and the large hall: something that made me feel all the more saddened at their loss. Some of them were slumped and looked to their sides at the great empty spaces separating them from each other; they were feeling the void of their lacking comrades, too.


And Justinian noticed. Breathing a heavy sigh he ordered, "Praetorians, square the formation. Move."


The guards' eyes were all on him in an instant, baffled glimmers in their eyes. "S-square the formation, sir?" one of them asked uncertainly. "Don't we... maintain spacing? In case they return?They will return, won't they?"


Justinian shook his head slowly. "No. And don't expect them to." His words spread worried murmurs through them like wildire. "Now... square the formation, move."


This time they followed, if extremely tentatively. It was clear they'd never had to do it before. Bumping into each other and causing a clamor, each guard fumbled around and attempted to find some manner of placing himself into the new arrangement. A full minute passed by the time the fifteen praetorians finally found a suitable spot, and even then their uncertainty showed in their constant movement of the head and of the torso.


Justinian shook his head sadly, then looked over at me. "Well, Goldwreath, I must go. The talk we just had, I much appreciate. But while I wish I could vent all the things that have been bottled up in this head of mine, there are people who need me to guide them. To try to get them through this uncertain time. Like me, they are the last of the guard who still own themselves... and like me they know nothing else but the routine they've gone through each day for decades."


I tapped his shoulder and smiled. "Go and get to it, then. Be the leader your friend failed to be."


He paused for a moment as if unsure of how to feel, then nodded anxiously. Breathing deep and slow, he trotted forward to stand at the head of small square. Then, casting one final glance over at me, he ordered, "Praetorianos, processit iter!" And then down the hall they went as a clattering mass, until finally they vanished down the curve.


When they had gone I found myself alone, as if the situation was begging for me to reflect and ponder. Add in the goldmine of context I had just gotten and it certainly seemed like my singular purpose at the time was to process the new information. But I didn't. Perhaps I had finally gotten tired of overthinking things (or perhaps the things I had to think on simply came in great volumes at a time rather than as a smaller, constant stream, in which case I rightly should have been thinking hard), or perhaps I simply didn't quite care as much as I should have anymore, but all I did was get up, whistle a tune, and start trotting back to my room.


'Why do I even still care? Tod was involved with Decarius, but now he's dead. Whatever he did doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I stop Tod, and nothing else. All other things are optional,' I thought.


'Indeed, that's true,' I thought... I did think that, right? 'Everything else is optional. In fact, come to think of it... everything but living is optional. I should just stay here with my friends, in safety. Let the past be and... just actually live a life. A plain, normal, uneventful life. '


Yeah... maybe I should...


I mentally smirked... but why did I smirk? This wasn't exactly something to laugh over. 'I should. I really should. I mean, why the hell do I have to trouble myself with the past? It's over, it's done... trying to unravel it has gotten me nothing but trouble.'


True, true. And to be honest, it's not like I actually benefited from learning how some legates worked behind the headlines to pursue their ambitions. I really was just curious. It was that simple. Maybe the chimeras I needed a little more info on, but aside from that... nothing.


There was another smirk. 'Ah, but curiosity killed the cat. I don't want to die... I really should just give up on this shit. Nothing but pain has it brought me and my friends... it even fucking split my head in two!'


Yeah, it did. I wasn't like I could escape Tod or my alter-ego even if I just dropped all the things I did, but it sure as hell would have made things just so much... simpler, easier, better. I could focus myself helping in other ways aside from being on the front. Give advice, talk to the soldiers... that sort of thing. I could even actually try to solve some of my friends' problems. Skyfire was sticking with me for now, but I had to face it: this wasn't the life for her. She could go back to the Enclave, and I could help her do that. Predator would be himself, and he'd repeat the cycle of acting as a deranged maniac before turning to an oddly caring murderer. If I dropped my fights, I might actually even have the patience to deal with his shit. Zaita needed help with her sudden identity crisis. For the innocence and joy of Doodle, I could find her a home in the city. And for Myst... well, she deserved a stallion that was there for her instead of talking to himself all the time, arguing over ideals and philosophies... I could be that stallion. And I could help them all.


But only if I dropped my fights.


'The only option now is clear,' my voice said in my head. There was something... off about how it sounded, and how I felt about my own words. 'I'm just afraid to take the leap. But fear is an illusion; I know what has to be done, don't I? For the sake of those I care for... I must stop this madness.'


I stopped right where I was, then calmly looked around for the nearest reflective surface. It was a nice piece of silver, mounted onto a metal stand above a wooden table. I trotted over to it, then looked at myself.


'Why am I looking at myself? It's stupid,' my voice grumbled.


"Yeah? You know what else is stupid? You," I said aloud, noticing the very visible green glow in my eyes. Blinking it away and staring myself in the eyes I said, "The next time you try to influence my thoughts, take into account that, though you are me, the real me will always believe in the necessity of hardships to accomplish great things. Nothing good ever comes out of the easy way out."


With that said my face involuntarily twisted into an angry scowl. 'You'd think so!' he screamed in my head. 'But the new world will be full of individuals who know the truth! The truth that the established morals and order of things must die to make way for the new! You're too blind to see it -- too blinded by your pride! And too blinded by the light of the false gods!'


My face contorted into all manners of expressions, all filled with chaos and hate. And there was a wail, terrible and maddening, screeching in my head like the deathcry of a demon. I stumbled forward and struggled to keep myself up, until at last the pain subsided and was left slumping against the wooden table, numb and out of breath.


When I finally recovered I was... not much better. I could still feel him in there, like the foreboding rumble of thunder before a storm. He could strike at any moment, and knew my weak points as well as I did. He was formidable, but I had to remember: he was just me. Rather, another version of me, but simply without a body. Nonetheless I was terrified of him, and I knew that being alone only made my situation more precarious. I was paranoid, and dared not move from where I was.


Just then two praetorians passed by, neither minding me. One of them carried an odd ornament: a decorative Legion eagle, the symbol of Jupiter the Optimus Maximus, the Conservator, and the Victor. It looked down at me, those golden eagle eyes. I swear they did. They twinkled blue like stars, the light piercing into me until the standard passed by. And even when it had gone I felt... strong, confident, unafraid. My inner turmoil had died down, leaving me feeling like I hadn't been assaulted at all. And even more comforting? Our positions had been reversed; now, I could tell, he was the one feeling paranoid, and I was the one on the high ground.


Just then it was made very clear to me that I was being watched over. Tod and his powers were always at work, yes. But so was Tom, and Tom had proven to be more powerful. Perhaps he couldn't do everything and he wasn't always available to help, but he was there.


And he was on my side.


The thought made me sigh in relief and kept him quiet as I continued on down to my destination. "I guess you'll think twice before trying again, won't you?" I asked sardonically.


He didn't answer, but then again I knew he wouldn't. And anyway, I knew the answer.

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

After what had happened earlier, it was a blessing to see that all was normal in my absence; perhaps my absence was the reason things were normal at all, seeing as I'd gotten myself involved in some very deep shit. Whatever the circumstance, seeing Doodle and Delvius together on the couch and just talking brought some warmth to my heart. And as I stepped in, I overheard a segment of what they were conversing of.


"... very good technique you have there," Delvius commented as he watched Doodle handle a pencil over a piece of paper. "I... well, I actually don't know anyone else who can draw this well. It's amazing!"


"Thanks!" she piped in reply, beaming a grin his way. "My ma and pa said that it's my special talent; it's even on my flanks, see?" She showed him the pencil and sketchpad in her outer thighs.


He nodded, "Even still, you had to have practiced. I mean, look..." He scooted over and pointed at something on the paper. "That's Goldwreath -- look at all the detail! The fur, the toga, th-the mane! Don't tell me you just drew that out of the blue, because I won't believe it."


"Oh, I didn't just draw it," she replied, leaning forward to look at me as I took more steps into the room. "I spent lots of time looking, too! I just remember how they look, and drawing them is as easy as how well I remember them."


He pursed his lips and shook his head as he noticed me as well. "But still-..."


"I don't get it either," I cut in, and sat down beside him. "She drew something once. It was of Skyfire. Detail was... impeccable. Shading was sublime. I didn't even ask how she did it because honestly... I couldn't have cared less how. I just saw something worth admiring and gave it what it deserved." I smiled as Doodle's grin widened at my compliment. Then I pointed a hoof at her, "So you, little filly, deserve an award. I'm sure there's something around here I can give you... like this belly rub!"


I rushed forward and lifted her into the air, making her giggle in glee and surprise. Then I threw her up and caught her just in time for the promised tickling. She laughed and her face went red, and so I stopped to let her catch her breath. She must have been sensitive down there, as even after I stopped her legs still kicked and flailed.


We let her catch her breath. It was taking her a while. "So how'd it go with Zaita?" I asked quickly.


He snickered. "Good, actually. It- she was very welcoming to the idea of another passenger. I didn't get most of what she said; I'm a soldier, not a wordbank. There were two points she made very clear to me, though: one, she likes elevator music; and two, she not only accepts me, but she also views me as a... well, a 'positive influence'."


"Considering I'm besieged by the lunacy of this entire wasteland and Myst and Skyfire are both slightly unstable, I suppose she's right," I said with a light laugh, but one that was dark and mirthless.


He rose an eyebrow. "Yes, well... I hope to be just that. I'll assist however I can, don't worry. It's kind of my job, being an auxiliary. That is, assuming I live." He shuddered.


"You'll be fine," I assured him. He seemed to question my certainty, and I shrugged, "Ask your pontifex maximus, the Legate. He seemed sure you'd be fine."


He nodded, his face skeptical. "Well... a topic of conversation for when we meet, then."


It was then that Doodle finally got herself under control. "Ah, mister Goldwreath knows my sensitive spots so well," she murmured as she recovered. She sniffed and suddenly blurted out, "MISTER GOLDWREATH, ARE YOU A FILLY-FOOLER?"


Delvius seemed to choke, and he coughed and looked to her with parental scorn. "Doodle, we don't ask questions like that!" he hissed, then scowled, "In the same way we don't throw food at people and choke them with olives. Have you learned nothing from the talk we had earlier?"


Her ears went flat against her head, and she frowned. "Sowwy mister Delvius..." she apologized, then looked to me. "Sowwy mister Goldwreath," she pouted.


Though Delvius seemed satisfied at her apology, I wasn't mad at her to begin with. "It's fine, Doodle. I don't even know what a filly-fooler is, so I can't take offense."


Delvius and Doodle both seemed surprised. Then Doodle grinned, "Oh, that's easy! A filly-fooler is-..."


Delvius hastily crammed a hoof into her wide-open mouth. "... nothing! A filly-fooler is nothing! Haha, nothing!" he laughed, then slowly averted his eyes down to the filly. "Am I right?"


She nodded, her saliva forming a seal around his hoof. "Good." And with that he withdrew his limb, then grimaced and looked down at it. "Yeah, I'll go wash..." He stood up, "Try not to learn anything... wrong... while I'm away."


"Alright, sure..." I drawled, twisting my face in confusion as he stood up and left. Then I looked down and saw Doodle continuing her work. Curiously, I moved closer and observed her new creation.


I'll be damned...


Wherever this filly honed her skills, I don't care. The point is that she was damned, unbelievably good! Like before, the shading and the details were absolutely excellent in just about every way, down to the smallest strokes. And this time it was even more impressive because it was all of us -- me, sitting where I was earlier in the day when I introduced Delvius to the group; Skyfire on the edge of a couch, her plasma rifles right at her side; Myst, wrapped around my hoof and looking anxious as always; Doomtune, bobbing to music; Delvius, talking to the rest of us. Even Zaita was drawn, hovering over the balcony. Indeed, it was a piece of art that was... honestly the best I'd seen in itself and not as a photograph or replica.


There was just one little thing I didn't like about it. "Listen, I know you like Predator and all, but was it really appropriate to draw him with us? I mean, he wasn't here..." Neither was Zaita, of course, but I just really didn't want him in the drawing.


She giggled. "Oh mister Goldwreath, you're so funny! Yes he was! He was right behind you, just like in the drawing."


My blood ran cold.


"That's... ridiculous," I stammered. "He was not here... was he?"


She screwed her face into a skeptical grimace and looked at me. "Mister Goldwreath, are you okay? Don't you remember him? He was even talking to you and everyone else, remember? You even laughed at some of his jokes!" she giggled.


Okay... yeah, none of that happened. The guy had practically no sense of humor, save sadism. "Are you sure? Because I'm sure that didn't happen. You didn't just imagine this and decide to stick with it like it's real, did you?" For sure Doodle -- despite being... odd, in almost every situation she'd been in -- was more mature and realistic than that. Then again...


She looked taken aback, then slowly gave me a pitiful little smile as she said, "Oh, Mister Goldwreath, I saw it happen. I'll help you remember! See, you were there with Mister Predator..." She pointed over at the corner. "... and miss Myst and miss Skyfire were talking about how much they appreciated all the things he did over there just before he said he had to go." She pointed at the couches. "It was so nice to hear them finally appreciating him, because they never seemed to like him! Why didn't they like poor mister Predator? He's always been trying to help us!" She frowned.


"Because he tried to kill and/or hurt us all at one point?" I offered, annoyed that she still even viewed the guy with any semblance of love when he deserved none.


She waved her hooves dismissively. "Oh, he had to. You heard him say those things about some terrible monster being in him, you can understand, can't you? Besides, you seemed to be fine with him earlier..."


Again with the crap that didn't happen. "Look, none of that happened and I'm not fine with him," I growled. "The guy has nothing worth appreciating that he doesn't cancel out with something else. He has no moral standards, no boundaries. He's a freak, he is the monster, and he does not deserve our friendship. Can't you understand that? He's not worth loving."


Her eyes widened in horror, the likes of which seemed more true and deep than any I'd ever seen on her. "Mister Goldwreath... you're wrong," she said meekly, shaking her head and frowning ever so slightly. "The things earlier did happen, and he always helps us. Always. What you saw was him trying to kill me, but he was actually saving me from being a little slave to those bad ponies. When we were in those dark tunnels, he saved us from being played with by those monsters. We're all alive, and well, and healthy, and whole. Aren't those worth anything?" She sighed, shaking her head but keeping her eyes on me. "Why can't you just understand him like I do?" There was a certain tension in her voice that made me balk; nothing forceful or expectant at all, just plain... sadness. An unwillingness to believe in anything as bad.


It was foalish innocence. Plain and simple innocence, and it opened a pit in me to consider, just for a moment, that perhaps she was right and I was wrong. That maybe I wasn't one to judge a person by merely what they did in my perception. That maybe her unclouded, innocent beliefs were the truth.

"I... I don't know," I answered softly, shaking my head. "Maybe you just see things I don't, hear things I don't, and believe in things I don't. I'm sorry, but as for me, well... I'll like him better if he does good and then nothing bad after."


"But he did..." she sniffed, then looked up at me. "You were laughing and talking earlier... you were having such a nice time with him. You were finally liking him... why did you forget? Why do you say these things?" Her eyes teared up.


This was wrong. None of that happened, of that at least I was certain. I didn't know why or care why she thought those things happened -- overactive imagination? Incapability to perceive what's real? Worst of all... a Predator-induced fake reality? -- but I did care about her. I wanted her to know it wasn't real so much, but pursuing that goal would just hurt her and harm her innocence.


She was wrong... but she believed in him. And after having vowed my loyalties to the people, maybe I should have, too.


I nodded slowly, pulling her close and hugging her. "You're right... you're absolutely right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said those things. And I remember now, I really do. I do..." I cooed as I stroked her mane. "Please believe me. I really do remember now..."


'You know you don't,' other me scoffed. 'You're lying to yourself.'


'Maybe,' I replied as he took in a deep breath. 'But sometimes something else has to take importance over what I believe in. And nothing can fit that bill more than the most innocent, forgiving filly I know of.'


He growled but fell silent. Then Doodle pulled away and looked up at me with wide, glistening eyes. "You do?" she asked slowly, softly. "You're not just saying that?"


I smiled. "Of course not."


"So when we meet him again you'll be nice to him?" she asked.


I hesitated. "I... will. To the best of my abilities, I will give him what he deserves."


'What she wants you to feel he deserves, you mean,' he barked, and I couldn't help but grimace and scowl. I had to look away to keep her from noticing it. 'Give him what he truly deserves, then: a bullet to the brain.'


'I will give him my understanding,' I shot back, all the while giving Doodle as reassuring a smile as I could muster. 'I have sworn my loyalty to the people of Roam. Predator, monster though he may be, is a Roaman. I will give him as many chances as he needs to prove even he can be better. And I am doing this because an innocent filly was able to remind me of what I believe in, and who those beliefs pertain to; not because I am easily bent to another's will.'


He growled again, then spat, 'You just keep telling yourself that, fool,' and fell silent once more.


I grit my teeth, "Cursed piece of..."


Doodle's demeanor quickly changed to one of concern. "Mister Goldwreath? Are you okay?"


Huh, wow... just a moment ago she was hurt by my words, and yet she had the goodness to sound so genuinely concerned about me as to make me wonder if we'd had that exchange at all. She gave forgiveness and love easily... if only I could. "I am," I answered calmly after a few moments. "Just a few thoughts."


"About mister Predator?" she asked skeptically.


I shook my head, "No, no. This time it was just about myself."


"You were saying bad stuff," she pointed out.


"I was having a headache," I answered. It wasn't a lie, because that was the truth. Just not the whole truth; she didn't need my madness spreading to her.


She pouted, staring at me. Then she grinned, "Oh! Then you should try asking those nice zebra ladies for an icepack! I'm sure they'll be happy to give it to you." Her statement ended on a sultry note, something that made me raise an eyebrow.


"I'm sure they'd be glad to give it to any of us," I replied.


"But mostly to you," she purred, placing a hoof to my stomach.


"And why mostly me?"


She giggled, withdrawing, "Oh mister Goldwreath, you know why."


I shook my head. "No, I don't."


She stared at me for a moment, her face stretching into a grin slightly disbelieving and mostly amused. "Wait, wait! You don't know?"


I groaned; why was I getting the feeling everyone in the group knew something I didn't? I mean, first Myst, then Doomtune, now even the filly... fucking conspiracy. "If I say I don't I assume you'll tell me. Fine, I don't."


Her mouth dropped in light laughter, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh mister Goldwreath, those mares-..."


"No!" Doomtune called out, and ran up to her from the doorway of his room. Covering her mouth up with a hoof, he addressed my baffled expression by saying in a forced tone of casual benignity, "Eheh, yeah, don't mind her. Fillies and all, eheh. Still learning about life and stuff; not the best source on matters regarding mares and stuff..."


I looked at him with unease and skepticism. "Right... well, she seemed to be knowing what she was talking about. And after that little encounter we had earlier, I'm more curious than ever."


"Well, stay curious," he replied curtly, slowly taking his hooves off the filly's mouth. "No offense Doodle, but such... 'complicated' matters as mares and their needs must be conducted to this poor sod by adults who have adult minds. Not fillies who shouldn't know of these things to begin with."


"Hey, I'm right here," I interrupted. "And I find myself a little offended. 'Poor sod'? Come on, I know enough about mares to deserve something less derogatory. I mean, I have a marefriend for gods' sakes."


They both stared at me for a moment as Doomtune's limbs fell limp against the seat. "Right... so how many opportunities have you missed?" he asked.


"Opportunities to what?" I replied, confused.


He looked to Doodle, shaking his head, "Nope. Still ignorant."


She didn't exactly reply, but she did say, "You know mister Doomtune, just a while ago I asked mister Goldwreath if he was a filly-fooler." His ears stood straight up, and he glared skeptically.


"Where are you going with this?" he drawled.


"Well," she started. "After what happened just now, I think you fit that bill better!"


His eyes widened into disks. "WHAT?!"


Delvius suddenly slammed the door open, his face and hooves still dripping from an unfinished washing session. "Okay, I stopped the water just long enough to hear 'filly-fooler' again. What the hell are you people talking about out here?"


Doomtune waved his hooves around, scrunching up his face. "Wait, what do you mean 'again'? What the hell were you talking about around this filly?"


"That's what I was asking you. What were you two talking about around her? Goldwreath?" He stepped closer and looked at me.


I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing resembling a legitimate answer came out. "I... really don't know. We were talking about one thing, then Doomtune came out with his 'Goldwreath is ignorant' crap, then Doodle said he was a filly-fooler, then you came out... too much in under one minute, people!"


"Just to be clear, I am not a filly-fooler," Doomtune huffed.


"Okay, just... enough about filly-fooling! Okay?" Delvius cried aloud, exasperated. Shaking his head, he snorted in disgust as he looked at me, "Can you believe this? Filly-fooling talk around a filly..."


"I still have no idea what a filly-fooler is," I explained. "And after these past few conversations that have only opened up questions, I really would love it if one of you just told me what that is..."


"A-nope!"

"Not happening, pal."

"Like hell."


I stared at the three of them, especially at Doodle. "Okay... with all three of you knowing things I don't... I'm really getting creeped out. Especially with you..." I pointed a hoof at Doodle, "... a filly, keeping secrets from a grown stallion about mares... that vexes me, I'm terribly vexed."


She giggled. "Well, mister Goldwreath, I grew up in Fillydelphia; next to what's behind mister Redeye's walls, the place is terrible! Dad told me all kinds of things a filly in the wasteland needs to know. And besides... grown stallion? You're really more of a colt."


Delvius and Doomtune snickered. Casting glances at each other, they seemed to form a silent agreement.


I stared at her flatly, ignoring the two of them. "A colt?" I deadpanned. "A colt? As in, young male pony? The type that has no knowledge about mature things like science, philosophy, art, architecture, military strategy, history, and the importance of physique? I'm insulted."


"Well..." she drawled. "Do you know about mares?"


"Of course I do! There are fat mares, fit mares; zebra mares, pony mares; attractive, unattractive; noisy, quiet; lovable, un-..."


"These are textbook adjectives, dude," Doomtune cut in, shaking his head as if ashamed. "Ah well, there will be a time when you will learn... hopefully before you miss another opportunity."


"Damn it, what opportunities?"


Delvius rolled his eyes, "This is just sad. We're talking about it right in the open and he still doesn't get it."


"Come on, just tell me!"


"Yeah, it's like we're talking to an actual colt," Doomtune teased.


"Ooh, mister Goldwreath! That should be your nickname! 'The colt'. I LIKE it!"


"For fuc-... damn it guys, this is getting ridiculous. Even the filly knows, come on!"


"Well, I'd recommend reading some old magazines if you get my drift," Doomtune offered.


Delvius chuckled but composed himself. "Okay you two, enough," he said as he stood up and patted my shoulder. "You know, each person is made different. We should do our best to respect and understand one another's weaknesses and quirks, no matter how... laughable." He snickered, but once more regained his composure. "So Goldwreath, please know that we're not laughing at you, we're simply... giving you negative feedback in the hopes you learn to grow a pair." He smiled down at me.


Doomtune shook his head, still smiling. "I'm not even going to point out what you did there, for his sake."


I gave them both sardonic, bemused glances. "I would usually just pretend stuff like this didn't happen, or blow them under the rug, or just stuff it somewhere in my head. However, the fact that that little lady knows and I don't is irritating me greatly... so now I don't know what to do."


"Just learn," Delvius said simply, and sat back down. "After all, what separates a stallion from a colt in mental terms is how much he knows." He grinned slyly, and I glared.


Things could have went on like that longer, really. At that point I actually considered forcing the answers out of them. But then Skyfire landed onto the balcony with a heavy thud, her wings sweeping the ground around her and concealing her face with the feathers. There was an atmosphere of anguish about her, evident in the sag of her shoulders and in the droop of her neck.


All our eyes were on her as she trotted slowly into the room, her head bowed and her mane covering her eyes. "Er, hey Skyfire..." I started. "Everything okay?"


She didn't answer until she reached the doorway of her room, and she glanced over at us with bloodshot, anguished, angry eyes. Eyes that lingered on me. "Like you actually care," she hissed, her chest shuddering as she slammed the door on us.


The next minute was an utter fiasco of attempts to get her to talk. None of us could say anything that could evoke any response; not even Doodle, whose shrill calls could have awoken a bear in hibernation. Every second filled my throat with an ever-growing lump, making it harder and harder to breathe as I knocked and called her name frantically.


Then Myst galloped in, beads of suppressed tears on the rims of her eyes. She jerked herself to a halt the moment she saw us all staring at her. I snorted like a bull and approached, and for every step forward I took she took three backwards until she hit a wall. Then she cringed as I stared down at her with a sternness that made her whine and cower.


"I... I'm sorry..." she whimpered, pressing her backside harder against the wall.


I just growled, "Myst. What happened?"


Maybe it was the hard, unforgiving look on my face. Or maybe it was the eyes of the other three looking at her with shock and confusion. Whatever caused her immediate honesty didn't matter; she didn't try to muddle up the truth with any lies. Not that it made my expression any less scornful.


"I..." She bowed her head. "I screwed up."

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

Over the next few blubbery minutes, she talked. And cried; that was an inseparable part of her explanations. By the time she was done, almost all her tears had been shed.


I stood against the dresser in our room, shaking my head and snorting. "So you screwed up," I huffed.


She sniffed hard, trying to take my anger as best she could. She gulped, pulling at the sheets underneath her hooves. "I... I screwed up big time."


I nodded sardonically, turning to face her. "Yes, you did. You screwed up big time."


Doomtune and Delvius stood outside, with Doodle, as they continued mounting futile efforts to get my friend to talk. I suppose they were met with nothing, as Doomtune appeared in the crack of our doorway just long enough to sigh and shake his head.


My words and tone seemed to cut at her like a hot knife right in her belly. "I know, I know!" she cried aloud, clenching her eyes shut. "I know, alright? I screwed up!" Sucking in snotty sobs and wiping her face hard she continued, "I'm so sorry. So, so sorry... I tried to break it to her slowly, b-but..."


"But you told her I was 'to be left alone to your care, and your care alone'," I cut in with a mocking jingle in my voice. She choked herself to silence, and I lashed out, "Myst, why would you say that? When you said you were going to talk to her about us, I trusted you to have the sense to make it so she still felt important and cared for, ESPECIALLY since you seem to be her 'best friend'!"


"I-I am her best friend..." she choked out weakly.


"Then why didn't you take into account her extremely fragile emotional state? You saw her break down time and time again, caught her sneaking peeks our way, and were the first to suspect her feelings for me. Yet you had so little sense as to basically tell her to piss off and leave me alone, as if she were some kind of annoying bug that just gets in our way!" I shot back.


She just looked up at me for a moment, then bowed her head and looked away. "I... I didn't mean it to sound like that..." she protested weakly. "I just didn't know what else to say, or how to say it. There were so many people... I almost broke down just because of that... and when I started talking to her about us... I just couldn't concentrate. Some of the soldiers were looking at us, some with... desire. I couldn't think straight. I couldn't focus on what I was saying or how I was saying it." Tearing up, she rose her head in anguish. "I had to force myself to get it out, even if I was already stuttering and twitching and anxious. I didn't mean to sound forceful, I just... couldn't help it." She sniffed.


So that was the reason her talk had turned info an utter disaster? Her social anxiety? Fuck, it was no excuse! Especially not in this case. I could hear whole sections of my head screaming for me to tear her to pieces. And I wanted to, so badly I actually stepped forward, my hooves trembling with desire to pound her to bits. Just her cowering and whimpering activated the few parts of me with judgement clear enough to remember who this mare was, and what she meant to me. She was my marefriend, and I cared for her; nothing would change that, even if this one event was... testing my restraint.


I sighed, looking up and stomping hard. I swear I heard the floor crack; that, or it was my hoof that broke. Somehow I didn't feel it was the latter. "Okay," I exhaled roughly, wiping my face and letting myself calm. "Alright, alright... I'm a sensible guy. I assess before I judge. You have made a terrible mistake, you know this."


She sniffed, nodding, "I do..."


"And you understand that Skyfire was immensely hurt by what you said, even if you didn't mean it the way you said it. And for the record, as we are all in this group together, what hurts any of you is a concern of mine. I trusted you, and you... you failed."


She choked, nodding again. "I did, I'm sorry..."


"I know you are," I replied levelly. "But as terrified and worried for her as I am, I am not her. Your apologies don't apply to me. They should be directed to her." I looked outside, then stretched out a hoof towards the door. "Go on then. Every second is precious."


She didn't move. She just breathed. Then she started crying, covering her face with her hooves. "I... I can't..." she whimpered. "I want to. I really do; scratch that, I need to. But..." She looked up at me. "Can't I just... think first? Get myself together? I can't go back out there, not like this... not with them looking at me, expecting me to get her to talk..."


I sighed, letting my foreleg fall limply to my side. "Fine," I replied, going for the door. I looked back and saw her head hung low, almost covered up by her hood. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and yet I swear I saw the tiniest smile on her face. Almost as if she were trying to hide something. "But don't delay," I said sternly, and her tiny smile disappeared and was replaced with paranoia. "Every second wasted, every moment's delay... that will just aggravate what you've done. And I'll only be there with you to face the consequences, not to fix them for you. Understood?"


She gulped. "Okay... I'll come out when I'm ready. I promise."


I stared at her for a moment, then closed the door and trotted into the room.


Delvius was there waiting for me; the other two weren't even trying anymore. Doodle just sat in front of the door like a lost puppy, and Doomtune was pacing on the balcony. "That was harsh... but I guess she deserved it," Delvius commented as I sat down opposite to him. "I mean, I don't know your friends too well, but I didn't need to hear more aside from 'extremely fragile emotional state' and 'feelings for me' to get the general picture."


"Glad I don't have to talk about it, then," I said blankly. "This is terrible... how did it come to this? How could she say that? She had to know better..."


He sighed, then shrugged. "People... well, we make mistakes. I understand that maybe it was a mistake she shouldn't have made in good sense, but I heard she broke down. She's a ball of anxiety, so I heard. People like that just have a harder time... no getting around it."


I groaned, rolling my head tiredly on my neck. "I know, I know, but she... she just... gah, screw this."


He nodded sympathetically. "I know it's hard. Relationships are like that. My wife and I, well, we had our arguments. Some serious, others less so. The one thing that should remain constant is a desire on both of your parts to get over it. That goes away, then you two might as well break up."


"I am not breaking up with her. No matter how... furious I am, I just won't. I'm just really scared for Skyfire... she never really recovered from what she had to go through. I rejected her. And then she saw me and Myst together. The sight of us has only hurt her, Delvius. I had hoped Myst talking to her about it would... I don't know, get her to be able to move on?" I looked over at him. "You have a wife... that implies previous relationship buildup. Did you ever have anything of a... a love triangle?"


He blew through his mouth, shaking his head, "Oooh, yeah... no." He clicked his tongue. "I mean, I heard 'casting glances our way' and had some speculation, but getting it confirmed... wow. An actual love triangle..."


"It sucks," I blurted, throwing my hooves to the side. "Ever since I found out the two of them liked me, I... was... confused. I mean, for gods' sakes, everything I know about love and romance comes from comic books and vintage films! Even then I didn't get to really process what I learned because I was forced to work most of the time. You'd think the world would throw me a break!" I melted into the seat, miserable and worried. "Just one day... one day that feels like nothing's wrong, or tense, or awkward, or rushed... normal. That's all I want. Here I thought I could have one such day, but there's always something. Always. I mean, just a while back I was critically bedridden. Then after that there was the praetorians leaving. Now there's this, and adding to it is Myst's delay..."


"Well, I won't add to it anymore," Myst said meekly as she poked her head out the door. Then she stepped out entirely, her hooves trembling. Despite that I could see that she was ready; there was something about her now, something like a bolster of confidence that kept her together. Whatever it was, I didn't care. Her method of overcoming her anxiety was, at least for now, working. She gulped as we stared at her expectantly, looking between her and the door. "I'll apologize to her... and make this right somehow," she said determinedly. Then she drew herself up and, slowly trotting forward, made her way to the door.


She started knocking. "Skyfire? Please, just let me explain," she pleaded.


There was no response. Just silence so absolute it sent ripples of worry down my spine.


She sighed, glancing back at me. "This might take a while... I'll keep trying."


The next few minutes were utterly unbearable. Knock, plead, wait. No response. Knock, plead, wait. No response. Cycle after cycle of repetitive begging, broken only by the noise of the three others in the room with me. Eventually we split up. Doomtune sat where he was, waiting patiently with the luxury of music right at hoof. Doodle took her drawing to the balcony and continued it there, looking less enthusiastic every second. Delvius got up and paced around.


And me? I was exhausted. Not physically, but emotionally; mentally, too. And when the mind is tired, so becomes the body as well. I waited. For more than an hour I listened, praying that the door would open. It never did. And with every passing minute I could feel my eyelids getting heavier until all noise was a distant echo.


And then I gave in. Sitting up straight but bowing my head forwards, I let all the weight I had been holding crumble down on me and put me to rest. My ears were the last to lose their senses.


"... Skyfire, please... I'm sorry..."

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

I suppose worse things could have happened. I could have had a bad dream in which I was attacked by my other self. I could have been put into another critical illness. We could have been attacked while we were vulnerable and divided, and that could have shattered us altogether.


But nothing occurred. I suppose the madness that followed us into the Forum was toned down by its more serene and majestic atmosphere. It didn't make me feel much better, but I was thankful for everything that could have contributed to our safety -- the two cohorts outside, the remnants of the antiquated praetorian guards, G.L.A.D.I.U.S... at least in here, I could say, it was safe to break down and argue without fear of sudden attack.


I was even thankful for the hoof that was shaking me awake, though at the time I was grouchy and sore in the head. My eyes snapped open the moment I had enough consciousness to hear things as more than unintelligible hums.


"Goldwreath," Doomtune said softly as he continued shaking me, "It's dinner time again. The guards are here to escort us. We're waiting on you."


Blinking a few more times and getting my head straight, I sat up. True enough, Delvius and Doodle were merely lounging around and waiting. Justinian and two guards flanked the doorway. Myst... well, she was still in front of the door, knocking.


"Skyfire... please..." she said in little more than a murmur, sniffing. I suppose she'd shed some tears while I was out, but was now utterly spent. She was tired, too; I could see it in the shudder of each breath and the sag of her shoulders, and if neither was enough then she was also slumping against the door.


"She's been like this for hours," Doomtune told me, looking at her sadly. "Only took a break every few minutes to go back to your room and do... something. She always seemed better each time she did, more alive, more... aware. Then after a few minutes she'd be as she is now, and since her last trip two hours ago she hasn't gone back." With a heavy sigh he added, "I have a feeling what happened is hurting her almost as much as it is hurting Skyfire."


I looked over at her, then sighed and got up. "Maybe it is," I replied. "I'm not smart at this kind of thing, Doomtune. Even Myst -- the living ball of social anxiety -- knows more about interacting with people than I do. If ignorance is bliss, then I suppose I'm lucky to only feel worried. I can't imagine what's running through her head right now."


Knock knock. "Skyfire..." she murmured, shuddering. Her hindlegs gave out, and she landed on her haunches with a thump.


Everyone seemed startled. I approached and, holding her close, started pulling her away. "Okay, that's enough for now," I said softly. "Take a break."


I was surprised at how... dead she felt. Cold, limp. Even more odd was the smell of mint. Her candy, as she called it. I had it once, after the ZSI Roaman HQ. It did make me feel better... perhaps the strain of what she had to do couldn't be borne without its help. I pulled her further away from the door and finally she looked up at me with the reddest, most haunted looking eyes I'd ever seen. Worse, they looked... wrong, with dilated pupils visible veins. This was not the effect of crying. It was something else, but I didn't know what.


"A... break?" she asked distantly, then shook her head slowly. "No, I... need to let her know... how much she matters and... how sorry... I am..." she said with each slow, heavy breath.


"She knows, Myst." I pulled her up. "Skyfire is thinking on this all, I'm sure. Perhaps with clouded judgement, perhaps with anger and disgust, but she is thinking on it." Glancing between her and the door I sighed, "And she will have heard all you have said. She will be processing it. She will make a judgment. All we can do now is wait for her say."


She looked up at me with those red, bloodshot eyes and bowed her head, her tail falling flat against the ground as she stooped. She didn't say anything, but I could sense her immense doubt and self-loathing. I'd experienced both aplenty; I could see it on anyone. "Someone should stay here... it has to be me..." she said lowly, head hung once more.


"I'll stay," Doomtune said, surprising us all. He nodded, confirming his statement. "Yeah, I'll do it. I know pain, I know dejection and loneliness. I'll talk to her... if she comes out."


"You don't have to," I told him. "This is my group, my concern. I don't wish to burden anyone else with our problems."


"But you have to," he replied. "For this case, she needs sympathy. Not apologies, not promises of improvement. Just sympathy. I can give her that."


I looked out the doorway, where Doodle and Delvius -- with a large leather sack attached to a wooden pole slung over his shoulder -- waited. "Are you sure?" I asked. "It would be appreciated, yes. And, I suppose..." My tone turned contemplative, "... I suppose our approaches were never effective. Perhaps only caused her more pain..."


He nodded, sitting down. "I am sure." He started waving us off as he played a serene melody filled with the sweet sound of harps and flutes from his helmet. "Go on then. I'll be right here."


I looked to the others, at Myst especially. She was clinging tightly to me to stop herself from collapsing. Then she nodded. Delvius shrugged, but on his face seemed for the idea. Doodle gave a crooked, unhappy grin.


We departed with waves and goodbyes, and Justinian and his guards led the way. Everything was unnervingly tense and quiet as we went. Myst didn't talk, and did nothing more than slump limply against me, her legs barely moving her along. My only reprieve from such tension in the past had been conversation, and that was still true up to this particular point.


I quickened my pace just a bit to get right behind Justinian. "So how'd your patrol go?" I asked quietly, hoping in the recesses of my mind that perhaps Myst would become a little intrigued and liven up. It didn't happen.


"Better than I expected, actually," he replied in a tone thankfully lighthearted enough to lift my mood. "They took some time to adapt. They stumbled, were uneasy, and were difficult to communicate with. But in two hours, I had gotten it across to them that the others were gone, and that we should get used to it."


I nodded, then, "Even your friend? Are you used to his absence?" I asked cautiously.


He was quiet for a moment. "No... not used to it all. But I am glad. For what he had us do, Velian lost my friendship. I will mourn the loss of the person he once was, not the monster he became."


"Velian?" I asked, "That's his name?"


"It is, yes." He nodded. "Why? Does it mean anything?"


"It actually does, Justinian," I answered, and he seemed shocked at the fact I knew his name. I smiled. "Memory orbs. It seems they're the key to knowing important people, eh?" I chortled.


He chuckled half-heartedly in reply, waving off in my direction. "Well, perhaps. If you come across the right ones, that is. Important people kept memories stored in orbs for their descendants, or simply to replay them. As for me and Velian, we were not important. We were just friends of the emperor's son and were ordinary milites in the guard before our promotions. Can't see how you could have seen any of either mine or Velian's memories..." He stopped altogether, and the guards followed suit in immediate succession. Doodle and Delvius were only second late.


"Did you see our memories? Which ones?" he asked slowly, his voice dripping unease and discomfort.


"Not yours, no," I replied, and nudged him along to get us moving. The guards' boots clattered upon marble as we continued forward. "But rather Cadian's, son of the emperor. I was given quite an impression in the half hour I was him. Energetic young stallion -- loud, youthful, confident, a bit eccentric. But of course you know this."


"Well, of course!" he replied proudly. "Velian and I were practically his bodyguards, and almost always forsook regular duty to tend to him. Appropriate, as we had studied together in the emperor's villa when us three were younger. This was before the war, mind you, so our relationship with him was purely friendly and without any trace of professionalism whatsoever." He laughed, proudly raising a hoof in a powerful gesture of recollection. "Ah, the memories we had!"


He begin jabbering on and on about their youthful exploits, back in a far more peaceful, simpler time. I didn't much care for the vast majority of what he said; at that point, I was still worried sick for the state of my friends, and the effect their demeanor would have on my plans. Nonetheless, he was a reminder that no situation was ever purely bad. And what's more, though it faded quickly, I saw Myst smile.

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

It wasn't until we had finally arrived at the doors to the throne room that he finished telling his tales. I was actually peeved at our arrival; only until near the end of his tellings did I gain true interest in his stories, and now there we were. I wasn't just disappointed for the termination of my own enjoyment; Delvius, who seemed to see the tribune as a kind of ancient war veteran (which he technically was), had listened intently to every bit the praetorian had to say. He even jotted down notes on a notebook! Doodle and Myst, though both dejected in face, had flashed smiles and choked chuckles whenever they found themselves reacting.


We entered the room. Justinian and his guards moved forward, trotting calmly, and relieved the two at either side of Vesperius' work desk, where the Legate hurriedly finished the last of his pre-supper work. Neither of those to be relieved seemed comfortable at the sudden and unexpected procedure; perhaps they hadn't joined in the patrol. Nonetheless, they finally accepted their superior's orders to stand down, and so they both marched out of the room with awkward stiffness. Justinian sighed, and followed them out into the hall.


We sat down where we had the night before, albeit now with less enthusiasm. Even Justinian's tales and the sight of the very Roamanesque, very drool-inducing food already placed on our plates did little to lighten our moods. This seemed to disappoint a set of servant mares who stood against the nearby wall, one of which was a furcoat-dressed Zury. She in particular seemed morose, and then I noticed that at least half of the prepared food was tribal in nature -- stews of thick broths and spicy scents, the likes of which wouldn't have had a place in pure Roaman culinary traditions. Upon concluding that she must have done so much for us, I forced on a little smile and rose my stew bowl in her direction, nodding thankfully. This seemed to comfort her.


"Ah, the second night!" Vesperius said lightheartedly as he strode over, sitting excitedly on his seat. "Quite exciting, isn't it? Tonight's dishes are different, I'm sure you've noticed -- thank our exotic little zebra chef for that! Why, if it weren't for her little concoctions, I would never have finished all my work before supper!"


I gave him an insincere, shallow smile. "Good to see you're night's turning out good."


He nodded hectically. "Yes, yes it is good indeed. Zury! My dear, please do come over," he called, gesturing a hoof at the tribal mare. She was terribly flustered, but did as she was told. Myst kept her bloodshot eyes on her warily, as though she were afraid Zury would say something unpleasant.


"Y-yes, chieftain?" she asked shyly, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as the mares behind her burst into quiet laughter.


Vesperius chortled. "Chieftain!" he laughed, looking at me. "She's still on that. Ah, when will she learn that not everyone has to be called such a name? I am Vesperius, and he is Goldwreath, and her name is Myst, and so on and so forth." He gestured a hoof around in a circular motion as he said our names. "Anyway!" he grinned. "Zury, I called you over because I forgot to ask: what did you put into that fantastic tea? Shot the blood right through my veins as though I were running! Why, I've never been this... pumped. Ever!"


Nervously, she replied, "There were... only a few ingredients." She gulped down a lump in her throat. "There was hot water, a little bit of excess sugar from the kitchen, and some leaves of the plant mintialis, which I found outside. That's all."


"Mintialis..." Vesperius mused, squinting his eyes in deep thought. "This is the plant from which the drug Mint Als is derived, yes?"


Myst's interest suddenly seemed piqued. Rolling both of her bloodshot eyes in their direction, she listened.


"Mint Als? My daddy took those!" Doodle piped, to which everyone stared at her. All but the guards, that is. She grinned sheepishly.


Zury turned her attention back to the question. She gulped but got her answer out. "Y-yes."


Vesperius seemed suddenly mortified about himself, and his gaze drifted to an empty cup on his work desk before returning to her. "So... I just took drugs," he surmised. "That's a, ah... disturbing thought." He grimaced.


"You took medicne, not drugs," Zury insisted, though there was a catch in her voice that made me doubt. "The mintialis plant is well known to my people to cure headaches and increase awareness. On its own, the plant's extract has no more addictive property than a favorite snack. Only the various other ingredients added in the manufacturing of the 'improved' version of the plant -- the Mint Al drug -- has given you the notion that it is bad. It is not so."


Vesperius blew a breath in relief, "Thank goodness! For a moment there I thought I'd start having addictive cravings for the plant. So, I can take all I wish, yes?"


She nodded. "You can, but too much of anything is bad. In this case, too much of the mintialis' extract can cause headaches, and can also make you delirious -- the opposite of its intended purpose."


"Delirious, huh?" Myst said next to me, swaying slightly. "Sounds... bad. But I guess just the right amount would be good... really good..." With that said, she added quietly, "Gonna have to look for that plant some time..."


Vesperius nodded, turning to face her. "It's understandable. When one takes things that messes with the head, it's only natural that-..." He stopped abruptly, eyeing her in shock. "Woah. What happened to you?"


To that question, Myst immediately feigned ignorance. "What about me?" she asked, trying to conceal view of her eyes and tired face. In doing so she pressed against me, trying to hide herself underneath my forelegs. I could see shame and self-loathing in her eyes.


"It's best not to ask," I spoke, addressing his question. His expression, contrary to what I desired, became even more curious. I sighed, "Look, there was a problem in my group. That's why Skyfire's not here, and also Doomtune. Just... take it and leave it, please."


"Fine," he said in surrender. "I was wondering where those two were. Thought they'd just catch up. I can just try finding out later."


"Yeah, really, don't," I insisted. "Just leave it be as though I never mentioned it. Please."


He looked across the table at me for a moment, his eyes silently asking questions. But then he nodded. "Fine. I'll leave it to the gods to approach me about it, if they so choose. For now, I suppose I'll just content myself with your party's greatly diminished presence." He sighed, then prepared his utensils, an action that to us signified it was time to begin with the meal proper.


Only one of us did not participate. Delvius, who had without our notice spent the entirety of our conversation standing several feet off to the Legate's side, finally came out of his stiff position. Thrusting a hoof up into the air diagonally, he declared, "Ave, Legatus legionis! A great honor to finally meet you!"


The greeting was very formal, something which we all seemed to silently agree was unnecessary; perhaps it was because we'd all spent enough prior time with Vesperius to learn that he didn't care too much about formality. Of course, Delvius did not know this.


Vesperius replied with a nod. "Ah, and here we have Delvius," he said, a subtly intrigued tone in his voice. "He who uplifted a whole cohort's spirits, and who'll be traveling with the vigilante-turned-hero of Roam." He stood up, patting him on the shoulder and gesturing at the seat closest to his own. "Please, do sit down and relax. I would like to talk to you about some things."


At 'sit down and relax', Delvius seemed to understand at once that Vesperius was not a drillmaster. Being the perceptive and quick-thinking soldier he was, he obeyed his superior's request with no objections. Relaxed and smiling, he said, "Very grateful sir. It's... it's an honor to meet you, and within this wonderful place." He pointed over at the other end of the table, where he had laid down his leather sack. "I will just retrieve my mess kit and sit down," he said giddily, excited like a child given an opportunity to meet a local hero.


Vesperius stopped him before the excited auxiliary got any more than three steps away. "Mess kit?" he asked, head cocked sideways. "Oh, that's for the field. In here, in this Forum, I strive to uphold an atmosphere of civility, comfort, and security. In here, we all eat together and no one eats of less quality than of others -- that applies to servants, even. In here, we all take comfort in the safety provided by Roam's finest, and we use that safety to pursue endeavors worthy of our great city." He gestured his hooves to the sides. "Need I say more?"


My stomach growled; despite everything, I was undoubtedly hungry. I held my urge to go for my food. Myst just seemed like she wanted to lay down, and I let her do that on my lap. Doodle seemed to be staring off at a painting on the other side of the room.


Delvius seemed at a loss for words. "Well, er..." he started, taking off his helmet to scratch at his mane. "Well, I've got fourteen days worth of grain and dried vegetables in there. Would hate it going bad... even if they're packed with enough preservatives to last another fallout."


"Just let it be, then," Vesperiues replied calmly, smiling and gesturing at the seat he wished Delvius to take. "Now please, do sit."


Hesitating with a nervous grin, but then relaxing, he complied.


At last, with us all seated and with utensils ready, Vesperius asked, "Well then... shall we?"

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

The dinner was filling... and not much else. It was nice to have some of us gathered to chat and talk around the table, but nothing of the sort happened. It just wasn't right. Vesperius' attention was mostly on Delvius as the two talked nonstop about Legion politics and internal institutions. Doodle didn't eat much, preferring instead to draw on a piece of tissue. Myst barely even looked awake the way she sat, with eyes red and head drooped. At some point she just stopped eating altogether and lay against my side.


The void of Doomtune and Skyfire's absence left a terrible lack of activity over the table. I envied the mares at the side, just laughing and talking to one another. I glowered at them jealously, then frowned. They were a happy bunch, and we were not. I tried to rectify that; I drank, a lot. I didn't feel any of the sought-after numbness and carefree sensations until after my third cup, but when it came I found myself temporarily forgetting all my troubles. Really... forgetting everything.


I actually can't remember when we left, or how we did it. All I remember was shambling up, picking Myst up as the servants cleared the table, and leaving. I didn't even notice Doodle hadn't gotten up with us until she called for us to wait up. Delvius had stayed behind to finish his conversation with our host. At least he had been enjoying himself.


"Tonight is not a good night," I said in a slightly drunken stupor. At least I was still walking straight; then again, Myst was kind of balancing me with her body. "First Skyfire, then Myst being all dead, then that quiet and awkward dinner... it's gonna get worse, I know it," I murmured grimly, quietly so as to not let her hear.


She just sighed tiredly, her breath quivering. "Hurts..." she murmured as she winced, her eyes blinking back tears.


I didn't know what to say, but I did know what to do. I stopped, stooping down and heaving her onto my back. Doodle helped get her dangling limbs stable.


"Will she be okay, mister Goldwreath?" she asked, the question sounding garbled to my ears.


I didn't answer. I just made sure she was stable, and quickened my pace to get to our room.

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

We were not much better by the time we got back. My head had cleared, somewhat, but Myst was still practically dead on my back. Exhaustion and depression, I concluded. My concern for her was such that I didn't give a second glance to Doomtune as I rushed into our room, then gently laid her on the bed.


She moaned, grabbing her head with both hooves. "It... hurts..." she whimpered, thrashing somewhat. "M-make it stop!"


I was in a sudden panic. The demand was clearly just an expression of her pain, but I took it seriously. "I, uh... alright, let's see..." I darted my eyes around, then spotted an open tin on the floor. "Her candy!" I muttered to myself, and galloped over to it. To my surprise, it was empty.


She shook her head at me. "Finished it earlier... thought it would help..." She gasped, clenching her eyes. "Water. Please."


There was a glass on a nearby dresser. I grabbed it and rushed into the main room, where a pitcher of warm water lay near a cupboard. I returned to hear her groaning as she sat up, her head swaying.


"You should rest. I think what happened earlier's getting to you. Relax and just... forget everything for the night, okay? I'll take care of things, I promise." Even if I didn't quite feel up to it. I sighed tiredly, lightheaded.


Poor Myst was so desperate for the drink and too weak to reply she didn't even look up at me with protest. The moment she'd drank she just fell backwards, then curled up into a little ball on the sheets. She shuddered, her lips turning crooked as she breathed. "Sorry..." she croaked.


I just lifted one side of the sheets up and pulled them over her. I didn't reply. If I did, she might have tried to answer, and she just didn't look capable. She seemed like how I must have been when I was on the same bed not too long ago. I let her settle into the sheets. Then after that I decided to get to work on my promise and left the room, my head slow and disoriented from the alcohol. But I could not afford to stop, to rest. Right now they were both crumbling, and it was my job to stop it.


Taking the briefest moment to collect myself, I looked around. There was Doomtune where I had previously spotted him, leaning against Skyfire's door. Doodle was nearby, sitting down as if waiting for him to tell her something. He muttered something into the door, and I heard a faint reply. At first I couldn't believe that he had managed to get her to talk and we had not, but I supposed it was to be expected Skyfire didn't want to talk to us.


Trotting closer and seating myself, I listened. Doomtune looked at me sadly, but continued his conversation. Their voices were so low it was a wonder they heard each other at all. I couldn't, and with every reply they whispered to each other I grew more tense. I wanted to know what they were talking about. I wanted to get involved. I needed to fix this, lest the domino effect of our recent consecutive breakdowns tear us apart from each other.


But I couldn't, not yet. Or perhaps I wasn't meant to; Doomtune had had more luck with her than I could have imagined. He hadn't knocked or called her name, he didn't say anything to try to get her out. He just sympathized and listened, and now he alone was able to speak with her. In trust, I left it to him, even as my mind tore itself apart with the unsatisfied need to assist. I had to keep my urge at bay, or risk undoing what he may have accomplished. I had to believe that he could do this, and that to his words words Skyfire would listen. And when she would come out, I needed to have no scold at the ready. I would need to be patient, I would need to be hopeful, and ready to reach out to her in case she needed it.


And what's more, I had to be understanding.


Suddenly Doomtune went silent. There was a look on his face, a hesitant, thoughtful expression. Like he'd been asked something he hadn't counted on ever hearing. He looked over his shoulder at me, his eyes seeming to contemplate. Then with a voice laid with an undertone of understanding, he said, "She has asked for me."


The door opened a crack, just enough for him to perhaps slip through if he sucked his chest in. There he hesitated, but then drew himself up and stepped one leg into the room. Then the next, and the next, and finally he was in. His back turned to me, the door closed.


My thoughts? To say I was shocked wouldn't be appropriate. Puzzled and worried would have fit my true state. Questions darted around my head, none finding answer. But I was comforted, if only by the fact that Doomtune, I knew, would not hurt her; as a child born from rape, he would rightly be one to stand against it.


I stood up, head swimming slightly. "Doodle, could you please do me a favor and bring me some water?" I asked slowly.


She nodded eagerly, her face grinning. How she could smile after all that had transpired in such quick, merciless succession, I didn't know. As she went, she stopped. "Mister Goldwreath, are they going to be okay?"


The question hung on me for quite a while. "They've been through much, Doodle. Like a wall that has been struck by stones, they have cracked. Whether or not they will crumble depends on if they choose to fall. I have faith in them, but that's all I have."


The answer, surprisingly, seemed to satisfy her. She went off and fetched my water, after which I drank and thanked her. The water relieved the lightheadedness plaguing me, and I was able to feel and think better.


I had only just begin contemplating on what to do about my friends when Delvius trotted in, accompanied by Vesperius and a small contingent of praetorian guards. I nodded in greeting. "Hello, everyone. Good to see you here." I was not sincere; even with my head ticking again, I could not find it in me to feel much for anything that did not concern my troubled friends.


Vesperius was the first to speak as they both trotted further in. "Hello to you too, Goldwreath," he replied casually, strolling forward and going to the balcony.


"What are you doing here?"


He shrugged as he leaned against the railings. "I make it a point to get involved with those who reside within this place, my surface home. I intervened for you when you were sick, and now," he said with a smile, "I intervene for your friend as well. Zury, please do come in here."


Zury entered from within the ranks of the guard, whom she seemed nervous and small around. She kept her eyes off of them as she scuttled in, seeming glad to be away from them. She gulped as she looked over at him in the balcony. "Yes, chief-..." She paused and amended, "Yes, Vesperius?"


He looked over his shoulder, smiling. "You mentioned earlier the familiar troubled state of the Praetorian's marefriend. You are here to assist with that." Still smiling, he turned around and gestured at her room. "I believe she's in there. Please do what you can, and report back."


Zury nodded, albeit hesitantly. She pushed open the door to Myst's room and vanished into the dark.


"What exactly was that about?" I asked concernedly.


He took a deep breath and listened, seeming enthralled by the noises coming from down below. "Simple," he said. "I noticed you and your marefriend were quite out of your element; let's face it, we all were, what with me having been hyped up on energy tea and whatnot. But I reverted back to my own default self by the time the dinner was over. You two did not. I saw you shamble out, and was worried. Zury noticed too, and she shared to me that the distress Myst was in seemed... familiar to her. Something she'd seen before in her tribe, supposedly."


"I see." I looked over at the slightly open doorway. "And you think she can help get Myst out of this?" I asked hopefully.


"We shall see. I certainly hope so, if that means anything to you." He gestured a hoof over at Delvius, and the auxiliary stepped forward. "Myst was not the only one I learned the state of. Delvius here has shared what happened earlier, details and all." He stepped off of the balcony and sat opposite of me. "I can understand that such an unfortunate event would upset them both," he said sympathetically, touching a hoof to his breast. "And I can also understand if you feel a little overwhelmed. You are here to relax, yet you've been beset by trouble since the day you set hoof in here."


"Yes, it is... most aggravating," I replied, sighing. "But as it has been told to me by the gods themselves," I continued: "Such is the life of non-fence-sitters." It didn't mean much in the way of making me feel better about it all, of course.


"Such is the life of non-fence-sitters, yes," he chuckled, mirthlessly. "I am sorry things could not be better. But I am here to try to assist. Already Zury is in there assessing your mare, and now, I am told, Doomtune is talking to Skyfire."


"Directly now, too," I answered. "He's in there," I pointed at her door. "He's talking to her, listening to her. The two things I thought I'd done enough of to let her pain pass. Heh, I was a fool to think I could make it go away. Only time can do that, I suppose."


"Well, effort must be given on the part of all involved. And as I said, I am involved. Therefore," he got up, "I will give my share. I am not going to talk to her directly, but I understand that she's been in there for quite some time, wallowing in her emotions." He chuckled somewhat, gesturing for a guard to step forward. This one bore a small platter of food -- a little bit of everything from our dinner earlier. He took it from the guard and approached Skyfire's door.


"I don't mean to generalize, but mares are very moody." He stepped closer to the doorway, placing a hoof on the knob. "One moment they can be very morose, next they can be dancing among flowers. Skyfire's situation is complicated, I know, but a little care and kindness on our part..." He turned the knob and slid the platter onto the floor, then closed the door. He didn't wait for or care for any observable reaction as he turned around and stepped closer to me again. "... can go a long way."


I couldn't help it. I smiled. "Yeah, it sure can... assuming she accepts what you just did."


"Well, let's hope she does." Delvius stepped closer. "But we have more to hope for than just your friends, Goldwreath." I looked at him curiously. He and Vesperius exchanged glances, then the latter nodded.


Delvius trotted to the balcony and stood to the side, looking over the field. "Roamana's assault begins tonight." He took a deep breath, "You look out this balcony, you'll see all of the cohort's aircraft performing scouting detail and throwing light artillery into barbarian and raider encampments scattered all over the island. The entire area's expected to be secured by tomorrow afternoon, then there'll be a day to regroup. Then the assault goes out to secure a thirty-kilometer radius around the bridges. Cohors II Rabidus Rapidus Manticoria then comes in to reinforce cohors I Magnus Potens Roamana, and the assault continues."


"Until all of Roam is secured..." I mused, suddenly very intrigued as I got up and started for the balcony. Vesperius joined me in my approach.


"It's the other reason I came down here," he said. "I would have overseen the entire operation from the tower, but I like this place better. I can feel the breeze, hear the motors and the hooves of my troops. Here, I can feel like I'm truly involved in what my Legionnaires do to clean Roam when really all I do is... well, approve papers."


"Those papers represent organization, and organization is what made Roam's army the greatest armed force in history," I replied, and then my hooves touched the cold marble of the balcony's floor. We both stepped further in, and looked out over the scene. What I saw literally took the breath out of me.


Everything below was lit up as red and purple and green. Roamana and Equestrius were in motion, each of their troops' togas reflecting light according to their cohort's color, with the grass' green being the only color unaffiliated to the military operation. Hundreds of beams of white light swept all over the area and beyond, each coming from the headlight of a a flying or terrestrial vehicle or from the hoofheld tool of a Legionnaire. Motors whirred and engines hummed, creating a commotion below that was organized enough in nature to instead be an awe-inspiring display of movement. Centurions yelled and centuries marched in great squares of gleaming metal across the grassy field, each century passing by each other as they took up positions in a great decagon within the Forum's circular walls. The auxiliaries of each of Roamana's centuries took up forward positions in front of the purple-silver lines, riding cerati and ready to burst forth as skirmishers. A great mass of unorganized troops in a large circle closer to the forum, reflecting light in red hues, represented Equestrius cohort.


Presiding over the first century of Roamana -- from which I saw a distinctive golden reflection, the Legion's eagle -- was a flying manticore. Upon the manticore was a figure clad in black, made visible by two spotlights focused on him.


"Roamana!" Flavianicus' voice bellowed over the entirety of the Forum's field, his call seeming to come from the invisible energy field around the walls. All attention was suddenly on him; even the praetorians in the room with us stepped closer.


"Oh boy," Vesperius drawled, bringing a hoof to his brow, covering an eye somewhat. "This is gonna be something to listen to..."


"It's a speech, of course it's something to listen to," I said.


"You'll see what he means," Delvius told me, nodding his head over the field. "Just listen," he smirked.


When the executor saw that he was the focus of all attention, he drew a deep breath and continued casually, "Here we go to another battle. Regrettable, isn't it? That we must face the twisted incarnations of our own people? Before you answer: yes, yes it is!" He took in a deep breath and shrugged, "Ah well, sometimes life is like that. You have to do something you may or may not want to do. In this case, kill barbarians! Ah, but killing's bad. You don't want to kill, right?"


The soldiers roared in the negative, deafening us momentarily.


When the sonic bombardment ended, Flavianicus feigned surprise. "Oh, you do? Really? Well, that makes my job of convincing you pointless, then!" He pulled out several stacks of paper and tossed them aside, letting the individual sheets float down. "Ah, shame!" he sighed. "I prepared a nice speech to get you in the killing mood, but you're already in it. In that case, I suppose we must be honest with each other!" He patted Bucephalus on the head, and the manticore roared. "See this giant beast? He's hungry! And me? I am thirsty! I want to see blood; I want to bathe in blood; I want blood in my canteen for a week, and not coffee!"


The soldiers of Roamana gasped.


"Yes, you heard me right! And you know me; I get what I want, even if I have to beg and get beaten by a mercenary to obtain it. In this case, I need only use my weapon! The enemy are numerous, and though they are disorganized they have many sharp, pointy things! But we also have many sharp, pointy things, and ours are sharper and pointier! And we have guns! And tanks! Who wins against that?"


The soldiers chuckled. Flavianicus joined them for a moment, but then he raised his hoof. Gradually they quieted down.


"Alright then." This time his tone was serious, determined. Delvius leaned forward against the railing, attentive. "So now that we've mocked their lack of combat ability, we prepare to show them ours! Legionnaires, are you ready?"


They stomped and roared, raising their weapons high.


"Gatekeepers, are you ready?"


Floodlights came to life as the dozens of gatekeepers yelled.


"Good. Prepare to charge!"


Each century drew their gladii and shields. Further into the city, the artillery fire increased, setting some buildings ablaze. All major sources of light swiveled to illuminate the nearby roads. A great tension fell over the cohort as the bombardment heightened. Tank and APC engines growled, ready to get going.


On the balcony, we too were tense. Vesperius breathed deep, eyeing the first century and the Legion's eagle that was in their hooves. More than it was for us, this event was important to him.


There was a crackle from a nearby radio, and Venaius' voice said like a whisper, "See you on the field, my friend."


Delvius did not get to reply. With a voice like a great wind funneled into the throat of a zebra, Flavianicus yelled, "Cohors I Magnus Potens ROAMANA! FORWARD!"


The manticore roared and flew into the air as the walls shimmered a bright gold and entered a non-physical state. Whistles blew and cries rang out as each century rushed forward and galloped onto the marble roads, their huffing and stomping receding into the darkness as they entered the land beyond the lights' range. Scattered shots cracked in the night as auxiliaries screened the heavy infantry. Tanks rumbled loudly and crunched rock beneath noisy treads, but eventually they too receded into the darkness. Soon the explosions and shooting were distant, hundreds of meters away from the rematerialized walls. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and landed onto a single pure-white tip, then forked down into the city like a scattershot of inescapable death.


So began the cleansing of Roam.


"That's it then," Vesperius said as he looked out over the night. "The die is cast, and cannot be undone. What we are working for must either be accomplished or we will all suffer the consequences of wasted effort."


"It is a bad plan that cannot be changed," Delvius chimed in quietly as he stared down at a radio in his hooves.


Vesperius nodded, approaching him and placing a hoof to Delvius' shoulder. "Such is waging war, auxiliary," he said, then trotted past us and back into the room proper.


To our surprise, there were two mares there waiting for us: Zury and Myst, who now looked a bit better. Her eyes had reverted to a more... natural red, and she was able to stand firmly on her own hooves. It didn't mean she was well, but it was a start.


"Ah," Vesperius raised his forehooves into the air in a gesture of greeting. "My friends! It is good you have joined us." His smile was warm, sincere, and yet it made my shy marefriend and her almost-equally-shy zebra companion look off to the sides with such unison that it was as if they were programmed. Why were the mares I came across shy, honestly...


Zury just nodded as she averted her gaze from his. "She is feeling better," she said slowly, softly. "She, er... told me what happened. She's just exhausted and worried for your friend, that is all. She can get better, she will get better. I gave her a herb that will ease her pain for the time being."


"That's really good to hear," I breathed in relief as I approached Myst. I was surprised when she jerked back, stepping away from me. She didn't explain, but there was a look of paranoia and guilt in her eyes.


"She's not well yet," Zury repeated, gulping as she stepped forward as if to protect Myst from me. "She still needs rest; as much of it as she can get. And she needs supervision, which I can give." She glanced over at Myst, her brows furrowed. "I'm correct, yes?"


Myst nodded coyly, scratching her leg as she again averted her gaze.


"If she needs medical attention I can have a doctor come over," Vesperius offered.


"No!" Myst blurted, then covered her mouth. "I... well, I mean, they have more important things to do. I just need rest, and... and nothing else." She frowned.


I was about to ask her if she was certain; she definitely didn't look so sure. But then Zury started herding her back into our room, gently but irresistibly. "Okay, young one," Zury said, as if dealing with a child, "Off to bed now. Your path to recovery will be long or short depending on how well you control yourself, but let's not prolong your exhaustion... and your self-abuse."


Myst glanced over at her as they entered the room. "Zury, please stop talking about it. They might find out..." she murmured, her voice receding into a whisper as they both disappeared into the darkness.


Delvius and Vesperius looked to each other. "Odd," the latter mused.


"Very odd," I chimed in, trotting close to the door. I looked over at them both. "Alright, well, with the evening looking to be rather uneventful, I think I should turn in soon. You two just... do whatever you want, I guess."


Delvius nodded as he turned to his Legate. "It's been an honor speaking to you, sir. I hope we can chance upon another opportunity-..."


"Please," Vesperius begged as he raised a hoof, "No... 'sirs' or 'lords' or 'imperators' for me; I am none of them. Reserve those for your battlefield commanders, for they win your battles for you. I organize files and make plans on the counsel of trusted confidantes, nothing more."


Delvius sighed, giving him a look that just screamed 'you're downplaying yourself, sir', but nonetheless nodded in concession. "As you wish. You still deserve respect, though, so I'm afraid a title of 'sir' is non-negotiable... sir."


Vesperius snorted in amused exasperation. "Very well," he said dismissively. "I suppose I can't quite stop you. But whatever the case," he turned around, "I must take my leave. With the assault now ongoing I can expect to receive battle reports as the centuries accomplish or fail their objectives. Let's hope it's the former. You understand?"


"Of course, sir."


"Very good." He trotted back to the doorway of the main room, the guards taking up positions to march along behind him when he decided to leave. Before he did he turned around and said one final thing to me, "Good luck with your friends, Goldwreath. I have done what I can, but now duty beckons. It's up to you from here." And so he left, falling through the space between two columns of guards who then subsequently followed him like drones.


It was a long moment before I said anything. "I know." With that I entered my room, leaving my auxiliary companion and the little filly to their own desires. I had things to take care of.


In the room I spotted Myst and Zury, the former lying down under the sheets and the latter sitting on a chair near the door. The zebra mare was staring off distantly, trapped in deep thought as she chewed on a root that extended and disappeared into a small satchel acting as a saddlebag. Neither of the two seemed to notice my arrival.


I tapped Zury on the shoulder, making her bolt back to reality as she blinked several times over. "You can go," I told her. "Myst is my charge. I appreciate your offer, but this is my problem."


I expected her to disagree; seemed like almost everyone I spoke to complicated my life somehow. But, "Very well," she replied, surprising me. She got up and packed up some things and crammed them into her satchel. "And thank you, thank very much," she added in a rush a moment later.


"Er... you're welcome," I said. Then I took notice of how hurriedly she was preparing to leave, and grew curious. "You need to be somewhere? You seem to be in a rush."


"I-I do," she stammered back, struggling to tie the knot of her full and cramped satchel. "My sister -- the young, brash, and loudmouthed zebra -- has been away from me for days. I just barely managed to arrange meeting with her tonight. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to go, but then you came along." She paused a moment and looked up at me, smiling. "That is two things you have done for us now, red pony. We owe you much, including our lives. It is a debt we can never repay."


I nodded, keeping back a bashful smile. "You're welcome. And really, just... live. I didn't save you to get something in return, I saved you because you didn't deserve death. That's all."


She smiled back. "Ah, so a warrior for noble causes, are you? That is a good thing." After a little moment she finished her packing. "Well," she said, "With your permission, I will now depart. Hopefully we will meet again when this night is over?"


"We will," I told her. "It's assured; you apparently work here now, and me, well... I've thought of living here in-between my missions. We'll run into each other for sure."


"Even though our paths are so different," she noted. "I am an older sister and a servant; you are a warrior of this land. That we two so different people can speak so casually is a gift and blessing from the gods."


"Perhaps. The gods have always altered our affairs. Especially Jupiter."


She seemed confused for a moment, but then seemed to understand. She smiled. "Indeed. My own heavenly fathers and celestial mothers are said to do the same. But this is a subject for another occasion, one where us both have the leisure of time."


I nodded. "It is, yes. More important, more immediate things must take precedence. I for my marefriend, and you for your sister. Greet her for me, would you?"


She laughed lightly as she went for the door. "Ah, Zilly wouldn't think well on a greeting from you. She is young, and has much to learn of being grateful. But I will make sure she understands the fate you spared us from... a fate only one other prevented us from enduring endlessly." Her face suddenly turned grim, her tail dropping flatly and dragging across the floor as she came to an abrupt stop.


Suddenly I found myself needing to comfort yet another mare. "I am sorry," I said sympathetically, stepping up beside her. "He fought well, and he died a fighter. He did so for you. Remember him, but do not burden yourself needlessly." It was the only advice I could give; it was clear that he'd fought to stop... something... from happening to them. What it was, I didn't know.


She just nodded. "I know this. And Zilly knows it, too. It's just... hard for us, we 'tribals' who now live in the city of our oppressors. Even two hundred years later, my people are still mistreated by the great majority of Roamans... it saddens me."


There was nothing I could do but nod. I couldn't undo the discrimination and suffering her people had to endure, but I could change her image of the Roamans. "Well, don't worry. The people who did those things to you will be going soon. In fact, bring your sister up here to the Forum; better than being held by the remnants of the bad zebras who hurt you."


She nodded. "I will think on it." She sniffed, blinking hard. "Very well. I must go. Next to my sister, I must handle a few more things." She gave a respectful bow by way of saying goodbye, then muttered as she left the room, "Perhaps dig a small grave for him..."


When she left I closed the door, plunging the room into darkness. Then I looked over at Myst as she lay still on the bed, her chest rising up and down.


I stepped closer. "Myst?" I asked softly, hoping she'd respond if she was awake. She didn't reply, which lead me, tired and unwilling to pursue anything else for the evening, to just believe she was asleep.


I sat down on the opposite end or the bed and was still for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next regarding them both. The silence of the fields with Roamana's absence coupled with the distant sounds of their battling left me in an environment well-suited for planning, but I was still at a loss. In the end, the only course of action I could find myself to rely upon was to bring us all together the next day, talk, and hope for the best.


It wasn't much of a plan. But it had to do.


At last I aligned myself the bed' length and pulled the sheets over me. This was the first time in two nights that I felt... alone. The first night was an exception: we were all too tired to care about companionship. The second night, though I had been sick and enraged and stuck in my ways, Myst had brought me comfort. And then again on the third night. Now... now it just felt wrong. There were no goodnights, no falling asleep in each other's embrace, it was disturbing.


But there wasn't anything to be done. Nothing much, anyway. The most I could do without risking waking her up was to wrap a hoof around her chest and hold it there. And though the sense of comfort provided was benign, at least, even if involuntary, Myst shifted to accommodate the contact.


It wasn't long before I felt sleep's weight, ghostly blue wisps of luminescent fog greeting me as my lids slowly closed. Within the fog, I saw two glowing eyes looking right at me, the gaze soft and benevolent.


'Everything will be fine,' it seemed to assure me.


At that point my mental faculties were far too deteriorated to formulate any kind of response on any level. My lids slammed shut, and plunged me into serene slumber.

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

I woke up to the sound of a door creaking open. My mind, having gotten several extra hours of sleep (and with the alcohol in my system neutralized), was quick and awake. It did the math in a matter of seconds: there were only four rooms in this place, only three of which had been occupied; Doomtune had taken one, then Skyfire another, and finally Myst and I for the third. Doomtune had stayed with Skyfire the night before. There was only one sensible conclusion.


I got up quickly, forcing my limbs awake as I trotted briskly but quietly to our own door and opened it.


As it turns out, I was only partially correct. It was Doomtune's door that I had heard, but Skyfire's was open as well. I trotted further into the main room, just in time to see Doomtune carrying his radio equipment over his shoulder and carrying it to the balcony. There Zaita waited, quietly and patiently, with her back doors opened as if beckoning him to enter and leave.


"That's the last of it," the zebra operative told her as he placed the radio onto her metal floor. "There's just one more thing I need to take care of. If he's awake, that is. If not... can you tell him?"


"Of course, Aurius," she replied in her monotone voice. I noticed a tiny camera just above the metal doorway, and it shifted. "Goldwreath. Good morning."


Doomtune glanced over his shoulder at me as I trotted closer. "You're up early," he noted,


"I always wake up at six AM," I informed him.


He cocked his head sideways, confused. "But... it's five-thirty," he told me.


I stood there for a moment. "Then it seems my body has a new schedule for waking up." Which wasn't necessarily bad, but I could imagine many a situation where the lost thirty minutes would make me extremely irritable. Still, I felt a pang of loss at the destruction of my years-old tradition.


He shrugged. "It seems so. Whatever the case, I'm glad you're awake. I faced indecision to tell you what happened last night, but you're awakening has confirmed my course of action. It's time to tell you."


"Thank goodness," I breathed. "I've been aching to know what's been happening. What did happen last night?"


He hesitated to answer me directly. "Let's have this talk over there," he said as he started trotting over to Skyfire's doorway, me following. "Zaita, hold up for a while."


"Of course," she replied simply, "Take all the time you need to explain Skyfire's situation."


I stopped. "Wait, you know what happened? How?"


"G.L.A.D.I.U.S has eyes and ears everywhere in this citadel, Goldwreath." Zaita closed her armored doors and turned around in the air so that her front faced me. "He has known what happened since Myst spoke her unfortunate request."


"Why didn't either of you two tell me?"


"G.L.A.D.I.U.S doesn't really care, and I was held under cyber lockdown as part of his precautionary measures against me. I could easily have overridden the security, but I liked my little quiet corner of the Forum," she replied plainly.


"Yet you know what happened," I pointed out, squinting.


"I said G.L.A.D.I.U.S had eyes and ears everywhere. I didn't say he just told me what he knew."


I sighed, waving a hoof dismissively in her direction. "Alright, whatever. Get me up to speed later if there's anything else worth telling. For now," I turned around and started slowly for Skyfire's door, "I have some friends to take care of."


"Of course." With that, she hovered away from the balcony.


Doomtune was leaning against the open doorway, looking into the room. "Last night was... odd," he told me as he stared, looking at Skyfire as she slept. "I wasn't expecting to be called in like that. For a while I thought she'd ask me to do some... things. But I was wrong; she just needed company."


I nodded. "So," I said as I stood right against the wall, "What did happen after you went in? What did she say?"


He shrugged, his tone reflective as he said, "Lots of things. Most of it what I expected her to say, considering her situation. Confessions she could never have told you... frustrations she could never take out on you... those kinds of things."


"And...?" I pressed, knowing that wasn't all of it.


He looked to me with contemplative eyes. His lips curved up into a sad, mirthless smile. "There's nothing else you don't already know. She's lonely, and seeing you two together -- you, whom she admired, and Myst, whom she trusted as her best friend -- hurts her. A lot. She can't keep herself together under these kinds of conditions after all she's been through, you know that right?"


I hung my head and nodded. "I do. I hoped that talking to her... getting Myst to talk to her... that we could ease her suffering... but..."


"But you can't," he cut in. "This kind of pain never goes away. Never, period. Not as long as she's near you guys. I know; I feel it too." He hissed through grit teeth and closed his eyes, sighing. When he opened them again he looked exhausted, pained. "I know, okay? I've been unloved- hated by my family for years. I've had all hopes of relationships go up in smoke. Most of the people I ever cared for died right in front of me. So trust me when I say there's absolutely nothing you can do for her. Only time can do that, and it'll take a long time."


I gulped, taking in the gravity of his words. "I feared as much," I admitted. "And I came to understand this all just recently -- that her pain is something we couldn't get rid of and all. But you can't seriously expect me to just let her suffer. She's my friend, and I care for her."


He paused, looking away from me and back into the room. He took in a deep breath. "Well, it's the truth. As long as she's around you, she will always be... unstable. You've witnessed that directly."


I hung my head. "It makes her very difficult to deal with, and hard to interact with without feeling like you're trotting on eggshells," I admitted tiredly.


He nodded sympathetically. "I know. But you have to bear with her. She wants to be with you two; you're her friends, for gods' sakes. She tried so hard to keep herself normal around you, even when it was impossible. And she's willing to endure the constant pain of being in your presence so long as you'll be patient with her. Will you be patient with her?" He looked back to me, fixing his gaze against mine.


"I will," I replied firmly. "I will always care for her, no matter what. I will be patient when she becomes unstable, and be with her until the storm passes. I will be understanding, always."


"Good, then you can make your friendship work. Just expect it to be... rough. Very, very rough." He pushed away from the doorway and took a tentative step away.


"When she wakes, she won't know what to expect," he warned me. "Last night before she gave in to exhaustion she rambled on endlessly. She begged me to tell you all this so that she wouldn't have to. And I agreed to tell you, even if I thought it would have been better if she did. That's why I was hesitant to tell you all this. But now you know, now you understand. Don't make her say anything. Don't make her apologize or explain herself. Just be there for her, whatever happens, and until it ends."


That I could do. "I will," I assured him.


He nodded, taking a few more steps away. "Good, good," he said in a rush, looking around. He muttered things to himself as he searched the vicinity. Then finally he stopped where he stood, right in the middle of the room.


"Well then," he said, looking at me, "I guess this is it, then. I contacted Zaita because yesterday my superiors called me back to Home Base; it seems Madran has reached her conclusion about Vesperius' ceasefire. Zaita will bring me to the S3 transport we left parked at the library. Then I'm off. Then... then I don't know what."


I nodded, trotting closer and extending a hoof forward. "Thank you, Doomtune," I said sincerely, smiling. "For making sure we got here safe, for making sure we lived in our stay here, for Skyfire... for everything."


He smiled too, then took my foreleg into his own and shook it. He didn't say anything; he didn't need to. All that needed saying was spoken.


Zaita hovered back over the balcony. Doomtune gave me one more glance and gave the area around him one more look before lugging his heavy backpack over his shoulder and trotting slowly towards Zaita's opened doors. He made sure one more time that he had everything, then stepped onto the balcony's marble and climbed the railings before jumping across the small gap towards Zaita. He waved over at me, and I waved back. Then I noticed the lack of something from which his name came from.


"Wait!" I called over the fwoosh of Zaita's engines as the thrusters powered up. "Your helmet!"


He just smiled as he banged on the metal walls, signaling her to close the doors. Neither of us spoke another word before the doors slammed shut. The engines gave a powerful blow, and then they were off.


With him gone there was nothing left to do, and no one to talk to. I turned and trotted into the center of the main room, where I stood for most of the next minute.


Now that I truly observed the area, I found that Doodle and Delvius both slept in the previously unoccupied fourth room, with the filly draped across her back over Delvius' face. It was a nice thing to think of that almost all the rooms were being used. It was a nice little fantasy that played around in my head to see all of them occupied, with my friends and their friends each staying together in each room like a family. And then every morning, when things quieted down, we'd all heave breakfast together and talk among the couches. And we'd share our troubles and help each other. The thought made me smile, knowing that it was possible if only my group grew beyond its current count.


But it was all just fantasy at the time. At that moment, reality reigned. Dark, grim reality, but it was ours. We had to plan, we had to move, we had to fight. We had to keep order among ourselves or risk being divided by chaos.


And for those we needed an environment suitable to thinking, which I had. I just had to fix the place up a little but so I didn't somehow disturb others. So one by one I went from door to door, closing them and wrapping up whatever little mess Doomtune had left behind.


Then I came across Skyfire' room. There I hesitated to shut the door as I looked in, at her. She, who arguably among us was the closest to crumbling. I sighed, but reserved myself for when she woke up. I started closing the door.


But something caught my attention. Something spherical, something black. Something that, upon recognizing its nature, made me smile in disbelief and hope.


Doomtune had left his helmet along will all his musical apparatus. And with what he left behind, he had also left a note with the unmistakable pattern of tiny, crayon-colored pink heart.

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

I sat there on the couches for hours, thinking. Planning. In particular, I spotted an undefined variable in my plan to kill a chimera and bring its corpse back: I didn't know where to start. The underground seemed the most likely place to start, even if the thought of plunging into complete darkness again terrified me. Aside from searching there, there was the option of scanning the surface of the city; they operated topside too, apparently. In the end, seeing as Vesperius was kind of a clairvoyant, I decided it would be best to ask him before I left.


It was the hour of eight when Skyfire's door finally creaked open.


This was it. The moment I'd spent hours preparing for. Earlier I'd taken two packs of the chocolate-flavored Black Cloud cure Predator had given me and made two cups of hot drink, both of which had lost their heat long ago. Next I'd spent some time in the bathroom looking myself up, trying to come up with the best look to greet her with; nothing too casual so as to suggest there was no problem -- we all had to acknowledge there was -- but nothing so grim or mirthless as to make the future seem bleak.


I was surprised when I saw my default expression. I never felt it, but I always seemed to be scowling somewhat, like I was angry or disgusted by something. The scars didn't help make me look any more inviting. But I managed to finally come up with the look I was looking for. It was hard keeping it up, like I wasn't meant to smile invitingly anymore.


Well, here was my chance to prove that I still could.


The door opened up some more, and she stepped out. She looked fine, really. She wasn't haggard or unkept, as I excepted her to appear. But she was cautious, looking around like an escaped captive until she saw me. Her eyes widened, and she stood still right where she was.


I brought the smile I'd practiced to play. "Good morning, Skyfire." I scooted over to another cushion, patting the one next to me. "Feeling any better? If you are, then don't be afraid to take a seat."


She was quiet for a long moment as she looked away from me. "Did... he tell you?" she asked slowly.


"So you wouldn't have to, yes," I replied.


She sucked in a breath and nodded, scratching at her hoof nervously as she stepped closer. "Good. Good, good..." She gulped and cleared her throat as she sat down awkwardly next to me. She glanced at me as I watched her. "Are... are you upset?" she asked gingerly.


The question was one I found difficult to answer. Upset about her? Yes. Upset at her? Yes... but that didn't change the fact that she was my friend. I told her as much.


"And are you mad?" she asked, her voice quivering with anxiety and fear.


Now that one was something I was ready for. "No." I smiled some more, and hoped to the gods I looked sincere, because I was. "I can't be mad at you. Not after all the things you've done with and for us. And not about something I know you can't stop."


She shook her head, her mane covering her eyes. "But... I've been almost useless. I've-..."


I placed a hoof on her shoulder, "None of that is true." My expression and tone was stern, and it made her stare at me fearfully. I relaxed. "Skyfire, I am easily angered and am subject to fits of rage. Myst is shy and has difficulty dealing with people. Doodle is... confusing. Zaita has a tendency to tell everything, pleasant or not. And you? You become sad because you're in pain."


Her eyes started glistening. "So what?" she asked, her voice tense. "What's your point?" she sniffed.


"The point is, Skyfire... we're all imperfect. There will always be pain and tough times ahead of us, some of it coming from each other. What will allow us to survive is how we treat ourselves. If we got mad at each other all the time because of our faults, there'd be nothing left of us. There would be no 'we', and the moment we break apart is the moment the wasteland devours us all whole. So the only solution is that we must always be patient with each other, and always be understanding."


She hung her head, ears drooping. We didn't say anything. There was doubt, still. On her part, she doubted herself and her ability to control her emotions. And on my part, I doubted the threshold of my own tolerance. At some point, after any number of her emotional breakdowns, would I finally just give up on her? Would we fall apart? Would our friendship be broken because we tried and failed to accommodate her and all the suffering she bore?


Maybe, maybe. But if it were to happen, I sure as hell wasn't going to let it happen soon.


Smart choice or not, I moved closer and threw my hooves around her. She gave a surprised shudder, but didn't pull away. Moments later, she took part in the embrace, too.


I heard hoofsteps in a nearby room. "Goldwreath?" It was Myst. Skyfire's grip on me suddenly tightened, and she sniffed. A nearby door creaked open. "Goldwreath, are you here... oh."


I dared to open my eyes and look at her. Like I had been, she was lost, confused. Stuck in a web of indecision. But the longer I kept up my gaze, the more she seemed to understand what had to be done, and why. She trotted closer slowly, very slowly, and sat down. Then she gently wrapped her hooves around her, mixing her embrace with my own. Skyfire burst into open crying.


There was another commotion nearby. "Doodle, get off me!" Delvius grumbled, and there was a thud. "Whoops... sorry about that."


"I think they're outside," Doodle said from the other side of their door. It opened, and she came galloping out before abruptly stopping, looking at us. And then, taking only a moment's pause, she too rushed over and wrapped her little legs around one of Skyfire's, nuzzling her.


Delvius too came out, groggily, and saw us. All sleepiness seemed to fade from him. He approached... but didn't partake. I could understand; he was new, and only had a basic understanding of what plagued her. So he adopted a course of action much more fitting: he sat near us and looked on, passively giving us the support of his presence as Skyfire choked and sobbed.


Myst and I had done this to her. We'd made this pain enter her life. There was no reparation for that, and nothing we could do to make her pain go away. But it was our mutual hope that, if we hugged her long enough, she'd understand how sorry we were, and how much we all loved her.

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

Breakfast came a little while later. Fortunately by then we'd pulled ourselves together. Things were still awkward between us, but I can safely say that we broke a barrier. And we were closer for it. Nevertheless, we ate in general silence.


After that came the rest of the morning. We started preparing all our gear -- perhaps it was just us, but I personally believed that having Roamana and Doomtune leave in quick succession was a reminder to us all that we had a mission. A mission that I explained to my friends over dinner later that evening, after an afternoon of personal alone time amongst ourselves.


"So we kill this thing and head on back here for when the senate surfaces," Delvius mused. "Hmm... it could work, it could work. But where do we start?"


I'd cleared up just about every detail to them except for that one. When I asked Vesperius earlier that day if he knew where to start, he just told me to wait. And now, that wait was over.


"It's called the Castra Praetoria, the Praetorian fortress," Vesperius informed us as he swiveled his chair around, just in time for the holographic map of Roam above the emperor's throne to project forward and focus on the aforementioned structure. "Before the war, it was the main home of the guards. During the war, it was handed over to the urban cohorts but retained its name due to the frequent collaborated security operations conducted by both groups within the place. And now? The fortress is one of the few standing structures within Roam's obliterated half."


"What makes you think this is the place to start looking for them?" I asked.


He turned around, and behind him the holographic map turned into a three-dimensional blueprint of the fortress' layout. He pointed to a complex network of zig-zagging tunnels and large, elaborate chambers beneath the foundations of the building. I recognized a tiny label near the largest of these chambers: 'Stable II, Praetorianum Cognationes' (Stable II, Praetorian Guard Families). "That's why. The Castra Praetoria's access terminals for the underground bore the highest security clearance in Roam, second only to the Forum's. You get there, you have access to the entire underground. In addition, the place had the third largest fallout shelter in Roam, and it was equipped with all kinds of facilities. Any sensible group of creatures would think it a good home."


I nodded, staring off at the layout of the place. "Perhaps... still, what makes you so sure they'll be down there?"


"Because with Roamana topside they'll instinctively want to go into hiding. Unless I'm mistaken, of course." I thought he was mistaken. The chimeras were capable of an undetermined capacity for shape-shifting; all they had to do was kill a Legionnaire and take their identity. What did they have to fear from Roamana if Roamana believed they were their allies?


"That's it?" Delvius asked, voicing my own concerns. "Not too much to go on."


"You're right, it isn't," he admitted. "But," he turned around again and pointed at the screen. Immediately the projection displayed a blurry, disoriented image showcasing a wide road with an equally wide, black rectangle running its length. "There is also this."


Justinian, who had stood off from the corner of the table, trotted close. "Is... that..." he rasped suspiciously.


"That's the praetorian cohort that left yesterday," Vesperius finished for him. "They're on one of the few functional roads that still leads to the bridge the Castra Praetoria guards."


"And if that's not evidence of their whereabouts," Zaita intoned, her voice echoing through the chamber, "Then this should be."

"Mode -- REMOVING AI THREAT," G.L.A.D.I.U.S boomed, and that was the last we heard of Zaita for the evening.


The image zoomed in even more, focusing on what appeared to be statues of animals on the rim of a nearby building. They could have fooled anyone who hadn't encountered them firsthand, but I knew chimeras when I saw them. You never forget those eyes. One of them was looking the camera's way, its glowing pupils staring. Even through an image, I could have sworn the gaze made my movements stiff.


Everyone suddenly seemed convinced. "So when do we go?" Skyfire asked. It was nice to hear her finally getting involved again.


"I'd advise as late as you can, so long as you get back here in three days," Vesperius replied, looking like he wanted us to stay a bit longer. "That's when the senate gets topside."


"In that case, we leave as soon as possible," I cut in, getting approving nods from my equine companions. All of them. Vesperius, though, was looking at me questioningly. "We get into lots of trouble and delays," I told him. "When we decided to come here to the Forum, we thought it'd only take three days. It took a month."


He nodded in concession. "Very well. I'll have the servants prepare something for your departure. It'll be ready by tomorrow morning."


"Then that's when we leave," I said. "Anyone have any objections?"


There were none.


"Good. Get your gear together tonight. We leave tomorrow."

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

"Are you still awake?" Myst questioned softly as we lay together in the bed.


"Yes." I shifted and turned around, the faint illumination of the Forum's ever-luminescent lights seeping in under the doorway being the only reason I could spot her. "Something wrong?"


She was looking up at me, gaze soft and uncertain. "Nothing. I'm just... scared. About tomorrow." She moved closer, as if trying to seek comfort and solace in my presence. I wrapped my wings around her, keeping her warm. "Are... are you scared?"


"A little bit," I admitted, stroking her mane. "But it has to be done. We don't convince the senate of this threat, and we face them alone. And we five can't win against this enemy."


She nodded. "I know. It's just that... do we really have to do this?"


I cocked my head. "What do you mean?"


"Well... what if we just told them everything we know about these things and let them handle it?" she elaborated, running a hoof across my chest in little circles. "We could live here... have an actual life. We could finish the book we were reading... maybe live it out a little..." She gave a tiny smile. "Maybe we could just drop all the fighting?"


I stared at her, then looked away. It was one thing to have my indoctrinated self suggest it, but her...

"If only I could, Myst," I replied. "But a part of me's cemented with a desire, a need to keep working, to keep moving. If I stopped, I don't know what would happen." That was just one half of the reason I could never just stop, though. "Besides, with the things we're getting into... do you really think a life like that would be possible right now?"


She paused, thinking. Her hooves ran up and down my chest and abdomen for almost a full minute. "I guess not," she sighed. "But it's a nice fantasy to think about."


"It doesn't have to be a fantasy, Myst. I said it wasn't possible right now. At some point, a life like that can be within everyone's reach. But we must work for a future like that; take the fight to the forces that be. Otherwise we'll always be stuck where we are. And I don't want that for anyone, especially you," I said as I stroked her mane.


She smiled. "I really like how certain you sound. It's admirable... and one if the reasons I love you."


The word 'love' hit me like a hammer to the chest. It was the first time I'd heard that from her; really, from anyone who wasn't family. I wasn't prepared in any specific way on how to react, but I knew that I shared her feelings. But I didn't say anything, and could only hope that she'd see in my shocked smile the reciprocation she sought.


She just kept smiling and kissed me. "Goodnight," she said dreamily, then settled against my chest with my wings still wrapped around her. My hooves idly ran up the length of her back again and again until she fell asleep.


For the longest time, I just kept that up, unable to sleep.


Love...

* * * Magnus et Potens Roamanus * * *

My weapons were polished, armor mended to the best of my mediocre maintenance abilities. Vengeance was loaded, ready to go, and Tankbuster's weight didn't feel alien to me even after the long time of not handling it. Balaclava's rifle had all rounds stored in eight mags; more than enough to go with assuming I practiced trigger discipline. There wasn't anything left to do but wait for Delvius to come back with the supplies Vesperius promised us. I was ready. We all were.


"Hey Myst, check to see if the straps are on tight enough for me, would you?" Skyfire tilted her right in the earth pony's direction, gesturing to a strap on the battle saddle that held her two favorite plasma rifles.


Myst got up tensely and approached. Whether she was tense about leaving or approaching Skyfire directly for the first time since the day before, I didn't know. Probably both.


"It's... all okay," Myst said after a moment's inspection.


"Good. Then I'm all set." She paused, looking over to the helmet and music apparatus Doomtune had left behind. The note, I saw, stuck out slightly from the brim of her saddlebag. She approached her things and turned the helmet around in her hooves. Myst and I looked to each other as Skyfire put it on.


"It fits the black armored vest you're wearing," I noted. "And it covers your head. Hell, it even plays music. All in all a good thing, don't you think?"


"Yeah... it is..." she said idly as she looked over the songs on display from the headset's playlist. She sighed.


"Something wrong?" Myst asked as she got up next to her.


"No, nothing. Everything's actually better than I expected it to turn out," she replied, her voice muffled by the helmet. "It just makes me wonder if things can get better some more."


"They will," Myst assured her as I paced back and forth near the doorway. Skyfire looked to her, her expression unfathomable through the helmet's visor. "We just have to work a little for it."


I stopped and looked at Myst. She shot a knowing little smile my way, one I couldn't help but return.


It was then that Delvius returned, bearing two small boxes atop his back. "Alright, here's the stuff," he said as he laid them down near the center of the room where all the rest of our supplies were. "We ready to go?"


"Yeah," I replied, glancing at my Pipbuck. "Give Zaita a minute or two. I told her to meet us here soon."


"She's already on her way," a voice called from the doorway. We all looked, and spotted the... the praefect?


"Velian?" I asked, dumbfounded.


The golden-masked praetorian laughed. "No, it's me. Justinian, the new praetorian praefect. And I..." he said as he reached behind him and stepped forward into the room, "... need to give you something."


He stopped right in front of me and gestured me bring a hoof forward. I did so, and he placed in my hoof the silver praetorian mask he used to wear. "This... what is this?" I asked, even more dumbfounded. "Am I a... a tribune now?"


"No, not unless you want to be. The position's open, after all," he replied casually as he looked around, taking in the puzzled looks on my friends' faces. "But I'm actually giving this to you for a more... personal reason." He trotted a little off, gesturing me to follow. When we stopped near the corner of the room he said softly, "I want him dead, Goldwreath."


"Who?"


"Velian," he replied in a hiss. "Or rather, what used to be Velian. He works with those... those 'chimera' monsters now, I know it. I don't care what the chimeras are or where they come from. He is delusional, him and all his followers. This is not a matter of loathing, mind you. He is simply a very dangerous person surrounded by four-hundred equally dangerous individuals, and now they work with another dangerous force. When you get to the Castra Praetoria, and if you find him there... all I ask is that you make sure the last thing he sees is his deathbringer wearing the mask of the praetorian guard. The real praetorian guard."


I processed his request for a moment. "Alright, fine," I nodded. If he wanted it that bad, I suppose I could finish off his former friend in the way he desired. "Why not come with me, though? If you want to, there's more than enough room."


"It's tempting... but my duty is here now. I am their new praefect, though our numbers are few. Very few. They will need time to adjust, and I must be with them. It's my duty, just as protecting Roam is yours."


"I understand," I replied. "But just so you know, you guys are the real praetorians. I'm... just a vigilante."


The statement seemed to strike him. "You are... correct," he replied slowly, sighing. "Very correct..." he murmured. Then he looked back to me. "Ah, but we are old, Goldwreath. Slow. We haven't seen real combat since... since such a long, long time ago. Out there, we will be destroyed. The last of the guard must remain here, where we are preserved by Roaman antiquity."


"Fine, have it your way," I said as I turned and trotted back to the center, looking at the mask in my hooves. "But just so you know, I think you and your guards have the power to change everything about Roam. All you need is to believe you can do it."


Skyfire seemed to have lost interest when we were having our conversation. Now she was hovering away from the balcony. "Alright, she's coming over," she called out. "Grab your stuff, people."


The words sent us scrambling. I went and picked up all my stuff off the floor, just as the others did (all of them except for Doodle, of course). It was hard handling it all with one hoof occupied holding the silver mask, so I freed it up by sliding the mask into place on my helmet. To my surprise, it stuck.


Zaita rose up over the balcony before slowly descending, her rear turning to face us. The doors opened up. "Accommodations ready."


We boarded, each of us jumping the small gap and cramming all our collective gear at the far end of the metal compartment. When we were done and we seated ourselves, the APC started to rise and the doors started closing.


"Destination is the Castra Praetoria?" Zaita asked.


I didn't answer right away. Instead I looked out through the open rear at Justinian, our gazes meeting in the air. He seemed to be contemplating something as he stood there, letting his purple cape whip and snap against the force of Zaita's thrusters. Then the doors closed, and all view of him, the Forum, and the fields was lost.


"Take us there," I ordered, taking in a bracing breath. It had been so long since I willingly rode into danger I almost forgot what adrenaline felt like. "Give me an ETA."


"I will have us there in four hours."


I nodded blankly, still staring at the doorway. "Alright then," I murmured softly. Then I turned to my friends, in particular our newest member. "So Delvius, you ready for this? Are you all ready?"


Though I asked them all, it was Delvius who answered after staring at me and my new mask for a moment. "Yup. Ready as we can be."


I just nodded, then made my way forward to sit at the driver's seat. For a moment I saw nothing but morning sky. Then the APC tilted downwards, and I saw the city in all its marred splendor.


It was a mere few moments later that I became aware of two aircraft, each far ahead but maintaining a steady distance and position relative to our transport. "What are those, Zaita?"


The answer that was given surprised us.


"Mode -- ANSWERING QUERY. Those would be my combat drones."


There was a shriek of static as Zaita reassumed control. "Well," she said blankly, "It seems we have more than one new passenger on board."








Footnote: Halfway to Level Up.
New group unlock: Diversified AI Support -- This is good, but also bad. G.L.A.D.I.U.S is old, but he is efficient and pragmatic. And while he can't take over Zaita, you will continue to hear what he has to say, whether you like it or not.