“It’s been some time since we all gather together, hasn’t it? Haha!”
Rainbow Dash remarked with a rough grin. “Hey, Misty, drink some more cider will ya?”
Mistral Trail looked flustered. “I can’t, I still have to inspect the barracks later, Your Gra-”
“Mi- sty-! Don’t you pull this ‘Your Grace’ and duty nonsense on me right here and now!”
“But you’re our duchess and our savior, Y-”
“Oh, please. It’s been so awful and tiring being responsible all the time, let me breathe for a moment, okay?”
Rainbow Dash moaned, as she chugged down another jug of cider.
“Rainbow, Ah know yer tired and all, we all want to relax fer a moment. But there must be somethin’ important fer Rarity and Fluttershy to suddenly call all of us here. You should probably lay off the cider even if it’s the Apple’s best.”
Rainbow Dash let out a squeak of defeat, as she pushed away her jug with extreme reluctance. “I swear, one day all these responsibilities are going to be the end of me.”
Mistral Trail immediately gasped, forgoing all decorum in a moment of shock and panic. “R- R- Rainbow! You’re the living symbol of the Cruzesian hope for freedom! You can’t just say something like that and give up-”
“Mistral Trail, she’s just kiddin’.”
Rainbow Dash made a face and flicked Mistral Trail on the head. “Geez, Misty, you’re so uptight even in your off-time. Literally every other Cruzesian will cheer the suggestion of more alcohol and less work. You know it, ‘em cadets tried everything under the sun just to get less TF1 and more rum. You should learn to relax sometimes.”
Mistral Trail let out a yelp. Then she massaged her forehead and said wistfully. “Rainbow, my duchess good and true, I know how it looks to you, that they’re a bunch of airy pegasi who only think about shrugging things off their backs, but they actually want to do a lot more, and earn a name for Cruzesia in the world again. And you, Rainbow, your presence alone is a strong reminder that it can be done. If even you say that it’s too much, they will lose hope quicker than a sinking anchor. And if you think that they’re slacking off hard now, wait until you see when they wander around without purpose and goal!”
“I know, I know. I’m way too deep and invested to quit now anyway. Besides, I love you all, I love both the striving and the slacking among you boys and girls, you’re all my own brothers and sisters in hooves. Don’t you worry a bit about me giving up, because I’ll never leave any of you behind.”
“Rainbow…”
The cyan mare held her cheeks and narrowed her eyes resignedly. “Despite so, I’d still very much like a break, if only to recharge myself to face the next challenge for me and for us. However, now we seem to be here just awaiting whatever bad news Rares and Flutters are going to tell us. And I bet you a piece of my wing feather that it will lead to more troubles afterwards.”
“Hey now, how do you know it must be bad news?” Applejack uneasily grinned.
“If it’s good news, would they be so vague? They might as well write in giant letters that ‘Buck! Something went so seriously wrong that we can’t even tell you through messengers!’”
She crossed her hooves. “For all I know, Tirek could have already escaped and currently wrecking Manehattan using the Statue of Harmony like an oversized torch.”
Applejack immediately chastised. “Don’t say that! We’ve talked about temptin’ fate!”
“Who’s Tirek?” Mistral Trail asked quizzically.
Out of the blue, a giant puff of smoke burst out in the middle of the room. A cape-wearing greyish red centaur popped up from nowhere with a huge domineering grin.
“That’s me! And all your magic is going to be mine!” He said with a shrieking but amused tone, causing the green unicorn to shudder and slunk back in fear.
Rainbow Dash unceremoniously pushed Mistral Trail back and got ready to pull a strong punch. But after she narrowed an eye and glanced at ‘Tirek’ incredulously, she shouted with deep annoyance.
“Cut the buck out, Discord! For the thousandth time, we told you to just join in a conversation like normal ponies and not pull any stupid tricks like this on us. Tirek is no bucking jokes, man! He can frickin’ depower and destroy the whole Equestria by taking all unicorn magic!”
With another flash, the visage of the centaur was replaced by a pompously sad-looking Discord. “Ooo, harsh, my dear Rainbow Dash. Is that what I get for taking the trouble to take a detour to Tartarus on my way here just to check on the rabid three-headed dog and his prisoner?”
“Y- You did?”
“Would I ever lie to you, my friends?”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes sideways, but she then jokingly poked the draconequus and gave him an apologetic wink. Applejack also shook her head and sighed wryly. “Yeah, you don’t seem to be lyin’.”
The orange mare then turned to the confused unicorn. “Tirek, or Lord Tirek when he’s still a prince, is a dangerous magic-stealin’ centaur now imprisoned in Tartarus.”
Rainbow Dash added. “Yep, dude’s a prince from some kingdom to the farflung east-”
Discord whistled. “The kingdom’s called Lapitha, Rainbow Dash, it’s even older than the first pony nation in the world. You’re going to piss him off by calling it ‘some kingdom’.”
“Bah, who cares if I piss him off, he’s not here and he’s a terrible centaur. He and his gargoyle brother Scorpan…”
Mistral Trail raised her brows. “How could a centaur have a gargoyle brother?”
“Ugh… I have no idea. Maybe one of them was adopted? Maybe they’re just oath-brothers? Maybe magic? In any case, Scorpan definitely burned the bridge with his no-good centaur brother after siding with the ponies.”
“He did?”
“Yep, he came to Equestria sometimes before the banishment of Luna, and intended to steal all unicorn magic. But his brother had a change of heart and told the Princesses about Tirek’s plan. And so he failed and got captured. But we’re worried, because unlike how the Elements’ effect weakened on Discord with time passing, his power actually grows as he recuperates in Tartarus. The only thing that stops him from coming out is the gatekeeper three-headed dog Cerberus.”
Discord raised an arm sneeringly. “I naturally disagree. There’re things other than the dog that stops him from regaining power. But there’s one thing that trumps all fail-safes that you ponies put on.”
“And what is it?” Rainbow Dash arched her brows.
“You ponies’ blatant stupidity of course!”
Instead of getting a rise out of the mares as he had hoped, he only got a round of subdued murmurs and sighs.
“Pfft, rub it in, Discord. Even at this very moment, we’re still patching up for our biggest foul-up this year.” Rainbow Dash threw up her hooves and said.
Applejack added grimly. “Even though we tried our best and had Twi’s smarts, things still turn out to be royally screwed fer the most part. It’s a mighty blessin’ fer Twilight to return to us, but a lot of things look rather dim lately.”
Discord blew a raspberry. “Tsk tsk, you all are too self-effacing to tease. My point stands though, Cerberus might be able to keep him in bay, but what’re you actually thinking when you’re just going to let him stay in Tartarus? Are you expecting him to run his natural cause and rot away himself? Are you expecting him to suddenly become enlightened and renounce his wrongful and evil ways?”
“Are you suggesting that he can be reformed?” Applejack asked with surprise.
“Have that never crossed your mind?”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Uh… not really. Like King Sombra, we sort of assume that he’s gone too much off the deep end to be convinced. If his dear little brother couldn’t do so, what could some other random ponies like us do?”
“What about banishing him to another dimension? I mean, Twilight certainly can put a lead lid on him.”
“That’s something that only unicorns do, littering the hyperspace with unwanted nuisances till they get enough power to tear space-time a new hole and come back at the most inopportune time. I bet you fifty b-”
“Rainbow, you’ve got a gamblin’ problem.”
“I don’t!”
Applejack half-jokingly remarked. “And also Mistral, why aren’t you troubled by Her Grace’s casual racism?”
Mistral Trail blinked and recited. “A verdade não se ofusca. O duquesa não se engana.”
Applejack widened her eyes, but they were uneven as she raised her left brow quite a bit. After a pause, she asked. “Is that a poem or somethin’?”
Mistral Trail smiled. “It’s the motto of our expedition.”
“Or your cult, that works too.” Discord slipped in sarcastically.
The mint-green unicorn tilted her head. “A cult? Quer dizer, como, 'culto'?”
Rainbow Dash abruptly turned and nodded. “Uh, yes, Misty.”
“What’s wrong then? If I have my way, I would certainly ‘cult up’ our dedication to Her Grace.”
“You ain’t kiddin’.” Applejack blinked.
“The ancient, prestigious imperial crown of Roaman Crystalia also had a tradition of imperial cult, dedicating the glory of the Empire to the emperor. And why, you Equestrians look up to your Alicorn Princesses in pretty much the same way, don’t you?”
“That’s… complicated.”
Applejack knitted her brows. “Some of us certainly think of the Princesses as livin’ goddesses, but others, perhaps the majority, merely see them as very wise and ancient leaders, as well as invaluable symbols of national unity.”
“And that’s no different to how we in the expedition think of Her Grace. Admittedly, we are just a small portion among Cruzesians, for other civilians have known less about the fantastic exploits of Her Grace, and certain others have their own reasons to disregard those-”
Rainbow Dash sighed loudly, interrupting the green unicorn. “Misty, no religion or politics.”
“Y- Yes, Your Gra-”
The cyan mare waved down the formal address. “For now at least. I’ve had enough of the annoying dispatches from Escarpas.”
“Huh?” Applejack knitted her brow.
“What? You mean ‘Escarpas’?”
“Yeah, what do you mean by that?”
“It’s the new main Cruzesian settlement at the mouth of Rio Madre after the liberation. Nearly all ponies who lost their homes during the war went there to build new homes, and it’s where the former arboreta chiefs and elders live too. It’s basically the new capital of Cruzesia in Amarezons. And where power is, troubles follow…”
“They’re sending you messages over such a long distance?”
“Not quite, I reported back myself. After all, I’m technically using the organ of the Cruzesian nation like it’s my belonging, which must’ve annoyed somepony back at home. So I sent back some Zebrican and Equestrian goods on Alegria and told the crews to hand them over as tribute, hoping to soothe some nerves.”
“When was that?”
“That was already a moon and a half ago, and Alegria just came back with some headache-inducing news… Meh, I don’t want to talk about those right now. Let’s just say I can still stay here for some time, probably until Twilight gets better. After that though, I have to head back and deal with both the troublemakers and other things.”
She reached to her rainbow mane and pulled at the strands inattentively. “By now Cruzesia is certainly my adopted nation, I can’t just sit my plot here and hope everything goes right for them.”
Mistral Trail looked to Rainbow Dash with an appreciative and adoring look, as Discord merely waved. “We’ve literally talked so far that the topic flew across the ocean. I wasn’t kidding about Tirek. You girls should still do something more secure and permanent than locking him up. Locking up powerful immortals without doing anything is like hitting the snooze at 12. You’re fooling yourself if you think it’s going to solve the problem rather than simply let it fester.”
The two grew uncomfortable, but Mistral Trail simply asked plainly. “Are you talking about executing him?”
Applejack gasped, and Rainbow Dash suddenly looked much grimmer. Discord chortled. “Woah, you’re one blunt gal, considering that I myself sort of fit the bill in the past. But that might be one solution.”
“No, no, no!” Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash said at the same time.
“We’re not going there, Discord.” The cyan mare added, waving her hoof.
“Why not?”
“Why not?!” Rainbow Dash bashed her forehead with frustration.
Applejack added blankly. “If we want to be a bunch of do-good fanatics, we certainly can. We can ace that no doubt, sugarcube.”
“Like?”
“Like you. Why bother with reformin’ you? If our goal is to make you no longer a threat to us and Equestria, there are more than one way to do this. For instance, while bother with the Element? Taking a magically-infused sledgehammer to you when you were still a piece of stone would be much quicker. Even if you didn’t die outright, Twi said it would take you at least ten thousand years to become one again, not to mention all kinds of potential harm such as memory loss.”
However frivolous-sounding Discord was, he still shuddered a bit. He temporarily glanced at Applejack to see if there’s any measure of seriousness in her eyes, but all he could see was sadness and more sadness.
The orange mare continued regardless. “Or if we completely go against what we believe and use mind wipe and mind control on you and any villain that we see. No offense, bud, but it does save much time and effort comparing to reforming someone as difficult as you.”
“Bah, no mind control could’ve worked on me.”
Discord boasted, but when he really thought about her origins, his voice turned somewhat uncertain.
“Twilight is no simple unicorn. She know about dark magic, the esoteric principles of minds, and almost all the forbidden mind spells down the ages. If she turns into a villain one day, then maybe only a direct smiting from the Spirits of Harmony can deal with her. Let’s not fool ourselves here, if she wants, she could set it up in under three days and control everyone’s minds within the border of Equestria. Boom, instant ‘harmony’, immediate ‘utopia’.”
“Pfft, even Rarity could probably maintain a Ponyville-sized mindless cult for quite long.”
Rainbow Dash said with a knowing look. “She’s certainly no stranger to magic-boosting spells.”
“… These were discussed at all?”
“That was brought up and immediately rejected. We swore off using what we know and what we can do to do somethin’ so morally wrong from the very beginnin’. That kind of world is not utopia, but Tartarus on earth. Even just for you, Twilight herself went on record to say that she would chop her horn off before casting anything mind-bending on you. Dead serious.”
The only unicorn in the room turned a bit green, and Discord winced and muttered without a hint of mocking. “She’s serious…”
“You’ve gotta ask her. After all, she has the strongest feeling over this matter. Not now, of course, but once she’s returned to normal.”
Discord took a long breath. “… Where is she anyway? Why’s there no one in the library? Not even Spike?”
“Oh… About that…”
Rainbow Dash scratched her cheek. “She’s at Fortaleza for now.”
“Your barrack? Why move her around? No wonder I can’t find her these days.”
“She’s cared for by Spike at first. But he was getting frustrated. Not at being with Twilight, but at his own inaction. He’s been paired up with the zebra colt, but they never really get along... I don’t know why exactly. But a few days ago, the two came to me and said they’re going on a cross-Equestria journey to try to get along by spending more time with each other, and also to find a way to heal Twilight. Since Twilight herself was also okay with it, I moved her to my place, and my girls and Trixie would take care of her when I am not around.”
Rainbow Dash tapped her chin. “She’s certainly still a bookworm though, since she had stuck her head in the pile of Cruzesian texts and records that we brought along just in case. Good to pass the time before we fix her up.”
Discord, however, whistled and jested. “I bet the two marefriends of the little dragon are bumped out.”
Rainbow Dash snorted. “You betcha. The unresolved tension from the two are unbearable. Even without the completely incompatible time schedules. I don’t know why they have to go through the trouble of having a three-way relationship.”
Applejack simply shook her head. “Not mah thing, definitely no. Ah’m a traditional pony on this matter through and through… But, eh, whatever float their loveboats.”
Discord suddenly thought about his own romantic quagmire, and rolled his eyes up a bit. He decided to change the topic as well.
“So what about the changelings?”
“What ‘bout them?” Applejack asked back.
“I think after all the hassles, they’re kind of, sort of on our side by now.”
“In the same sense that you’re kind of, sort of on our side?” Rainbow Dash laughed.
Discord grinned back. “I’ll be on your side as long as you all are still fun to watch.”
Sensing the jest in his words, the cyan mare mockingly curtsied. “As long as it pleases our chaos overlord.”
“Har har. You need to work on your theatrics, this ain’t gonna pass in King Discord’s court.”
“Geez, man. It isn’t midday yet, but some draconequus is already dreaming his night fantasies.”
“Pfft, my night fantasies aren’t such tame stuffs.”
“Oh yeah? I-”
“Enough banter, ya two.” Applejack interrupted, uncomfortable at the direction of the conversation.
“Fine, fine.” Rainbow Dash lifted her hooves.
Discord turned back to the orange pony. “Alright, back to my original question. You work beside the changelings the most. How are things panning out?”
“Not bad, Ah guess. Mah other workers are at first a bit weirded out by their droning around the few leaders. The changelings also slipped into Trotian when talking among themselves sometimes, which confused a lot of the workers.”
“How’s that ‘not bad’?”
Applejack smirked. “Meh, they’ve settled down without much hang-up at the end. Ponies just got used to their oddity and all of them mix well. The appreciation they can glean from helping out is not quite true love, as Philyra said, but it is also larger than they originally thought, since mah workers are mostly my cousins and their relations, definitely a charitable and tight-knitted bunch. It’s still not exactly a long-term solution, but it should keep them out of starvation fer another moon, while not harmin’ mah workers a bit.”
“Even though they’re still fooling others using their disguises?”
Applejack raised a brow, but she was not surprised at this line of inquiry. Instead, she crossed her hooves and said. “Tryin’ to bait me again, huh?”
Discord extended his arms and made an innocent face. “Why, oh Applejack, would you accuse an innocent draconequus of that?”
She snorted, and then shook her head with a low voice. “Yes, it is important to remain true to ourselves, but honesty doesn’t mean abandonin’ all tact. It’s like tellin’ a new mother that her newborn foal looks like a lump of rotten hay drenched in tomato sauce.”
Discord laughed aloud. “That’d be so much fun though.”
“What good will it do, though? Honesty should not be brutal. Being brutally honest is less of a virtue but more of being needlessly defensive. It makes you lose sight of bigger things, like whether honesty actually helps the ones you care about.”
She shrugged. “Besides, it’s all fun and games until somepony loses an eye. We’re lookin’ at things at really rose-tinted glasses, and others don’t think that changelings are jus’ some love-hungry bug-ponies who has laid down their arms. In the eyes of most Equestrians, and Ah’ll bet that includes even the Zebricans, changelings are the scourge of the land and ought to be swatted down on sight. Now that Twilight’s recoverin’, we have the will, but not the provision to reveal their presence.”
Rainbow Dash added drolly. “Certainly we don’t want to see something like the hoof-fight between ponies and cattle migrants on the main street earlier this moon, only cranked up to eleven. I don’t want my boys and girls to pointlessly get hurt when trying to pull apart crazed ponies and changelings.”
“Oh well, I guess you might be onto something.”
“There’s some silver linin’ though.”
Applejack smiled in satisfaction. “As the changelings aren’t strong enough to kick the trees in general, they usually help transferring apples from the harvesters to storage. This earn them not only appreciation from the workers, but also a cute lil name – ‘The Apple-bearers’, or in Trotian, melophoroi. They’re gettin’ accepted quite quickly.”
“I’m more surprised that Chryssy and Phily listen to you at all.”
“Oh?”
“In fact, the way you’re able to point them around, and make them do your things make you more of a ‘changeling queen’ than Twilight does.”
“Oh golly, don’t let Chrysalis hear that! What we’re doin’ is more like a, uh, partnership, in her words anyway. She was quite remorseful after the whole debacle, which is surprising but good to hear. Philyra is quite a friendly gal as well, but she has her own way of doin’ things… Eh, but Ah don’t mind so long as it still gets things done in the farm.”
“Yeah, a partnership wherein partner A keeps partner B in a pen to work. May as well be called a ‘pennership’.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes up. “That’s a terrible pun.”
Applejack only sneered. “Come then, smart aleck, how am Ah mistreatin’ them and what should Ah do?”
Discord tapped his chin, and shrugged with a mischievous grin. “Nah, I’m just messing with you.”
“Thought so. Ah’ve tried mah best to treat them with care and respect. They aren’t mah prisoners, it’s only due to Twilight’s situation that we have to make this arrangement.”
“Alright, alright. I was a bit too harsh. I just want you to note that the three changeling head-honchos we know are all quite very willful, and you should be careful in your dealings.”
Applejack’s somewhat annoyed frown turned into a smile. “Thanks fer the reminder, Ah’ll be.”
“So are they coming or not?”
“Nah, Chrysalis and Alle- Ah mean, Philyra-”
Rainbow Dash snickered at her friend’s verbal fumbling. “Gee. I don’t know why she doesn’t just bite the bullet and call herself Allela like her sister does.”
“Ah don’t blame her. It must be a hard time to be messed up by strange magic and act against her free will. Giving people choices are what Twi and we’ve been doin’, right?”
Applejack then exhaled. “Anyway, they didn’t say anything. Chrysalis said she couldn’t care less, and Philyra said she had some unspecified ‘other stuffs’ to do. Ah’m not goin’ to be overly nosy as long as they’re not up to no good again. Ah didn’t see Rosencross at first, since she’s not living on mah farm to begin with, but when Ah saw her this morning, she’s drunk as a skunk next to mah farmhouse.”
“What? Why?” Discord looked surprised.
“I don’t even know changelings can be drunk. Is she falling out with her new sister?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Enope. Ah don’t think so. Someone else definitely has to take the blame.”
Applejack then gave a very judgmental gaze to Discord, who stared back like a dummy. Rainbow Dash looked on cluelessly at first, but she too came to understand what Applejack was implying. Eventually, all three mares in the room looked at Discord like he had committed a grave crime.
“What? Why’re you all looking at me like that?”
“Ah know we’re all adults and the responsibility can’t be dumped on you alone, but sort yer relationships out, Discord. Ah don’t want to see a redux of what happened in the Prench restaurant.”
“Wait?! She’s into-”
Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and stopped Discord. “Ask her yourself, dude. Cadance’s up north, we aren’t your love gurus.”
Mistral Trail looked left and right, and said with a quiet smile. “Good luck, Mister Discord. We Cruzesians often say, ‘Love is blind, so you’ll have to feel your way.’”
Discord briefly smiled in appreciation, and then grumbled to the remaining two. “See? That’s the sort of understanding I would expect from a friend, not immediate hoof-pointing!”
“Well, excu—se me, mister draconequus.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
“You want cushioned words, yer not gettin’ them from us. Ah said it bluntly because Ah want you to really think on it and do somethin’ about it. It’s a miracle that things work out Spike and the lots, and you better reproduce that kind of miracle.”
“For real.”
Applejack smirked. “If you don’t want that much responsibility, don’t be a buckin’ Casanova in the first place.”
After another period of relative silence mainly due to Discord’s embarrassment, the quartet looked outside the window, and then to the clock, then at each other with some concern on their faces.
“Do we really come at the right place and the right time, AJ? I thought they said to meet here at 3, but it’s 4 already.”
“Ah’m dead sure, sugarcube. Ah swear Ah heard that from the pegasus messenger Rarity sent out. Ah then immediately reach out to all of you.”
Discord crossed his arms and sneered. “Except me, huh? So much for being friends.”
“None of us couldn’t find you, fer Pete’s sake! That’s why Twi and Fluttershy insisted on havin’ you live with ‘em, so that you can’t just hide in whatever pocket dimension you happen to fancy!”
Discord pretended not to hear the rebuttal. “Tsk tsk, fortunately my dear Fluttershy told me to come, or else I’m so going to be tragically ignored.”
Rainbow Dash raised a brow. “So you saw her? When?”
“Meh, I didn’t track the time. But it’s in the morning. I was getting ready for my trip down the Tartarus, and I want to look for my dear Fluttershy to doubly make sure that I don’t accidentally set off the dog in my entry. And luckily I caught her about to go north on a train in the morning. She advised me on the three-headed dog and also told me to come to this meeting. And man, was her mouth tight, she wouldn’t even tell me what’s up out there.”
“Ah see…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Discord wanted to add something, but the door to the library suddenly opened to the sight of a large group, with everyone looking rather grim.
Rainbow Dash immediately groaned. “Whoa! Rarity, Fluttershy, Verna, Mkondo! What in Equestria is keeping you so long!”
Applejack added with a deep frown. “Yeah, it’s been a whole hour late!”
“We’re really, really sorry...” Fluttershy lowered her head.
Rarity then shook her head. “There is a reason for the delay, darling, this must be sealed as tight as a drum, and we had to go around and take care of the loose ends.”
Discord made a face. “… What, ‘loose ends’? Did you accidentally off somepony and have to cover up?”
“By the stars, no!”
Rarity yelped in shock. “Why does your mind go to places like that all of a sudden?”
Mistral Trail curtsied and said. “To be fair to Mister Discord, we were talking about how to deal with major villains a moment ago.”
“Hey Misty, thank you! Oh, you’re such a fair pony, much fairer than them anyways.”
Mistral Trail quietly gasped, until she realized that the draconequus was not complimenting her appearance but commenting on her fairness. She then hurriedly turned away to hide her embarrassed look.
Discord simply turned to the newcomers and said. “So what’s it that then you have to act like a bunch of sneaking spies?”
Rarity sighed. “If this is leaked early, it will be a bombshell. A lot of things would fall apart, including our relationship with Crystal Empire and public confidence in our environmental protection policies.”
“I’m not followin’, sugarcube.”
“Madam Applejack.”
Verna said, addressing Applejack as so because the orange pony did not like to be called a ‘lady’. “Now that we’re here, there is no need to be covert. We have discovered a strange but highly concerning scheme, in which someone from the Crystal Empire sent somepony down south, in order to sabotage the water quality in the Saddle by dumping raw sewage from Raritan plants in the north.”
Rainbow Dash almost shouted. “Why would someone want to do that?!”
“Has the culprit been caught?” Applejack quickly asked.
“Fret not, Miss Applejack, for I have apprehended the particular crystal pony. We should probably count our blessing, as we would not know so early about the degrading water quality if not for what happened among the birds of my cattle kin.”
Applejack said with a deep frown. “Heck. Surely you’ve already raised this issue to Princess Cadance and Twi’s brother? Whatever the reason, this gang of no-good ponies must be wholly uprooted!”
“... Hmm…”
The four newcomers muttered quietly, which prompted the orange pony to ask in concern. “What? You can’t be thinkin’ that Cadance and-”
“No, darling, it’s not that we suspect Princess Cadance of this travesty. In fact, we’re non-the-wiser about who could have done it. I myself am totally shocked when Fluttershy told me of this… We should have made no enemies in Crystal Empire. Who would be so foul that he or she would want to poison a whole nation of people, in addition to implicate us for no reason?”
“All things aside, if this news get out. Oh boy, would it be a chaotic extravaganza! Pictures the ponies go around and digging their own wells and scrambling for clean water heads after hooves!”
“Stop bein’ so giddy, Discord. Unless you want to implicate yerself.”
“If it were me, I would not hire some nobody crystal pony. Why would I cover my track like that when I can just announce my presence with a marshmallow megaphone?”
Applejack’s eyes twitched. “… Anyway, did the pony tell you the reason or the mastermind of all these?”
“That’s the tricky part, I’m afraid.”
Rarity sighed. “There’s a hostage situation up north that prevents him from telling us the whole situation, it seems. His family are kept under some sort of house arrest, and it would go on unless he creates enough ruckus down south.”
“Aha? Now that seems more interesting.” Discord grinned.
Rainbow Dash looked incredulous. “I’m still confused. Who’s he and who’s the one threatening him?”
“We know little about the mastermind, but the pony we caught is one of those from Circonferenza.”
“… Huh.”
Although Rainbow Dash seemed to understand, Mistral Trail simply looked lost, and she looked to her leader with pleading look. Rainbow Dash looked back and grinned a helpless grin, and said. “Hey Rarity, it seems that a bit explanation is in order for my loyal Cruzesian friend.”
“Oh, my apologies. Circonferenza… it means circumference, and it’s a name given to the small Crystalian colonies surrounding the Empire before its fall. These colonies were solely populated by crystal ponies, and they were forcibly evacuated by King Sombra when the war went badly for him. Now a number of these ponies remain in the Empire proper. Although as far as we know, some of them are settled down in the city, others are ‘sent away’ for reasons that really escape us. They number in the low thousands, and there really are no justification not to let them all stay and become normal citizens.”
Mistral Trail slowly nodded, and then asked. “Wasn’t there a bit of struggle with the labor force up north a few weeks ago? Are these things related?”
Fluttershy quietly shook her head. “While a large number of these migrants are laborers, we don’t really know. Journalists from outside the Empire are restricted from free movement following some accusations of excessive force used by the Brownshirts. They are virtually the paramilitary of the Empire now, touting motto about ancient Roam and such. They are… scary and brutish, but a lot of crystal ponies agree that they do keep the peace after the abrupt transition into modern time. I privately wrote letters to Consul Shimmer and Princess Cadance, but their replies are quite similar – in that they regret the bad conduct of individual volunteers, but they defend the use of these ponies to supplement the police force.”
Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Makes no sense to me, honestly. Crystal Empire could’ve thrived without these clowns running in the streets, and we all know it very well.”
Contrasting to the knowing looks from the Element-bearers and Discord, the others looked quizzical and were about to ask questions. So the cyan mare quickly added with a nervous laugh. “Ha ha, I mean, I am confident of it, yeah.”
Rarity shook her head. “We do know that the dozens of ponies who came to us participated in the protests earlier or were linked to those who protested. So it might really be the case that they anger some big wigs so much they want them out of the Empire. That’s bad and wrong, but it’s their government’s prerogative to confer or take away someone’s citizenship.”
Mistral Trail nodded. “I see, but how is this tied to the deliberate dumping of waste?”
“Again, we have no idea. Buon Vino would know, but he is reluctant to tell more before we rescue his family. Regardless, we have already sent some protection to guard him from a distance. Per my environmental manager Cedar Canopy’s suggestion, he’s to pretend to scoop ‘waste’ from a secure and safe source, so that whomever monitoring him will hopefully be fooled. We hope that he could be kept safe from harm before we manage to get his family out.”
Discord broke his silence. “So you want to land some commandos into Crystal Empire to rescue the bloke’s family?”
“That would depend on what everyone thinks, but yes, I lean towards it.”
Discord laughed. “Okay then. Go ahead. All power to you!”
Rarity narrowed her eyes. “… I sense a distinct lack of sincerity in your voice.”
“Nah, I just think it’s just not very convincing as of yet. How do you know if the pony was telling the truth?”
Mkondo interjected. “As the one who extracted this information from him, I’m pretty sure of his sincerity.”
Discord gave the bull a mocking glance, not particularly inclined to give him the time of the day. “Oh pray tell, mister wise bull, how can you be so sure?”
“Desperation for the safety of loved ones is hard to fake. Mister Discord, the stallion was genuinely scared for the safety of his family.”
“Oh yeah? Then you’re going to burst your way into Crystal Empire and kidnap them out?”
Rarity said with rolled eyes. “Rescue them out, Discord.”
“You don’t even know who’s behind the whole thing! This is like going into battle blindfolded. This has all the signs of an obvious set-up, and you girls can easily walk into some sort of traps.”
“Uhmm…”
“Besides, how are you going to explain this away to Cadance and the lots if any of you is caught in the act? At the very least, they would complain that why you don’t notify them in the first place.”
“This is to prevent alerting the mastermind of this inadvertently. We don’t know who this mysterious enemy is, but this figure must command some power and influence in the Crystal Empire in order to effect this expulsion and use it for their purposes. At the very least we must send someone up to Crystal Empire to gauge the situation, put our hooves in the water, so to speak…”
“Did somepony say spying?”
Pinkie Pie suddenly burst into the library with palpable excitement, almost breaking the shunt lock on the door, the orange pegasus Geuse followed behind, flapping her wings difficultly and moaned. “Pinkie, I told you not to make such a big cake… Eating this much can’t be good for my physique and combating prowess…”
Rarity chided. “Shh! Pinkie, we’re talking something that needs to be treat with utmost care here!”
“Ooo, a super-secret meeting! Wee! What are we going to plan today? A surprise party for somepony?”
“Ugh, I can only wish. It’s something much grimmer. We are going to rescue somepony’s family from the crutch of an evil gang in Crystal Empire.”
Pinkie Pie deflated with disappointment and worry, but this time Geuse lit up in excitement. “Oh hey! Finally, some chance for me to stick it to some villains! Tell me, where exactly are these foul foes that needs a dose of my trident?”
Rarity and Fluttershy gasped aloud. The former yelped. “By harmony, we can’t just burst in and stick a trident in their faces!”
“Why not? Foul villains deserve foul treatment.”
“Ah don’t necessarily disagree, but diplomacy should come first in all cases. We aren’t a lynchin’ mob, and we shouldn’t act like a bunch of vigilantes. Even if we aren’t tellin’ authority fer now out of concern fer his family’s safety, we shouldn’t go out our way to cause serious bodily harm just because.”
“Oh… There’s a hostage situation involved. I see now. There’s indeed need for some discretion.”
The orange pegasus clasped her hooves. “But justice must still be served! Justice delayed is justice denied, and the poor bloke needs his family right back as quickly as possible!”
“Lady Geuse, are you-”
“Of course, Vernie, of course! My hooves are already itching from inaction since the days we have to fight off desert bandits, and now an opportunity presents itself to practice my craft and right some wrongs, of course I’m going to take it!”
“G- Geuse, are you sure that you can do this with enough, uh…”
Rarity looked up and down at the glaringly obvious color scheme of the orange-green pegasus, and gulped. “… finesse?”
“H- Hey! Just because I’m orange, it doesn’t mean I can’t do things discreetly!”
“I don’t mean…” Rarity flustered a bit.
“Sugarcube, it’s the same reason that we don’t send out Rainbow to do espionage. She’s flamboyance personified with her mane of rainbow, and you can’t hide it anywhere except if Discord opens a pocket dimension on her head.”
Discord laughed again, and Rainbow Dash jabbed the orange mare and said. “You’re one to talk, AJ. Your accent is thicker than a bowl of oatmeal.”
“Banter later, tomboy. Mah point stands though. You bein’ a non-crystal pony, a brightly orange pegasus with a black trident tied to yer side is not goin’ to cut it in the discretion department.”
“Hey, hey, I can help!” Pinkie Pie raised her hooves in enthusiasm.
“Pinkie…?”
Geuse turned in a quizzical look. “No offense, if I am too indiscreet in their eyes, a bubbly pink pony with a large puffy mane and a penchant to laugh aloud will be even more jarring, won’t it?”
Rarity explained. “Actually, Pinkie is a go-to pony for any spying need.”
Rainbow Dash added with a laugh. “Yep, her unnatural ability to hide in plain sight and pop up in places where she has no business hiding makes her a natural spy.”
Pinkie grinned. “And no worries about coat color, because that’s easy bitsy! I have a stash of emergency aerodynamic bodysuits and goggles prepared in anticipation of such a need!”
“… Really?”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Hey, I won’t be doubting Pinkie about her mysterious stashes. It’s been life-saving several times.”
“Alright, I guess we can go together. After all, we are pretty much the only pair of companions who have yet to do something other than chowing down cakes and chasing away rats in farm houses.”
Applejack scratched her cheeks in embarrassment. “Yeah, about that… Sorry fer callin’ you on such a petty thing.”
Geuse glowered and sulked a bit, but eventually she acknowledged out of politeness. “… Meh, it’s not like the Equestrians are used to the adventurer and bounty system. No one looks to give out quests in this peaceful town. I should thank you for giving me some chance to exercise. Living next to the Sugarcube Corner is making me too fat to fly.”
Rainbow Dash snorted with amusement, and Pinkie deflated a bit again. “Aww… Geuse, don’t you like the cupcakes and muffins and scone I make for you each morning?”
“And afternoon and evening and sometimes in the middle of the night? Yeah… Pinkie, your bakery goods are lovely, and I really enjoyed the occasional performances you gave in the community theater. They are a blast of Equestrian culture that I sorely need to get familiar with. But I’m a pegasus of action. I’m an adventurer, I earn my rightful name by walking the earth and fighting off villains and monsters.”
Geuse stroked the black weapon on her hip and jabbed it onto the ground before them.
“This is the symbol of my resolve. Twilight promised me that there are great things to be done in the land of Equestria. But now the big villain was defeated even before we landed… And now we’re stuck here yet without recourse to return her to normal. This troubles me to no end. Now that I can do something with my rusting skills, I really want to do it.”
Pinkie Pie firmly nodded, as she beamed and landed a hoof on Geuse’s shoulder. She blinked her clear blue eyes and said eagerly. “I will definitely try my best to help, Geusie!”
Geuse showed the pink pony a frank smile, and then turned to Verna, who looked at her long-time partner diffidently.
“Lady Geuse… I’m sorry that I might not be able to follow you up north.”
“Silly Bokkie, what’s there to apologize for? If our coat colors are a concern, you being an antelope will be a walking red flag in the north land. Not to mention the north might get really cold, and your brown deer nose will freeze and shoot itself off in a sneeze before I could say ‘bless you’.”
Verna took at all no offense at her lifelong friend’s teasing. Instead, she smiled gently and said. “I will quietly wish for your safety and success, Lady Geuse, Lady Pie.”
“Thanks, Vernie.” “Thank you very much, Vernie!”
Applejack blinked. “So it’s decided? Geuse and Pinkie will go?”
After a round of murmurs, Rarity nodded. “That might be the best choice for now.”
Rainbow Dash agreed. “Yep. They’re both close to us and reliable. They’re not tied down too much here. And their willingness and relevant skills are going to be a big boost.”
Fluttershy said with a frown. “But it still sounds too risky and dangerous to send them in. We don’t know who might be there… out to act against them.”
Applejack sighed heavily. “It’s the best choice out of no choice really.”
Rarity nodded. “And since they’re rendering our community a great service by volunteering to undertake this incredibly risky task, we will naturally offer as many help in terms of resources and logistics as possible. You have the full support of me, and by extension, Raritan.”
“You can count on us too, of course.”
Applejack smiled. “Our workers are workin’ on the rail line from here all the way to the Crystal Mountains. We can cover yer tracks right up to the heels of the Empire.”
“But what about when they actually arrive?” Verna asked in unconcealable worry.
Discord slapped his claws. “Oh, right. Yeah, the Crystal Empire has a magical crystalline shield that keeps the cold weather and whatnot from entering their border. It’s going to be a pain not to go through the closely watched crystal gate and sneak in, without tearing a hole in the whole thing and alerting the entire palace of crystal ponies.”
The ponies let out a collective sigh, but Rainbow Dash quickly shot up and grinned wryly. “Hey, you’ve been such a voice of reason today, refreshing! From a chaos draconequus no less!”
“Pfft, I was a proper king and I knew my stuffs when it’s warranted. Crystal Empire was originally one of the places I wanted to play around with, but as I discovered that chaos magic will mess up their shield and bury the city in tons of snow, I decided that it was not worth it. Playing with a bunch of frozen mummies isn’t my thing.”
“Uh… good call?”
Discord crossed his arms and looked to the side. “Besides, I don’t want any of you to get into stupid conflicts and get hurt.”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Yeah, we get it, you care. You don’t have to say it if you feel embarrassed.”
“I don-”
Rarity blinked and interrupted. “Wait. Did you just say your chaos magic can open their shield?”
“Wow, wow, wow. You can’t be serious, right? I can’t bear the responsibility of destroying the Crystal Empire by accident. Celestia is so going to kill me this time, if Luna or Cadance does not get to me first!”
“So your magic can’t be applied in a smaller scale?”
“Look, pal. This is not impossible, but very risky business. As far as I know, the darn shield is powered by the magic from the Crystal Heart, an artefact some Crystalian princess ages ago brought to one of the coldest spots in far north in order to build that ginormous send-up to Mother Nature.”
“Let’s be fair, I’m sure the Crystalian pioneers chose the site exactly because it’s surrounded by harsh weather and terrain, so that it’s easier to defend.”
“Still stupid. It’s exactly because of the constant cold wind banging on the shield, that they have to keep strengthening the shield using some kind of ritual. Every newborn had to go through that ritual to channel the power to the Crystal Heart. The controller of the city acts as a magical conduit of this process, so that’s why Sombra could so easily manipulate the populace via their magical links, and also why any tempering with the shield will alert Cadance immediately.”
“… Is teleportation out of question?” Rainbow Dash asked resignedly, at heart knowing the answer to that query.
“The unpredictable influence from Crystal Magic will mess you up real good if you try that. Teleportation has always been a precise affair. That’s why I hate doing it too often except when pranking you guys, because I hate its regularity and the need to do so many exact calculations. I can’t even guarantee success if I follow them to the north and do personal adjustment, not to mention just make some gadget for them to use.”
“So… we have to go in through the gate properly?”
“Probably, yeah. The pink pony surely have provision for that though huh?”
Pinkie let out a suppressed snort, and grinned confidently. “You betcha!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The usually tough Geuse was wincing like a foal about to take a flu shot, as she gave a pleading gaze to the pink mare behind her.
“Pinkie… At this rate my wings are going to be unusable when we come back.”
Pinkie Pie tightened the suit on the orange pegasus, and quickly snuck a head mask on Geuse, causing her to yelp out in some pain. Strangely, the voice she let out sounded almost foreign, as it was much bubbly in quality than her own voice. Not quite Pinkie’s yet, but curiously resembling her friend Verna.
“W- What happened to my voice? I sound like a filly?!”
“My wonderfully designed sneaky-spy whole-body suit have a patent-pending voice change function! If you want to know how it’s done though, then I must say sorry, ‘cause it’s a commercial secret! Hehe!”
“Wait! Huh?! Will it stick?”
“Of course not! You will sound like yourself when you take off your suit!”
Pinkie then pushed Geuse in front of a mirror. “Now see how you look like! It’s going to surprise you, teehee!”
Geuse turned to look at Pinkie doubtfully, and then turned to the mirror. She widened her eyes in shock. In the mirror was a plain-looking crystal pony with magenta coat and baby blue mane, entirely inconspicuous and running against her own natural ostentation.
“Whoa, that’s witchery.”
“Heh, you never know. They say I have some non-Equestrian blood in my family line.”
“Really! Oh well, I guess if I continue to be amazed at everything I see and hear in Equestria, I would be out of breath and strength to hold my weapon.”
Geuse inattentively touched her neck, still somewhat weirded out by her completely different voice. “Is this going to fool the crystal ponies at all? I’ve heard that their border control has become really strict.”
“Hmm, it’s not one-hundred percent foolproof, but it should be fine if no one check us with magic spells!”
“How so? I’m not too familiar with magic, and in particular those of crystal ponies that make them look like boxes of glitter.”
Pinkie laughed out a belly laugh, and said wiping the tears. “Ha ha ha! You’re right! A- Anyway, the crystal ponies glitter because of their connection to the magic of Crystal Heart. In theory, if anypony becomes connected to the Crystal Heart closely, then even not by birth, they can still become ‘Crystallized’! This is like Sunset Shimmer, and of course Princess Cadance, whose royal lineage had since mixed with Equestrian ponies.”
“But is it just a trick of the eyes to non-magical ponies?”
Pinkie shook her head with a sad smile. “… I’m not sure, but we think that might be the likely case. Crystal ponies glitter probably only as a secondary effect of their connection towards the Crystal Heart, so it might just be cosmetic.”
Geuse smirked. “You know what, Pinkie, you sound much more knowledgeable about things other than baking than I first thought.”
“Thanks, Geusie! I aim to serve… and make ponies happy!”
Pinkie’s bright grin somewhat faltered as she continued. “Some Equestria scholars assert that crystal ponies are actually ‘just’ ‘Crystallized’ earth ponies… But never, ever say this in front of a crystal pony!”
“Why?”
“Even if it’s true, they have long since been a distinct race since a very, very long time ago… They’re highly conscious of their own identity and history. Think, will you be happy if I call pegasuses ‘just earth ponies with wings’?”
Against Pinkie’s expectation, Geuse just shrugged. “Meh, ponies are ponies are ponies. I feel more connected to my identity as a West Zebrican than being a winged pony. It’s ponies in this corner of the world that are so weird in their dogged insistence in pony racial order.”
Pinkie blushed in embarrassment and sighed. “Y- Yeah, but ponies in Equestria are really used to the idea of distribution of duties among the three races. It’s been taught since we’re very young. It’s a way for ponies from very different backgrounds and tribes to settle down into the defined, more easily managed three-race paradigm, for rulers and later the Princesses to govern. It has problems of its own, but it also separates power and duties in a way that it preserves harmony in our society.”
Geuse grinned. “I swear, I’ve heard Twilight told me that exact reason. You even use the the word ‘paradigm’ like her.”
Pinkie merely grinned back, at heart feeling her heart accelerate as the orange pegasus again hinted at their secret. She directed the conversation back to their original topic swiftly. “Still! It’s bad form to call a crystal pony anything but crystal pony, even if our added glitter might manage to fool them!”
Geuse lightly nodded, and gave a side glance to her new appearance. When she raised her head again to look at the pink pony, she was still looking unsure.
Pinkie patted Geuse on the shoulder and smiled. “This plan is not the making of me only! Rarity, who received some crystal ponies from the Empire, also send me very useful info about the nature of the magical glittering of crystal ponies! Even though I can’t cast spells, I did try my best to reproduce the physical side of things. For the common ponies, they shouldn’t be able to tell the difference!”
The pink ponies then pulled out a batch of old, yellowed document. “See? I’ve even prepared all the forged IDs! Properly aged using my super-secret operative formula!”
Geuse covered her mouth, took in a breath and smilingly shook her head. “Golly, Pinkie, you’re one resourceful pony. It’s hard to stay worried when you’re by my hilt.”
The pegasus shifted uncomfortably. “Although I’m still worried about… uh, my wings. Pegasus wings need stretching and ‘breathing’. It would become rigid if kept in the same position for too long, not to mention all the cramping and feather loss. I’m not a racer like Rainbow Dash, but I would prefer my agility preserved for any possible fight.”
Pinkie sighed. “I understand, Geusie, I understand. But this is but a small sacrifice to pass as crystal ponies when we sneak across the gate. We can take a less restricting disguise when we aren’t around anyone. It should be a short term thing, hopefully…”
Geuse looked at Pinkie for a bit, and then shrugged with a smile. “Aw, well. I guess if even the perpetual party pony gets so serious and worked up over something, I can’t be that petulant and only care about my personal preening.”
Geuse again grabbed the black trident leaning on the wall, and stabbed it on the floor with force and flair. She then proclaimed. “Buck the wings if need be, we’re in this together!”
“Geusie!” Pinkie beamed.
Geuse then righted herself and glanced back with a serious face. “Pinkie, for all your work to prepare for our mission, I m more concerned about you.”
“H- Huh, why? I’m fine!”
Geuse crossed her hooves and sat on a chair nearby. “For a given definition of fine. Ever since Spike left with Kanipha, you look restless… More than usual anyway. You never mixed up my order before, however difficult it sounds.”
“Oh no! Don’t be silly!”
Pinkie pushed a smile up on her face. “Your orders are very thought-stimulating! I never thought to add beetroots and black beans in brownies before, and they are super yum!”
“Hey thanks, Pinkie. Outside of the Hoëwolk, I never ever manage to get anyone to reproduce that, which was my foalhood favorite.”
“Hole-what now?”
Geuse widened her eyes slightly and coughed. “Noth- I, uh, it’s just a nickname for my old home.”
“I see…”
“But that’s not the point, Pinkie! You also forgot an appointment from your drinks factory, as well as that for a charity stand-up in the local theatre for the Zebricans. Having spent some time with you, I know that despite your look, you aren’t a sloppy pony.”
“Hey Geusie…”
Pinkie pouted. “What do you mean by ‘despite your look’?”
The orange pegasus slightly flustered. “I- I just mean that y- you, uh…”
“Ha ha, gotcha!”
Pinkie laughed aloud, which earned a huffing from the upstanding pegasus. The pink pony raised a hoof to pre-empt her protest. “Geusie, if I can be frank, you’re also much more perceptive and delicate than I thought!”
“W- What? Delicate?” Geuse felt bewildered, considering the martial appearance she usually projected.
“Heh, maybe it’s a bit worded in a weird way. I of course don’t mean delicate as in easy to break, but delicate as in sensitive. But seriously, not even my other friends have pointed those out to me, and we have really deep bonds! Not even I myself caught up on my own slipping!”
Pinkie smiled, but this time with more sadness in her eyes. “Thank you for your concern anyway! To be perfectly honest, and ponies always say to me, I tend to be very clingy… When friends and loved ones leave me, it makes me really, really sad! But I’m learning to deal with it these days. I usually try to arrange for more parties, more work and more activities in order to drive my mind away from sad thoughts. That’s what I did when Rainbow left for the south, and that’s what I did wh- when Twilight…”
Pinkie’s voice turned shaky, and Geuse patted the pink pony’s back with a reassuring smile. The pink pony then turned cheery again and said. “Thank you, Geusie! I swear that I’m all well! Raring and ready to go to the north with you!”
“Pinkie, I’m never questioning your enthusiasm. Seriously, no one can out-enthuse you in the whole wide world. You’re a ball of pure energy. Not even Verna at her naggiest can be as enthused as you.”
“Hehe! I’ll take that as a compliment!”
“I’m more concerned that you’re going to overexert yourself or getting too worked up, because you want to direct your mind onto something else.”
Pinkie blinked in surprise, as she awaited Geuse’s explanation.
“During my time as a contracted adventurer, I saw a lot of rookies. Some of them came into this business because of they wanted to put their mind to something other than their current dilemma… something productive. Those were also the ones who came on really hard when fighting, and they’re more frequently injured than the others. I don’t know how comparable that is to this, but I really don’t want you to do silly things because you’re occupied in your mind. There’s need for passion in battles, but there’s also no space for hotheaded errors. You can’t make a second appointment for life.”
“Hey, Twilight sort of got one, didn’t she?”
Geuse huffed exasperatedly. “Pinkie, I’m not joking! Even if we don’t expect to see fighting in this mission, we should always be prepared. I’m telling you to keep a cool head on your shoulder at all times.”
The orange pegasus looked at Pinkie with a sigh. “You’re much more resourceful than all the other ponies I saw. I just hope that you’re at your prime at all time during our mission, lives are hanging on the wire, and I would be devastated to see you hurt in any way.”
Pinkie looked at Geuse, who seemed to have something on her mind. “Me too… Don’t worry, Geusie. I’ll certainly take care of myself… For you, for us, for him.”