//------------------------------// // The New Moon Rises // Story: Night Patrol 2: Awakening // by Foxgear //------------------------------// Night Patrol 2 Chapter 55 By Foxgear Germane, The Kaiser Palace Fighting a war on multiple fronts was exhausting, which is why Kaiser Hades was ever so grateful the Dons haven’t tried to attack from the east. Allowing him to focus on the North and Southwest war fronts. Both were collected under the title of the Western front, but when a said front is spread across two countries with very different terrain. The situations might as well be night and day. Four Divisions, over 17,000 troops, were in a stalemate in the Argon Forest, or what was left of it. The fifth Air Fleet provided support on the ground while battling with the Prance’s Seventh Air Taskforce. Over Seven ships from both sides have fallen to the ground, massive husks of metal rusting in the trees. That was only one part of hundreds of thousand miles of fighting. Both sides committing well over a million-plus troop to the cause. To the south, on the Hispania border, five divisions, the ranger corps, and three Shock trooper platoons battled for control of the Alps. The mountain range was a natural fortress and a perfect position for Anti-Air defenses. The five fallen Germane Destroyers were a testament to that. Forcing him to fight a literal uphill battle with his ground forces. At least Roam joined in on his side, only for Friesia to join on the other. Putting his northern border at risk. Whatever forces the Kaiser could muster without pulling from the east, was sent to deal with that. He had Titania go with her unit to hopefully crush the Friesians before they cut off their northern supply routes. He only hoped five thousand troops would be enough. Right now, his Kaiserin was out among the public, raising morale and keeping his ponies in high spirits about their otherwise dire situation. She was a charmer. Daresay, she seemed to genuinely see the Germanians as her own subjects. Perhaps she just liked being adored. Whatever the reason, she was happy, and his ponies were zealous in protecting their home. That left him to tend to the war by letting his Generals do their jobs. He did the bare minimum of interference but remained present to grant permission to their plans or hold them from making an international blunder. Such as when the idea of false flagging Britannia into the war was suggested. Kaiser liked the idea, Britannia had a rocky history with Prance, but Germane wasn’t close by any regard to the island nation either. If the plot was discovered, it was easy to see the two old rivals joining forces against the third-party meddler. The best news he’s received today was a newspaper from Equestria with an article detailing Princess Luna’s efforts to colonize the Everfree Forest. It took a bit of reading between the lines, but he deciphered what was really going on. It helped the pony being interviewed was HIM, that clever devil. “So, Luna’s finally splitting off from Celestia,” He announced, earning confused and shocked expressions from the gathered officers. Kaiser waved them back to their duties, relishing this golden opportunity. “Good, this is perfect timing for us.” It truly was. Spies in Prance informed him D’ Arc had her lawyers digging through every line of their treaty pact with Equestria to find some clause to drag Equestria into the conflict. Having reviewed the document in question, Hades knew there was no legal recourse. Prance invaded them! It was cut and dry, both Celestia and Luna were unlikely to break the legally binding contract. Celestia would probably try to send civilian care packages by some means. However, with the Royal Sisters splitting, he doubted Celestia would want to get involved in the war at this point. Less she risks destabilizing her own country in this critical time. Luna would be too busy building her own little nation to send aid of any kind. It was indeed, perfect timing. If all goes well, the war should be wrapped up before Equestria can be pulled in. “Kaiser, sir,” Some pony addressed him, bidding for his attention. “What is it?” His tone was a bit too flippant, coughing into his leg, he tried again in a more dignified manner. “Has something happened?” The pony, a young colt, probably barely of age, shook nervously, clearly uncertain if his new was essential enough to interrupt his ruler’s reading. Kaiser Hades stepped down from his high throne, standing level with the lad. “Report now.” He says encouragingly as possible. The lad seemed to relax at the gentler tone. That was what being the leader was about—understanding and knowing when to be encouraging or to be harsh. The youngster saluted rigidly, “My Lord! A particular package has arrived, as well as a pony, via Colonel Titania! In her report, there is mention of a smuggler ship she seized off the Northern coasts.” “I see, what is the nationality of this pony?” “Equestrian, sir. Cleft Hoofen, former professor of archeology from Canterlot University.” The Kaiser tilted his head, “I see, why has she sent them here?” His step-daughter did not do things for no reason. There had to be something unique about this pony. “Bring me to this Cleft Hoofen.” “At once! Please follow me, milord!” Cleft was behind the palace in the secret landing pad, but that wasn’t what held the Kaiser’s attention. No, it was the towering mass of jaded rock the pony had all but glued himself too, refusing to be more than a few feet from it. The jagged black stone was shaped almost like a flower on the verge of budding, a glossy black sphere acting as the bud. Flashes of red and blue energy boiling beneath the surface, the entire structure radiated power. “Ah, My Lord Kaiser, I’m so glad to meet you! I trust you can see the value of my life’s discovery. I’m glad I was able to flee Equestria before it too was stolen from me by that damnable Luna!” He heard but did not acknowledge Cleft’s existence, too enthralled by the black crystal sphere. “I believe this is some energy source, but I’ve yet to be able to study it properly. If we could harness this power…” With a sharp motion of his hoof, Hades had Cleft silenced for good. In a daze, he approached the mass of rock, pressed his ear to the warm stone, and listened. Bump bump… bump bump… Like a slow, steady drum, he heard the rhythm of a heartbeat. “My, my, just what did you become?” He grinned viciously, patting the stone lovingly. “Bring this to my lab! With all care! This could very well be our salvation!” As the mass of dark rock was being transferred, none noticed the tiniest crack begin to form on the top of the mysterious object. The Everfree forest, last frontier of Equestria, a wild and vast expanse of trees, swamps, and mountains filled to the gills with every sort of creature and monster on the continent. The very flora lived and breathed death, and would hunt any pony that dared to challenge it. It was the pinnacle of danger. Yet, just as one’s will break another, so too does the forests. The time came to test its metal or bark against another, and much to its and the monster despair. The will of Luna Selene Solaris, Alicorn of Night and Dreams, was far more robust than the collective will of chaos spawned trees. Once upon a time, merely building a cobblestone road in the Everfree seemed impossible, and had been done. Now no mere way divided the tree line but a mighty rail of steel and timber. A train chugged through the forest. Billowing black smoke and blaring its whistle to warn all in its path to give way. Those that didn’t were met with the sound of cannon fire. “Here we go, boys!” Vice-Commander Jazz cackled atop the armored railcar. “Mount up and fire!” From the dark tree line, a wave of monsters with numbers that rivaled a small army, charged. They snarled and growled, snapping their jaws menacingly. It was a pack of Chimera and Timber Wolves. Together they charged across the fifty yards of cleared trees, over barren earth, to the train tracks. The side of the train erupted with cannon fire rivaling that of a small battleship. The RARATATATATATATA! Of rapid-fire, gem-cannons created a screen of flak alongside the huge BOOMS! Of the cannons. The train sped away, leaving the pack of thirty dead, dying or wounded. The monsters hadn’t even made the conductor pull the brakes. So finely tune this death machine. Such an attack was barely worth notice and would be described as mundane. Or barely an inconvenience. That was how things were now. The last frontier, the most dangerous place in Equestria, the Everfree forest, was being brought to heel. The Everfree Express, blew its whistle as it began to slow. For the passenger cars, filled with ponies from all over Equestria, the trip was hardly a hardship. Especially for those who have been on before. Rolling into the station, the train let off nearly a hundred ponies. Almost all of them were contract workers, the majority from lower-income regions in the major cities, drawn here by the high pay and opportunity to build a new home for their family. It wasn’t every day a new city was built at such cheap land costs. That’s right. A city or more accurately, a castle town was budding around the newly built New Moon Castle. “Thank you for riding the Everfree Express!” Jazz boasted loudly, from atop the train. The mile-long line of cars slowly moved onto a bypass, where a large crane was waiting to unload the tons of steel, wood, and other materials the workers would need. Jumping down from the car, Jazz grabbed one of the nearby Engineers. “Sector 5, 34, and 44 need new anti-magic spikes.” She informed the engineer, who nodded, stoically calling a team of rinin to him. She left them to their work, her shift over after five days of riding the rail from New Moon to Ponyville. “Sheesh, I’m beat.” Part of the success of the Everfree rail line was the implementation of rune engraved spikes. The entire track was built with them, even the steel beams were engraved. This prevented the forest from overtaking the railway. Even that hadn’t been enough at first. The trees beside the tracks attacked, and thus they were cut down, their stumps staked with anti-magic spikes. Now not to be caught unawares again, Night Patrol cut a swath of fifty feet on either side of the railway and staked the trees bordering the forest, creating a sort of anti-magic barrier. The method was so successful that they made a loop. Instead of the train having to backup and or be pulled by a second engine on the back of the load, it just kept going forward back to the railyard in Ponyville. There was a trainyard in Ponyville now, a big one. Along with some factories and new residential areas. The town really exploded and was now double to even triple the population. There was another clearing a few miles away from where another city was in the process of being founded. They were already constructing more track to connect to New Moon Castle. Several other sights were justifying the planning of an entire train network to run throughout the forest. It was years in development, but they were already started. “Good job, Jazz.” Luna praised, the Vice Commander stiffened and saluted formally since they were in public. “Thank you, ma’am! I’m just doing my job.” “I appreciate it either way,” Luna chuckled, smiling, leading the way through the budding castle down. A new sturdy steel bridge crossed the ravine with two more in the process of being built. Besides New Moon Castle, there were a few other buildings. A general store, grocery store, and a pub. The smallest inkling of a town was starting to bud, it was exciting. That said, for security reasons, the city had to be X distance from the castle. A small wall acted as a cutoff, with plans for the wall to be raised higher to use for actual defense. “Home sweet home.” Jazz sighed, relief flooding her system upon entering the castle. “Indeed,” Luna agreed. Unlike the castle of the two sisters, which could have been considered small, New Moon castle dwarfed it by three stories with more square footage. With seven tiers above ground and three below. This didn’t even include the network of tunnels leading to the underground annexes of bases, armories, shelters, and air docks. Entering the main floor, Luna and Jazz waded through the main hall/throne room. It was filled with business ponies, investors, and interested residents seeking to move here. Other than a few waves, no pony even acknowledged the alicorn. All of the ponies that would usually be lined up out the door in Canterlot were broken up into smaller, much more manageable lines that were being managed by a trained professional. Luna slowed her pace to get an earful on how things were going with her decentralized system. “One of our agents just opened up, you're submitting a blueprint, right? Lot#87? Correct? Correct. Ok, go into the hall behind me, office two, Hardcase will meet with you, and we’ll get you approved by the end of the day.” “This is the sales ticket for today's shipment? Good, thank you, we’ll have the bill paid ASAP. Thank you have a good day.” “You're interested in moving here at the end of your contract? Ok, I’ll need you to fill out this forum. Please remember to list your spouse and offspring and any other relatives coming with you. Do you have a lot ready, or do you need to sign up for one? If you do, you need to talk to Miss Tart, she’ll help you out. Ok, thank you!” Luna couldn’t help but smile. Ponies were still waiting in line, but they move quickly, with no more than five ponies in front of them. Having twenty secretaries with over a hundred agents in offices seemed to be enough for the current workload. If not, there were still some unused rooms available. The majority of the first floor of the castle was public offices with a large kitchen and public bath, along with a few bedrooms for officials or travelers. Currently, the rooms were being used as a hotel for the workers. Like before, there were two flights of stairs going east and west, with a set of thrones nestled between them on a raised platform, but there was little reason for her to be sitting there most days. The Agents were able to read and approve the vast majority of paperwork and petitions currently. Traveling up the east stairs, Luna and Jazz looked over the railing to the crowd below. The clop of hooves drew their attention to a pony appearing from the secret staircase beside the main door. The pony paused briefly, spotting the two, bowed, resuming their search for their destination. On the second floor, managers nestled in their own individual offices housed all the paperwork and documents for their department. When an Agent was unable to handle any particular request, the requester was sent upstairs. Currently, there were ten departments. The pony that appeared from the hidden stairs entered the permit office. So he was most likely planning to build a house or store. “I wonder what’s that about,” Jazz said aloud. “If it needs my attention, it will get to me.” Was Luna’s response, pressing on. Right now, there was a lot of empty space on the second floor. Located on the northern end was her office, along with the Commander’s offices, with many unoccupied rooms that could be used for anything depending on future needs. She didn’t bother going to her office now, having finished reviewing any crucial documents from yesterday. Her current work schedule was 7pm to 12pm. And it was just past noon now. Time for her to sleep. A yawn escaped her as she climbed the stairs to the third floor, the community area for the Patrollers. On this floor, there was a plethora of game rooms, a library, another kitchen, and a dining hall. There was also Platinum’s workshop and other faculties, such as a locker room and a community bath. Separate and Co-ed. It was basically the living room of the castle. “Hey, they put in the arcade!” Jazz noted with glee. Luna’s eye glanced at the room filled with new-age electronic entertainment. With flashy titles such as Pony Rumble 2, Super Princess Sisters, Yellow Mumch-Mumch, Pony Quest, and many others. A deep longing to try the mysterious, colorful noise boxes lay deep inside her, but she was worried how it would affect her image, so she refrained, for now. Reaching the end of the east hall, the pair turned left and climbed the stairs entering the residential area of the castle—the fourth floor. Here rooms of equal size filled out the entire story. What they looked like inside was up to the pony who lived there. Each one was outfitted with a small private bath to wash or fetch a drink, and there was enough room to fit two bunk beds if needed. Right now, the current number of Patrollers made that unnecessary. There were also more rooms on the bases and annexes with plenty of land for expansion. It’s not like Night Patrollers had to stay here either. They were free to go live wherever and commute to work, or even retire if they so choose. Luna was particularly interested in how many would choose to live elsewhere once towns started to develop. “Ma’am,” Smokey Haze greeted, passing through the hall. Vanished in a cloud of smoke into what Luna assumed was his room. A rush of hooves soon followed, so Jazz and Luna stopped, Vani Lu skidding into view. “Smokey! Stop turning into smoke! You're making the carpet smell!” There was also a common area in the center of the fourth floor with couches and pillows. Most ponies used it to read or talk if they didn’t want to be in the library or dining hall. Several newspapers from various cities were delivered to the coffee table there. “Hi Lady Luna, sorry, but did you see where Smokey went?” Luna pointed to the room she’s seen the monster pony enter, causing Vani Lu to let out a shriek! “That’s my room! Don’t you dare make it smell like sulfur in there!” Sidestepping, Luna allowed Vani Lu to rush to the defense of her room, choosing to let the two hash out the manner themselves. “Smokey Haze is more immature then I would have guessed. He seems so serious.” Luna commented as she and Jazz continued onward. Well she did, Jazz broke off opening one of the rooms. “Yeah, Smokey’s got some mischief in him, but…Aww.” A loud yawn escaped Jazz’s throat. “I’m gonna get my towel and bathe and then hit the sack. I’ll see you around, Lady Luna.” “Same, have a good rest.” Luna waved goodbye and ascended to the next floor by herself. “I’m glad I got them to drop the Princess title, but Lady isn’t much better in its own way.” She mumbled while climbing the stairs. “I suppose it’s better than Duchess or Baroness. I’ll have to decide on my new title. Maybe I should just go with Queen? I will be married soon. Though Duke Sixes does have a nice ring to it.” The fifth floor, in every sense of the word, was the royal suite. Level five was the smallest of the residential areas, with only three enormous suites that took up the majority of the square space. A modest open space that housed the stairs to the sixth floor was located in the middle of the story. From the stairs, the rooms on the left and right were VIP guest quarters. The VIP rooms were spacious, with a ridiculous amount of luxuries, such as private baths, master bedrooms, two more bedrooms, and servant quarters. Over half the floor was taken up by just those two rooms. Of course, Luna couldn’t speak much on the matter. Not when her room took up the remainder of the floor. Traveling around the stairs, Luna stood before the wide double doors that lead to her suite. When she left it to Kira and Hazel to design it, she stressed she didn’t want anything too over the top. Now she realized she should have made clear what over the top was. Entering the room, Luna was once again awestruck by the beauty of her suite. Or rather her and Sixes’ suit. It was truly fit for a king and Queen. There was a large open common area with silk, SILK couches, chairs, and an elegantly carved coffee table made of mahogany. To the right was a full kitchen for their use with a full-time on-call chef. On her left was a bookshelf filled with all her private and favorite books, with extra room to spare. The shelf ran the entire length of the wall and reached to the ceiling. The west suite was the master bedroom, with a full King-sized bed and a hot water bath large enough to fit five ponies. There was also a smaller coffee table and chairs for just her and Sixes. On the east side were four more bedrooms of equal size with another full-size bathroom at the end of the hall. Those rooms were for their future children. “A little early for that, I think, but how many kids are they expecting us to have?” Luna mused with a blush, warm excitement bubbled in her heart at the idea of having kids again. Someday. Right now, she wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly before that. “Five years isn’t too long of a wait, maybe three if things are going well.” After the sisters had sworn off kids for the last millennia (Decades in Luna’s case), Luna was trying to keep her excitement contained. She secretly wanted to experience the joy of having little ones running around again. Maybe it was foolish to rescind that decision, there were still politics that made her wary, but to live in fear of it was also silly. Life marches on after all. Entering the kitchen, Luna retrieved a pitcher of sweet ice tea, adding a slice of lemon. This was a recent addition to her palet. AJ Eighth served the brew on her last visit, and both she and Sixes had a taste for it now. With an exasperated sigh, she sipped the beverage enjoying the chilled sweet taste. It was caffeinated, but she was so tired she doubted it would matter. “It’s a little lonely in this big room.” She commented, setting the empty glass in the sink. Sixes is away on a three-day mission, and wouldn’t be home until tonight if not later. Choosing not to let it get the better of her. Luna went to her bedroom, discarding her regalia on the floor, kicking the obsidian color garments beside her dresser, and entered the bath. It was nice having a hot tub ready all the time. She had objected to the idea at first but now found it worthwhile. Soaking down to her neck, Luna levitated her current book (Legend of Epona) over and read while levitating brushes and other cleaning tools. In Canterlot, there would be maids, here, she did herself, because why not? In its own way, flexing her magical muscles like this helped keep her control sharp. The mental stress also helped her calm her mind by making her not think about work. Sixes was concerned she was just adding to her anxiety, and he may be right, but until she dropped a book in the water, she was going to continue. “Oops!” Luna tightened her hold on the book, letting the other objects fall with a clatter on the marble floor. “Ok… that’s probably enough for today.” Drying off with a towel, Luna pulled on the silk pajama’s Sixes had given her. It was a thin see-through thing, that was pretty much pointless as a garment, but it was soft and comfortable. He begrudging admitted asking Platinum for help picking it out. Which made her smile. “He’s softening up, he’s like he was… no, he’s better than before. I hope that continues.” The hard-jaded edge that Sixes grew over their time apart was slowly being filed away. He smiled more now, she smiled more. She also indulged in more frivolous interests, like the nightgown. They were both slowly changing and adjusting. “I can’t wait for the wedding.” Yes, she and Sixes have yet to officially marry, though, to them, they were already married. The ceremony was just a formality at this point. The deadline for her announcement of her independent territory was not as set in stone as she wanted it to be. The castle was finished and livable, yes, but now two towns were springing up with a few more being scouted. That was Sixes’s current mission, making another clearing for more cities. The lasts one was near AJ Eighth’s home place. A massive swath of the Apple Clan already put a down payment on the land rights for several locations. They were indeed Equestria’s Pioneers. The submitted name for the pending town was Night Orchard. While waiting for the soft embrace of sleep, Luna hoped ponies didn’t think “Night” was required in the naming of everything within her territory. “Hmm… it’s nice, but it feels awkward… (YAWN) I’ll have to catch up with today’s reports tonight, I’ll have to talk to Sixes if it’s ok if we wait until the Castle town is finished or partly finished. Having a lone castle in the woods…” Luna murmured the last of her sentence, her eyes closing and staying closed. The room-filling with her soft snores. “Sixes…” She mumbled as sleep finally took her. “Thank you so much for stopping by, Mr. Sixes.” AJ Eighth said while limping towards her home. “It’s nice to have so much company.” “Just Sixes is fine, and it’s no trouble. I’m sure Luna would be upset if I didn’t stop and say hello.” “Oh, you’re too kind.” “Not always,” He smiled, his fangs peeking out. “How are things? Monsters giving you trouble?” Eighth popped her neck while slipping off her prosthetic leg in the mudroom. “Hmm, the Cinders have been quiet, too quiet. Haven’t bothered me in the slightest. Makes me think they’re planning something big.” “I’ll buff up the patrols around the area. Since you’re the only resident out here, I’ll have a team on standby, if you don’t mind the company that is.” “Oh shucks, that’s too kind. Don’t waste your time with this old nag. Though the thought is appreciated. I’ll be sure to make extra supper.” “That’s really not… that’s very kind of you. Don’t be afraid to ask the off-duty ones to do some chores if you need to.” Sixes took the path of least resistance, knowing it was useless to refuse AJ Eighth’s kindness. “While I’m here, is there anything you think you might need? We’ll send it out with the Security team.” “I got some unwedded Fillies and Stallions coming over to join in that new settlement. Think you could have some singles on your end be apart of that team? My family traditionally likes Earth Ponies, but we’ve broadened our outlook. If you count one Pegasus and one Unicorn diversifying.” “You looking to add Rinin to the mix?” Eighth shrugged, “Never said they had to be. Really our stallions are struggling more than the mares for mates. Enough fillies are running around but not that many that want to live in the boonies. And there are few if any Apple’s that will move to the city. That said, my… nephew? Braeburn said they had a small family of unicorns move in. All females. A mother and her daughters. Apparently, one of the daughters is fixin’ to marry into the family. They might be moving to the new settlement too. I guess the mother’s looking to remarry also. She’s a widow from what I understand, but still spry. Some of the ruder Stallions that need an ear to the stove call her Mrs. Mil… I’m not going to say it. I swear those boys sometimes.” Sixes could only laugh, “Well, that’s youngsters. They’ll mature fast out here.” Eighth bobbed her head, “I suppose. Speaking of youngsters, how’s that young couple doing? Goody and Sweets? It’s been half a year since they married, right?” “Ten months,” Sixes corrected. “Seems like their getting settled. Their living in Canterlot right now.” “Blah, horrible place to raise kids that place. Tell me their moving?” “They might be in a few weeks or months here. Depends on how well the Everfree housing project goes. We need more than just the Apples to sign up for it.” “Ask the Pears,” Eighth suggested. “They’re a rough and tumble sort. Just don’t tell Granny Smith, they got some bad history.” “I’ll consider it.” He replied politely. In truth, he’d rather not stir trouble if it involved the Apples, even if an AJ was the one to suggest it. Whatever reason she had for bringing it up, he would let the Apples sort it out. That said, if the Pears approached on their own accord, he saw no reason to turn them away either. Approaching his chopper, Sixes dictated two of his subordinates to guard duty, while he returned to base to organize the real team. While sending a message to one of the Gem Lilies. Gem Lily was slang for the mares monitoring the Gem Com network or GCN. There were stallions too, but the vast majority of the Lilies were mares looking for full-time light work with little risk of danger. Thanks to the advancement of relays and other technologies Sixes didn’t really understand, some of the lilies could work from home or locally depending on which region they resided in. A lily’s primary job was to receive and pass on long-distance communications and send them to the home base. At his current location, the closest relay was Ponyville. “Hello, hello, this is Mrs. Button, sorry Lily PV-96, how can I help you today?” “This is Commander Sixes, send this message to home. Long term mission at Night Orchard Location, need volunteers. Four minimum, single ponies preferred. Be ready to leave by the time I arrive. Over.” “Copy that Commander, I will pass that along. Anything else I can help you with today?” Sixes checked the time, it was just past two, Luna was already asleep. “No, thank you.” “Your welcome, please have a safe journey home. Goodbye!” “She’s a sweetie, isn’t she?” The Pilot said over the coms as they flew over the forest. “She’s single right?” “Why are you asking me like I know?” Was Sixes’ reply, ignoring the chatter in his ear, preferring to keep a hawk’s eye on the forest below. Even if it was a blur of green. “Yeah, she’s sweet, but you ready to be a dad, Rockshard? She comes with a colt, ya know.” One of the others said. Rockshard let out a long whistle. “If things go right, I’d think about it. I mean, I’m not in a position to be picky myself!” He laughed, flipping the visor of his helmet up to show a brief view of his scarred face. “I mean, I’d love any mare that could stand to look at this face!” In one of the few instances of a Chopper being brought down in Night Patrol history, Rockshard, an earth Rinin, had been piloting. Surviving the crash, but not walking away unscathed. The fire burned half of his face, his left ear seared off, and his left leg was now a prosthetic. It was amazing he could be so cheery about it. “So, Commander, how long until you and the Lady declare independence or whatever.” Rolle was a standard Rinin of copper coloring, one of the younger ones, and part of the last batch. Rockshard had been two classes ahead of the others present. Due to the fact Sixes had been their primary instructor and they were young and inexperienced having been only a few missions, the members the last batch was much more casual with him then he liked. “When we’re ready,” Was his unsatisfying answer to the rookies. Turns out, starting a country from scratch was really hard, needing time, investments, populace, infrastructure. All of that took time. Looking back, declaring independence with a single castle was kind of crazy. “I’m having a meeting on it when Topaz gets back.” This prompted a laugh from Rolle and the others. “Since when do you go to those kinds of meetings, Boss?” “First, it’s sir, not boss, I trained you better. Second, every operation needs planning. Now keep quiet, I’m gonna try and get some sleep.” The Rookies could only roll their eyes, only Sixes could sleep on a chopper ride and maybe actually get some decent shut-eye. Three hours later, Sixes’s chopper landed at 5 o’clock on the sixth-floor landing pad. The Sixth level of the castle acted as a landing bay for the fliers and aircraft, the hanger proper located in the airdocks. The command center on the seventh floor helped coordinate missions, and the sizable gem receiver received transmissions day and night. All these tools, plus rotating shifts, allowed for quick emergency deployments at any time of day. Sixes jumped out of the chopper, and briefly inspected the team going to Night Orchard. There were ten volunteers. He told them to be ready to leave once their transport was available. They were a little short on choppers. Rockshard would have to refuel and inspect his machine and then swap with another pilot before the team could leave. A bit of miscalculation on his part, forgetting how stretched thin their choppers were. Sixes contacted McGather, who said he would take care of it, while on the way to his and Luna’s suite. After stating he would be going radio silent for half an hour, Sixes shut off his com. Figuring that gave him just enough time to refresh himself with a shower. Inside the room, Sixes felt a twinge of shame entering the pristine sanctuary with grime and muck. Which is why he insisted on the small secret passage right by the door. It was a little cubby in the wall with enough room for one, maybe two ponies to fit. Here he could dispense his armor and undersuit in private and not make the main room a mess. Placing his helmet on the peg built into the wall, he exited the cubby to the Master bathroom while fiercely scratching his scalp. “Might have to replace the lining in my helmet. Gods, that’s an itch.” He grumbled. Instead of indulging in a bath, he opted for a shower. Really, he only took a bath with Luna or for cards and booze nights. The guys were really into hot spring gambling. Kira introduced it to them. The main reason he preferred the shower was because of the black water flowing down the drain beneath his feet. Sure, the bathwater was filtered, but the sides and bottom could still be stained. This was just more convenient. Once he was refreshed, Sixes exited the steam-filled room, to the bedroom, finding Luna snoozing under the blankets. He shivered, almost seeing his breath. “How cold does she have it in here? No wonder she’s using three heavy quilts.” His wife was wrapped up in three blankets like a caterpillar waiting to be a butterfly. She looked amazingly toasty, mumbling soft words in her sleep, her cheeks a slight pink. Sixes leaned to hear what she was saying. “You want ten? That’s fine…” Luna giggled, and he felt a twinge of worry. (We’re gonna have to talk about that later.) Kissing Luna on the forehead, Sixes whispered goodbye in her ear and left as quietly as he entered. Descending to the second-floor Sixes made a beeline for his office, yes, he had an office. All the Commanders and even the Vice Commanders did. Although his office was different, being slightly more significant than the others. Luna’s office is at the end of the hall. His was to the right of hers with a connecting door between them. It was more of a joint office, he guessed. Waiting for him inside was a pile of paperwork a foot tall. “Let’s see what we got today, promotion exams, Night Hunter training IX? Oh, Kira’s new training regimen. Hmm, she’s got quite the list of candidates. Does she think everypony needs retraining?” Sorting the papers into the proper piles, Sixes snorted when he found a sticky note from Kira. “A lot of my family and subjects want to join, please accommodate them. Mostly civilians? I guess we can’t have military personal transferring over. There are a few big names here too. A lot of her grandkids? No Great Grandkids, whatever. There’s what, fifty of them listed here?” With a rumbling noise in his throat, Sixes scratched his head while pondering what to do. Setting the note aside in the ‘discuss with Luna’ pile, Sixes picked through Topaz’s latest report. “Manehatten is green, Filly is yellow, and Canterlot red, huh? No surprise there.” A few other cities were listed, most of them labeled yellow or green. Topaz’s current mission was getting a feel of the public opinion of the Everfree declaring independence. There was a massive campaign to endure themselves to the populace so they wouldn’t raise too big of a stink. Green meant sixty percent or higher polled were open or indifferent to the idea, yellow, was more lukewarm, and uncertain, but not outright opposed. Red was opposed. Besides Canterlot, there were three other cities labeled red. And a lot more yellow then they would like. “We’ll have to improve public opinion, hopefully when the towns are officially established, we can push for independence.” Sixes could feel the gears in his head starting to smoke trying to keep up with the behind the scenes politics. Had he known things were going to be this complex, he might have urged Luna to wait, but the balls rolling now. There was literally no stopping what they were doing. The best they could do was time their announcement right. “Well, technically, the castle isn’t done.” There was still a lot of empty space, but the castle was livable, so it could be considered done. They were using that gray wording to extend their announcement time. Much to a smug Celestia, probably predicting they’d run into this kind of trouble. She ‘generously’ extended their time to separate. While dropping not so subtle hints, they could always just declare themselves a colony. It was annoying to know that without Equestria acting as a bulwark, they had no chance of even getting started. Which made it all the more important to present themselves as Equestria’s ally or sister nation. “Maybe Luna rushed into this, not the first time she’s moved on an idea without groundwork. Night Patrol was the same way. Only this time, stumbling upon a cave of ponies isn’t going to solve our problems. Guess I better get a hold of the lawyers again.” His sigh was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Come in.” Kira popped her head in the door, grinning like a sly fox as she entered. “Having fun?” “Tons,” He grunted, offering Kira a seat. “How are things on your end?” Striding across the room, Kira sat down elegantly and then immediately slumped. Letting her regal mask drop like a rock. “Oh, they’re fine, I guess. You get my note?” Sixes nodded. “Good, so we’ll have no shortage of recruits. There are a lot of Thestral volunteers too, no surprise there. There are actually too many ponies.” “So, we need more instructors?” Sixes mumbled while filling out other paperwork. “We can move up the promotion exams, I guess. Trifecta is past due for a promotion anyways. Bixin and Smokey Haze too. They’re both capable.” “What about Gloves and Jazz? They’re the youngest of the Vice Commanders, but they’ve more them proven themselves.” Kira argued with a sideward glance added. “Hazel, Octane, and Ruby would be good candidates for Vice Commanders.” Sixes stopped writing, looking at Kira skeptically. “I think you're rather biased towards them. You were their teacher.” “So were you, you act like I trained everypony by myself, but it was a group effort, don’t forget Fury and Topaz both played a role in their education. I may be a bit biased, but they won’t grow without experience. What about Shamrock, Essex, and Highlander, then? They’re all experienced, strong, already in leadership positions, the transition would be smooth by all metrics. That is unless you’re still holding a grudge about them leaving?” “No,” He answered sharply, though she found it unconvincing. “Luna gave them a choice, and they chose to leave; it was understandable they would want to see the world after being trapped in the factory. Besides, they did come back when we needed help.” “And yet you keep them at a distance. Is it just the leavers or Shamrock’s group?” “I don’t know what you're inferring, they just work best where they are now.” Sixes insisted, yet not meeting Kira’s eyes. “If they want to take the exams, and they pass, I’ll say nothing about it. Happy?” “I suppose I will have to be. While we’re on the subject of the exams, I’ve made several improvements over the years. Even you, Fury, and Topaz would be hard-pressed to pass.” “Oh, really? Is that a challenge?” Kira merely grinned, “Why don’t you try it yourself? We’ll use your score as the passing grade.” “I’ll consider it.” He moved several stacks to the proper bins, his eyes darting between his work and Kira. Seemed she had more to say but was hesitating for some reason. Something else? He wondered, seizing on the apparent answer. “Do you want to talk about… HER again?” “In time, I’m more interested in how you and Luna are planning to respond to the Germane-Prench war.” Kira clicked her tongue while shaking her head. “Even the name is inaccurate, but I suppose it would be a bother to list every country involved. The number is up to six now.” “Six?” Sixes faltered, glancing at the map behind him. A broad red line traveled across the continent of Europa, with each country at war highlighted by a faction in different colors. The map showed four currently, Prench-Hispania, Germane-Austopona. “Who joined? And which side?” Kira sighed, “This was information from my shinobi spying in the area, the countries themselves haven’t declared war publicly yet, but I’ve heard it will be Roam on the Germane-Austopona side, and Friesian on the Prench-Hispania side. Britannia is staying neutral for now.” “What about Nippon? You still staying out of it?” “Of course, but The Dons have been raising a fuss near our waters with the Cossacks. We might be dragged into a war ourselves, though an unrelated one. Funny how conflict spreads like that.” “Yeah, our best bet is to not get involved until we’re ready. Hopefully, things will be over in three years.” Sixes nodded, having received several reports on both sides in the war. Going off those numbers, Topaz predicted the countries would have to stop or liquefy their economies to continue fighting. The two countries joining was a shot in the leg that would only extend the conflict. “We should try and persuade others from joining; otherwise, we could be looking at an end-times war.” “Indeed,” Kira agreed, concerned, having witnessed several. An End Times War was not the end of the world, but the ending of an era. Usually, they happened when a civilization reached is peak and implodes, prompting its weaker neighbors to dogpile and destroy it. Though it usually ends with everypony getting wiped out. From the ashes new kingdom and countries emerge, setting off a Beginning Times war, where they try to establish the pecking order for the newly minted era. “Well, those are bound to happen anyway; you can only delay when,” Kira said sagely. “It’s almost a natural cycle in its own way. Regardless, we should do everything within our power to prevent it. It’s all bit troublesome, though.” “What is? Preventing war? It’s always been that way.” “No, I was thinking of Dusk and that vision she showed us. It’s been bothering me. All those futures, all leading down different paths. It’s frustrating knowing that even if you try with all your might to stop one disaster, another could easily rise in its place.” Kira’s expression darkened, clenching her teeth tightly. “I was most unhappy with my role in some of those futures. Killing my friends like that. I suppose I’m at least leaving up to my name.” Killing the Nightmare Celestia and Luna is no easy feat. It was impressive that any single pony could defeat either one, let alone one by themselves. Even if it was only a possible future, Sixes wondered if Celestia and Luna worried that Kira might do them in. Probably not, but Luna has been training more as of late. “Do you think you could, as you are now?” Sixes inquired. “I think I could take one and leave the other too injured to fight. Both are still so rusty. I’m honestly surprised Sombra’s children gave them so much trouble. They’ll need to get into shape.” Usually, a statement like that would be condemned as arrogant, but Kira spoke so matter of the fact that it left little room for debate. If she had to, she could take down one of the Royal Sisters, pressed hard, she could do both. Sixes had no reason to doubt that. “Enough about that, I find it depressing,” Kira griped, not enjoying the idea of even entertaining that future was possible. She would not let it. “Onto something else. I want to talk about…” Sixes held up a claw, sighing deeply, he knew what was coming next. “Let me guess, her?” “Of course! She is my student.” He shook his head, “That’s fine, but why do you insist on bringing me into this? It’s your pet project. Besides, haven’t you already trained enough monsters?” “Firstly, WE trained monsters. You, Fury, Topaz, and I. That said, I find Octane, Hazel, and Ruby still lacking, so I’ll be brushing up their training too. What I can’t figure out is why you’re letting Twilight slip through your claws.” “Kira,” Sixes trailed off sounding exhausted, wondering how many times they’ve been over this in the past ten months. “What can I teach her that you can’t? I don’t… I don’t want to get involved.” “Oh, come off it Sixes, you’ve known since Dusk’s visit, that vision of Twilight fighting, that was your training.” “A little of it, yes, but there was just as much You, Fury, and Topaz in there. She moved like a Night Hunter, ok? Is that what you want from me?” “What I want is for you to do your part. Like it or not, that Twilight is facing a dark future, a future I might add, where she is one of the last survivors. That means Celestia, Luna, you, me, all of us were defeated. She may very well be our Ace in the hole.” “Maybe,” He hesitated. “There is the other, though. That yellow alicorn.” Kira closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Just consider it? Please?” Truly not wanting to keep going in circles on this subject, Sixes put forth a solution. “If she gets the approval of Fury and Topaz, I’ll admit defeat. That said, she’ll have to get through basic first. Actually, no, since you think so highly of her, she has to pass the Vice Commander exam too.” “Fine, I know she’ll rise to the challenge. I’ll make sure she’s Commander Level!” “I’ll see it when I believe it!” He retorted. The black and white rinin snarled in challenge at each other, both eager to make the other eat their words. The tension was suddenly broken when Sixes began scratching his head, very aggressively. Kira stepped back, weirded out by Sixes bizarre shift. He was acting almost like a dog with fleas. Things didn’t get better when he began to dig into his scalp, specks of blood coating his claws. “Ok… what the hells wrong with you?” Rising to bipedal, Kira made use of her four arms to grab Sixes’ forelegs and gently thrift through his mane like she was looking for lice. “Don’t know, I’ve had this weird itch for a while now, it’s like somethings underneath my skull! Sometimes I have to rub my head against a tree! Gods! Let me get to it! It’s driving me nuts!” “Oh, calm down,” Kira snapped lightly, using the thumb of her claw to move his hair. “Huh? What the…” “What? What is it?” “Well,” Kira murmured, trying to find the right words. “I’m no genealogist, but I think I know where Crusader got his antlers, and it wasn’t from his mother.” Letting Sixes go, Kira stepped back as the stunned Rinin slowly felt the top of his head, eventually finding the two horn stubs growing out of his head.