Cake along with the rest of her team were currently seated around the table, with Sunrise at its head holding a large ruler as she began to talk about the defences, patrols, and dangers they would face once inside the shield, and how to avoid them. Yellow Diamond constantly asked questions which Sunrise ignored, and when the pegasus turned over to Cake for help she was ignored again making her face turn red in frustration.
“The crystal guards don’t have enough factories to produce weapons for all their soldiers, as such they have turned to grabbing almost anything they can find. You are likely to run into guards holding yak boomsticks, or old swords from before the Empire disa-”
“ARE THE SWORDS LIKELY TO BE ENCHANTED?” Yellow Diamond yelled.
“PROBABLY!” Sunrise replied as she looked on, the tension had reached its breaking point now as Yellow Diamond turned over to Cake.
“Why aren't you saying anything, commander?”
Cake put her hooves over her eyes and groaned. “Because I already know I can grab one of you as a body shield in case we start getting shot at,” she replied.
The kirin, who was trying to light her cigarette without turning it to ash with her body, looked over to the changeling at this comment, who proceeded to turn the solid parts of his torso into the same cheese-like structure on his legs. Yellow jumped up and walked out of the castle in a huff while the recruits looked at Cake.
“Go with her for lunch or tea or something, tell her we can talk about this all on the way to the Crystal Empire.”
Twilight put away her ruler and smiled at the white unicorn while the recruits followed Yellow Diamond out of the castle. Once they had left, Sunrise cleared her throat and got closer to Cake. “I haven't had lunch in while, why don't we all go out to eat and catch up?”
The group made their way to a local restaurant that seemed to have been torn down and rebuilt. Cake recognized the place as a former burger joint which Sunrise frequented that had half its sign torn down and replaced with a new flaming neon sign proclaiming ‘EMPRESS Burger’, with the other half being made of carved wood suspended by metal support beams. Once inside Dilly spotted the other half of the group eating at a table in the back of the restaurant, and tapped the other unicorn's shoulder, making her groan.
“Welcome to Empress Burger, y’all, what can I getcha?” asked a young earth pony mare as the trio sat down.
“Drop the fake fucking accent and bring me a plate of hay fries,” demanded Cake.
“One super solar sunrise with extra sriracha sauce on top and flaming chili fries please!” asked Sunrise with a bright smile.
“Water and a grilled cheese sandwich,” said Dilly before turning to Cake. “Are we going to stay and eat this time?”
“Uh, yeah, I hope so, I dont wanna have to go to three restaurants today,” said Cake as the waiter nodded and walked away.
“But you are going to have to go to three castles!” said Sunrise with a laugh. “And the sun never sets, so everyday is Sunday and we go off time tables now.”
“What about the fucking months? Or seasons even?” asked Cake.
“Still being worked out,” Dilly said as she pulled over the small checkers board on the table and set it up opposite of Sunrise. The alicorn grinned as she began to move the first piece.
“LIking the changes so far, Cake?” asked Sunrise with a smile.
“Somehow, I don't understand why we didnt do all this sooner, if we could have. Everything is all organized now, you can't walk down the street without seeing a soldier or a guard. Makes me feel like Cele- Daybreaker, was holding back for too long. You remember how hard it was to get new recruits, or equipment when we had to storm Sunset?”
“I do, and I remember the protest in Ponyville about how the Wingbardians had a right to invade and suppress the civilians there. I still can't believe we found Beakolini hanged from a lamp post in Katherin.” Sunrise giggled. “Oh, Dilly, where is your brother, I met this wonderful-”
“Dead, Sparkle. We buried him this morning.” Daffodilly moved her checker over and jumped Twilight’s, in retaliation for this the alicorn jumped over hers and tossed it to the side of the board.
“Damn, sorry, I didn't know, I've been so busy recently I didn't hear about it.” Sunrise tapped her hoof on the table nervously before returning her eyes back onto Cake, who watched the game intrigued. “So, have you had a chance to visit Appleloosa yet, Cake?”
“No, I haven't. But my mother was the first one I talked to when I woke up, said they recently cracked a spell to separate the salt from ocean water. Takes a lot of focus and it’s pretty slow but their reserves are in check, for now.”
“Well that is wonderful, I'm sure that must be a massive weight off their shoulders. And your mother, is she doing well?”
“Yes, her and my sister have taken a much larger role in the local government down there, Aryanne finally won the mayoral election and has been working on new schools and better roads to link the southern cities.”
The waiter returned and laid the plates onto the table before smiling and trotting away, again the same notes that had previously been seen in Canterlot lay on top of the food with the same small yellow sun. Cake tossed it aside and began to eat her food eagerly as the other two mares did the same. Right until the scraping sound of a different table being pushed closer to theirs grabbed the group’s attention. The large earth pony stallion shoved one of the center tables right into the trio’s booth as the rest of the squad moved their chairs over. Yellow diamond sat down right beside Cake and greeted her with a grin.
“You know, I ordered the exact same thing as you did, Sunrise, how's it taste?” asked Yellow, her grin not fading.
“Mmm, I would say it's probably the best thing on the menu here, and I have ordered everything!” Sunrise exclaimed with a fake friendliness to her voice
“Really? I personally prefer the firestacked hashbrowns,” said the earth pony. Cake looked closer at his uniform and noticed his nametag, which made her groan.
“You order hashbrowns everywhere we go, Gunshot,” said the kirin.
“I love potatoes, part of my Las Pegasus upbringing.”
“Damn that sure is crazy!” Cake said as she stuffed her mouth with hay fries, putting the conversation to a halt.
“What types of food do you like, Wander?” asked the kirin as they looked over at the changeling.
“Meat, preferably gryphon, but I also do enjoy the occasional apple.”
Cake stood up and walked over to where the Changeling was sitting at the far edge of the table, she stood on her back hooves and placed her front hooves onto his shoulders as she leaned closer to his ears. “If you think you can try to threaten me, little cockroach, I will personally send your exoskeleton back to Vesapolis to be buried alongside your ashes in a tin can.”
The bug shuddered as he heard the words and looked down at the wooden table top. “No, Commander, I meant no- no threats to you.”
“Good, because I would hate to have to make the waiters mop up green blood off the tables and floors, it takes a lot of bleach to get out once it sticks.”
Sunrise was grinning ear to ear as she picked up a chili covered fry in her magic and chewed, Dilly continued to stare at the checkerboard which had quickly fallen into chaos with black and red pieces scattered all through the board in an odd array of king pieces and regulars. Cake returned to her seat as the waitress came around a second time with the plates for the rest of the members of Phoenix Squad. The alicorn had already finished her plate and was looking around for her drink, when she couldn't find it she looked up pleadingly at Dilly who was sipping her water, trying to think of her next move as the game came down to its final 5 pieces.
“Dilly, can I please have your water?” she asked softly.
“You can have my soda if you want it, Princess!” Gunshot offered.
“If I wanted your soda I would have just taken it, jarhead, but sadly your disgusting face has already made contact with the straw,” Sunrise said in an oddly cheerful tone.
“Alright, good lunch. I'll see you in a train car heading to Rainbow Falls at um... what time is it and what time would be good to hop on a train and promptly go to sleep?” Cake said, turning her attention away from Yellow Diamond and onto Sunrise who had finished her checker game by trapping Yellow's last piece into a corner, a move that made the sour expression of defeat wash over the unicorn's face.
“That would be in about seven hours, do you need to do something in seven hours?” asked Twilight.
“I was hoping to maybe go to the spa and make myself look presentable before we go meet the traitors and talk diplomacy. You two should probably come along with me. Yellow, you will be in charge of getting the three misfits to behave themselves.” Cake got up and left the restaurant with the other two mares and Yellow stared at the ponies around her in a hateful glare.
“We aren't going to let that bitch use Twilight to roll over the Empire and solidify herself, unless any of you want to be taking orders from that mentally deficient toddler then I say we make sure her plans become complete disasters, and disgraceful to serve Daybreaker.”