Rarity was briefly awoken by the sensation of movement in the bed. Her internal clock was telling her it was… too early o'clock, but then that was rather typical these past several days.
She preferred to get her beauty sleep; always had, always would. Not that she minded the little disturbances, of course. It was just a rather pleasant reminder that she hadn't gone to bed alone the night before, and that the pony sharing her bed had had the decency to wait until morning to leave.
She felt a kiss on her forehead, heard another kiss on another forehead behind her; she couldn't see who it was because she had her sleep mask on, but she already knew that Lockwood was getting up early this morning to attend to some business matters with the southern delegates. That, and Lockwood had a delightful lack of morning breath that any pony would envy; she'd know it was him based on that fact alone.
No words needed to be exchanged; this was just how things were.
This left Blackburn to tighten her hold around Rarity's midsection a little bit once Lockwood had left the room, because if anypony was going to be the big spoon of course it was going to be the Iron Queen. Rarity actually liked being the little spoon most of the time, but she found it funny that she was the big spoon to Lockwood's little spoon. Did that make her the middle spoon?
Blackburn gently kissed up along Rarity's neck before burying her muzzle there and staying where she was, hooves gently caressing Rarity's sides. Blackburn was a very physical partner, even when cuddling; it was always just a little exciting. Not enough to actually wake Rarity up, but enough to make her feel comfortable.
"Mmm… you came back to bed awfully late last night…" Rarity murmured, just barely cognizant enough to mumble out the words.
Blackburn nodded, her nose brushing Rarity's coat. "Deployment took longer than I wanted. Wish it could've waited for morning. Also had… another urgent matter to attend to."
"It's alright, sweetheart. I know how important this all is to you, to everypony." Rarity let out a little yawn, then snuggled back against her queen. "Fill me in in the morning, hmm?"
"It is morning."
Rarity snorted once; it was too early for jokes. "You know what I mean."
Blackburn chuckled, sending little ripples through Rarity's skin. "Mmhmm. Go back to sleep, marshmallow. Thinking… pancakes for breakfast…"
"Mmhmm… lovely pancakes…"
As Rarity drifted back off to sleep, she couldn't help but wonder how in the world she'd managed to end up where she was right now. Well, not the exact events to right now right now, those she knew, but just the whole general situation. This wasn't how she imagined her storybook romance to be at all, not how she ever imagined her life would turn out. Honestly, this wasn't anywhere near as good as her old notions of love told her things ought to be.
No, it was better.
*****
Rarity had never been to the Hope's Point militia's training facility before. She'd had no interest in doing so of her own accord, actually, and honestly there'd just never been reason to do so. Today, however, she was making an exception, though it wasn't going to be a regular thing, certainly. She had no reason to use the facility herself; she preferred to do her pilates and yoga stretches in private.
Zyra was a fine partner in that respect, actually. Rarity had a personal trainer back home, a handsome stallion named Thunderlane incidentally—Rainbow had recommended him since he was a Wonderbolt who did personal training as a hobby—but Zyra was on a different wavelength and had a different focus. Not that Rarity ever minded Thunderlane's drifting eyes.
But that was beside the point. Where was she? Oh yes, the training center.
Now, once upon a time, back when she'd been much younger, Rarity might have considered coming to an establishment such as this to… study the masculine forms that were on display. Yes, study. For making suits and such, of course. No other reason. After all, stallions came in all shapes and sizes, didn't they? Same as mares did. It was purely for her to better understand proper proportions.
But now that Rarity was older, and especially now that she had a special somepony—someponies—in her life, she didn't really have much of an interest in it at all, not even for fashion potential. After all, she had access to Lockwood and his entire family and even Crossfire if she ever needed to get measurements for a suit.
She and Zyra were dressed to impress, as always, appropriately so for the occasion and the venue, meaning that their clothes were casual and light but eye-popping. Rarity had relished the opportunity to give her new friend and guardian a sort of makeover, as it were, though only insofar as clothing and makeup were concerned; Zyra's mane and tail styles were culturally significant, and so Rarity would never dream of altering them.
As such, Zyra's simple white robes—she had multiple—had been given adjustments in form and fit so that they were both fashionable and functional, showing off the zebra mare's athletic tone without being overly provocative while still keeping her warm in the cooler weather. Rarity had even spruced up the mare's sword sheath so that the straps were more comfortable around her midsection.
They found Applejack after walking through the facility for only a minute or two, with Rarity noticing eyes drifting their way enough for it to be exciting but not enough for them to evolve into catcalls and wolf whistles, which was the perfect level of attention a mare wanted to receive, of course. Fashionable, attractive, but not scandalous.
Now, when Rarity saw Applejack, she was a little intrigued by what she saw. The form-fitting training gear the other mare was wearing was, well, form-fitting; Rarity was used to seeing Applejack's muscular figure without clothes back home, but something about wearing tight spandex over it just made the muscles pop. It was actually quite impressive; maybe Applejack was just putting on more muscle?
The poor mare was also covered with sweat, though it was clear that most of it had dried. Applejack was currently on a break, it seemed, leaning casually against the edge of the training ring that Rarity and Zyra had found her at and sipping water from a bottle, sometimes splashing a little onto her face and neck. There were a few stallions and mares nearby that noticed; Applejack, on the other hoof, didn't seem to notice them.
Rarity could understand why Trenderhoof had fallen head over hooves for the mare; Applejack was much too attractive to be stuck on some farm, but Rarity had given up on convincing her of that years ago.
She hated what had happened to Applejack's tail, though. It was simply dreadful how that luxurious rivulet of golden blonde had become just this short, stubby little thing. What made it worse was that Applejack refused to use magic or potions or anything of the sort to regrow it; Rarity had half a mind to sneak into her friend's room and take matters into her own hooves.
"Applejack, darling, how are you?" Rarity asked as she and Zyra approached, pushing her disapproving thoughts aside.
Applejack barely drew herself from whatever reverie she was in to acknowledge Rarity's presence. "Just fine, sugarcube. Takin' a lil' break is all."
"Yes, I can see that. I assume that your training is going well, then?"
"Sure is. You here ta check in on me?"
"That certainly is one reason, yes. Rainbow Dash—bless her heart—simply can't go five minutes without telling everypony how 'cool' it is to be training with Havoc and learning how her newfound abilities work, so I've got a pretty good idea how things are going on her end."
Applejack chuckled. "Yeah, 'spose so."
"You, however, barely talk about how you're doing," Rarity said, poking Applejack's shoulder gently; she could feel the tense muscles underneath easily and again, was quite impressed. "Good heavens, you certainly have put on a bit more muscle, though, haven't you?"
Applejack tilted her head slightly; her attention still was still on the training ring. "Yeah, I'm doin' just fine on that front. Got good teachers."
Rarity nodded in understanding, though she couldn't help but notice that Applejack was still focused intently on something in the training ring. She was used to Applejack sometimes being so focused on work that she could hardly pay attention to anything else, but that was work. Ignoring her now seemed awfully rude.
"Applejack dear, what's gotten your attention so strongly that you can't even turn to face me, hmm?"
"Oh. Sorry, Rares," Applejack said, taking another sip from her water but still not turning to face Rarity; only her eyes darted over, and only for a second. "Just 'mirin'."
"Just… 'mirin'? You mean 'admiring'?"
"S'what I said, ain't it?"
"Admiring what?"
Zyra tapped Rarity's shoulder and gestured into the training ring; her eyes were wide with… excitement? "I think she means that, My Lady."
Rarity turned and looked into the arena to see what all the fuss was about, and immediately understood what it was. "Ohh."
It wasn't every day that one got the opportunity to see a particularly muscular, handsome stallion working so hard and in such an… enticing way. To see sweat glistening off of muscles, muscles that tensed and stretched and strained with every movement, barely contained within a tight-fitting training uniform just like Applejack's that made everything just pop.
It was even rarer to see two such stallions in close enough proximity to compare and contrast the two, like measuring the difference between two particularly fine melons and trying to decide which one was more ripe. It was even rarer still for the two stallions to be engaged in some sort of physical activity together—in this case, wrestling—that just made muscle press against muscle.
Now, Rarity would never deny that she found Flathoof to be an attractive stallion—not her type—but she'd never admit that to Applejack's face. Not because Applejack liked him in such a way, of course, but because their friendship was such that Flathoof and Applejack might as well have been brother and sister. The fact that Flathoof almost exactly resembled Big Macintosh as it was at least made that comparison easier to swallow.
But Rarity would be a liar if she didn't say that he looked particularly… enticing at the moment. He'd definitely put on a lot of muscle in these last seven years.
But oh, then there was his wrestling partner, a well-built zebra stallion who quite nearly matched Flathoof in size but otherwise had a very similar build. He was certainly quite handsome, in a rugged sort of way, and his mane and tail just seemed at home when drenched in sweat, like that was their natural state. He, like Flathoof, was wearing one of those tight-fitting uniforms, and, well… it left just enough to the imagination.
"Yes… admiring indeed," Rarity murmured, herself transfixed on the sight she beheld. She wished she'd thought to bring her paper fan with her; she was desperate for a cool breeze all of a sudden.
She barely registered that Applejack was passing her a fresh bottle of water, which Rarity absently accepted, opened, and drank from—goodness did that cool drink help—before passing it to Zyra in turn, who took a drink of her own.
"Zyra, dear, is that the stallion you were speaking of?" Rarity asked, not taking her eyes off of the two bulky stallions as they continued to struggle against one another. She didn't know who was winning between the two, but she felt like a winner right now.
"Mmhmm," Zyra said, her tone hinting at the grin on her lips. "Sir Zircon, Knight of the Black Flame. He is famous back home for his might as a warrior, one of the finest in all of zebra history. He is also well-known for his philanthropy, for he often visits the outer walls of the city and mingles with the common folk."
"Ah, I see. He must be quite popular."
"Indeed. I have also heard he is quite popular in Utopia amongst the ponies, a rarity for our people as we typically only get on well with House Snow in Frostburg." A long pause. "Though I heard that such popularity mostly extends only to mares. Stallions, not so much."
"Hmm, I wonder why." Rarity looked at Applejack, forcing herself to take her eyes off the wrestling hunks for a moment; it was getting very warm in here, it seemed. "Applejack, you mentioned you had 'teachers', plural? I take it that Sir Zircon is the other, alongside our good friend Flathoof?"
Applejack nodded and sipped from her water again; Rarity found it amusing that even the self-proclaimed independent mare couldn't help but eat the eye candy. "Yup. He's a mighty fine teacher, I tell ya what. I'm learnin' lots from him, an' Flathoof too."
Rarity's eyes drifted back to the display—oh my, that particular hold was just too much. "Yes. Fine indeed." She turned to Zyra. "You said that you knew Zircon before you left Zeb'ra'den?"
"Only briefly," Zyra admitted with a slight shrug. "As a Priestess of Layk, I met many stallions and mares within our city's nobility, for our rituals are considered a sacred duty. It was always an honor to provide such aid to newlywed pairs, you see."
Rarity nodded in understanding. "That's right, you said that you and your Sisterhood would, ahem, 'assist' such couples with the consummation of their marriages. You made it sound both touchingly romantic and yet, ah… enticing as well." A pause as she glanced back at Zircon, then to Zyra again. "Wait, did you—"
Zyra shook her head. "Oh, no, Sir Zircon never partook in the ceremony himself, at least not before I left Zeb'ra'den, for he was unmarried. Still is, I believe. I met him once when he escorted a cousin, Lord Zeppidi, to the temple following his marriage to Lady Zena." She smiled. "I was not assigned to their ceremony, but Sir Zircon stayed a moment to speak with me. He was quite friendly."
Rarity's grin widened. "Ahh, is that why we're here, darling? A chance to meet him again, in hopes of rekindling something? What about your dear Commander Pinpoint?"
"No, My Lady, you misunderstand," Zyra said, shaking her head. "He recognized me, for he had seen me training with my sword in the snow outside the city walls. He encouraged me to practice, told me that I had some skill. I admire him as a warrior, nothing more." A pause, then a shrug. "Though he is not bad to look at, hmm?"
"Oh no, not at all," Rarity tittered.
It was perfectly okay to admit it, so long as she was only looking. She was quite happy with her arrangement with Lockwood and Blackburn. Ooh, a thought just occurred to her: Blackburn would look simply delectable in some tight spandex. Lockwood would likely appreciate that quite a bit. Now, as for the color…
Applejack grunted, but she didn't say anything, which was odd, but Rarity didn't pry. Had she been listening to the conversation?
A moment later, the two hunky stallions broke away from one another, signaled an end to their match, then gave each other a brief hoofshake before they grabbed towels and water to dry off sweat and rehydrate, respectively.
Flathoof walked over to the gaggle of mares first and gave a polite nod to the new arrivals. "Rarity, Zyra, fancy seeing you two here," he said with a smile. "Something we can help you with?"
"Oh, nothing my dear. I just wished to check in on Applejack, to see how she was doing with her training regimen," Rarity said with a smile of her own, nose in the air a little. "After all, somepony needs to check in on her every once in a while. She spends almost all of her time here with you nowadays."
"Well, I think she's coming along with her training quite nicely. A little more work and she'll be kicking my butt every day of the week." Flathoof then gave Applejack a little salute. "I'm gonna go hit the showers, AJ; I gotta get going so I can pick up Green and Rose from school. I'll catch you later?"
Applejack nodded back. "Yup, see ya later, Flats. Say hi ta the kids fer me, y'hear?"
"Of course!" He nodded at Rarity and Zyra again. "Ladies, a pleasure."
Rarity watched Flathoof go—she didn't stare, but she could see what Gray liked about him—before turning her attention back to Applejack, and to Sir Zircon, who was now approaching. The large zebra stallion stepped over the ropes that kept the training ring separated from the walkways of the facility, and came over to Applejack first.
"Didst thou enjoyeth the display, Applejack?" he asked; Rarity had heard from Zyra that zebras from Zeb'ra'den spoke with an Old Equish dialect, but it was still odd to hear it for the first time. Rather like those lovely old plays by the poet Shake Spear.
Now, Rarity was absolutely positive that his tone was utterly serious and legitimate, not even the slightest hint of slyness to be found. This she found both surprising and impressive; any regular stallion would have made the comment because it had been obvious that three mares had been staring at him, but either as a joke, or with a definite flirtatious undertone.
But there was none present. Rarity could tell, as she'd heard that sort of tone all the time when she'd been younger and "scoping out studs" at the gym, as Rainbow would likely put it, although nothing of the sort had ever happened. Honest.
"Yup, sure did. An' you're right, I need ta work on my stance a bit. Flathoof tossed me 'round real good earlier 'cause I weren't anchored right, but he couldn't move you at all," Applejack replied, equally serious. She then gestured towards Rarity and Zyra. "Oh yeah, an' we got us an audience today, looks like."
Zircon smiled and turned to face the newcomers. "Ah, I didst not even… notice…" he trailed off, his eyes suddenly locked with Rarity's. "Aye, and 'tis a shame on my part that I didst not. Nay, 'tis an insult that mine eyes didst not glimpse such splendor sooner." He then bowed his head politely. "Apologies, fair maiden, for my rudeness."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Rarity tittered; this stallion certainly was a charmer, wasn't he? "My friend and I were just so captivated by your display of… ahem, skill, that we didn't introduce ourselves sooner. We didn't want to disturb the lovely show. Er, match. I'm Rarity."
"Rarity. 'Tis a lovely name for a lovely mare, and thou art indeed quite lovely. Thy coat is as pure and white as the southern snows bathed in the light of the moons." He graciously took Rarity's hoof in his. "And thou art… thou art…"
He paused, then glanced down; his hoof had brushed against her unity trinket bracelet. His expression softened; he looked almost heartbroken. "Ah. I see. 'Twould seem that I must again asketh thee for apologies, My Lady, for yet another transgression. 'Tis unbecoming for a knight to behaveth so roguishly."
Rarity tilted her head. "Oh?"
"Aye, I fear that I hath overstepped my bounds and didst allow my heart to cloud my judgment. 'Tis obvious, now that I hath had mine eyes opened; a goddess such as thee couldst only ever be a fantasy, a dream to chase, but not to live." He put his hoof over his heart. "But my heart shalt live on, My Lady. Feareth not for me."
"I… alright?" Rarity leaned slightly to whisper to Zyra. "I haven't the slightest idea what's going on, dear, do you?"
Zyra leaned over and whispered back, "He noticed your unity trinket, My Lady, and realized that he 'has no chance' to be with you, as they would say here in the north. He's trying to save face by being poetic about it. Just carry on as if nothing had happened, trust me."
"Oh. Very well, then." Rarity cleared her throat, then gave Zircon a polite smile and a nod. "Ahem. Yes, and it is quite a pleasure to meet you too, Sir Zircon. I've heard a lot about you from my friend, Zyra," she said, tilting her head towards her bodyguard.
Zircon lifted his head and looked at Zyra, eyebrow raised. "Zyra, 'tis a name that I know, though one that I'd heard long ago."
Zyra nodded and smiled. "I'm surprised that you recognize me, Sir, considering how many years it's been, and how short our meeting was. You honor me with your memory."
Zircon looked like he was about to interject, looking just a little surprised and unnerved, but Zyra held up a hoof to stop him.
"And you needn't use your meter and rhyme with me, good Sir. In Hope's Point, we do not have the same social hierarchy as you have in Zeb'ra'den, and I am a citizen here now and am to be treated as such. Though I may still bear the stripes of our people, you may treat me as you would any pony."
Zircon raised an eyebrow, then looked to Rarity for confirmation. "My Lady, might I ask: be this true?"
"Yes, good Sir," Rarity replied with a nod. "They don't use that sort of system at all here, and Zyra is indeed a citizen of Hope's Point."
"Then with thy permission, might I speaketh plainly with her?"
"Um. Yes?"
He nodded, then turned back to Zyra and smiled. "Very well, then, Zyra. Aye, I remember thee from our brief encounter in the snows outside the walls of Zeb'ra'den. That sheath upon thy back telleth me that thou hast taken my words to heart; thou hast taken up thy blade for a cause."
"Indeed, Sir, I have."
Zircon nodded and smiled again. "'Tis a small world indeed, to see thee here under such circumstances. Mayhap I couldst speaketh with thee later? 'Twould seem quite the tale as to how thou hast come to be here." He then cleared his throat and turned back to Applejack. "But first, my 'squire' requires training! Applejack, art thou rested enough for a spar?"
Applejack, whose eyes had been locked on Rarity and Zyra for several moments now, turned slowly to Zircon. "Yeah. I'm good ta go for another round witcha."
"Excellent." Zircon turned and nodded low to both Rarity and Zyra. "Thou art welcome to watch, if thou dost wisheth to do so."
"I suppose we can watch a little bit," Rarity said with a grin. "I came here to see how my friend Applejack's training was going after all, and what better way to find out than to observe her in a sparring session with her strapping instructor?"
"Thou dost honor me with thy praise, My Lady. Mine only hope is that I might meet thy expectations."
Applejack grunted and hopped over the ropes and into the ring. "Yeah yeah, Rares, I'm sure that's why you're stickin' around."
Rarity and Zyra took up spots to get a good view of the… sparring session—and that was all—which almost immediately got underway when Zircon signaled for Applejack to start.
Now, Rarity had seen Applejack fight before, and not just in the adventurous fights against ne'er-do-wells that she and her friends often became embroiled in over the years. Those were relatively simple engagements all things considered, which Rarity found quite odd; how was it that Applejack could be so calm and collected when fighting for her life against evil creatures?
She thought this because she'd also seen Applejack get into a fight once when somepony was being very… well, Rarity would say uncouth and very much unlike a gentlecolt was supposed to act around a lady. Not to say that Rarity hadn't been ready to defend her own honor, but Applejack had just been quicker about it. And a bit more violent.
Seeing Applejack fight now, though, was an odd mix somewhere between the two. Applejack was definitely fighting with an actual style and purpose, moving about like she was locked in an actual battle against someone out to do her harm, though Rarity knew Zircon was not out to do any such thing.
However, Applejack was also putting the kind of force into her blows that indicated a desire to "show 'em what's what" as she would likely say, and she had an intensity in her eyes that Rarity didn't often see there.
Not that Zircon was being caught blindsided like that other stallion had been all those years back, no; Zircon was meeting Applejack blow for blow, taking hits and striking back like a proper sparring partner should. If anything he looked impressed by Applejack's impassioned display, maybe slightly surprised.
Rarity and Zyra watched the back and forth for a few moments, until Rarity was satisfied that she'd really seen enough. "Applejack, darling, we're going to head out now," she called into the ring at the sparring pair. "And it was lovely meeting you, Sir Zircon."
"Fare thee well, My Lady!" Zircon called back, not taking his attention off of Applejack for a second. "And to thee, Zyra!"
"Yeah, later," Applejack grunted, barely loud enough that Rarity could hear her; she was too focused on her sparring to pay attention to anything else, apparently.
With that, Rarity and Zyra turned and headed out, striking up a conversation on where they were going after this; lunch and some shopping seemed appropriate enough. After all, it seemed as if Applejack had things well in hoof with her training. Though, some small part of Rarity told her that there was something just a little… off about her friend's sudden change in behavior.
Oh well. Food for thought.
*****
Havoc arrived at the little diner only a few minutes later than when she was supposed to arrive. There was a perfectly valid reason for it, which mostly involved Cotton Rose, some chocolate syrup, a bottle of tequila, and an entire can of whipped cream, but nopony else needed to know the specifics. She knew that Gray wouldn't blame her; the two were newlyweds after all.
Though she and Cotton did still need to make plans for their honeymoon soon. Havoc just felt it was better now to wait until after dealing with the world coming to an end. After all, maybe there was a vacation destination in Dash's Equestria that was really good for this sort of thing. Dash said something about the Haywaiian Islands? Sun, sand, and sea sounded awesome, and she really wanted to see Cotton in a swimsuit.
Sure enough Gray was already here and just leaning back in her seat in the booth, casually tossing a ball in the air and catching it, again, again, and again. Havoc waved; Gray waved back in between catches.
Havoc took her seat. "Hey, sorry I'm late. Got, uh, caught up finishing something at home. You know how it is."
Gray smirked and shook her head. "Hey, kudos to you on even getting out of the house. I barely managed it myself, y'know? So, how's married life treating you?"
"Y'know, it's exactly the same as it was before we got married, only now instead of saying that I'm heading back to Cotton's place when I'm done doing stuff, I get to say I'm going home. Oh, and I've gotta sign for shit so that Cotton can share my benefits." Havoc took a little breath and smiled. "It's nice. Relaxing."
"The doctors give you an idea on how well you're doing now? Are the check-ups going well?"
"Yeah, everything's working out pretty good stress-wise. Doc said if I keep it up he can set my file back to 'Recovered' instead of this 'Relapse' shit. I keep tellin' him, 'Doc, let me have a smoke and I'll be set for life', but nooo, fuckin' new-ass lungs aren't ready for my pack-a-day system."
Gray caught her ball and kept it in her hooves. "Probably a good thing then. You know that's not good for you, right?"
Havoc rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't you start. Cotton's been trying to get me to quit for two years, and it's only been worse since all this shit," she said, gesturing at her scars. "And Curie's even worse. You know that the second she found out I was back in Pandora Tower last month, she snuck into my room and got rid of all of my cigs? Even the hidden emergency stash?"
"Hmph. Good for her."
"Psh! She even put out a memo to the entire tower staff not to let me bum one off them, and I just know she probably set something up to keep me from buying any. Probably rigged the sprinklers to go off if I lit up." Havoc shook her head and ran a hoof through her mane. "I don't know how the fuck I'm not dealing with withdrawals. Lucky me, I guess."
"You took shrapnel to half your insides and they all had to get replaced or patched up. Maybe that's got something to do with it?"
Havoc shrugged. "Eh. Maybe. So, uh, what'd you wanna talk about anyway? Not me quitting smoking, I hope, 'cause if you called me out here for that—"
"Huh?" Gray asked. "The hell are you talking about? You invited me. I was gonna give you shit for being late to your own meeting."
"The hell are you talking about? You invited me."
There was a flash and a pop to the side of the table, and Dawn teleported into the diner with… surprisingly little fuss. The diner was mostly empty right now, anyway, so there wasn't much of a crowd or staff to react to the situation, but still.
Gray sighed and shook her head. "I knew something was up. I knew it. Figures."
Dawn adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. "Apologies for the deception, sisters. But I was under the impression that you would not wish to meet with me if I asked—"
"Yup," Havoc said as she rose from her seat. "I told you to fuck off, Dawn, and I meant it. I'm outta here."
Havoc then shoved her way out of the booth and started for the diner exit.
"Havoc! Wait!" Dawn called, following behind her. "I wish to speak with you and Gray, just for a moment. Please."
Havoc paused, her ears perking up, and she turned in surprise. "Did… did you just say 'please'?"
"I did." Dawn gestured back towards the booth, where even Gray had frozen midway through getting up to leave. "Sit back down and hear me out. If you wish to depart at any point during the conversation, you may do so, and I will not deter you. But please, just… just let me talk to you, if only for a few minutes."
"The fuck?" Havoc blinked, looking Dawn up and down briefly. "Curaçao, is that you? 'Cause really, you're doing a good job of fuckin' with me. I almost bought it."
"I assure you that I am not Curaçao, as she is still up north. If you require evidence: you witnessed me teleporting into the immediate vicinity, which she cannot do."
"Nuh-uh, I'm not convinced. Maybe you're a really advanced robot or something. Say something that only Dawn would say, something that only she and I would know about."
Dawn blinked, then nodded. "Aha, very well. A few weeks ago, just before Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie entered into my office, you and I were engaged in a private, heated argument. At one point you referred to me utilizing a particularly vulgar term that references female genitalia."
"Uh-huh. And what word is that?"
Dawn's eyes nervously darted back and forth. "Do… do you really wish for me to utter it here? Now? In public?"
Havoc smirked and shook her head. "You're Dawn alright. A robot would've been just fine with calling me a cunt if they had the chance. Shit, I'd do it if we traded places."
She paused a moment, then glanced to the side and noticed that she was in front of a booth currently seating a small family, including a young filly and a teenage colt. The father was holding his hooves over the filly's ears and just staring wide-eyed in horror at Havoc; the mother's evil eye was so good that Havoc was afraid of having a heart attack; the teenage colt… well, he was hanging onto every word.
"Oh. Uh… sorry. Pardon my Romantique." She smiled, waved, then hustled back over to the booth that Gray was still in.
Dawn shook her head and pulled up a chair so that she was at the head of the table and could address both of them without having to sit next to either of them, which ironically was something Dawn would do to show off her authority, but also something Havoc and Gray would want her to do, so it was hard to tell whether this was another odd sign or not.
"Havoc, Gray, I wanted to start by informing the both of you that I will be returning to New Pandemonium immediately following this meeting so that I might retake my position as Shadow Associate and allow Curaçao's focus to remain entirely on investigating the Redblade Mountains."
"Wait, you are?" Havoc asked, blinking. "I thought Curie was handling both of those just fine on her own? That's what Gray told me anyway."
"She is, of course, but I wish to alleviate some of the pressure. She has been keeping in contact with me daily and I am of the opinion that she could use some reprieve. Finding the Nihila cultists will require her utmost attention, and the stress of both that and her Committee duties—my Committee duties—surely does little for her mental health, particularly interacting in any capacity with Treasurer Vendetta."
Gray's jaw hung open slightly. "Uh… yeah, I guess it wouldn't do wonders at all." She held up a hoof. "Hang on though. I thought you were leaving Curaçao up there to keep handling all that because the southern delegation is leaving south tonight, and they're bringing a bunch of folks with them?"
"Yeah, Dash already told me that the royal family's going, Twilight and the others are going, and so are Winter and Hourglass. I thought you were going too?"
"New Pandemonium does require a representative in this diplomatic endeavor, correct," Dawn agreed, steepling her hooves under her chin. "But as said, I will be departing for home immediately following this meeting. Thus, I require another representative to go south in my stead. Ambassador Grey Skies, I believe this would be a suitable assignment for you."
Gray's eyes widened, and she pointed at herself in surprise. "Me? You want me to go instead of you?"
"Correct. As the Ambassador to Hope's Point, you are already more well-acquainted with southern customs than I am in… many respects. You know Pandemonia better than anypony except for perhaps Lorekeeper Gilderoy, and you are on good terms with the entire delegation." Dawn paused, then nodded firmly. "I believe that you would perform this task admirably."
Gray's head tilted so far to the side that Havoc was surprised it didn't fall clean off. "You… you're serious. You want me to go… because you think that I'd do a good job? Not just because it's logical, or because you want to get out of doing it?"
Dawn nodded again. "Correct. I have obtained some glowing reviews of your performance from Queen Blackburn herself, so I have no doubt in my mind that you would do a 'good job'. A great job, in fact. I believe that even Curaçao would agree with me on this."
"Wait wait wait, you're also telling us this isn't Curie's idea?" Havoc asked, utterly blindsided by that.
"On the contrary, she does not know about it yet. I plan on surprising her when I return home; I think she will… 'get kicked'? Is that the proper turn of phrase?"
"'Get a kick out of it'," Gray corrected flatly. "I…" She paused, then held up her hooves. "Okay, and what if I refuse?"
Dawn tilted her head. "Hmm?"
"What if I don't want to go along with this? What if I tell you that I won't play whatever game you're playing here?"
"Oh. Well, first of all, I am not 'playing' any 'game' here, sister, I can assure you of that. My request is quite serious. However, if you do not wish to participate, then either I will require an alternative representative, or I will simply have to fulfil the role myself. I would rather not; as said, I intend to return home to help relieve Curaçao of her extraneous duties."
Gray just stared at Dawn for a long moment, then leaned back into the booth. "Huh. Well… I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, but alright, I'm game for this. I'll need to get foalsitters for the kids—"
"You can bring them along, if you think it would be appropropriate," Dawn noted. "Sunspire and Serendipity have already requested that they be allowed to go along on the retreat, and I am of the opinion that your son Green Guard would enjoy their company, and vice versa. I would ask that you assist in keeping an eye on the two, if you could."
Gray's jaw dropped a little. "Wow… okay, yeah, that sounds… good. We were planning on taking a family vacation before the sandstorm hit, after the peace treaty signing, but, I mean… this'll do just fine."
Dawn smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Thank you, Gray. I appreciate the assistance in these matters." She then turned to Havoc. "Havoc, sister, I also have a request for you."
Havoc crossed her hooves over her chest; she didn't buy for a second that she was going to get anything like what Gray just got. "Alright, I'm listening."
"Given that we do not know what form this conflict with Nihila might take, we must be prepared for any eventuality. Naturally New Pandemonium is prepared to deploy the NPAF, and Queen Blackburn has already informed me that Hope's Point's fleet and militia are also prepared to deploy if necessary.
"However, the NPAF and the Hope's Point fleet have little interaction with one another and as such a joint effort might be… sloppy. We cannot afford to be sloppy, given the stakes. As such, the NPAF and Hope's Point's fleet require an attaché of sorts, a coordinator, to get both fleets and militaries onto the same page.
"As you are living here in Hope's Point, you are well-positioned to interact with the current Fleet Master of Hope's Point, Highwind; I believe he was only recently appointed? In any case, Queen Blackburn has already spoken with Fleet Master Highwind on the matter and he will accept communication from you if you make contact, and equipment will be made available to allow communication with Admiral Jetstream."
Havoc forgot at which point in the spiel that her jaw had dropped, and she was glad that Gray reached across the table to close it for her now. "You're shitting me, right? You really want me to be in charge of coordinating both our militaries for some sort of joint operation?"
Dawn tilted her head. "Hmm… no. The Admiral and Fleet Master would still be in charge of the operation. I am merely requesting that you, as somepony with intimate knowledge of both sides, serve as a 'third party' to coordinate their efforts efficiently and effectively. Nopony here in Hope's Point knows the NPAF better than you do, and you are acquainted enough with Hope's Point to know how best they could work in tandem."
"So… you're not shitting me? You're serious? You want me to do this? Me? Me?" Havoc threw her hooves into the air in disbelief. "Dawn, seriously, you have gotta let me know where you got whatever fuckin' drugs you're on, because holy shit, you're talkin' pure nonsense right now. You must high as a fuckin' kite."
Dawn adjusted her glasses. "I assure you, sister, I am completely and utterly sober. No narcotics whatsoever."
Havoc slumped back into the booth as Gray had done. "I… I don't know what to say…"
"If you do not wish to do it—"
"No no, fuck yeah I'll do it. I just don't know what to say to you. Where the fuck is all this coming from? Why are you acting so… not-a-bitch-like? 'Cause I'm used to you acting like a total bitch even when you're trying to give us something or say something nice, and I'm not getting any of that right now."
"If Havoc hadn't confirmed it earlier I'd be accusing you of being some sort of imposter right now," Gray added. "I'm still not exactly sure. What gives?"
Dawn let out a sigh and removed her glasses for a moment; she looked tired, amongst other things. "It has come to my attention that I have not been treating my friends and family with the proper respect. I have been, as Havoc has said… a 'bitch', if not worse. I know that what I have done is wrong, and I know that I want to fix it. I do not wish to have regrets should we fail in our mission to stop Nihila.
"However… I know that it will not be easy to earn forgiveness for my actions, especially not from you two. I have treated the two of you worse than anypony, and for that, I am sorry. I cannot begin to think of how to repair our relationship, sisters… but I want to try.
"As such, I…" A pause. "I think that a good first step, an olive branch so to speak, is to begin treating the two of you with the respect that you deserve, which begins with acknowledging your skills, providing you with responsibilities and trust, and showing that I appreciate you as individuals."
"I mean… alright?" Havoc muttered, blinking.
Dawn held up a hoof. "I do not expect a response, nor do I want one just yet. I want you two to take these assignments that I have requested of you and to do what I know you can do with them. Once things have settled down a little more… we can share some heart-to-heart talks to discuss what I have done wrong and where I can improve, as a sister, and as a pony.
"Until then, I do not wish for anything from either of you except for you to keep an open mind. And Havoc, if you could kindly apologize to your wife on my behalf for this deception, as I believe that it would upset her if she knew."
"Uh… sure?"
Dawn then got out of her seat and replaced her glasses on her face. "As said, I am returning north immediately after this discussion is over, and I feel that it is best for all three of us if I end it here. So, farewell for now, sisters. And… good luck."
With that, she vanished in a flash and a pop, leaving a thoroughly confused and contemplative Havoc and Gray behind.
*****
Twilight was a little overwhelmed with all the… hullabaloo that was abound at the moment. Channeling her inner Golden Dawn, she had carefully chosen that particular word to describe it: hullabaloo. Mayhem was too negative a term; commotion and ruckus didn't quite feel strong enough; pandemonium might have been amusingly appropriate, but confusing if she brought it up to anyone else. So hullabaloo it was.
There was quite a gathering present in the hangars down below Hope's Point tonight, specifically in the bay for one of the larger transport ships, the Whale of the Skies. It was quite an appropriate ship name, as the vessel was not only large enough to compare to a whale, but its shape was rather whale-like as well. That this ship was meant to fly, not sail, amused Twilight greatly; it didn't seem particularly aerodynamic, but she wasn't about to argue.
The need for such a large ship was of course because there was a large gathering of creatures preparing to embark on the journey south:
Twilight was going, naturally, and all of her friends were going as well if only to help lend credence to their otherworldly tale; six mares were better than one in this case. Since this was generally just a purely diplomatic mission, Twilight was under no delusions that there would be anything to worry about, if only because the south seemed utterly peaceful and calm compared to the north. They were safer leaving rather than staying, and safer sticking together at that.
Winter and Hourglass were coming for obvious reasons. If anypony could explain the nature of this world-threatening situation they were all in better than Winter could, Twilight wanted to meet them to ask a few questions. But there wasn't any such pony, or other creature for that matter.
Gray Skies was coming along to represent New Pandemonium, which Twilight found odd. Not that she disapproved, it was just odd, since she'd expected Dawn to want to fill that role. In fact, Twilight hadn't even seen Dawn at all since yesterday's argument, despite attempts to talk to her afterwards. Gray was also bringing her family along for the trip, which was nice; everypony could use a little vacation every now and then, after all.
Queen Blackburn was going along to represent Hope's Point, naturally, and bringing her entire family as well for much the same reasons that Gray was. The city's Council would handle city affairs in the meantime. The entourage naturally included the royal bodyguards, Gadget and Crossfire, the latter of whom was bringing along his wife Pattycake.
There was also Zyra, who Twilight thought was just Rarity's friend, so… Twilight didn't know why she was coming? She was nice enough, though.
Lorekeeper Gilderoy was joining them as well, since his presence would lend further credence to their stories, and because he was the only creature present that knew how to operate the southern Beacon and could instruct Harmonia or the zebras on how to deactivate it.
The last two guests were Sunspire and Serendipity, wards of Dawn's that had expressed an interest in seeing the south and witnessing the goings-on of the traveling party. Seeing as the south was, again, a peaceful place where evil and danger were rare indeed, Twilight didn't have a problem with it at all and actually thought it was nice to have them along. They'd never seen the south, after all.
Oh, and of course the southern delegates were returning home too. That went without saying.
There was much too much to keep track of as the boarding procedures got underway, too many conversations between too many ponies that Twilight couldn't follow it all. It was kind of nice that most groups had divided themselves into "cliques" of sorts, straight of high school it seemed like.
The southerners made up one group, though Sir Zircon gravitated towards Applejack and Flathoof a bit, and Fluttershy was there too since that's were Gray was; Rarity and Zyra were attached to Blackburn and Lockwood and their family, which was pretty typical these days; Sunspire and Serendipity were with Green Guard, an odd trio indeed since the latter two seemed awfully competitive about Sunspire's attention; Rainbow and Pinkie pretty much stuck together as always; and naturally, Twilight stuck with Winter, Hourglass, and Gilderoy.
"Well, here we go again," Twilight said as she took a seat next to Winter on board the Whale. "Back into the Belt, only this time we're in a flying ship, not a submersible. Is it any safer, or is it less so?"
"To be honest it's not much different," Winter said with a grin. "But it is a lot faster. We'll be on the other side of the ocean in a few hours. Assumin' this fatass ship can fly at a decent speed. Damn thing looks like a blubbery whale, so the name fits."
"After all we've been putting up with this past month, I could use the fresh air of the south for a little while," said Hourglass, looking up at the ceiling with a relieved smile on her face. "Should be lovely, too, since it's almost the end of summer down there. The leaves should just be changing colors for autumn, and the sun's gonna be nice and warm."
"So the seasons really are different in the southern and northern hemispheres in this world too, huh?" Twilight asked; she'd been told to pack for warm weather and cold weather, and wanted to know why. Hourglass gave her a nod. "Good, that's one less thing to have to worry about when we deal with the relocation. Technically speaking, of course."
Winter sighed and nodded. "Yeah, and every little thing helps if we're gonna make it all run smoothly. HQ should be gettin' back to me with the details over the next couple of weeks, hopefully before we head back north so that I can start sendin' word around to all the noble houses. They'll want to know where they're endin' up."
Twilight tilted her head towards Gilderoy. "Are you looking forward to seeing the south too, Lorekeeper? This is your first time actually being there yourself, right?'
Gilderoy nodded. "Hmm hmm, yes, it is. My people abandoned the old Elysian Islands long before I was born, and I never visited before our empire fell. I doubt that my ancestral home is in as good of shape as it was when they left, but we shall see. Though that is not a priority, of course. I dare not stall our journey to make the trip there, not until later."
"If it makes ya feel better, they're still floatin'," Winter noted with a nod.
"That does make me feel better, actually. It implies that at the very least some of the rudimentary technomagic systems are still functioning as they should be even after all these centuries. Gryphon ingenuity at its finest, if I might be allowed to brag a little," he added with a smile.
"However," he continued, "I am more intrigued with meeting these strange 'cousins' of ours, these 'hippogriffs' as you call them. They were not present in the south in my time and you say they have never been seen until recently. From my perspective, they are an utterly alien race. Creatures don't just… 'pop up' wholecloth out of nowhere, you understand."
Winter shook her head. "Ehhh… it's complicated. Their story is that they've been living in the Astral Mountains west of Zeb'ra'den for generations, and only just recently decided to reveal themselves to the world at large, but I know that answer doesn't satisfy you."
"Not at all, no. I suppose that you know something that others do not in regards to that whole situation?"
"Yeah, you could say that, but I can't give specifics—" A pause then a chuckle. "Ah, fuck it, I forgot I can drop protocol because of all the shit that's goin' on." She ran a hoof over her face, then nodded. "Short version: they didn't actually exist at all until Twilight and her friends showed up, and the world integrated them into it because it liked the idea."
Twilight and Gilderoy just stared at Winter, because honestly what she'd just said made literally no sense. "I don't have any idea what that means," Twilight said. "You're saying your world has hippogriffs now because of me and my friends? That the world… 'decided' to add them in?"
"That's the gist. The same concept is how we're gonna move folks from this world to yours. So, uh, long version: let's use a medical metaphor, eh? When you entered this world, you were a foreign intruder, like a… well, a virus if you'll excuse the negative connotations. If ya think of the world as a living creature, its 'immune system' kicked in and developed antibodies."
"You mean the hippogriffs are hostile?"
Winter shook her head. "Ahh, no. I mean that the world developed them in response to you because it thought the 'familiar' would prevent you from being hostile to it. I suspect that the seaponies are a similar deal, since until we met your friend down there, nopony had ever seen them before. Possible, sure, but probable? Not bloody likely."
Twilight blinked. "So you're saying that the world itself reacted to our presence? Like it could feel us? How is that possible?"
"Genius loci," Gilderoy muttered, stroking his beard. "It was a theory presented by one of the old Lorekeepers of the Elysian Islands, Giorgio. The concept was that the world itself was as much of a living thing as you or I are, and that it could feel and sense things as much as we can. And, like any living organism, it could make decisions and defend itself from harm when possible."
Winter tilted her head. "That's actually pretty much exactly how it works, to a point. Not so much 'defend itself' though, 'cause if it could, we wouldn't be stuck in this shit mess."
"Well, if you consider the Void's destructive power to be akin to a wound, then I would say that it still applies in that sense. The Void creates an injury, and you Chronomancers stitch the wound together. Nihila, as we've come to understand her, is a cancer; she is killing the world from the inside, where a bandage or stitches cannot help."
"Which makes what we're trying to do like making the world take its medicine," Twilight concluded. "We're the 'cure' to the Nihila 'sickness'. Or perhaps we're the doctors applying the treatment. Either way, we're fixing the problem." She smiled and nodded firmly, more to herself than anyone else. "I like it. It's poetic."
Winter chuckled and patted Twilight's side. "Well, then I'm glad you showed up in our world in the first place, Doctor Twilight, 'cause you're likely gonna be instrumental in fixin' this whole mess." A pause. "Say, if you're the doctor, what does that make me, anyway? The nurse? Nurses apply bandages."
"Heh heh, maybe. You can be my nurse anytime."
Twilight paused, considering her words briefly, then gulped and turned away from Winter, her face feeling hot; she desperately hoped that Winter wouldn't misinterpret Twilight's words, if only because Twilight herself wasn't sure what she'd actually meant. What Twilight did know, though, was that she desperately wanted the Whale to land so that she could find something new to distract herself with.