//------------------------------//
// Chapter 17: Welcome to the Savanna 
// Story: Warsong: Primordial Conflict 
// by Jumping Jack 
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I sat with three Gorgons inside the belly of a behemoth. One was manning the main canon while the other was positioned inside a small opening with a mean looking arc gun attached to it. The other was looking through the slit, dried sand splattered glass. The beast rumbled along with a squad of others rolling behind us. The one manning the canon held a hoof to her ear. The link buds they were using was hijacked to work in the Gorgon’s favor.

I couldn’t help but admire the many talents that were behind this operation. And that made me depressed knowing that this maybe their last day in this realm. I can’t believe this is what the Triad want with Equestria. What was it all for? It was stated to be a breach of treaty, but I don’t remember hearing of anything about bad blood with Pony Land. They were using Din’s destruction as a means to pursue it. There has to be something more in this.

If I ever see General Lilac again, I’ll just have to ask her personally. Princess Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Cadence were not expecting this at all with their neighbors. Not that I’m not doubting that Celestia hasn’t led a war before. But to come from some land that we have no bad history with… my thoughts were cut off when the driver looked back at me and the cannoneer with a hoof over her ear.

“We’re coming up on the base. From the sounds of the comms, the Triad maybe onto us.” She said. I furrowed my look.

“Weren’t we going to make ourselves known anyway?” I asked. The zebra mare looked uncertain.

“It’s a delicate operation. Zeke, status?” She asked. The garbled communication was unintelligible for me. The cannoneer pegasus zony stallion looked grim.

“Damn. Looks like it’s full steam ahead.” He said, loading a shell into the container. I saw the gunner readying herself. I peered over the driver through the slit glass and saw a facility coming up. The driver put a hoof to her ear after a bit before looking at me.

“Your friend makes one hell of an entrance.” She said.

“What did she do?” I blurted out. The zony stallion smirked.

“Used an arc launcher to jump onto the main gate. From the sounds of it, she’s raising a lot of hell.” He said. The driver then pat my chest.

“We’re counting on you, Champion. Clear the way for us and we’ll back you up as much as we can.” She said with a smile. I suddenly felt nervous, but I quickly took a deep breath and nodded.

‘It’s do or die, Din.’ I thought. Din cackled and grinned wildly.

Revenge is a dish best served extremely hot! She exclaimed excitedly. I opened the lid overhead and quickly pulled my hoof back as something big crackled overhead, knocking the lid clean off.

“All units, open fire! Cover the Champion!” The driver shouted through her link bud. A chorus of loud booms rocked the earth, whistling through the air before crashing into the side of the facility wall. I quickly pulled myself out of the top and rolled off the behemoth. I landed on my hooves and began to gallop a bit forward, only to have to take cover as the facility began firing back with their own shelling. A loud alarm blared throughout the area. Peeking out from my cover, I could see they had some trenches around the field. It was as if they had expected the attack early on and it was just a matter of when they would attack. Din growled.

We aren't getting anywhere on your scrawny hooves! Can't these Gorgons do anything better than pathetic crystals!? Din stated. I smirked at an idea that came to mind.

'I know we should save your energy, but if we can pull off our synergy in bursts...' I began. Din went a bit quiet, humming in thought.

An interesting proposition. She said. I felt a warmth flow through me and before I knew it, I was up high in the air. I synced my head movement with Din and together we aimed my horn, a beam of fire cut through the fields, slicing a trench bunker in the process. Several explosions went off in a delay after the beam's trail. Din took control of flight as I withdrew my halberd. She led a couple of dive ins, cutting into the trenches. It was a bit of a blur, but I could see the Triad scrambling for their lives. I did my best to ignore the uncomfortable thoughts. This is what to be expected of war. I can't hesitate. Having cleared the way a bit, the Gorgons began advancing while Din dove me into a guard on the wall, which I then proceeded to knock out with a deft buck. It was my turn. I galloped down the walkway, swiping and bucking Triad out of the way. When one had rounded the corner of a lookout point, I intercepted the pony, jabbing twice into the pony's chest before locking my hooves around them and charging off the wall. We went over the railing, but Din unfurled her wings and took control of the flight pathing, leading me to recover just inches off the ground.

I called my halberd and twirled and spun it around, keeping the momentum going as Triads were unfortunately unable to react properly to the sudden appearance of myself. When the Triad gathered themselves to focus on me, I quickly conjured up four copies of myself and sent them out down and above the trenches. In groups or one by one, the Triad began to fall. My attention was caught onto a canon like contraption on the building. It let out a loud thump that shook the ground followed by a distant explosion. The Gorgons were firing back at it.

Din and I kicked off the ground, leaving my copies to continue drawing the attention of the Triad. We soared towards the device and hovered above it. Where would the vulnerable spot on this be? My eyes spotted a Triad sitting on the side of the canon and pulling a few levers. I held up my halberd and heaved it like a javelin, striking the controls of the device. The Triad pony balked and tried to scramble away, only to be caught in an electric spark as the canon circuited and exploded.

I called my halberd back and looked to the other one. Din took the liberty of sending a cluster spell directly at it, causing a chain explosion that blew a hole into the facility. I looked over to the Gorgons who were trudging over the trenches with their metal behemoths.

‘Let’s open up the way.’ I spoke towards Din. Din sighed.

After this, they are on their own. She said boredly. She formed a sphere at the tip of my horn and softly moved it away, making three in total. I then made a motion with my hoof and the three spheres floated towards the facility wall. All at once, three holes were blown outward, making enough space for the Gorgons to make it through. Din then flew towards the hole we created earlier and upon landing on the ground, I had to take cover behind a knocked over filing cabinet as arc bullets pelted in my direction.

I released my magic to my copies outside and conjured two to hop out of cover and rush the Triad. Hearing their screams, I quickly dashed out and galloped down the hall. The whole facility was in chaos. I sidled along the wall and peeked out around the corner, seeing Triad hustle to and fro with arc weapons at the ready. I glimpsed each one that passed by. No zebra amongst them. Where would they keep a member that isn’t a pony? Seeing the coast having cleared, I crept down the hall reaching to an open atrium. Three stories high and plenty of clean space. I could swear I had walked back into the Tri-Mourne Tower lobby.

I scanned the area, wondering where I should go. My eyes fell onto several Triads running for their lives across the atrium. One had closed the door and about to lock it when the door blew out of its’ hinges and sending the unfortunate pony into two others, crashing into the floor. The remaining five Triads turned and began firing back. There was a loud spring sound and my best friend sailed into the room, firing a black box looking contraption that sent out a red bolt that when connecting with the ground, made a cross pattern and traveled a bit.

The unfortunate Triad ponies were caught and their bodies limply flew to the sides. Thi landed and grinned smugly before dropping the black box. She looked up and spotted me. I smiled and vaulted over the railing, Din using her wings to stop me from hitting the ground hard.

“Did they ever mention about where she might be being held in this facility?” I asked, trotting over to her. Thi reloaded her arc pistol and a carbine before responding.

“Dunno.” She replied. She then looked down with a frown as a Triad pony, to my surprise, was still kicking. They crawled along the floor, clutching their side and looking quite rugged. “But they might.” She then trotted over and with a hind leg, bucked the pony over. They screamed in pain as she then aimed an arc pistol at them. “I’m still pretty pissed off at the Triad for how they were treating me and my friends. So, you better start talking and maybe I’ll be grateful enough to leave you alive.” I cast a worried look at Thi but kept my mouth shut.

I wouldn’t say the Triad deserved it. But I still felt rather uncomfortable suddenly. Din hummed amusedly.

Second thoughts? She asked. Her words shot back into my mind. I shook my head slightly.

‘I’m fine.’ I replied. The Triad pony looked up at Thi, terrified and shakily holding their hooves up.

“P-please don’t shoot! I-I have a family!” They stammered. Thi suddenly gave him a blank and cold stare.

“We do too. In Equestria and the Gorgons here in Roam. But I’m not here to talk sentiments with the likes of a tyrannical cult. You should have really thought about this choice when you joined.” She stated coldly. The pony shakily crumpled under her.

“Th-the benefits were too good to pass up! I had to support them!” They whimpered, beginning to pray to his Queen Sonata. Thi looked contemplative. I bit my lip and gave a defeated sigh before putting a hoof on her shoulder. Thi looked back at me and her expression softened. However, she aimed the arc pistol at the hind leg of the pony and pulled the trigger. They screamed in pain, writhing at her hooves.

“I have three more legs to work with. Tell me where you are keeping a zebra. Joined the Triad from what the Gorgons had gathered.” She asked coldly. The Triad pony nursed their leg, hunched over.

“Z-zebra? Among our ranks?” They rasped, cradling their leg. Thi sat on her haunches and nodded.

“Don’t play dumb. Triad are always in the know with their own ranks. This zebra must be special if they were willingly and able to join the Triad.” She replied. The Triad grimaced in pain before responding.

“You must… be as insane as the stories told… What makes you think a zebra is worth the light?” They replied. Thi frowned.

“Isn’t that the whole creed of the Triad? ‘We walk in the abyss to bring the light’. Unless I missed something in the many encounters with Sonata and her generals, I’d say your family would be sad to not hear from you.” She replied before popping another arc bullet into the other leg of the Triad. They screamed in pain again, rolling partially on the ground. Thi stood up and walked around the pony. “Running out of legs here.” The pony held up their hooves.

“A-alright! Alright!” They grimaced. “I-I don’t know about a zebra joining our ranks. B-but I do know that we had a recent surplus of zebra from the Zebra Lands to trade.” Thi met my look with disturbed disgust.

“Who’s supplying?” I chimed in. The Triad looked at me with a mix of hate and terror. Thi tapped their head with the barrel of her arc pistol.

“S-some militia calling themselves the Exiles. They d-demanded trade for captives they poached from the local villages for crystals! Wh-where they are taking their supply of crystals, I do not know! A-as for the captives, they are being shipped off to a facility off the coast in Pony Land!” They replied. I rubbed the back of my neck. This is getting a lot more complicated than I’d like.

“And what does Pony Land want to do with all these captives? I know it’s more than zebra. Why all the cloak and dagger for captives? Slavery? Test subjects? Dare I even ask, breeding?” Thi asked, her anger rising. The pony curled.

“C-cleansing and accepting the light! W-we plan to use the Fallen King to have every creature accept our ideals! That’s all I know for that, I swear!” They replied. Thi arched a brow.

“Does this ‘Fallen King’ have to deal with certain essences of King Sombra?” She asked. The pony nodded and Thi sighed. “Is there a cure being made? Or a serum to reverse it?” The pony trembled.

“Th-that information is only allowed to the science personal. I-I’m just a shift guard!” They whimpered. Thi slumped.

“Then where can we find the science ponies?” She asked. The Triad shook their head.

“Th-this isn’t a science facility. Th-the one in the Zebra Lands houses m-most of the research here.” They replied. “Th-that’s everything I can tell you! J-just please let me go!” I looked at Thi with concern. She met my gaze and sighed.

“Don’t look at me like that, Fie. We are this far in. No going back.” She said sadly. I didn’t say anything. She is right. If I denied anything with my own actions, I should have just quit while ahead. However, Thi flipped her arc pistol around and clocked the pony clean across the head. I rubbed my foreleg grimly. Thi holstered her pistol and looted the Triad.

“Thi?” I began. Thi looked at me. “I…” I was having trouble trying to bring up what I’ve noticed. I sighed. “Nevermind. I’ll talk about it later.” Thi smiled softly.

“It’s alright. I err… did get a little carried away.” She stated, rubbing the back of her head. “It does frustrate me that the Triad consider that this is their only ideal to strive for. I always wonder if things would be different if the old seats are taken out and new ones are put in play. Hard to do when the ringleader is practically immortal like our princesses.” I sighed and was about to speak when I heard hoofsteps approaching. It sounded like it was coming from above. I looked up to where I had come in from and flicked my ears. “How many?” Thi asked, readying herself.

“Just one.” I replied. I readied myself. The way they were walking was quiet, but confident. Or comes off as confident. It gradually became casual. We watched as a figure dressed in full black, skintight leather peer over the railing and lean cooly and suggestively down at us. Thi shook her head with a small smirk.

“Lo Mein, in the flesh.” She stated. My eyes narrowed suspiciously at the mare above us. The familiar red earth pony had done something differently with her blonde mane. It was tied back in a traditional bun with an exquisite looking hair pin that held it in place. Her cold, sharp eyes studied us.

“And here I thought you of all ponies wouldn’t be working with an exiled heir.” She replied boredly. Thi grinned.

“And yet, why am I not surprised you are bending over for the Triad. Of course, they would buy you out, old friend.” She replied. Lo Mein. Professional hitmare for Thi’s old mercenary group way back when. It felt like a lifetime ago since she “helped” us back in Trottingham before leaving my friends behind over the very thing that Flitter is afflicted with. I’ll let Thi take the reins on this one. Lo Mein sighed.

“Uncouth as usual. So, what brings you here of all places?” She asked, resting her chin on her hooves over the railing. Thi frowned.

“Looking for somepony.” She responded. Lo smiled.

“Certainly, it wouldn't be me. Perhaps a zebra, by chance?” She replied. It happened so fast that my brain couldn’t register it until I found myself being pushed away by Thi as she took several hits from an arc submachine. Thi staggered back and rolled over a table, bucking it and taking cover. I quickly scrambled to my hooves and took cover with her. Lo Mein frowned as she shouldered her submachine. “Slacking off a little. Getting too complacent, Billet?”

Thi growled and took a swig of grandma’s secret recipe.

“Getting really tired of these arcane greetings…” she muttered. She then looked at me. “Listen, Fie. The moment I begin firing back, you try and flank her. I know Din won’t bother using her powers over one pony not worth it, so I’ll buy some time for you.” She said. I heard Din hum but I put a hoof on her shoulder.

“I got a better one.” I said with a small smile. I then conjured two copies of myself and they nodded to her. Thi smiled and cocked her arc pistol.

“I fear the mare who practiced one spell a thousand times over one who practiced a thousand at once.” She said. We peeked over the table and ducked back almost immediately as arc bullets rained down over us. I heard her hoofsteps. She was moving around us. “Alright, Lo! This has been a long time coming! Your ass is mine!” Thi shouted. She shot out of cover, one of my copies in tow as she began firing up. I dashed out of cover, leaving my other copy behind and began to make my way towards the steps leading up to the second story.

Lo took cover behind some furniture up above and fired back. I couldn’t help but think what Lo is trying to do here. This doesn’t seem professional for her work.

‘Ask later, Fie.’ I thought to myself. I galloped quickly down the walkway, only to stop and duck behind some furniture myself as Lo directed her fire at me. I peeked out as Lo fired down at Thi, only to aim at me and causing me to shrink back before firing back down at Thi. ‘Dammit!’ I grit my teeth and ordered my clone who I left behind to srping out and heave the halberd at her. Bad news is, my clone coudln't duck back in time before Lo racked a new mag and lit my clone up.

I smirked and my clone puffed into smoke. I quickly order my other clone that was covering Thi to rush out and used the smoke for cover. My clone swung the halberd, sending a slash wave of fire up to where Lo was. The mare ducked and fired back, pelting my clone with holes and causing it to vanish. She then noticed me as I used the distraction to advance. I felt several arc bullets graze me, but I dove through and found myself under the third story walkway. Thi ducked back and reloaded herself as I began to make my way carefully towards the next set of steps.

“You got on me for the Lavan incident, but who's on you joining the very organization you fought against?! How far have you’ve dug yourself in?!” She shouted from behind cover.

“That is none of your concern, Billet! You continue to act in such a brash manner and this will always be the outcome!” She shouted back. I took a couple of steps up the stairs, only to tumble back as arc bullets fired in my direction. I had to give it to Lo Mein. She’s deathly focused.

“C’mon, Lo! You and I go way back! I’ll tell you what I know of the Triad currently if you just give yourself up!” Thi shouted.

“You’re a terrible liar! Who are you fighting for, Billet?! Certainly not for the betterment of Equestria!” I grit my teeth as I looked around, thinking how I should get up to her. Thi and Lo continued to exchange fire on one another. “Knighted by the sisters?! To protect your ticking time bomb of a ‘friend’?! What happened to serving no pony but yourself?!” She shot back.

“That’s rich, coming from a Triad hired agent! Tell me what you know about the zebra we are looking for!” I grit my teeth and decided on an idea. Borrowing Din’s power, I concentrated a ball at the tip of my horn, charging to make a decent size. I then aimed and with a grunt, released the magic. A pillar of intense fire melted a hole through the floor and with Din’s wings, I flew up and hovered just a bit over the mare.

Her gun trained on me, cautiously taking a few steps back away. I dispelled the magic with a wide swish of Din’s wings and charged her. She was unable to hit me, tackling her hard and both of us rolling along the ground. I managed to get my footing, only for her to adjust her weight and she pinned me down, jabbing the hot barrel of the submachine against me forehead.

Her eyes were cold and uncaring. However, I smirked. This caused her to hesitate, and I quickly conjured a copy out of me that disarmed the mare and put her in a choke hold. I stood up as Lo Mein struggled against my clone.

“Settle down, Lo. There was no need for any of this.” I stated with a small frown and dusting myself off. Lo eventually stopped struggling and coldly stared at me.

“How annoying…” she muttered. My ears flicked as I heard Thi spring upward and vaulted over the railing, aiming her arc pistol at Lo. She grinned.

“See? If you hadn’t stabbed me and my friends in the back we could be doing a lot more damage to the Triad.” She said. Lo rolled her eyes.

“Give me a break, Billet. You are in no right to chastise.” She said. I sat on my haunches and crossed my forelegs.

“Then why attack us out of nowhere? That isn’t very professional for an assassin.” I asked. Lo shifted, twisting my clone around her and gave a hefty head butt, causing my clone to dizzyingly and comically fall to the ground, vanishing. Thi readied herself but I held out my hoof to her. Lo dusted herself off non-chalantly as she spoke.

“To see if Billet has gotten more blood thirsty.” She said. Thi and I exchanged glances.

“I didn’t think you cared about me that much. I’m touched.” Thi replied sarcastically. Lo snorted with a frown.

“That isn’t a joke, Billet. The agency has labeled you a shoot-on-sight threat.” Lo replied, reaching for her ear and withdrawing a link bud that crumbled in her hooves. “Thankfully, your friend gave us the opportunity to talk a little.” Thi returned her snort.

“Unpredictable as always…” She muttered. “When you say agency, you’re talking about H.U.N.T.?” She asked. Lo boredly nodded.

“That and another organization I’m not allowed to talk about.” She replied. “Let’s just say, that was a warning greeting from both. You’ve become a dangerous mare, Thi Billet. Both you and your friends have already been labeled exiles from Equestria.” My heart sank.

“W-wait… what do you mean?” I asked. “W-weren’t the princesses and the others vouching for me? For us?” Lo shrugged.

“I’m not inclined to spill too much, but since I’m off the grid at the moment, the nations of Equestria do not want you back. All of you. Those two Wonderbolts are on leave upon returning back and to leave Equestria immediately upon termination. Thi Billet is sentenced to death the moment she steps hoof back on Equestrian soil. A lot of ponies are going to see you hang. As for you, Quiet Fire.” She looked at me coldly.

“They are just waiting for the events to pass over before burying your achievements. Forgotten and stricken from the records. You are also sentenced to death upon the events ending.” Thi narrowed her eyes.

“And how can we be sure this info isn’t just something to scare us?” She asked. Lo unzipped a bit of her black leather skintight suite and withdrew a device I recall from my time on board the Triad ship to Roam. She inserted a crystal and turned the device. A hologram projection of Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence and even Twilight were looking down on us. 

“This was a week prior to the events of your visit with Sunville.” Lo stated.

”My fellow subjects! We have heard your cries of outrage and concerns for the matters at hoof. We understand that the seven remain a consistent threat to the disappearances of kin and destructions to beloved homes. We, as the princesses, have formally come to an agreement. The ponies, Quiet Fire, Thi Billet, Silver Scribble and two Wonderbolts Cloudchaser and Flitter Glider are no longer welcomed in the land of Equestria.” Princess Celestia addressed, her look calm and regal as usual when she gave serious announcements.

”Do know that I and my sister, as well as our neighboring Crystal Empire have established an arrest on sight and brought before the courts should any of these ponies be seen.” Thi and I exchanged worried glances. ”Rest assured; the efforts of every creature are in full effect. We must remind you that even if the seven pose a threat to the person, they are needed to ensure survival of our realm. Killing any of them will result in the complete erasure of Equestria. Ensure your safety as well as others around the seven.”

We saw Twilight casting a sideways glance at the others. The only princess betraying her stoicism. And yet, despite this, I felt my entire mood shoot down. The hologram puffed into magical sparks before the crystal shattered along with the device. Thi bowed her head and sighed.

“I expected it of both of us. But to bring Scribble and the sisters into it? I don’t recall them ever making a scene of things in Equestria.” Thi stated. Lo dusted her hoof as she replied.

“Affiliation. You hoof selected them to be a part of this ‘grand adventure’. You knew the risks, Billet. You and your friend. So how is it a surprise?” Thi glared at her. I bowed my head sadly.

“I’m sure they have their reasons for announcing such things. It’s a part of their royal duty.” I rubbed my foreleg. “Still hurts to hear all of that…” Mentioning Sunville brought back those memories. How is the village getting on? Any trouble outside of the village? What about my home, Ponyville? My folks? Siblings? Friends? I put a hoof to my head and sighed. Thi pat me on the back and gave me a reassuring smile. Lo rolled her eyes.

“Yes, in any case, I must be off. Busy schedule.” She said walking past us. Thi frowned, watching her pass by.

“Hold on. Where's the zebra heir they are keeping?” Thi asked coldly. Lo brushed her tail against Thi’s muzzle insultingly.

“Better get back to your blood rampage. I’m certain more ponies are just dying to meet you.” She said, walking down a hall. Thi growled. "As for your question, you should probably move onto other pastors. Perhaps the Savanna might be a better relief of stress than this little ol' Triad base. Ciao." She disappeared around the corner, leaving Thi to stamp her hoof and snort angrily.

"One of these days..." She stated. I sighed again and rubbed the back of my head.

"So... are we done here?" I asked tiredly, uncertain if I want to continue chasing a wild goose that isn't worth our time. Thi looked over her shoulder and down at the first floor.

"As soon as I figure something out. You gave the Gorgons an opportunity so err... wanna' join or finish up other things?" She asked. I closed my eyes in thought. After taking a brief moment to debate myself, I opened my eyes and nodded to her.

"I'm with ya'." I said with a small nod.





Whatever Thi was looking for, she unfortunately came up empty hooved. The Gorgons were surprisingly quick on their raid against the Triad base. Before we knew it, the entire base was seized and any assets were being collected and piled together in the atrium. The Gorgons had certain... extreme views of how to handle prisoners. But it wasn't our concern. We spent a few hours helping around the place where we can before heading back with Zeke to the ruins so they can start moving base. It was night once more when we arrived. I don't know why, but I haven't done anything strenuous aside from allowing the Gorgons grounds and the surprise attack by an assassin and yet, I'm exhausted. Thi must have noticed this but didn't say anything. We trotted our way down to the medical bay.

Surprise to say, Cloudchaser, Flitter and Scribble looked to have not a single scratch on them. Thi scratched her head.

"It's like the fight with Galm never happened..." She marveled. "I should have asked Lo about this grandma character." She chuckled and nudged me. I only hummed tiredly in response. Cloudchaser walked over to me, giving a worried look.

“Everything okay, Fie?” She asked. I looked at Thi knowingly. She closed her eyes as if debating whether we should tell them or not. She then opened her eyes and nodded. I took a deep breath and began to spill everything about what’s going on. As expected, Flitter and Cloudchaser’s hearts sank at the news. Scribble seemed indifferent, but that stoicism doesn’t hide himself entirely.

“So now the whole world is officially against is.” He said. Thi sighed and nodded.

“I expected it for both me and Fie. But… sorry guys. Things are looking pretty dire.” She said. We were quiet, the atmosphere setting in a non-appeasing manner. Flitter broke the silence.

“So… what do we do now?” She asked sadly. To our surprise, Cloudchaser smiled and wrapped a foreleg around Flitter’s neck.

“Simple. We keep being our best selves.” She said. Flitter looked at her questioningly. “I mean, is it really that much of a surprise? Our nations are about to go to war. We are tasked by the Princess of Friendship herself to handle damage control. Twilight isn’t the type to just agree with exiling ponies she knows that are not evil. Errr… well Din excluded.” She said. I heard a hum in my head but I ignored it as my attention was fully rapt at the pretty pony. “Think about it. They probably wanted to prevent organizations that Lo has mentioned from actively hunting us to make our job a bit more tolerable.”

That seemed to perk us up as she continued. “The princesses bought us plenty of time. We just need to kick it up a gear.” Flitter chuckled a bit but then rubbed her chin worriedly in thought.

“But… what about our career? If it is to benefit our adventure… why terminate us?” She asked. Scribble scribbled in his journal as he spoke.

“That’s another simple answer. To solidify us as an official third party with no connections to the military with Equestria. We are supposed to be able to negotiate without anything holding us back. With no status and some anonymity, we’ll have a better chance of walking through Triad interrogations without them having dirt on Equestria.” He said. Thi nodded.

“Classic military coupes. One problem. Triad don't take no for an answer. And I think A couple of us are a bit too familiar with the way the Triad interrogate..." She said, trying to be a bit cautious about this. Cloudchaser blinked and gave a nervous smile.

"Oookay, well, on the other hoof, perhaps the Triad already knows enough. But there is one thing they still don't know." She smiled. "Learning their lesson. How many times have they done so but still get their flanks kicked?" Cloudchaser replied. I gave a small, sincere smile at her. Thi chuckled.

"You're taking the information pretty well. Honestly, I would be a bit stung about losing a military career if I was a Wonderbolt." Thi said. Cloudchaser gave a cool smile.

"More like I'm always going to be a Wonderbolt regardless of the outcome. Once a Wonderbolt, always a Wonderbolt. Besides, I don't want to disappoint my promise with Rainbow Dash." She said. Flitter smiled.

"You know, I do wonder how Rainbow Dash and the others are doing as well. Twilight must worry a lot about having to not see them for quite some time." She said. Thi shrugged.

"I wouldn't worry too much. They are the heroes of Equestria for a reason." Thi then stretched. "Welp, I'm going to call it in. We're going to be heading to Zebrica first thing in the morning. I'll explain a bit more once we are all rested up." Thi turned and waved to us before heading off in the direction of the barracks. I turned back to my friends.

"Are you sure you three are going to be okay?" I asked. Cloudchaser smirked.

"Good ol' Grandma watching out for us. How about you Flitter?" She asked. Flitter yawned and nodded.

"I'm going to turn in as well. Nurses want to ensure I'm plenty bed rested before getting up and moving about so much." She said, turning to walk back to her bed. Scribble got into his and continued to scribble in his journal. I motioned at Scribble to Cloudchaser, who shrugged in response. Figuring to leave him alone, Cloudchaser walked me to the barracks. I found myself feeling a bit more awake as we talked a bit more. Before I was going to climb into my hammock, I turned to Cloudchaser and held her hoof tightly. She blushed a bit but saw my concerned look.

"Cloudchaser... I just want to... understand something... M-more for my sake if anything." I began. "You... you didn't force yourself to go through with it right? It wasn't just a heat of the moment from the victory? I... I understand if we rushed it a bit, and if you did, I want to make it known it wouldn't change much and just need to work on each other a bit more." Cloudchaser studied me before rubbing the back of her head.

"Welllll, I'll admit I was in a feel-good mood at the time. But I promise, I had plenty of time to think it over while you were gone. I'm certain of us. Of what we can try going forward. I'm willing to give it a shot so long as we know we aren't going to have any regrets." She replied. I gave her a loving smile before pecking her on the cheek, causing a cute reaction of her wings to pop open in surprise and her chuckling nervously.

"Thanks, Cloudchaser. For giving me a chance. I'll try not to disappoint." I said. Cloudchaser gave a reassuring smile before waving goodbye with a wing and walking back to the medical bay. I climbed into my hammock and sighed happily, hugging my pillow. I found sleep coming to me quickly as I was lost in thought with a certain pegasus.


oooOOO000OOOooo


I found myself waking up in a crystalline seat. I took a quick look around. I was in the main room for the Cutie-Mark Map in Twilight's Castle. I was sitting in Twilight's seat. I looked down at myself. My battle worn hoodie cloak had changed to a flowing veil robe cloak of fire, my hood over my head.

'Is this a dream?' I thought to myself. My ear flicked when I started to hear voices coming from the door behind me.

"...It was the only thing I can think of! I just hope they are doing well on their journey." The voice of Princess Twilight said. I didn't move as I listened in. There are several hoofsteps accompanying her. Friends? The other princesses? I was right on both accounts. The door opened with Twilight leading the herd of her friends and our royal leaders, the Crystal Empire representative included, walked in.

"I'm sure Starlight, Sunburst and Trixie are fine. Starlight is still sending letters so we shouldn't worry too much." Rarity replied in her usual confidence. Their steps stopped and several gasps of surprise sounded.

"Fie?" I heard Twilight ask. I looked over my shoulder to the group and stood up, walking to the center of the room. I turned to face them and nodded. Twilight smiled in relief. "Thank Celestia you are alright. What about the others?" She asked. I didn't respond. The group exchanged concerned glances. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes suspiciously at me.

"Are you really Quiet Fire? Or just another image Ouroboros magicked up?" She stated. I pulled down my hood, revealing my usual self to them. However, I noticed I had kept a stoic expression, regardless of how I'm feeling. I hummed in my head. I have to communicate with them. Concentrating hard, I found myself struggling to open my mouth. It came out as choking, putting a hoof to my neck. Uttering nothing but grunts and groans to form words. It took a bit before I was able to manage something.

"I... saw... message..." I rasped. Twilight exchanged glances to the others before realization dawned on her.

"Oh... you saw that?" She asked guiltily. "Listen, Fie, it wasn't something we wanted to come to a conclusion about. But the ponies of Equestria, even our neighboring nations, were calling for us to do something about it. I promise, you are all not exiled. It's just something to-" There was a loud pop that interrupted her. Discord floated above her, sipping the glass rather than the liquid that was supposed to be consumed.

"Now, princess, there is no need for excuses. Fie and her friends already know about the little hissy fits long before the message was even out. It should have been no surprise it was bound to happen." He said casually. Twilight gave an annoyed look.

"Now's not the time, Discord. I really need to-" She began.

"Apologize for a rational decision? My, my, it doesn't suite a princess well to back track on her words now. Am I right?" He grinned, waving his eyebrows at the other princesses who were none too pleased with his presence.

"What do ya' want, Discord?" Applejack arched a disappointed brow. Discord looked offended.

"Come now! Why would I want something when I already have the capability of having it all? Granted a higher power is limiting me, but when have I ever let limiters slow me down." He began to file his claw, kicking back in the air. “Think nothing of the sort. In fact, I’m here to fill in the blanks. As you can see, our dear friend is a little under the weather. Dry throat making it hard to talk and all. Not really herself but still here.”

I kept my hoof pressed to my neck, trying to utter more words.

“Looking… Zebra… Savanna… heir…” I rasped.

“What’s that, dear?” Rarity asked with worry. Discord floated over to me and pat my head.

“Allow me, friend.” He smiled. Discord began explaining everything that led up to where we were currently. The reactions were grim or horrified. I noticed Twilight looking panicked a little. When Discord finished in his Discord way, having reenacted some of our exploits theatrically, the room was silent.

“That’s so awful!” Fluttershy spoke, breaking the silence. Discord nodded sadly.

“She and her friends are doing their best through it all. And in the end, that is all that matters, right Princess Twilight?” He said, giving puppy dog eyes to her. Twilight shrunk back a bit. Applejack and Rainbow Dash frowned and stood in front of Twilight.

“Lay off her, Discord.” Rainbow Dash challenged.

“No… he’s right…” Twilight began. Everypony looked at her worriedly. She stepped forward over to me. “I’m so sorry, Quiet Fire… I relied on you too much. We were being overwhelmed ourselves that I felt okay putting that responsibility onto you. And now, everycreature is praising your exile.” I tilted my head slightly. What has happened while I was gone? One thing I do know now was Discord not joking about shadowing us.

I never thought he’d disguise himself subtly in my flame decal of my hoodie cloak. But if he was a graphic on my cloak in Roam, how is he here already? Oh right. God of Chaos. I tried to utter words again, Discord “translating” my grunts.

“What’s that? Oh my, the princess certainly does seem a bit frazzled as of late. But what can you do in a time of war? Even royalty cannot handle everything.” He said.

“Stop…” I rasped. I struggled, almost choking on myself to get words to come out. I felt myself being frustrated. ‘Come on, voice! Work, damn you!’ Eventually, I finally managed a sentence. “Final element... unknown… Zebra heir... know more. Roam… working with… to ally…” I groaned. “Need to find… heir… two birds… one… stone.” I met Twilight’s gaze and I smiled softly. “It’s… okay… we are… fine…” Discord looked disappointed.

“Such a party pooper. Nothing wrong with a little drama here and there.” He said.

“Discord!” The group said in unison. Discord smiled nervously, popping back over to Twilight and resting an elbow on her head.

“So, princess. What will you do now? Fie is about to stumble into enemy lines and the Triad are starting to make themselves known throughout Equestria. Things are looking pretty bleak.” He said with a contempt smile. Twilight looked lost. Okay, this is starting to get a bit annoying. I walked over to Twilight, waving away Discord before smiling and lifting her chin to meet my eyes.

“Be… your best… self… okay?” I rasped. Twilight studied me.

“But… what if my best self isn’t good enough?” She asked sadly. Twilight must have a lot of baggage piling up with everypony spread thin. I don’t blame her. I looked to her friends however and nodded. “They’ll… help… always…” Twilight blinked and looked back to her friends, who nodded in return in their own way. She returned her look to me. “Talk more… later… Work… to do…”

“W-wait, Fie.” Twilight began. “Ouroboros. He’s up to something. We think he might be setting you up for something worse than you can manage. I’m not sure what he’s trying to pull, but please, be careful.” I nodded knowingly. Discord scooped me up as if I was his pal, grinning at Twilight.

“Not to worry, princess. Ol’ Discord is keeping a close eye on her. If anything comes up, you’ll be the first to know.” He said with a wink. The rest groaned but Twilight sighed.


oooOOO000OOOooo


I found myself sitting in front of Din. She was resting herself under the tree, her eyes studying me. It wasn’t too long when Din finally spoke.

Need I remind you that I do not want to be bothered while I’m resting? She said with a frown. I blinked quizzically. Din rolled her eyes. When are you ever going to be aware of your own actions. It’s bad enough that Ouroboros keeps drawing your attention elsewhere. She sighed.

“Huh?” I replied.

”Huh”? Did your brain not develop at all or did your puberty and “fondness” for insignificant simpletons muddle your… you know what? I’m not even going to entertain this. How about you stay away from wandering in limbo. I couldn’t help but look at her in drastic confusion, even gesturing around myself.

“What are you even talking about?!” I exasperated. “What the hell did I do?!” Din snorted disappointingly.

Have you’ve ever decided to practice lucidity? You’ve done it before and yet you always seem to just mindlessly wander into other territory. She stated. I opened my mouth, still confused as to what she was talking about, but stoped as an inkling of realization nipped at me. Focusing on the thought more, things were starting to click. Din rested her head over her forelegs. I trust you’ll be more aware this next time. You promised. I felt myself being lifted up and Din’s realm began to shrink under me.





I jolted awake at the same time we hit the bottom of a hill drop in the metal behemoth. Thi panicked a bit and wiggled the levers, jerking us in motion. Scribble rubbed his head, having banged it against the wall of the beast from the impact. Thi came to a stop and sighed in relief.

“My bad, everypony.” She said with a nervous smile and chuckle. I was fully awake now, shaking away my daze as the top hatch of the beast opened up. Flitter and Cloudchaser poked their heads in.

“Everypony okay?” Flitter asked worriedly.

“Just more head trauma.” Scribble replied, rubbing the side of his head. Thi fiddled with the levers and got the beast to jerk forward again.

“I think we are stuck.” She frowned. One by one we climbed out of the beast. This model was lent to us by Gladius on our farewell. Disassembled of artillery in favor of armored transportation. Lighter frame but enough ballistic material to handle motors. It was the only means they could give us without threatening any boundaries of the Zebra Lands. I landed on the dry, grassy plain, trees dotting the landscape that made it feel like I was on a Safari tour.

We spent three days on the road, passing through Roam’s borders and into Zebrica. It was interesting riding through the valleys of Roam’s less sand ridden areas. We were even mistakenly honored by a passing village for the events the Gorgons handled three years ago. Though, we were running out of rations as we forgot to stock up before leaving, so it was interesting experiencing Roam’s culture.

Now being officially into Zebrica, the sun shone overhead, kissing our coats warmly as a cool breeze blew through our manes. Thi tapped the wheels of the beast, checking to ensure we weren’t SOL. My eyes scanned the horizon. I don’t know why, but I was expecting to be jumped by lions or something. Despite that, I was rather intrigued how different Roam and Zebrica were even though they are neighboring nations. Thi clicked her tongue.

“Shit. The treads broke and the wheels jammed on a rock. Guess we are walking rest of the way.” She said, walking over to us.

"Wow. Are we really in Zebrica?" Flitter marveled as she scanned the horizon of the field before us. Scribble withdrew his journal and opened it.

"We're in the Savanna, believe it or not. Specifically, the Zathura Belt. If we want to reach the nearest modern village, we'd have to travel eastward for a while." He said, withdrawing a map of Zebrica from his journal. We exchanged glances with each other as Thi took the map in her magic and studied it.

"Been to Zebrica often?" Cloudchaser arched a brow in a smile. Scribble shrugged.

"Had a rumor about the sighting of an Adjule prowling and terrorizing a village. Reports and evidence showed instead it was a lion that was painted to be a Marozi that a wealthy business Zebra unleashed to scare the locals into giving up their lands. Safe to say that the lion was also suffering from exile from his pack, so the two were in cahoots." He explained.

"That is such a wild story that I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't gone against a Kelpie in Manehatten." I replied, a little intrigued by the irony. Cloudchaser blinked.

"Wait... what's that?" Cloudchaser stated as she pointed ahead of us. We looked to see smoke rising off into the distance over a hill. Thi rolled up the map and gave it back to Scribble.

"Either a village or a savanna fire. Based on the burning smell, a gathering of poultices." She said with a sniff in the air. I walked forward and smiled.

"Village it is then. Let's see what we can gather about the Triad facility in question." I said. We gathered our stuff from the metal beast and began a trek through tall grass and an insane amount of bugs. I swatted away several mosquitos, but that didn't help any of us one bit. By the time we trekked towards a village that had several huts dotting the area, I was scratching at myself as well as my friends. Cloudchaser stuck her tongue out disgustedly.

"Should have brought bug spray." She stated. My friends and I continued walking further into the village, only to stop and look around. The bonfire in the middle was burning indeed, but there is hardly any pony around. I arched a brow and proceeded forward, peeking my head into a hut.

"Helloooo? Anypony home?" I called out. No response. My friends looked around, calling out to other huts. Scribble studied the bonfire closer and withdrew something from the ashes. I walked over to him after having no luck of finding anypony to see what he found. He then held it up to me.

"Triad. No surprise, but I'm questioning how their regalia is being used as kindling with no pony around." He said. "This was recently burnt."

"Guys, I think I found something!" We heard Thi call out. We cantered over to the direction she called us in and gasped. There were several zebra laying in the ground, their bodies mauled. However, each of them were groaning, as if this attack was fresh and recent. I quickly scanned the area with Din's eyes. I spotted what looked like several auto wagons driving away with a cart in tow. Nothing stood out other than they were plain auto wagons. It made me shift my frown. Scribble knelt down to study the wounds on a zebra, the mare opening one eye and screaming at the sight of Scribble. She started speaking in zebric in a panic. Scribble responded in zebric, gesturing at the zebra mare. The zebra mare looked confused and spoke. My guess is she was surprised a pony can speak zebra, let alone understand it. Scribble responded to the zebra's question with his own. Thi leaned over to me and whispered.

"Sadly, I've been around the world a bit and I still don't understand most languages. Just the hieroglyphs." She said. Scribble nodded as the zebra mare finished speaking, nursing her wound. Scribble turned to us.

"Seems we came at a perfect time. An Exile convoy just rolled through and 'put them in their place'." He said. Thi frowned.

"Exile?" She began. "Great. Our dumb luck put us in the right place at the worst time for these zebra." I then pointed in the direction I saw the convoy driving away.

"I managed to spy them just further down driving away in auto wagons. They had a cart in tow, but I didn't see what was in it." I said. Scribble turned to the zebra mare and spoke in zebric. The zebra mare was quiet for a moment before nodding and replying. Scribble bowed and turned to us.

"She's the village doctor so she'll be able to help the injured. We should get going while the tracks are fresh." He said. Thi arched a brow.

"Huh. Usually, you'd want to help creatures." She said. Scribble nodded.

"I would gladly do so if the villagers weren't cannibals." He said. We went quiet and stared dumbfounded at Scribble. He looked at us grimly, holding up the burnt regalia. "Lunch was cut short."