Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were in the throne room of Canterlot Castle.
"What should I do, Luna?" Celestia asked her younger sister.
"I recommend allowing me to send a team of Shadowbolts to Saddle Arabia, to analyze the damage Nelphyn has done to that land." said Luna. "Once they report back, we should send a brigade of royal guards to assist the Saddle Arabians."
"A good suggestion, but..." said Celestia, hesitantly.
"Sister, what is the matter?" asked Luna.
"It's just what Sunset Shimmer said earlier." said Celestia. "She seemed very eager to fight King Nelphyn herself."
"Sunset has always been a persistent one." said Luna. "That mare only seems to do what she wants to do, even if it meant endangering her life."
"She might seem stubborn, but her intentions are still good." said Celestia. "I remember when you were like that, Luna."
"That was a long time ago, and I've long since matured, both as a princess and as a pony." said Luna, dryly. "But it's gotten surprisingly harder and harder now to get Sunset to fight her own impulses and remain where she would be safe."
"Perhaps in her time as your student, she has developed a taste for adventure, even if she might not want to admit it." said Celestia. "True, Sunset is putting herself at risk, but it is only natural that one would want to prove themselves."
"The last time Sunset wanted to prove herself, she abandoned you and tried to harness the power of the Element of Magic for herself." said Luna.
"I know this, Luna." frowned Celestia. "But I realize where I went wrong with her. I should not have made her wait for her destiny to come to her. There are some lessons that cannot be learned just by reading books or casting spells. She deserved an opportunity to branch out and experience the world around her. And she still deserves it. More than ever, I'd say."
"But, sister--"
"Luna, Sunset had lived a sheltered life for nearly two decades." said Celestia. "She should be free to follow her own path. I may not be willing to explicitly send Sunset Shimmer to battle King Nelphyn in Saddle Arabia, but I won't forbid her from traveling there herself. And neither should you."
"Of course, Celestia." said Luna, reluctantly. "I understand."
She bowed her head in a somber manner.
"Now, now, Luna." Celestia said softly, slowly approaching her sister. "I understand you care for Sunset Shimmer's safety. And I'm glad you do. But leaving isn't the same as never coming back. And you're living proof of that."
Luna raised her head.
"I love you, sister." she said, quietly.
"I know you do, Luna." said Celestia. "The feeling is, and always will be, mutual."
"How touching." said a voice.
The two alicorns turned towards the doors to the throne room, where two royal guards were standing. They were both approaching the princesses at an eerily calm pace...even as they suddenly burst into green flames and changed into larger, familiar dark shapes with insectoid wings.
"Hello, Princess Celestia." said Queen Chrysalis.
"And of course, Princess Luna." said Lord Umbriel, grinning as usual.
"What is the meaning of this intrusion?!" exclaimed Luna in surprise. "Are you here to end our truce with your empire?"
"On the contrary, princess..." said Umbriel.
"My brother and I have sought to renew it with you two." said Chrysalis.
"But why?" asked Celestia.
Nose Nip and Frosty met up again in Canterlot.
"Well, I got Sunflower to go out with me!" said Frosty. "I told her tomorrow night."
"Same for me with Maud." said Nose Nip.
"No way!" said Frosty, in surprise. "Ya actually got Maud to come with ya?! How'd ya do dat?"
"Easy: I talked to her." said Nose Nip, grinning.
"Oh, ya talked to her." said Frosty. "I thought she was the type that just stared at stuff all day."
Nose Nip yawned.
"Look, Frosty, I'm too tired to argue right now." he said. "It's been a long day, and it took a while to get back to Canterlot. I'm going back to the inn."
He left without another word.
"Well, I ought to congratulate you both." said a familiar voice.
Frosty turned around, and saw Scarlet Blaze standing there.
"Um...hey there, Scarlet." Frosty grinned up at her. "What're ya doin' walkin' the streets dis time-a night?"
"I'm going up to check up on my son." said Scarlet. "Maybe see what his job is like, too."
"I dunno, they probably wouldn't want somepony snoopin' round da castle this late at night." said Frosty.
"Oh, I'm sure they won't mind me paying a visit." said Scarlet. "After all, my son and daughter are both very important ponies at Canterlot Castle."
"Okay, I guess dat's a good point." sighed Frosty.
Then he decided to change the subject.
"So...um, I was kinda wonderin'..." he said. "Do ya evuh miss Baltimare at all?"
"Sometimes." said Scarlet. "Why, do you?"
"Just a little." said Frosty. "I sometimes wonder how my mom's doin' there. Maybe one of these days, I ought to pay her a visit."
"Well, I sure wouldn't stop you." said Scarlet.
"But still, I like ta think I got a commitment with you and yer kids." said Frosty.
"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Scarlet Blaze.
"Maybe." said Frosty. "But not right now."
"I still can't believe that somepony like you was actually able to get a date." Scarlet commented.
"Are ya kiddin'?" said Frosty. "I get dates all da time! Mostly in Vanhoover. I have ta work hard though pretty much anywhere else. I think I really accomplished somethin' when I got Sunflower to be my girlfriend."
"Sunflower?" repeated Scarlet. "What's she like?"
"She's this earth pony mare from Manehatten. She runs a fashion store here in town. And she's pretty uptight with others. Even more than you."
"Oh, is that so?" Scarlet said, cocking her head to the left.
"But I still got her to like me!" Frosty chuckled. "What can I say? All kinds o' mares go crazy for da Frost-meistah!"
"Well, I don't think I would go crazy for you." said Scarlet.
"What, you sayin' I ain'tcha type?" said Frosty.
"Well, you aren't the type of stallion I would date." said Scarlet. "I'd see you more as the annoying little brother I never had."
"Annoying?!" said Frosty. "I ain't--wait, did ya say 'little brother'?"
"Yes." said Scarlet. "Especially, since we're both unicorns, we're both from Baltimare, and we're both --"
"Ugh...okay, I get it." said Frosty. "Oh, and I was wonderin'...Do ya have any advice for me? For my date tomorrow night, I mean. How'd your first date with your husband go?"
Scarlet sighed.
"I think I'll tell you another time." she said. "I'm going to check on my son. See you later, Frosty."
"Ugh...okay." said Frosty, reluctantly. "Good night, Scarlet."
"So what do you want, Chrysalis?" asked Celestia.
"Yes, there is a crisis underway in Saddle Arabia." said Luna.
"Yes, but there is also a crisis in my own empire." said Chrysalis. "Someone or something has been doing this to my subjects!"
An equine shrouded in a hooded cloak came into the throne room through the open door. He shed the mantle, revealing himself to be a small, timid Changeling drone with a paled, twitching body. and constantly dilating eyes.
"Whatever happened to him?" asked Luna, her eyes widened in surprise.
"I don't know for sure." said Chrysalis.
"But we know for sure that something tried draining him of his life-force." said Umbriel.
"Do you know whom or what could have done this?" asked Celestia.
"Not exactly." said Chrysalis. "But whatever did this to him also made off with members of our royal family and some of my top servants."
"Including some of my soldiers!" said Umbriel, angrily.
"And why are you coming to us for help?" asked Celestia.
"Because we believe that this may interest you." said Chrysalis, producing a badge that she kept bound to her lime-green saddle. "We found this next to the drone."
The badge had several images associated with the Canterlot Royal Guard on it, including one that indicated it was--
"This is the badge of Royal Commander Firewing!" gasped Celestia. " He's the highest-ranking royal guard in all of Equestria. But...but I never sent any guards into your territory!"
"Nor did I!" said Luna.
"We already ruled that out." said Umbriel. "If you really wanted to break the truce so soon, it would have been more obvious. Tell me, have you two been keeping an eye on all your guards lately?"
Somewhere in a cave outside of Baltimare, several Changelings and ponies were being held captive in a deep chamber.
"Ya 'ow, this is jus' plain unfa'!" complained Sigma, who was bound back-to-back with Canopy at one end of the chamber.
"Yes, well your chatter won't make our situation any better, Ziggy." moaned Canopy.
"Shut up, you disgusting maggots!" said an angry voice.
A light brown pegasus stallion in battered silver-and-gold royal guard armor approached them. He had a nasty scar over his left eye and another across his muzzle, his left ear was bitten or torn off at the tip, a wild bronze mane, and tribal-looking ornaments around his collar and saddle. Flanking him were a group mercenaries in shabby attire with similar ornaments and war-paint on their faces. Some of them were also royal guards that had manic expressions on their faces, and others were gryphon or zebra mercenaries that looked positively feral.
"I take it yo' the bloke that's holdin' us here, 'en?" asked Sigma.
"I am Commander Firewing." said the stallion. "And If I were you, Changeling, I would keep my mouth shut."
"What's got your wings in a knot?" asked Canopy. "I mean, I didn't think Princess Celestia would be so eager to capture us! We weren't even doing any harm!"
"I don't work for that foolish princess anymore." growled Firewing. "Me and my troops answer to a much more powerful leader. King Nelphyn gave me and my loyal soldiers special orders to deal with anypony in Equestria that could obstruct his goals overseas. That potentially includes you Changelings. Princess Celestia may have a truce with you gnats, but I don't. Not after the pain and misery you caused me when you invaded Canterlot."
"Who in the world is King Nelphyn?" asked Canopy.
"Silence." hissed Firewing. "Sergeant, make sure that these two keep quiet. I'm going to interrogate the others. Chip one of their fangs for every complete sentence they speak."
"Yes, sir." said a renegade unicorn guard with a rough voice.
Firewing left the chamber, the renegades and mercenaries bowing down to him and chanting indistinctly as he left.