//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 *Rewritten* 
// Story: Maximum Ride: Cause Saving Just One World is Too Easy 
// by Jspang 
//------------------------------//

	"Max."

I stared out from the balcony on one of the castle's towers, drinking in the scenery. I could see for miles, thanks to Canterlot's mountainside perch. From my vantage point, Ponyville, as I had been told it was called, was clearly visible beyond the Everfree, the forest we had arrived in. 

"Max."

My thoughts wandered as I glanced up at the mid-morning sun. Everything that had happened still seemed incredibly surreal.

"Max!"

The voice that had been calling me made me jump when I finally noticed. Internally, I berated myself both for being startled by something that stupid and for letting my guard drop in order for me to be startled in the first place. Turning quickly, I attempted to blow off my initial surprise by acting all cool and leaning against the balcony railing. Princess Celestia stood there in front of me, looking more confused than anything at my unintentional rudeness.

"Something on your mind?" she asked quietly, wearing an expression that, if I didn't know any better, I'd say was downright maternal.

I sighed and weighed the merits of actually opening up to her and thought eh... screw it.

"It's just a whole lot to take in," I began, relaxing a little. "I'm used to some pretty crazy shit happening to me and the flock, but dimension-hopping is a new one even to us. Things are going really fast and for once, I'm the one left in the dust. Since we got here, I've been kind of running on autopilot, because I'm afraid that if I stop and think about what's happening around me, then I'll have to be fitted for a straitjacket." I looked the magical pony princess of gumdrop land up and down. "Actually, I probably need to go ahead and see a tailor."

She let out a laugh that sounded like tinkling bells... damn that sounded gay. Regardless, the sound was legitimately soothing to listen to and once again, I found myself marveling at the informality of her and her sister's mannerisms. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're crazy."

I scoffed. "That sure means a lot coming from the magical, talking, and flying horse with the rainbow mane that flows in wind that doesn't exist."

"Says the fearless leader of the hairless, non-magical, talking, and flying primates from another dimension," she shot back, pairing the remark with a cheeky smirk.

Scowling, I asked, "Have you been talking to Fang, lately?" I shook my head as her face suddenly took on a much more grave expression.

"Jokes aside, Max, I do have worries that I would like to speak to you about."

I cocked my head in confusion before nodding. "Okay. Shoot."

There was an extended silence as the princess gathered her thoughts. After almost a minute, she sighed and began to speak. "I need to know what you truly believe about these particular whitecoats' intentions. I understand the terrible things that they have done to you in the past, but you have said yourself that this is a new group who simply wished to escape your world in favor of another. So tell me, do you think there is any hope for a peaceful solution?"

I looked out towards Ponyville (that frickin' name) again. I wanted to tell her exactly how many times we had been experimented on, beaten, abused, and downright tortured at their kinds' hands. I wanted to tell her how it felt to live on our own and free, only to have that freedom shattered in the worst way possible. I wanted to tell her what it was like to be hunted for months, living on the run and eating garbage and rats to survive. I wanted to tell her how they overshadowed every happy moment in my life, making me wonder when it would be snatched away from me again. I could have ranted and raved at her about what the whitecoats had done to us for hours, but I didn't.

Instead, I took a deep breath and turned to her, making a conscious effort to remain as stone-faced as possible. "To be perfectly honest, Princess, I have absolutely no freaking idea. These particular whitecoats..." I paused, trying to come up with the right words. "They're not motivated by the same things others are. The way I see it, they genuinely want to escape and 'expand the boundaries of science,'" I tried not to laugh at Celestia's reaction to my use of air quotes. "By exploring another world, rather than torturing and experimenting on innocent kids. But at the same time, something tells me that these people ain't exactly out to make with the warm fuzzies with the locals-warm and fuzzy as they are-if their leader's speech before we left and her forces attacking the flock and Twilight directly afterwards are anything to go by. I'd say to go with an initial understanding and peaceful stance, but keep an undertone of 'I'm gonna kick your ass six ways to Sunday if you don't cooperate.' Really scare the shit outta them to keep them in line. It'd be funny."

At my last comment, she shot me a skeptical glance, but then returned her gaze to the horizon, her face molding into one of careful consideration. After a moment of silence, the alicorn spoke again. "I have one more question of a more practical nature, Max."

"Sure. What is it?"

"How do you recommend we find the whitecoats? Do you remember exactly where they were in the Everfree? It is a rather large forest, after all." Celestia asked her questions in a very unique way that made me confused as to whether I wanted to laugh or punch her straight in her smug muzzle, though the second probably wouldn't have gone over too well.

I was preparing a scathingly smarmy remark about how I knew exactly where they were (I didn't), I was a great navigator (I wasn't), and how she should be ashamed that she had insinuated such (she shouldn't have and wasn't). Unfortunately, just as I was about to deliver the most devastating one-liners in the history of one-liners, a fearful shout from another balcony drew my attention to a Royal Guard, whose shaking, pointed hoof in turn directed it towards the Everfree, where a cloud of winged figures was rising, increasing in size by the second.

My sigh was explosive as I fixed the princess with a thoroughly not amused expression. "You just had to ask, didn't you?" Even as I joked, I felt my heart sink. I never guessed that they would act this quickly, nor with a force so large. The look on Celestia's face implied that she was feeling much the same as I was.

"Max," she began, the trembling in her voice worried me more than anything else. "Are... are those..."

"Yep." I clenched my fists and shook my arms and legs, loosening them up for the fight that was clearly coming, and fast. "Flyboys."

The princess wasted no time. "Lieutenant!" The guard from the other balcony was at our side in an instant. "Notify Captain Shining Armor immediately, tell him to mobilize every available guardstallion and mare and prepare for battle, but under no circumstances are they to attack unless first engaged. We do not fully understand what we are dealing with, and I would prefer to avoid loss of life. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly, Princess," the stallion answered with a rigid salute.

"Dismissed." Then he was gone. That done, Celestia addressed me, an unfamiliar grave expression adorning her normally calm muzzle. "Max, gather the flock and tell them the same thing."

Much as I hated to play nice with these bastards, I kinda hated dying at the hands of an army of flyboys even more. Even so, if-no, when-things went south, we were gonna give 'em hell, and with a whole city of ponies on our side, I could even see us winning.

But not without severe loss of life, Max, on both sides. Diplomacy is our best option at this point, fragile and fake as it may be. Dammit. The Voice was right. Negotiation was our best bet.

"Flock!" I felt a rush of pride when they were all at my side as quickly as the princess's guard. "We're gonna talk it out with the assholes. Do not throw the first punch, but when they double-cross us, feel free to throw a hell of a second one." I received grim nods and sneers from everyone. I was so friggin' proud it hurt.

Luna and the other ponies were quick on the heels of my pep talk. The lunar diarch took her place at her sister's side, while the others held back nervously, but they all had resolve. I could tell from their posture. All of them were scared out of their wits, but they would do the right thing. "Princess, we want to help," Twilight said.

For an instant, a wince crossed Celestia's face, but it was gone as soon as I blinked, making me doubt I had seen it all. "I do not wish for you to be hurt. Please, remain here. Assist the guards in any way you can, but do not follow us." Huh, that's a different tune then she was singing at breakfast, and Twilight noticed, too. "Max, where is their leader?"

I resisted chuckling. I guess that was the closest I was ever gonna get to an alien asking me to take it to my leader. I swept my eyes over the ever-increasing cluster of flyboys in the sky, before moving my gaze to the ground beneath them, where I could barely make out a lone figure at the base of the mountain. Wordlessly, I pointed her out to the princess, who ignited her horn and began charging up for something. 

The last thing I remember before everything went white was Luna muttering, "I can't deal with this horseapples. I should have been in bed hours ago."