As the Inquisition’s chariots set down in Neighven, a crowd of ponies, Changelings, and various Inquisition soldiers all gathered around, watching Mahanon jump out of the chariot and land on the ground.
“You’re alive!” Fancypants exclaimed, walking up to them.
“Did you ever doubt us?” Varric smirked as he jumped onto the ground.
“Princess Twilight told us everything that happened, but…” He looked at them in awe. “It’s hard to believe. And to survive in the open, walking all the way to Ponyville with a wounded Prince while escaping the Crystal Ponies?”
“You make it sound harder than it was,” Varric chuckled.
“Either way, we’re glad you’re back,” he said, a weight lifted from his chest.
“We’ve still got a long ways to go,” Mahanon said, turning around and pointing at Canterlot in the distance. “The Crystal Ponies have a firm grip on Canterlot; we’re powerful, but not powerful enough to stand up to them.”
“Right into business,” Shining Armor laughed from the stretcher he was being laid onto. “I like it.”
“We’ll need more allies if we wish to stop the Breach for good,” Cassandra pointed out.
“The Spymaster and I were discussing a few options earlier,” Fancypants added. “She is in the war room; I will go there and meet her. Come meet us whenever it is you’re ready.”
When Fancypants left, the rest of the Inquisition dispersed except for Mahanon, who walked to his small cottage and entered it.
As he laid his staff against the wall and began to take off his armor, a few soft knocks came from his door. When he went to open it, he saw Cadence looking up at him with a small smile.
“Good to see you, Princess Cadence,” he said, moving to the side. “Would you come in?”
“I just came to say thank you for everything again,” she said happily as she walked into his cottage.
“We all did our parts,” he said dismissively, taking his armor off and placing it down on the bed. “Not just me.”
“The way you lead the Inquisition though…” Her eyes grew large as her sentence trailed off. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The way they follow you, the way they respect you...they’d follow you into death and back.”
“Depending on your interpretation, some of them actually did,” he replied. “I’m just a leader; I do what I must.”
“Are you going to stay here after you’re all done?” she asked meekly. “Even if Shining Armor and I don’t need one, Princess Celestia could use a general like you.”
“Trying to get me into your ranks?” he smiled. “I knew there was an ulterior motive here.”
“Not like that!” she defended. “I mean, if you want to, we’d have you, but I’m not here to try and convince you; I understand the Inquisition needs you.”
“It’s fine,” he laughed. “Just come to share your admiration, then?”
She sighed. “I know we can’t ever repay you.”
“I don’t do what I do because I want repayment, Princess.”
“We really thought it was the end,” she said softly. “It’s a miracle we got out of the Crystal Empire alive; when an entire city of ponies all turns against you, all hope seems lost. To get out of there alive, and then to meet you when we did...we got a second chance at life.”
“It’s what I’m here for.”
“We’re having a foal, too,” she laughed nervously. “Of all the times for the sky to start ripping itself open, of course it had to be now!” She took a deep breath. “Oh well. I guess I’ve never had a big event without some catastrophe happening, so it’s just like that, right? Queen Chrysalis kidnapped me and trapped me underground during my wedding, so it makes sense the fabric of the world would rip open during my pregnancy, right?”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he joked.
“What you said about Queen Chrysalis though, about the demon infestation...is it true?”
“It is,” he confirmed.
Cadence simply stood there for a few moments, staring into the distance. “I don’t really even know what I think of her anymore. Sure she kidnapped me and leeched off my fiancee, but it was a demon, so was it really her? Should I be angry? Can I even be angry?” She groaned and shook her head. “I should probably go check on Shining Armor.”
“I won’t keep you.”
“Again, thank you for everything,” she said, moving to the door.
When she exited, Mahanon soon followed, then walked up to the command center at the head of Neighven. Walking through the maze of corridors to the the war room, he saw Fancypants and Trixie standing alone on the opposite end of the table, each holding a small stack of papers in their magic and showing them to each other.
“You wanted to see me?” Mahanon asked.
“Oh good, you’re here!” Fancypants said, putting his papers on the table.
Walking up to the table, he picked up the papers Fancypants laid down and started leafing through them. “What do you have here?”
“Just a few avenues we’re looking into,” he said, looking at Trixie, who put her papers down as well.
When he got to a piece of paper with a small map on it, Mahanon placed the rest of the papers down and studied the map. “So we’re traveling, I take it?”
“That’s the one about the Griffons,” Trixie said, then pointed at the papers she just set down. “Those are for the Minotaurs.”
“What can you tell me about them?” he asked, putting the map down on the table on top of the map of Equestria.”
“The Griffons have been embroiled in a civil war as of late, and fighting’s gotten worse after the Breach opened,” Trixie explained. “Trixie’s spies say that the rebels are wanting to cease fighting and ally with us to close the Breach, but the establishment doesn’t want to support any organization that allies with Equestria.”
“So the Griffons don’t like Equestria, then?” he asked to clarify.
“Many don’t,” she replied. “But the rebels do.”
“I hear their leader is an old friend of Rainbow Dash, one of Princess Twilight’s good friends,” Fancypants said, turning to Trixie. “Is it true?”
“I don’t really look into Twilight’s personal life enough to know,” she said with a little bit of disgust.
“And the Minotaurs?” Mahanon asked.
“Their Emperor is calling a summit to discuss the Breach and the Inquisition,” Fancypants said. “The Kings will be meeting soon, and they’ll be making a decision.”
“Kings and an Emperor?” Mahanon asked.
“The Emperor is their lead King,” he explained. “He rules over their capital, and there are four Kings for the rest of the empire, each having their own area to rule over.”
“Who do we try and get on our side if we go there?”
“They all have an equal say, though the Emperor might be able to convince the other Kings if we can get him on our side.”
“We’ll go help the Griffon resistance first,” Mahanon proclaimed. “Maybe if we can get some more allies, the Minotaurs will be more inclined to side with us.” He started moving to the door.
“Back only a few minutes and already diving into action,” Fancypants chuckled.
“The Breach and the Crystal Ponies wait for no one,” he said as he opened the door and exited into the hallway.