It had been three days and no word from Starswirl. Celestia, Cadence and Shining have returned, but they're all exhausted. With nothing new to report about Zaran, speculation is rampant along with paranoia. I had made it part of my routine to grill every Taraskan and Equestrian on guard duty for anything suspicious.

Lieutenant Permin sits in a chair with her arms crossed, doing her best not to give me attitude. I pace back and forth in front of her.

"You...you're positive you didn't leave anything out? No gaps in patrols, nothing?" Permin slowly nods her head. Her armor clanks as she readjusts herself.

"I said we drill the guards relentlessly. It doesn't matter if they were a changeling or not, there's no way they know protocol. And yes before you ask, we had Cadence test every pony that was trained. I'm telling you there are no spies in Canterlot. We tested the guards, our soldiers, the royalty, the refugees, everyone."

I can't stop worrying. The rest of the Og Nag during our last operation had run deep into the forest. There was literally nothing going on with the enemy at the moment, which made everyone uneasy. The Wonderbolts did their best to look for tracks, but it was hopeless through the endless miles of forest and monsters. All teams were driven back by any number of creatures. There had to be something we were missing; some clue as to Zaran's next move. Lieutenant Permin lets out a long sigh.

"Can I go now? Captain Lucretia promised to help me work on my deductive reasoning skills and if I'm late, she makes me solve old murder cases from the Taraskan guards-" Her voice squeaks into nothing and she turns her gaze to the floor.

"I guess we'll never have our old home again…no more citizens running around, no more new stories..." As she looks up at me, I nod my head at the door. The chair squeals against the floor as she bolts, leaving the room with the loud slam of the door. I sit and ponder why Zaran hadn't sent every last Og Nag to Canterlot, following our tank raid. Our forces were thin and terrified. My people were literally cut in half.

I leave the room and casually walk down the hallways. An odd swirling sound grabs my attention, as if water was being poured from one bucket to another in an endless loop. I stop as blue light pours from under a wooden door. After carefully pushing it open, Celestia is laying on a bed with Luna sitting by her side. The room is coated with the light pouring out from a tiny blue orb above Celestia, clearly being fueled by her sister. I stand in the doorway, not wanting to interrupt what was transpiring.

After a few minutes, the blue ball disappears and Celestia raises herself up with a groan. Luna stands up and begins walking out of the room. I stand as far to the side as I can, wanting to avoid an awkward bump. Her eyes dart to mine for a mere moment.

"General." She says with a sad whisper of respect.

Celestia groans, gets up and stretches her forelegs. She sighs contentedly and walks off the bed. She stops and locks eyes with me, a hint of nervousness fills her eyes.

"Raide - General Raiden. How are...things?" She says, reaching as far back with her hind legs as she can and letting out a groan. I cross my arms.

"They've been suspiciously well. If you don't mind me asking, what was that...blue ball thing?"

"Oh that? We Alicorns can send memories to each other through magic. In this case there was quite the conversation that was had back at the Crystal Empire. It was faster to have her experience them then to retell the whole thing." She sighs happily and gets off the bed. She stares at me and the delight from her stretch fades a bit. She sits on her haunches and gets a very stern look on her face.

"Do you...think Zaran is done? His army is in ruins and from what we know, he can't reproduce them." I narrow my eyes at her in confusion.

"Um Princess, with all due respect, his army is still enough to sack this palace. Also we can't confirm all his tanks are gone." Celestia blinks at me a few times, and then closes the door behind me with her magic. A yellow glow appears around the room as she does her silencing spell so we can speak in private.

"In my study, is a device that measures magic throughout the world. Only we Alicorns can view it. When this war started, I had numerous unknown frequencies of magic I had never seen before. I may not know what they are, but one disappeared the moment you destroyed those tanks. I feel it is safe to assume that they were the only ones. So my question to you General, is if Zaran's tanks are destroyed and he still has a huge army, why is he not attacking?" I stare at her for a few minutes as the gears turn in my head.

"There are two possibilities and one of them has to be true. First, he either doesn't want us destroyed and is trying to use us as a form of misery battery for his magic. Luna told us a while ago that he is using the magic from the war to fuel himself. His ultimate goal though is to get me to snap, which allowes him to tap into my...element or whatever it is. I don't fully know exactly what it is he gets from me, but it must be extremely valuable."

Celestia looks at the ground in thought and nods.

"While I know much about these elements, how they work across dimensions is still completely new. If I had to guess, the element that responds to both of you is more tied to your soul. The element can't distinguish between either of you, so it must grant its power to both. In theory, the angrier you get, the more the element responds, essentially doubling its output. Perhaps Zaran is able to store this energy? Or worse, he needs it for something? It might not be about how much magic he gets, but the type he gets. I fear that the area of magic he is experimenting in is beyond the knowledge of Starswirl or myself. So in your opinion, if he's not using us as a misery battery and does indeed want to take the palace, then why else would he be waiting?" I place my hands on my hips and sigh.

"The only logical thing left would be that there's something we have that could stop him that we don't know about. He's either waiting for something, or trying to get that something. So we have to find out what it is before Zaran gets his hands on it." Celestia sighs and leans against the wall.

"I apologize general; all these mind-games are leaving me drained. Do you...mind if we discuss something else for a bit?" I shrug.

"I wouldn't mind something besides this damn war to be perfectly honest." Celestia bits her lip and looks away.

"Would you tell me about...Captain Emeris?" A delightful smile crosses my face.

"Emeris is my...moral counterpart. He constantly takes everyone's feelings into consideration. He's always been a big advocate for the mental well-being of our soldiers. I've been told more than once that I can come across as angry and insensitive. Emeris usually takes care of it."

Celestia nods nervously but doesn't resume eye contact.

"So what is um...he good at?"

I raise an eyebrow.

"Well...he's obnoxiously empathetic. So he's always been an amazing spy. For the majority of his service, he was infiltrating various kingdoms and gaining valuable intel. He's also a fantastic archer-"

Celestia waves a dismissive hoof.

"That's not exactly what I meant. Is he...what's the word...does he like books?"

I look to my left with confusion.

"I...if I remember correctly, yes, he loves to read but that's a luxury we seldom get. I'm afraid I'm not understanding the relevance here princess...if there's a specific thing you'd like to know…" Her eyes grow wide and she shakes her head.

"Oh! No, nothing specific! I just...don't know much about him! He seems...interesting is all!"

I shrug again.

"I can arrange for him to clear a spot in his schedule to meet with you if you'd like your highness."

Celestia stares at me quietly, still with her wide eyes. She wrinkles her lips and looks away.

"Y...yes, that would be fantastic. Thank you."

She takes a deep nervous breath and clearly puts everything she has into looking me in the eyes. She stands up straight and her face morphs from casual nervousness, to borderline stone-cold.

"Well thank you General. I...I hate to say it but there has been one unfortunate topic I've been putting off. Cadence and Shining Armor would like to speak with you in the main dinner hall. I would...also like you to stay there with your fellow Captains until I summon you. There was a...complication in the Crystal Empire. I'll need to discuss some things with our dignitaries."

I blink a few times.

"Discuss what exactly?" Celestia breaks eye contact.

"Since the Og Nag are in remission, some of our people have brought forward...concerns. As princess, I have to hear them out and...follow procedure." I take a cautious step forward.

"Princess...what do you mean by...follow procedure? What's going on? What happened!?" She raises a hoof to talk but stutters for a few moments.

"Raiden I'm sorry but I can't speak of it now. Please be patient, this is a delicate situation."

I stand to the side angrily so she can pass. I give her a minute to walk down the hall so it won't be awkward. The hallway is clear as I look both ways before stomping towards the dinner hall. The hell did she mean by procedure? What have we done? This was exactly the type of crap I was talking about! We put our lives on the line every day while their socialites argue over the color of the curtains.

I pass by several refugees on the way. They all look up at me in uncertain terror before blatantly changing direction to avoid me. I take a deep breath and pretend not to notice. The tension was thick enough as it is. I had given orders for my people to not mingle with the Equestrians until everyone had a chance to cool off, but there was no denying that something permanent had happened after we beat the crap out of the remaining Lancercore.

I didn't feel a single drop of sympathy. If the Equestrians can't fight, then they can at least be punching bags. That was the way my world worked. You either fought or served someone who fought for you. I was done patting these cowards on the head. If they didn't appreciate us, we could just leave. Hell I wouldn't mind retaking the Taraskan castle. Maybe assaulting a bunch of petrified greenhorns wasn't the correct response, but I didn't have to feel bad about it.

As I enter the hall, the sound of clanking armor draws my attention to the left. Out of the corridor comes Cadence and Shining, both with annoyed looks on their faces. Hot on their heels, were several of my soldiers. Their arms hang at their sides as they lean over a bit almost in a trance. I can see bulging eyes, as they watch Cadence's every move. She looks at me, and stomps over. I tilt my head back slightly, in confusion. She lets out a loud sigh as she stops. She motions to my people with her head.

"I had to heal these soldiers the most during the last battle. Apparently the side effect hasn't worn off quite yet since they were dead for several minutes when I restored them. They've been following me for days, even sleeping outside my room at night. Shining's not terribly fond of it, but it should wear off soon."

I stare in shock at my soldiers. They just stand there, arms hanging, completely checked out except for watching Cadence. Three of them were even female. I raise a hand to talk, but there's nothing to say. As I look Cadence in the eyes, we both erupt in laughter. I have to support myself on my knees as I hunch over. Maybe it was from the built-up tension, maybe because we had so much history and literally owed her our lives, but it felt right. Shining doesn't share in the laugher. He bites his bottom lip in an attempt to stop a smile from creeping on his face. He clears his throat while looking off to the sides.

"So yes General, if you'd be so kind as to um...speak with your soldiers, it would be...great." I casually nod a few times before giving a small wave for the couple to continue past me. As my soldiers start walking after them, I step in front and block the path.

"Nehora!" I shout, doing my best to sound intimidating, despite still feeling a brief smile on my face. They stop and stand at attention, but keep their eyes locked on Cadence. We stand there quietly before one of my soldiers speaks up.

"But sir...what about Caden-" She shuts up when she gets my glare.

"Princess Cadence is both fine and spoken for." I point out the double doors that lead to the general entrance area.

"Outside. Whatever is in your system, you're gonna jog it out." They nervously drag their feet as they leave the palace, doing whatever they can to get one last glimpse of the princess.

I feel a set of eyes watching me from behind.

"Raiden...may I speak with you?" Luna's indistinguishable voice makes me shiver. I look over my shoulder and nod, not trying to seem eager or desperate. I turn around and follow her through the hallway. She walks in front and it's difficult not to hug her. I didn't want to admit it, but the tension between us hurt more than having my head bitten off. I hated being away from her. I hated not being able to talk to her. My heart aches for things to go back to normal. In a way, she was my only break from all this misery that stalks my every move.

We take a few right turns and end up in an average sized room with a small window. An old table and several wooden chairs are all that's left. She takes a seat at the far end but gazes out the window. The way the sunlight illuminates her teal eyes catches me off guard and I stare for longer than I intend. I sit across from her, cupping my fingers together. The table is only about six feet long, but not being within arm's reach of her would always be agonizing. She takes in a deep breath and is only able to keep her eyes on mine for a moment. A small smile crosses her face as she stares at the center of the table.

"I...I remember when you all first arrived. Imagine the shock of hearing a loud bang that shook the palace from miles away. I look out my window and see an entire city! The thing has so much smoke pouring from it, that my people have to avoid it. We had no idea what was going to happen. The city was in such disrepair that we assumed there was nothing living inside." She looks up at me.

"Who would have thought, huh?" She lets out a light chuckle and returns her gaze to the table.

"You were so shy when we first met. I meant walking back to Taraska. I couldn't explain it but...I could feel your pain. I knew from the moment we met that you would understand me." She slides her right hoof back and forth across the table repeatedly, tracing its cracks.

"I guess I want to...discuss...everything." I hated how her voice was still using a bit of her regal persona. I wasn't some diplomat, I was her...I don't even know.

"I...I'm in a difficult position. On one hoof your...actions have been...unacceptable to say the least!" She shoots me a small glare.

"On the other…"

She sighs heavily.

"I understand you've been under a lot of stress...to put it lightly. I spoke with my sister briefly. She...reminded me of everything you've done so far. I have to think of what's best for my country at all times, regardless of what I want however." I clench the table to stave off shaking. It felt like she was telling me goodbye. What did she mean, what does she want?! My thoughts race too much to form a reply. My jaw starts to tremble.

"You are...a complicated man and an equally complex piece of this puzzle. You...to be clear I do not blame you or your people at all for this war. You had no idea what was going to happen. You have certainly done everything in your power to stop it. It's just...sometimes you scare me. I don't know which side of you I'm going to get. Soldier or savior, it's always a toss of the coin. I know you're doing the best you can but-"

She looks up at me in shock as I lean over the table and start sobbing silently. There was no stopping the obnoxious clank of my armor after every heave of my chest. She had no idea just how broken I really was. I could never explain to her that part of my success on the battlefield, was that deep down, I didn't mind dying. I would always fight for others, but a part of me was...done. It was as if my very existence was punishment for a former life I had no memory of.

I hear her inhale painfully. I bite my lip and concentrate on silencing myself. She swallows and tries to steady her voice.

"Raiden...I'm sorry that's not what I meant! I...I want to help you, we all do! Your actions though...we don't know what to do. I can only imagine what you've been through…" I take a deep breath and sit up straight.

"We call it Warrior's Bane. It is part of the cost of battle. It is still largely a mystery. The idea is...we can't let our guard down...ever. To do so, makes us vulnerable. We don't know how to stop being soldiers. We've been fighting for so long that we don't know when to stop. It's as if our brain can't tell the difference anymore between danger and peace, so it just plays it safe and screams at us to react when we don't need to. The impulse...it's unlike anything I can describe. I...I don't mean to be rude but I hardly doubt you can imagine both the instinct and the guilt after."

Luna blinks a few times but continues to stare silently. Her eyes flinch a few times and for a brief moment, it's as if she's far away in a nightmare. She lowers her head, almost heartbroken.

"After...after the trial, I need to speak with you about...something." I get up and quietly walk over to her. I take off my gauntlets and helmet, then carefully set them on the table. I place my hand on her right ankle, with my other on her back, which I rub gently.

"Luna...I know I'm not the easiest to deal with, but I would literally die for any of you. The last thing I would want to do is hurt you. I know you have a kingdom to consider. I'm not going to ask what side you're going to choose, but always remember that I'll never judge you for what you do. You have an enormous burden on your shoulders."

My last few sentences make her look at me. Her eyes fill with both hope and dread.

"That...means more to me than you will ever know…for both our sakes I hope you can hold up to that promise." She reaches up with her left hoof and places it on my hand. We do what we do best: we gaze into each other silently.