Ok I, like know that I may have been a bit too weird in the 'allies' but I promise they don't stay that way.. Northstar will see some major problems that her father didn't take over from her parents, and take the war past the burocratic state and to a more active one in a future chapter. Probably chapter 7. I have up to chapter 6 complete but I just haven't uploaded them yet.

Chapter 4

Major Jackson let out a war cry and Thrax hit another button that activated a set of jets in the rear. Northstar braced against the G-forces and they flew out of the mouth.

Once they were steady on their course she looked out the window. The look of a battlefeild was sickiningly familiar, but what was also familiar was that this was dangerously close to her home in River View, North Carolina. She could see the Albamarle sound that seperated the outer banks from the coast below them.

She knew exactally who was human and who was not in this city. Finding one of her own species would be no trouble whatsoever. Just then she had a better idea. "Thrax... Take us down exactally where I say."

"Where are we going?"

"I used to live here... We're going to my old place... From there we'll go to my room. I should have something there we can use."

"What?" He turned the wheel and started decending to the ground.

"A sword... well... a stone at the base of the blade."

"Oh... kay... What's the stone for."

"It's a healing crystal. Don't worry it won't hurt you if I don't want it to. It should be able to transfir some energy to me that will help with the pain."

"What else does it do?"

"Well... pretty much whatever I want it to. Healing only requires touching the stone... Other than that I can't use it if I can't hold the sword."

"Hmm..."

"Here... turn here."

Thrax turned down North Cherry street and sped up until they came to her house. They passed right by a wolf becide the door and went through a crack in it. Northstar looked toward the liveing room and frowned.

There was no trace of her family anywhere and the house was dusty. It seemed that the only ones who were home were her brother and her youngest sisters. Then she rememebered. Her parents had gone to DC and had probably taken her twin sister Mysteria.

"C'mon luv... up to my room."

Thrax turned the wheel and hit the gas again. They were on their way upstairs. Through the keyhole of her locked room they easily bypassed the serurity systems which had not been designed to guard against microscopic intruders.

This thought brought fear into her. If Horde Prime became microscopic he could easily slip by it. She looked around the room. Nothing had been touched... at all... by anyone. She bit her lower lip and directed Thrax toward her futon. As he landed she lept from it and reverted to her halfway form to fly to a sword under a pile of clean, but unfolded laundry.

Thrax followed her and what he saw was the most unusual weapon he had ever come accross. The hilt of the sword was an equestrian head. A goldish metal mane guarded the hand grip. The blade thrusted from the forehead of the hilt and at it's base there was a single round stone. It looked a bit like an opal, but it had a luminessance all it's own and it radiated power.

Northstar reached out and touched it slowly, rubbing her hand over it in reverance. This ledgendary sword had won her many battles... If only she'd had it with her the day she was transported to this microscopic world.

As she touched it she felt a jolt of energy as it spoke to her and yanked her hand back. Her eyes were wide. The red virus approched her, worried. "Thrax... I... I can use it to go home."

Thrax looked at her and his yellow eyes seemed to dull a bit. Surely she would use it to go home. He would miss her, but she didn't belong in his world. Not really. Northstar bit her lower lip and breathed deeply.

"But if I do... It'll mean leaveing you..." Her eyes began to grow misty. She felt torn. "I'm... I'm not sure what to decide."

There was an explosion outside the bedroom. "Well then baby I guess I'm gonna have to decide for you..." Thrax wasn't sure what he was thinking or what made him do it, but he grabbed Northstar around the waist with his right arm and smacked his left palm flat on the stone below the blade of the Unicorn sword.

In an instant there was a white hot flash of light and a yellow glow evaloped them. They closed their eyes tightly and collapsed in an unconcious heap on the floor.

When they awoke they both pushed themselves up off the dusty floor, they both leaned tiredly against her bed and they both had an entirely new prospective on what was around them. Their eyes widened. They... were in her world now. Together they looked at each other and malicious grins lit up both their faces. Oh was the Horde in for a surprise.

Northstar unlocked her bedroom and Thrax followed her outside. Grinning at each other they lept out the hall window. Northstar reverted to her natural state and bade Thrax to mount up, her armor modifying to accomidate her and forming a saddle on her back. He swung his leg over her back and she took off in a fast gallop.

Neighing loudly she took to the air and with a powerful flap of her wings she caught her parents scent on the wind and followed it. Her hoofs beat the air and Thrax sat back. He wasn't entirely used to flying under the power of another, but found it quite refreshing.

She stayed mainly under cloud cover to avoid being spotted... by anyone. "Hold tight sweetheart!" She dove for the whitehouse. Soldiers stared at them, particularly Thrax, but let them through because of the symbol Northstar had on her saddle.

Now she had never been inside this building before. She'd seen it certianly, but she'd never been anywhere near the door. Bending her head low to the floor she picked up the scent of her parents and followed it, the virus still on her back.

The closer she got the faster she went. Toward the oval office her gait was just under a gallop. Two men in black suits took out pistols and pointed them at them. Neighing loudly and rearing her forelegs struck the double doors hard as she and the door came down the bullets from the secret servacemen's weapons just barely grazed the back of her neck.

"Freeze!" About twenty guns cocked and pointed at them and Thrax's claw glowed red and orange. Three others of her species stood looking at them in shock. "Don't move!" the same voice warned again.

"get off..." Northstar told him. Her voice was soft, but demanding. "And please stand down."

Thrax dismounted slowly, not takeing his eyes off the human's surrounding the president and the other three Unarie. Two of them were bigger than Northstar and the third looked almost exactally like her, except for the lack of scars and more petite build. Then again he thought most Unarie would look alike to him.

Northstar and the other three rushed at each other, Northstar bending her head down low to nip at the larger mare's shoulder. The latter laied her head over her neck and licked the base of her wings. The stallion placed his head over her back and the smaller mare rubbed muzzles with her. Northstar reared halfway then gently crossed horns and rubbed noses with all three of them.

"Okay am I correct in assumeing that this is a good thing?" Thrax scratched his head in puzzlement.

The stallion laughed. "Mr President please tell your men to put their weapon's away... This is Northstar. My firstborn."

The President motioned for his men to lower their weapons. They obeyed, but not without hesitation.

Northstar turned human and her family followed suit. Thrax could now see that the smaller mare really did look almost identicle to Northstar. They spoke in a language that Thrax didn't recodnize, much less understand.

"Where have you been?" Her mother wanted to know

"It's a long story Mother... I'll explain later."

"It had bettter be sooner young mare..." Her father demanded.

"A c'mon dad... She's been through Hell. Let her take a break." She turned to her sister. "Great to have you back sis." she smiled.

"It's great to be back Mysteria."

"Perhaps we should wrap up this meeting soon Skylight." Northstar's father said evenly.

"Agreed Alaric. We should get her home as soon as possable."

Alaric turned to Bush. "I'm sorry Mr President, but this meeting will have to come to a close. There's a bit of breifing and debreifing to do." He placed his hand on Northstar's shoulder.

"Very well your Highness... When can I expect to see you next?"

"Quite possably tomorrow... Though it will be Northstar attending me rather than Mysteria.. After all she is the firstborn princess." Alaric opened his mouth to say something else, but Thrax, who had been quiet till this point, had to speak up.

"Hold up now!" He rubbed his forehead with his right hand and gestured at her with his left. "How in the hell... That's the second time I've heard you called a Princess... I thought that Horde Prime guy was just bein a wiseass before. Why didn't you tell me he wasn't jokein?" Thrax demanded, crossing his arms.

"Well... you never asked."

Okay that was quite possably the most obvious thing she could have possably said! Thrax groaned and burried his face in his hand. "I give up..." he sighed. "Let's go." Then he began to mumble to himself. "I never asked... sheesh!"

Northstar giggled while her parents and sister just looked at his back as it left the room. "That's Thrax by the way. I'll tell you all about him too." With a few polite farewell gestures they left the bewildered humans to their own devices.

Thrax had farther shocked them by useing his trenchcoat as a means of flight. "Hey Thrax... I got somethin for ya!" Northstar shouted and tossed something to him.

"Whu.." He caught it. "Hey this is my bracelet... where did you...?"

"Remember that week we stayed in Frank?"

"That was months ago..."

"Yeah... one and a half..."

"Almost two..."

"Whatever..."

Thrax put away his bracelt. He was glad to have it back and a bit irate with Northstar for forgetting to give it back to him. Though he remembered what she was going through and figured it shouldn't surprise him that it slipped her mind.

They landed on top of her front porch back North Carolina and Thrax followed them into the house. Her mother seated herself in an armchair, her sister went to the Kitchen and her father on the left hand side of the couch, near the arm chair. Thrax kept scilent and sat in a red rocker and, to his surprise, Northstar chose to sit on his knee.

Skylight cocked her head to the side and Alaric narrowed his eyes.

"Okay here's the short versian... Horde Prime used a combination of magic and technology to make me microscopic then he put me in the body of some Zookeeper. There I met Thrax, we made a pact and even though we're not technically bound to it anymore... He's still keeping his promise to help me deal with the Horde."

"Apparently that's not all he's helping you with."

"Dad... Don't start please."

"Couldn't you find a consort of your own species."

Thrax was getting the impression this guy didn't like him.

"I tried that... twice... I refuse to restrict myself in my choices... in anything. C'mon Thrax... Let's step outside."

As soon as they were out Northstar let out a long sigh. She had just gotten back... She'd been missing for nearly two months and already her father was starting in on it. She leaned against the gas tank in frustration.

She was about to hit something in anger when she felt a clawed hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Thrax standing behind her and exhaled, leaning her head on his chest. "You okay baby?" Thrax wanted to know.

"Yeah... just a little peeved. Dad can be such a jerk sometimes."

"Eh... I hardly remember mine... Haven't seen either of them since I was like sixteen."

"Did you run away?"

"Not really... Most viruses leave home pretty young." He helped her sit up on the gas tank and leaned against it.

"I see... Did you ever have any relationships before me?"

"Eh... a few. A lot of em lasted too long really, but they didn't end too bad either. Some of them were pretty on going. What about you?"

"One human... and two Unarie..."

"That's all? And you're twenty-three?"

"Yeah... never been big on relationships... I've always either been too busy or too nervous to get into one."

"Mind telling me about them?"

"Well the first was with a human... we kinda fell apart, but we're still friends... Flash not only had a lame name, but he was a real creap..." she trailed off. "Thunder... well.." she sighed. "He died... because of me." She looked at the ground and bit her lip.

"Because of you?"

"I was sick..." She wasn't looking at him so she didn't see Thrax wince. "The nearest translation of the Escora virus is the summer death. It makes the body more prone to hot tempratures and hyperthermia. (opposet of hypothermia) Anyway... Horde Prime chose the point I was weakest to ambush and kill him purely to hurt me. If I'd been able to get out of bed I could have helped him..."

"He probably would still have died.. and you probably would have been captured." He remembered her telling him that Horde Prime wanted her alive.

"I suspect he was the one who got me infected in the first place... probably laced a feild where I grazed or got it in a wound during a battle or something. It incubates before it attacks so you're not ready for it..."

"Does it bother you that I'm a virus?"

"Not anymore... not really." she pushed an unruly lock of hair behind her ear. "To be honest I'm afraid of the same thing happening to you... I don't want to lose you."

"Don't worry baby... I can take care of myself and you've seen me fight Horde Prime... I can hold my own against him."

"Would you like to read some of my medical texts?" she said, changeing the subject suddenly. "I'm sure you're in there. I know I've contended with your species a time or two."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah... you know you're hard to cure... Level four... highly contagious... I make a study of illnesses actually, but as a healer, my forte is wound- care, surgery, that sort of thing."

Thrax chuckled. She was something else. She exhaled slowly and looked up at the evening sky. The stars were begining to come out and the moon was in it's full phaze. Just then her eyes closed in pain and she slid from the tank. He caught her and gently eased her to the ground.

It took a while for the pain to pass. To help her muscles relax Thrax gently massaged her abdomen. He could tell it had gone when her breatheing regulated and she slumped against him. She looked at him for an eternity that ended up only being about four seconds. "Northstar..." Thrax finally said.

"Yes?"

"I..." he whispered... "I.. love you..."

Northstar's eyes widened and she sucked in her breath sharply. He'd never told her that before. Her responce was to wrap her arms around his waist and kiss him deeply. He returned it, slipping his tounge into her mouth. A single, happy tear slid down her face and dripped onto his turtleneck.

Finally they broke off and Northstar nuzzled into his neck, smileing. "I love you too Thrax." Thrax smiled one of his rare gentle smiles and picked her up.

"Care for a moonlight strole?"

She nodded and stood up. Thrax was apparently adjusting to her world far better than she had adjusted to his.