Noteworthy arrived home early. His shift was canceled for some reason, which was a blessing in disguise. It was rare these days for him to have a free night. He was thankful to have this time off to spend alone. His shame only came from the previous failure hours ago. The stallion was unable to bring in Jack and Stone cleanly and had to rely on the undead forces. The only thing that he could hope was for things to go smoothly with them and the undead soldiers, less he be forced to ring them back in again.

Noteworthy had his usual thoughts about what he should do. Should he meet with the King? Should he relax at home, ignoring his important job for once in his life? He knew a certain somepony would have loved for him to take a break, if for a second or two. A familiar face flashed in his mind that he hadn't thought of in years.

The images of that other stallion's smile passed by, followed by the feeling of his strong arms around him. It was enough to warm his heart and encourage him to laugh in the empty room. The stallion grabbed his clothing, matching the actions of the memory. Hearing his breath by his ears, the magnetism of his dominating nature. It was almost as though he was here in the room, demanding to take Noteworthy right on the rim of the couch.

He could take the rest of the night off and see him the next day, maybe. There was no reason to worry. It'd all be okay, right to see Comet Tail one more time. Coldness returned as the stallion forced his steed to halt. Taking a deep breath as the truth hit him like a nail through the heart.

The memories were only in the past, nothing more. The stallion had to remember the true life he had now and live it accordingly. He was loyal to the King Kray, King of K. And the stallion he yearned for was not. No matter how much he wanted things to be different, they weren't. While not enemies, they were on opposite sides of the warzone. This was the reality he needed to accept. He had a duty to his King, a task to complete.

He took off the jacket of his uniform and set it neatly on a nearby chair. His pessimistic thoughts brought him back to the task at hand. His stomach growled and demanded far more attention than his bones. He opened the fridge to get something to satisfy his hunger.

"They'll be okay." He reassured himself and stepped into the kitchen. "After all, it's all part of the King's plan."

Noteworthy quickly found a soda. He popped the can open and sipped the bubbly goodness. The cold carbonation felt nice against his tongue and his teeth. His eyes scanned the inside of the fridge for more. There was only leftover moldy pizza, but it wasn't going to do the job.

His eyes wondered over to the stove and disgusting mess that was the microwave. The sink was piled up with dishes, dirty and clean alike. Noteworthy's heart sank as he realized the house had gotten far dirtier since... Comet Tail left. The stallion dropped the can and slammed his hands on the table.

"Damn it, damn it!" He cursed and pulled his hair. "I can't seriously be missing that jackass-" he was stopped by a loud popping sound.

The ceiling creaked and distorted downward, making Noteworthy jump to attention. Without warning, Jack and Stone's bodies ripped through the roof and fell into the kitchen. Jack's metal hand crashed down just right to rip the stove clean in half and the sink was shattered against his back, spilling the dish all over them both.

Noteworthy's mouth dropped in pure shock at the whole scene. Jack was the first to rise up, his body covered in a green slime and glass shards. The batpony shook the mess off, seemingly unharm or bothered in the slightest. "That's not where I was planning to land."

"I told you not to do it. You have horrible aim when going blind." Stone pushed Jack's face down and picked the glass shards from his scales. "You're lucky I'm half dragon."

"Yeah, your scales certainly broke the fall." Jack stood up and popped his back. "I'm gonna be feeling that in the morning."

"You don't feel pain at all!" Stone rolled his eyes, stood up, and started looking around the kitchen for some bandage. "So where are we?"

"We're at Noteworthy's house." Jack deadpanned while looking around the room too. "Yo, where the fuck do you keep your bandage?!" He pointed Noteworthy with his metal limb. "Or are you going to tell us to lick our wounds?"

"Jack, please..." Stone begged.

"Oh, he clearly either too fucking loyal to the king or into that kind of kink-" Jack was stopped as Noteworthy gave him the first aid kit.

"I don't understand, how did you find my house?" Noteworthy asked, gesturing to the massive mess and questioning how they fell out of the sky.

"Well, random aim." Jack wrapped the bandage over his shoulder and looked at Noteworthy. "You don't seem very surprised to see us."

"I'm pretty sure he is surprised." Stone straightened his stance and took a bow. "We are sorry for creating a mess, but we need a place to hide."

"Hide?" Noteworthy's heart was pounding a thousand miles an hour. "From what?"

"Abraham Fenrir." Stone tried to sound as courteous as possible.

"Fenrir? Who's that?"

"Stone's ex, or was it brother?" Jack laughed before being japed in the gut. "Sorry, I don't fucking care what you call him."

"Why here?!" Noteworthy demanded, getting right in Jack's face.

"Because you offered friendship..." Stone continued. "We don't have any allies in these lands ever since we went on the run." He placed his hands together and got down on his knees in respect. "Please, give us a place to stay for the night."

"I can't!" Noteworthy caved.

"Why?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "Got a date coming over. Maybe it's that stud... Comet Tail-" Right on cue, the door knocked. All three of them looked at the door in utter confusion as even Noteworthy wasn't expecting any more guests. Unknown to them, all the other side of the door was an all too familiar unicorn.