Traveling Tantalus and Tree Tits Troupe. (Private)

Eve ignored him as she always does to others as she is concentrating, her aura flickering around her body, flaring out as she sent subtle promises of power out to any of the spirits within range, wanting them to come for her like moths to flame, the mare ready to utterly crush them. "I do hope you are all ready, I am telling them all to come to me, hopefully they ignore you two guards, but you, Sugary, will be targeted. So be careful if you wish to fight them." She said softly, smiling grimly as her aura kept sending those subtle, seductive promises.

(("Minor Mages"))

Despite Eve's warning, Sugary would not cease to show concern for her. She could have all the confidence in the world, but he was not about to abandon her to deal with what may come all by herself, lest it ends up being something equally dangerous, or more so, than her. He did, however, start to move away somewhat to circle around her while staring at the guards. There was a fair bit he did not understand about her reason to go through with what she was doing, but he had a mission to fulfill. Also, he would have to make sure she wasn't going to end up a threat herself through her actions, or he would be forced to oppose her, by any means if necessary. "... Officers, with all due respect, let's give this a try unless you got better ideas..." Having said his peace, he continued to patrol near Eve.

Flint was quick to discuss his disapproval with Flash, but he really wasn't a bad stallion, just a very strict one. "Calling more of those things!? Is she nuts!? We'd best report this to the Castle, before things get complicated."

"S-Sir...? Do you mean to abandon then!?"

"Flash...! We don't have magic, and our spears are not enchanted to deal with those... things!"

Sugary's ears flickered as he oveheard that last particular detail. "Hey, if you need enchanted weapons, I can help with that."

"..." Flint seemed to actually give time to consider the offer, but he also needed to consider about reporting what was happening. His decision would be made more swiftly as Eve got the reaction she was looking for as 6 dark clouds from various corners in the distance came into view. As they began to come closer still, each of them merged with another, and now the six became three. In their combined forms, they began to take more discernible shapes. One took the form of a silouhette of a unicorn stallion, while the other two looked like mares. Their heads had a faint green glow to them as what looked like eyes shone, and it looked like they were scowling, especially at Eve. Then, almost suddenly, they began to run in a frenzy towards the group as their horns seemed to glow with a dark aura as well, preparing themselves for a fight. It also seemed that more were slowly coming from a distance as well, meaning that even more trouble was on the way.

It was then that Flint practically barked an order to Flash. "Flash! Go and report to the castle on the double! I'll stay here!"

"But Si-...!!"

"No buts!! GET GOING!! NOW!!" And so, with extreme focus, Flash Sentry would live up to his name as he quickly held onto his gear and took off into the morning skies back to the castle in an orange dash of air to do his given duty as an Imperial Guard, while Flint moved next to the now very alert and very focused Sugary who was beginning to flare up his magic. "You! You said you can help with enchant-..."

Before Flint was done speaking, Sugary would focus his attention on the spear he had, and infuse it with concentrated Light magic on the head and very tip of the weapon while talking to him. "I was hoping you'd join! Let's fight!"

The creatures moving towards Eve did not seem to move in any specific formation, but were likely more intelligent. It was up to her to make the first move...

Eve purred softly as the spirits revealed themselves, and her aura contracted rapidly. It compressed around the stallion is seconds, aiming to crush his willpower, rip apart his soul, and leave nothing but a new face within her aura, before her power pulled back inside her body, and she smiled grimly. If it failed to kill it, it should be quite injured, unless it had been ready for her. She waited silently, watching Sugary, and noting Flint's position, before her next move was simple. She bolted straight at the two remaining spirits, combining kinetic magic and her aura together into deadly, body-and-spirit rending bursts, which she began firing rapidly at them both, leaving no time for counter attacks or any thoughts at all besides dodging, the Dullahan knew she'd possibly black out if they weren't killed quickly, or might injure herself from the magical backlash, but Evoltit was too stubborn to stop.

The fell being that Eve targeted first would actually try to wrestle Eve's power with his own, but as an incomplete being made of Dark energies rather than a complete being like Eve, he was soundly defeated and consumed in much the way she had expected to beat him as he was too weak.

The Dark mares were much more wary afterwards, but were still thinking of Eve as a priority, and that would be their main hubris as Sugary would greatly assist in her assault, while Flint would remain as backup since it was very hard for him to get close in the assault. Sugary himself, was quick to rely on Light magic by conjuring many orbs of light around him, and then making them follow behind and around Eve in rapid succession until the Dark mares were close. They would briefly dodge and block Eve's assault better, but still they were outmatched, and Sugary then barraging orbs-turned-arrows of light when near enough meant that they were being overwhelmed by both harsher dark energies pounding their bodies and expertly aimed light piercing through their limbs and weakening them further still, resulting in another victory.

However, even with the defeat of the more active and bitter beings, it seemed the air was slowly becoming more foul in vibes as it seemed more of them seemed to be on their way. It was very unlikely that Eve would fare well absorbing so many if she tried. For the most part, Sugary would keep watch over Eve's condition...

Eve immediately spread her aura back outwards as the mares were destroyed, then growled lightly. "On your toes, small fry." She said rather lightly considering both the situation and her expression, which was cold and grim. Her magic began to coalesce into a white mist around her arms, glowing with power as it was obviously light magic, then it went grey as her aura poured into it, empowering it. Her aura would affect normal ponies by making their minds stray to their fears and bad memories, but to a creature of darkness...you might as well have lit them on fire, especially mixed with light magic. The energy she had conjured was now deadly to anything supernatural. Eve's condition, however, would worsen the more she used her aura in the fight, and worsen quicker with each soul she crushed, eventually to the point of going near-comatose if she did not watch herself.

Flint would take to the air again and patrol, his lantern aiding to light up the still dark surroundings better from above. Sugary, however, was beginning to get the feeling Eve was overstraining herself with her output; But he had no way to be sure, as he had to go by was how much effort she was putting on herself to strenghten her abilities. "Got it, Eve! But fight sparingly, we don't know what else is out there!"

As for what else was out there, it seemed the Dark clouds were keeping their distance over in the horizon in ever increasing pockets of clusters. This time, however, they were advancing much more slowly, meaning it was far more likely Eve would be compelled to go after them if she was in a hurry.

Evoltit growled as she sensed them staying back, then used her outstretched aura, pouring man into it, to form a barrier to only affect spirits, and yank it towards her rapidly to force the spirits closer. "Sugary, all my magic's in this spell that's pulling them to us! Get ready, I won't be able to use my magic for a while after it dispels!" She hissed to him, beginning to count as she dispelled it only as they got within twenty yards, at thirty seconds, she'd go all out, blasting pure concentrated aura in shotgun-like waves at them, but when they would be few left, she'd collapse, going limp on the ground and groaning softly.

"Eve, I strongly advice against that, we don't know what else is out there! Do NOT go all out so soon!" There was little he could do to stop her stubborness it seemed, but her tactic technically was working as more of the dark clouds mixed up, but this time, their numbers were greater as well as their resistance to Eve as they merged further and further.

This time, Eve would be met with a large clump of something which resembled the late Sombra himself when he tried to take back the Crystal Empire after his revival. It may not have been as strong or nearly as large, but Eve was certainly going to bit off more than she could chew if she thought this clump was going to fall easily despite the harsh blows she might have thought to send its way unless she changed tactics. Sugary, in the meantime, was charging up his magic as well alongside her, but he had other purposes for it. "... Eve, they're getting bigger... We better try exploting some kind of weakness here..." Of course, he too would be up for an all out assault, but best to do things in moderation unless it couldn't be helped.

Eve growled at this resistance. "Do not resist, foals. Your end will only be more agonizing!" Her voice sounded, different, filled with fury and sounding like it resonating from far below their feet. Her steel grey eyes turned black as the last of her mana flowed together in front of her, compressing down into a baseball sized orb of dark grey, liquid-like matter. She chuckled in that same voice and murmured. "Scatter and Destroy, My Magic, Leave them in Agony." Like before with her Living Seal, her magic had been activated by an incantation. This time, her mana shot forth like a rocket, before bursting ten feet from them, coming apart into twelve bolts of energy which spread out before crashing into the darker entity, her aura-and-light -magic combo a devastating mix on creatures like it, most of it would have been destroyed. Most. Eve sighed as her eyes returned to normal, and collapsed, going completely limp with a soft groan.

In the end, Eve's power would prove to be too much for the combined dark beings, as they were merely remnants of what they once were as opposed to Sombra's terrible Arcane might held frozen in time. Confusion and extreme pain was inflicted upon the monster with Eve's mixed enegies, and it would continue to fall apart at what was left as the dark creatures shrieked as they faded away. The few that did remain tried to push on desperately still.

Sugary, of course, would be quick stop all but two as he launched thicker shots of Light against them to purge them. One of the remainders was promtly jabbed through by Flint with the enchanted spear, but while trying to get the other one, his vision became blurred briefly as the creature he had slain evaporated away. Sugary was prepared to strike the last one as it leaped towards Eve's body... unless Eve herself still had a means of defense before he made his shot...

Eve was still as a corpse, but as the last of the spirits came near, her aura flared out visibly and shoved it back with the force of ten sticks of Dynamite. The mare groaned as in her weakened state, any action from her aura would be excruciatingly painful. Her mind slipped away as she blacked out, aura simmering down to a skintight veil of protection, covering her in a way like it was A) Conscious, and B) Protective of the Undead mare. Whenever Sugary would come near, the aura would reach out gently, recognizing him as an ally, and pulls his hands to her, encouraging him to help her, while a gentle feeling of his mana being drained at an infinitesimally slow rate, like it required that to try to kickstart her mind.

Sugary and Flint both watched cautiously as to how the very last enemy was destroyed by Eve herself, or rather, her barrier. For the time being, it seemed no more creatures would appear in their area, and Sugary would be the one to attempt to check on Eve as he scooted closer while Flint watched, keeping his distance and keeping sharp for any other creatures.

His approach was very slow however as he was unsure of the nature of the barrier, but Eve being forced to the ground was a jarring case. He'd extend his arm cautiously as the aura extended his way at last. At first he was hesitant, but he then felt thet aura seemingly becconing him, and so he'd comply. He certainly felt the drain as well, but he recalled it was a similar effect like when they sparred the day before, and decided to endure the drain for the time being as he lifted her off of the ground with a Float spell nearby, letting her syphon from him. So long as he didn't feel threatened by her or the aura, he'd allow it. "Eve!? Eve, please wake up!"

Before Sugary could negotiate what to do about Eve to Flint, a bright flash formed from the castle. The Crystal Heart had been activated, and its radiance shone through the dark morning all around. In the distance, more wails of dark creatures would be heard as they were purged by the numbers. Sugary had no idea what the nature of the light really was, but eventually the light would rush towards his direction, and for a moment he would fear the worst at it seemed to go right towards Eve and himself. He'd try to shield her, but in the end, the light woud come very close, but deliberately veer off course when it got near the two of them. The Duhallan had been spared by the light... this time... "... What was that...!?"

"I-It's the Crystal Heart!" said Flint as he looked in awe towards the castle. "But the Princess... We must hurry back! The last time it was used was during a dire emergency!" He practically commanded Sugary to listen. "The patroling and hunting will have to wait, I must see to the safety of the Princess and Prince!"

Sugary took a moment to shift into the mindset of a new set of tasks, Eve's safety and recovery among them. His job was to patrol along with the guard, and so he would. " Very well, but... I need to look after her." He'd then follow behind Flint as fast as he could on the way back, trying to get Eve to respond as she kept taking Mana from him slowly.

Eve would be still up to the point where the Heart's energy activated, when she leapt up and frantically looked around. As it came near, she hissed and staggered into Sugary, falling to her knees and retching painfully, puking up her breakfast. Her hand lashed out and grabbed Sugary's wrist, forcefully sapping a large quantity of mana before her aura flared a little, reinforced with magic to repel the Heart's power and negate the effects of it being near, though if it were to touch her, she'd be helpless. She hooked an arm around Sugary's shoulders, grunting. "Let's go. Mach Schnell." She grunted out quietly, the energy of the Heart awakening a primal part of her.

'Destroy them~...add their souls to your collection~...do not be weak and foolish~ Give in to me~ Let me help you~' The small voice in her mind would continue to croon and offer gentle and seductive offers of aid, but Evoltit knew better. If the voice was given in to, It would slaughter everything it came across until Eve could take back over, and last time, it took weeks to gain the strength needed to take back control.

Sugary had to step back a bit as Eve hurled her earlier meal as he watched with plenty of concern. His concern was shaken up harshly as she sucked out some Mana from him forcefully without consent. "Aaaaagh!?!? Eve, what the hell!?" He was not the least bit amused after he had been worrying over her.

Hearing the name she said changed his perception of her though as he had little choice but to help move her regardless. "Hmph! So how are you? And who the heck is Mach Schnell?"

Flint would have tried to urge the duo to move along faster, but his desire to protect the castle kept itching him to go off on his own. Sugary would not this, and ask him to go on ahead. "Sir Flint, if you need to go, then go. We'll try to catch up."

Flint would hold for a moment before flying away. "I'll try and let the others know of your approach... And I will most certainly report what I've seen Eve do...!" Despite the intent, Flint's last comment almost seemed like a threat. He was still very wary.

Sugary would take this moment to try and get things in order with Eve. "Good grief... You willing to go straight to the castle, or do you need rest?"

"Shut...The Hell...Up." She grunted at his initial reaction. "Mach Schnell is Germane. It basically means HURRY!" She growled, panting and barely keeping herself up even with his help. She started limping along, at a dangerous pace for her state, dragging him with and forcing him to keep moving. "Let's go, I want to know why they resorted to the Heart. That power is dangerous, not just to me and evil creatures but to future ponies. That much positive energy will naturally draw darker creatures along, the darker ones, I mean, the more powerful demons are always attracted by such magics, I would not be surprised if a demon pops up within the hour." She grumbles, then adjusted her grip on Sugary and increased their pace a little.

Sugary snorted in mild frustration at being told to keep quiet and hurry when he was now the one pulling the most weight. "You're being awfully demanding for someone who passed out in the middle of a fight, leeched me, and is now leaning on me instead of heeding my warning. But fine, I'll hurry up!" spoke he between clenched teeth as he hurried along with her. "And I'm not sure if you noticed, but the feeling of dark magic has lessened a lot once that light came along, even with you here... But I'll take your word for it..." Even he had to admit, Eve had a fair point to make. Time would tell who was right and who was wrong.

Eventually, they would make their way towards the castle entrance, and several guards would be guarding the door, while several of the other mercenaries and guards would be seen wandering about in a frenzy while taking care of some injured of their own where it was appropriate.

One of the guards would evidently point to Sugary and Eve, and not seeming too happy about it. "There they are! Move!" Right away, a dozen of the Crystal Guards would fly towards them and surround them, pointing their spears at them. "Halt, and drop your weapons by order of the Crystal Guard!"

Sugary would look at them with an incredulous glare. "What!? What for!? We just fought alongside Sir Flint and Sir Flash!"

"The orders came from Sergeant Flint himself! You two are to be aprehended for questioning!"

Sugary was not liking this turn of events in the least bit, but now had a growing concern that Eve might still be a bit more volatile still. Of course, Eve herself was right there along with him, so it was on her to try and cooperate or not as he kept holding onto her, just in case she tried to be too eager to fight those that hired them instead...

Meanwhile, with the increased activity in the early day in the Crystal Empire, Sakura might or might not hear the extra bit of noise, even if she was safe herself in the ship. She might even be out and about herself even...

Eve had at first been panting lightly, but as the Guards surrounded them, she growled a feral, animalistic growl, her Dullahan nature now whispering it's promises to her, and, well, she let it help her as she focused, her aura flaring out to force them to think she was more terrifying than any of their darkest fears. "No. You lower your weapons, foals. My patience is thin, my anger roaring for blood, and my wrath is not something one will want to experience nor survive. I suggest you leave us be, or lead us to the Princess and the Prince." Her voice was quiet enough to instill thoughts that she was barely holding herself back, but loud enough for them to hear her easily.

Suddenly, a vine lashed out and smacked one of the guards to the side, before it retracted to reveal Sakura wandering straight through the gap in the circle around Eve and Sugary, the vine seeming to have grown from her forearm, but it now retracted completely and vanish, leaving not even a blemish in the wood. She was wearing her camo pants and jacket, and her boots as well, but looked a mix of irritation and amusement. "The fuck did you two do to get the guard on your asses'?" She said with a laugh, and Eve retracted her aura, grunting. "Whoa, Eve, you alright?" She stepped forward and with a surprisingly strong grip, pulled Eve to sling the undead's arm over her own shoulder, leaving Sugary fine now, without a burden to carry. Sakura whispered something and Eve began to drain a bit of the tree mare's mana to kickstart her own healing process. "Shall we?" Sakura asks Sugary, and marched ahead, half-carrying Eve on a path to the throne room, the vine that had come out of her forearm pushing anyone who got in the way to the side.

While Eve and Sakura might have been quite willing to fight off the Crystal Guards, Sugary would be quick to get right in front of the two of them, careful not to get swatted away by Sakura, and grasp hard onto the both of them with a panicked look upon his face as he tried to get her to stop waving her arm and keeping the two of them still. "Have you gone insane!?!? Are you trying to make us into a wanted group!? You're attacking Royal Guards! Please stop, I'm begging you!" He still hated the idea of being forced into arrest, but he wanted to at least believe he was doing the right thing for all of them, lest things become worse for all three of them that they should be.

The guards, of course, were now incredibly riled up as one of their own was knocked silly, and several others were forced to dodge Sakura's swatting. They were getting prepared to strike back, but about that time the main entrance had been opening, and a fairly tall and well built white unicorn stallion with electric blue mane in a decorated red coat and white pants marched out along with other subordinates, Flash and Flint specifically. Shining Armor was now beginning to bear witness to the chaos that was ensuing. "... Wha...? Is that them!?" said Shining to the duo of guards.

"Yes, Your Highness! Well... Except for that troublesome... treemare...?" said Flint with a bit of incredulous feeling as he saw Sakura for the first time himself.

"Y-Yes, Sir...! B-But they're not really troublemakers... I... think...?" said Flash as the sight of fellow guards getting yelled and swung at made him feel like he might have been wrong after all. Though he did notice Sugary seemingly trying to keep the mares still.

Shining decided to try and take authority at the situation, and would rush to the circle in an effort to make sense of what was happening to establish order. "Guards! Stand back! I must speak with them!" The guards were initially reluctant, but Shining's orders were absolute. They kept their distance, but still surrounded the group with disdain. "Mercenaries! Please stand down, or I cannot guarantee your safety! I need to know if you're the ones that fought Dark magic with Dark and Light magic!" Shining too was looking edgy, ready to suppress if needed.

Sugary didn't quite respond right away. He was still just trying to get his companions to behave. "Please, girls! Please calm down!"

Sakura stopped as Eve pulled herself from the treemare's grip, and stood beside Sugary while the Undead shook her head rapidly then marched straight towards Shining, stopping a few feet away with a blank look, slight annoyance in her eyes. "You activated the Heart...I want to know why. Not only because that fucking hurt, but also because I wish to know if you know the ramifications and consequences of such a choice to activate it." She paused and shifted to glare at the closest guard that showed signs of fear, then back to Shining, crossing her arms and using levitation to hold her dagger out to him, pommel towards the Prince. "Take it. My tradition is that for peace, one must entrust their weapon to the other. And back to what will happen because of you activating the Heart. Hmm...oh, yes, Dark creatures will be back here within days. The Heart may destroy evil, but it always ends up attracting dark creatures afterwards. Demons especially." She then went silent and settled for glaring at the stallion before her.

Sakura leaned closer to Sugary. "If demons appear, think any sexy Succubi would~?" She joked playfully, her words a playful, lusty purr. She had hugged Sugary's arm and was now nuzzling his shoulder in a tired way, yawning softly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small potion filled with a blindingly white liquid. She looked at it a moment then slipped it back into her pocket.

The Guards seemed to be ready to lunge at Eve as she moved closer to Shining, but he kept signaling to maintain position. He kept his ears perked and his eyes sharp as she presented the weapon to him. He looked at it for a moment before he took it and hung it between his belt without further thought and looked back to her and the others. "I will accept... However, it's you that needs to be questioned, and here's why: The monsters showed up the most in your location given the reports we received, then there's the matter of the spells you used, and now you're claiming to know what else might be on the way to me. If you want to know why the Crystal Heart was used, then you come with me, cooperate, and explain... Please?" Shining was ready to take the lead and escort the trio so long as no further problems arose for now.

Meanwhile, Sugary was just glad to see there was no further problems at the moment, and lightly nuzzled his lover Sakura on her cheek briefly as he kept an eye on Eve who seemed to be keeping herself in check. He wasn't quite in a cheery mood, but he still got the joke she meant with the Succubi. "Now why would you want a Succubus to show up? Trying to make our relationship that much more adventurous?" whispered he to her in a low vouce before urgning her to move closer to Shining and Eve, and speaking to the latter. "Eve... You know as well as I do we'll have less trouble this way... If it bothers you that much, we can spar or fight even more later about it." He hoped he had guessed right in Eve's spirit being that of a warrior enough to compromise at the promise of a battle for later.

"You know me too well, Sugary~" Sakura giggled, following him as he moved and yawning softly, leaning into him a little. She seemed completely at ease but in reality was alert and constantly checking the guard for any movement. This treemare was certainly ready for a fight, but did not want one.

Eve nodded politely at Shining, saying nothing to him, then grinned at Sugary. "I fought earlier, I am fine. Besides, if we sparred again, I'd not hold back~" She teased, grinning like she had held back that first time. She in fact had, for fear of killing him, as most of her magic was for that purpose, killing. She then followed Shining without so much as a glance at anything but him, but felt her Dullahan nature begin to creep out as she sensed the nearness of Cadence, and she fought it down with a slight groan. "Sugary, be ready to knock me out." She mumbled to him with a slight twinge of pain on her features.

Shining Armor was content with the cooperation of the group, and sureley lead the way towards the castle and further in as he had promised he would do, asking for only a couple extra guards to follow behind the questionable trio of mismatched travelers while the rest except for Flint and Flash kept patrolling the streets, tending to the injured, and keeping very strict guard within and around the castle. Flash seemed to have mixed feelings about being with the group, where as Flint seemed more on the defensive side even without uttering a word.

Sugary heard what Eve said as he let Sakura get comfortable with him while he held her by the waist. He understood what she meant by now better still and responded quietly. "Just... warn me before it gets really bad, will ya...? Actually... If it gets really bad, just hold my hand... I mean it, I'll try and help." Eventually, Eve's fear or worries might be confirmed as they were taken to the throne room, this time with more guards, and a disheveled but quite conscious looking cadance wearing a less grandiose but still formal navy blue, red pants, and a purple tie while her mane was tied to a ponytail.

Cadance looked to the approaching group with tired eyes, but a light smile showing on her lips as she quickly remembered two of the three guests, and saw her beloved husband. She didn't seem particularly comfortable about Eve though as a light shiver ran down her spine, being partially reminded of Sombra in her presence.

Once they were close enough, Shining would halt the group, and he would then get roughly between Cadance and the trio while bringing Flint and Flash with them. Cadance would glance over the group once more before looking at Shining and the guards. "Sir Flint, Sir Flash... Is it really them?"

"Yes, your Highness!"

"Y-yes, Princess."

"Then please remain while we question them." Cadance looked to the trio again, mostly at Eve. "Miss... Eve? I was informed you fought with powerful Arcane and Dark magic against the fell beings. I'd like to know how and why."

Sakura became mute and listened intently, still hugging Sugary's arm and nuzzling his shoulder quietly like that was all that mattered, him. She murred softly and yawned again, looking tired and bored.

Eve looked at Cadance like she was either crazy or mentally challenged. "I defended myself, Sugary, Flint, and Flash. Is it really so bad to use Dark and Arcane magicks when I myself am a Creature of Dark?" She reached up and cupped her own chin. "I would advise not screaming." She said, glancing pointedly at Flash and Shining, before casually popping her head off and continuing, wincing in pain as her head was moved a bit forward, closer to Cadance. "I am a Dullahan. Headhunter or powerful guardian spirit. I consider myself to be a mix of both. Also, be happy I am one of the strong ones, else your mere presence, Princess, would have made me go feral and attack." She paused and reconnected her head, grunting again. She looked at Sugary and glanced at his hand, then shook her head at him, as if she was sure she'd not need help. Unless Cadence tried touching her.

While keeping close to Sakura, Sugary thought that perhaps Eve was fine so far and might not need to hold him for support. "Well, so far so g-... And there goes her head..." He gave a deep sigh as the room suddenly was filled with a mix of a few shrieks, gasps, gags, a lot of blinking, a guard passing out, Flint being stunned stiff, Flash looking like he was about to throw up, Shining looking somewhere between disgusted and fascinated, and Cadance was just mortified as she looked right back onto the head of Eve while she covered her mouth and stood up from her throne straight as an arrow with her wings shivering.

Sugary merely patted Eve on the shoulder, trying to get her attention. "Eve, couldn't you wait till we got their trust first before doing that? This is a bit much right away..." Nonetheless, he'd still try and back her up while he could. "Princess, I know this isn't how we meant to meet up again, but Eve here really has been doing what she and I were hired for... That aside, she's been a guest at my ship since yesterday, and hasn't really done anything to cause trouble for me..." He thought back for a moment. "... Well, aside from a sparring match making me wash extra..."

Cadance was mustering up all her courage to process what she was being told by them, slowly sitting back down again, and placing her hands on the arms of the throne while looking towards Flint and Flash. "S-Sir Flint, Sir F-Flash... Is this the truth? Have they been performing a-as they claim?"

It took Flint a lot of concentration to look away from Eve, while Flash took very little convincing to look towards the far less decapitated princess. They would both answer as asked about in unison. "Yes, Princess." However, neither one sounded too enthusiastic in their answer, but each for different reasons. Flint didn't trust them, while Flash was just plain afraid at the moment.

With that, Cadance would try to proceed. "Sir Flint, why did you order for their arrest?"

Flint would be rather quick to answer this time. "Your Highness, Dark magic was the cause of much of our troubles in the distant past and more recent times. I had hoped to prevent further trouble from it by doing so."

Cadance and even Shining seemed to silently agree on the reasoning for Flint going his way, before she then asked Flash as well. "And you, Sir Flash? What do you think of them?"

Flash seemed blank for a moment before he made his statement, seemingly unsure of it. "... They haven't tried to attack us yet...?"

Again, Shining and Cadance quietly agreed as well on the matter, though Shining was actually less trusting of vine whacking Sakura herself, but all three have been tame at this point at least. Cadance would make her first verdict. "It appears both statements are sound... Sir Flint, Sir Flash, I thank you for your loyalty and honesty. You're both dismissed. We'll continue from here." Somewhat hesitantly, the two guards would bow to cadance and Shining, and would make their way out of the room, though Flint was obviously still looking guarded, expecting trouble at any moment.

With that done, Cadance would nod towards Shining to continue the questioning himself. And so, the  Captain would ask Eve and Sakura first given from what he had seen and what he had heard. "Ladies, I must ask you..." He looked to Eve. "Why did you choose to work for us? And..." He looked to Sakura, clearly noticing how she and Sugary embraced. "Why did you attack my guards? Answer this, and..." He looked to Cadance. "We'll tell you why the Crystal Heart was used... Is that alright with you, Cady?" She, in turn, would smile a little bit and agree.

Sakura and Eve were both silent, Eve looking quite irritated, while Sakura soon burst into a gigglefit. "That's a very stupid question." Sakura said with a grin. "See this guy?" She punched Sugary in the arm, then marched up to Shining and got nose-tonose with him. "He's my friend. Anyone who fucks with my friends are getting their asses kicked." She said in a tone ten times more serious than anyone would expect, even compared to what Sugary had known of her so far. After she stopped speaking, however, she backed up and walked over to Sugary, hugging his arm and nuzzling his neck gently, like it had never happened.

Eve grinned and chuckled after Sakura was done, then looked to Shining. "I'm a Mercenary. There was a paying job and I wanted some money. Do I need another reason? And there is no other reason, just so you know." She said simply,shifting and raising an eyebrow. "Now, about that explanation...?"