The Multi-Dimensional OC Bar

"Goodbye, Griff." Ician says. He then turns to Divine, eyeing her cautiously. "Hello, Divine. Is something wrong?"

She turned, squeaking slightly. "Oh umm... Not really no. Just tired I guess."

"Tired?" Ician raises an eyebrow. "What from?"

"Oh, I Ummm... Kinda went hunting..." She swallowed half of the glass of the vodka, blinking a few times, then smiling. "It was refreshing."

"Ah, hunting." Ician nods knowledgeably. "Right, right. Of course."

He pauses. "Um... hunting what, exactly?"

"Eh, changelings, manticores... Though I mostly hunt basilisks and cocktrices." She chuckled. "They can't turn me to stone after all."

"... Erm." Ician coughed. "Ignoring your... somewhat dangerous selection of prey... where do you find changelings? Aren't they all sequestered away in their fortress or wherever they hide?"

"Here and there. Trying to fit into society... Hmmm... Maybe hunt wasn't the right word. I track them down and... Well... Organise some protection depending on their circumstances." She chuckled. "Or, if they're blatantly stealing love and hurting ponies, I kill them. But, they're a minority, one or two in a few thousand."

"Don't they... well... feed on love?" Ician questioned. "From what Ther..." He hesitates. "... From what I've been told, it's their form of sustenance."

"There is a difference, Ician, between eating to survive, and gorging yourself on thirty or so ponies in the course of three days." Divine cocked her head. "Or do you disagree?"

"Overindulgence should not be encouraged." Ician says simply. "Actually... I'm not aware of the existence of any studies on this matter, but do you know what the detrimental parasitic effects of love-feeding on the host are? You seem to have some experience dealing with changelings." He chuckles morosely. "More experience than I have had, at any rate."

"I'm afraid I do not... But I can only assume bad things." She skulled the rest of her drink, purring.

"Hm." Ician falls silent for a moment. "Actually, how many changelings have you found over the years?"

"Nine." She sighed. "Three in Fillydelphia, five in the wild, one in Canterlot... Plus thirty-four in the invasion."

"Nine." Ician considers it. "Hm. I can only hope that their total number isn't much higher, if the reports of aggression over the Eastern Sea have any truth behind them..."

"My blade is ready Ician. I will defend justice until my last breath. Let them come." She chuckled. "They can't lie to me."

"It's not lying I'm afraid of now." Ician stares forward. "The most fearsome enemy is the one that lies in the shadows. Our intel is woefully incomplete." He waves his hooves. "We don't even know where their base is!"

She chuckled darkly and ordered another glass of vodka, seemingly unaffected. "Oh trust me Ician, I get the feeling you don't need to worry about that. I get the feeling something big is coming."

"Everyone in the Guard is getting that feeling." Ician swirls the little water left in his glass thoughtfully. "Their Queen is up to something. We just don't know what yet."

She skulls her second glass of vodka. "Well, they're going to invade, obviously." She chuckled again. "That's all they know how to do."

"I can't be sure." Ician mulls. "Not yet. But either way, an invasion can take many forms. And I can't shake the feeling that we're up against a master strategist." He finishes off his glass of water and pushes it to the side. "It's unpleasant."

Divine sighed, having finished her second glass. "A master strategist? You give them too much credit..." She shrugged and ordered a third. "So, what have you been doing? Just fretting over changelings?"

"Not much." Ician says. "I'm trying to assemble a group of mercenaries to investigate the incident over the Eastern Sea, but I can't think of any... pony..." He glances at Divine, then Storm, then the door which Griff had walked out of a few moments ago. "Hm."

Divine cocked her head, drinking from the glass. "What is it? A group of mercenaries?" She sipped again. "Like who?"

"Well, not mercenaries per se." He signals to Martini for another glass of water and turns back to Divine. "Just combat-ready people who would be willing to protect the safety of Equestria and its people." He pauses. "And be paid well for it."