Beneath the Surface

Ician glances between the three of them, silently thinking. A pair of knights descend from the mouth of the cavern, clinging to a rope being steadily lowered by a team of mages.

They touch down and march to Ician. "Sir. Orders?"

Ician pays them no heed at first. He trots up to Theria and looks her in the eye. "You tried to kill me."

She nods, almost imperceptibly.

"But you didn't."

She nodded again.

"Why?"

She looks at him. "I... needed you alive for the-"

"- love draining?" Ician interrupts. "Even if you couldn't kill me you could have put me under a mind-control spell like your Queen did to Captain Shining Armour in Canterlot."

Theria says nothing.

"Why?" He presses.

She remains stubbornly silent.

"... You still love me." He concludes.

Theria does not break her silence, but she squeezes her eyes shut.

Ician levels his sword at her throat. "You are responsible for the deaths of fifty Equestrian soldiers, and the attempted assassination of civilians and high-ranking military personnel."

"No more than you have under your conscience, then." She says quietly.

Ician glares at her. "You did all this. And you would have done more, given the chance." He withdraws his sword. "But I am not you."

He straightens his posture. "Commander Theria of the Changeling Hive, you are hereby under arrest, pending trial, in the name of Her Majesty Princess Celestia of Equestria." He turns to the guards. "Restrain her."

"Yes, sir!" They rush forward and tie the rope they descended from around Theria's hooves. The mages begin to haul her up, out of the cavern.

Ician sighs. "So... it's over. I guess."

Storm coughs as he sits up. Quima's healing potion Having done it's job fairly well. It had healed a good amount of the small cuts on his skin and gone some way to repairing his broken bones, it's main job though had been to replenish the energy his body needed to function. "I suppose it is." Storm said grunting as he stood on his injured hooves. His eyes flickered with flames for a second as he stood. She'll come after us again, you know that don't you. She's driven to protect her people, there's nothing I wouldn't do to protect my family." He gestures at himself. "Even using magic I thought would have killed me."

"Not quite..." Arcane stepped out of the shadows, yawning. "I do believe Queen Chrysalis is still alive, and this, she still poses a threat."

Divine groaned and staggered over to Ician, Ruby next to her. They both kissed him and collapsed against him.

"I don't know what we'll do with her." Ician watches Theria wistfully. "We'll have to interrogate her, no doubt. We might... dispose of her... after that. I just know I never want to see her again."

He shouts up at the army, "Put her through the magic-disabling spell as soon as possible!"

"Yes, sir!" comes the reply.

He turns to Arcane, trying to support Ruby and Divine's weight with limited success. "You. What did Theria mean when she said 'I paid you to leave'?"

"Precisely what she said. She did under pay me to leave, and I left. However, with her arrest, our contract has ended. And thus, I return." Arcane shrugged.

Ruby nibbled Ician's ear. "Can we go home?" She moaned.

Griff sighs. "Yep.. finally over.. was sick of this desert." He looks at everyone, then Theria. "We must make sure she is really dead after you interrogate her." he says. "Highest level security and a magic-disabling chamber."

"Mercenaries..." Ician says, sighing. He looks at Griff. "At least some of you don't immediately accept a contract from the other side while carrying out the original one."

He looks up, and a multitude of ropes descend from the sky, with mages waiting to pull the passengers up. "Alright, let's go. You all first. Let me take care of one last thing."

He trots over to the still Quimia, reaches into her saddlebags, and pulls out a health potion, emptying it into her mouth. "Steady, High Alchemist... you did a lot today."

As soon as he is done, he moves back over to the others with Quimia and her saddlebags on his back. "I'm ready."

Divine stood up straight. "Hold on, what do you mean, kill her? We are not killing her."

"I don't know any more..." Ician rubs his aching head. "Let's... just get out of here first..."

He latches on to one of the ropes and gives a tug to the mage up top. He offers his hoof to Divine and Ruby. "I think they'll be able to carry all four of us."

Griff sighs. "We can't let threat like this stay alive." He answers Divine, not caring what she thinks about his decisions. "After all this I learned one lesson." He adds before walking to the center of the hole.

"Let me be exceedingly clear Griff." She grabbed hold of Ician. "If I catch wind of her dying, you will be the first I... Ask." Ruby grabs on as well, and kisses them both.

Storm limps over to the ropes trying not to put pressure on his injured hooves. He stumbles a few times almost falling before he catches himself. He struggles to tie the rope around himself without magic as he doesn't have the strength to use it yet.

The rope hauls the four of them up and out of the hole. One of the mages' horns flare, and the rope knots itself neatly around Storm, just before he is pulled out of the hole.

"Sir!" One of the knights call down to Griff and Arcane. "Your turns, now!"

---

Eclipse drops his prepared message into the dragonfire device. It would go, he knew, straight to miss Sky Cog. And hopefully the airship would be here soon.

Griff casts a pain-killing spell on Storm before looking at Divine. "What are you gonna do, arrest me in neutral territory?" he asks, grinning. He then turns into his eagle form "I don't need a rope." he says and flies out of the hole, landing on the edge.

"Oh... right." The knight looks at Arcane. "Your turn then, sir."

---

Eclipse gazes out into the sky, the sun just beginning to set below the horizon. What a battle... and what a day.

I hope miss Sky Cog gets her soon. Or replies to my message.

Arcane shakes his head and retreats to the darker shadows, vanishing. Divine and Ruby support Ician as they climb to the surface, holding him up as they leave the hole. Divine shakes her head. "There will be no warrant... I'm sure I'll be able to convince you."

Ician's mind, clouded with fatigue from everything that had happened, glazes over the conversation between Griff and Divine. "Alright, encampment's this way, troops. March."

Almost as an afterthought, he adds, "And avoid the burning trees."

"Yes, sir!" The army moves off in a measured cadence through the forest, Ician trailing behind them.

"Come on, everypony." He mutters. "Let's move."

After a few moments, a letter appears in front of Eclipse which reads: I will be there in around two hours, have some malfunctions to fix on the ship. Hold on for a bit longer. Love, Sky Cog.

Griff transforms back into his unicorn forms, sheathes his sword and walks past Eclipse, stops for a moment and looks at the setting sun.

Divine picks Ician up, and with apparent ease, carries him back to the camp. Upon arrival, she dropped him in his tent, before collapsing on top of him.

The army reaches the encampment, an air of relief pervading the atmosphere.

"Alright, everypony, let's get going." One of the knights gestures to the camp.

"You've got two hours." Eclipse adds from his place outside the command tent. "Pack up quickly before our ride gets here."

The soldiers move quickly, packing up the tents and other materials.

In the meantime, Eclipse stands beside Griff, watching the setting sun with him. "Beautiful, isn't it, sir?"

---

"Ack!" Ician winces. "Heavy, Divine..." He coughs. "I mean, your armour."

"It is indeed... after a mission successful, to be greeted like this... it's one of the best feelings." Griff says before walking past him towards the camp.


Griff soon arrives to the camp, walking past Divine and Ician's tent. "I highly doubt. And of all places, I'll avoid Fillydelphia the most. I'll be damned if I get just a sight of your court..." he walks to his own tent.

"Goodbye, sir." Eclipse replies, watching the sun set in solitude. He sighs. "The night descends once more..."

He moves off to the first empty tent he can find.

She blushes. "S- Sorry... Waaaaait... I'm not wearing my armour." She stared at him indignantly.

Ician whistles innocently. "I mean, uh... I didn't say anything!"

"You called me fat." She whimpered. "I'm not fat... Am I?"