Not our world anymore (IC)

[GalacticWar_Xavier]

Luna crossed her forehooves a bit and looked at Starling, the slightest of smirks crossing her serious features, "I pray, Starling, that you're not suggesting that we orchestrate a World War against the Empire, which they would never be able to trace back to the Griffon Kingdom, as a way of distracting their forces enough to do something else..." Airimus shook his head, "No one will want to fight them if the Empire starts fielding those armored Knights we saw... I mean, even if you were an insane Zebra nomad, would you want to be anywhere near a 7-foot armored... Thing, which all your bullets would bounce off of?... I'm pretty sure they were more durable than the Centurion Golems.... And who is there in the world who can tip the scales in their favor?" Luna was quiet, she still didn't know all that much about the world. But she did know that the Empire simply wanted the Zebras gone. She remembered Spike recounting it to her, each time the Empire came up with some sort of moralistic reason for pushing farther into the now war-scorched far southern desert nation. Whether it was raiders attacking colonies which shouldn't have even been there, raids inside Zebrica's own borders, and even quality of life... Oh yes, the Empire used quality of life of Zebrican citizens as an excuse for invading their country and slaughtering them. The farther the Empire pushed, the more the zebras fought to survive. At this point, there was barely a Zebrican government anymore. They were trying to make them look like savages by turning them into ones.

Twilight stifled a small laugh as Garen explained about the pranks he and his brothers played on eachother. When he tried to correlate it to what she had done, her mood went back down, however, "It's just barely the same thing... I can recognize that..." She stopped herself and thought about the final things Garen had said in the thought. She then understood what he was getting at. If she let this overwhelm her, then she would never, ever be free of it, "Thanks, Garen." Twilight said, smiling to him, "I think I understand now."

[Blue Fox]

Starling smiled broadly to Airimus, "But you forget, It was me and my friends who came up with the first ever power armour variant, If anyone can build a weapon to puncture thick armour like that it would be me and Indigo. Besides technology has a funny way of falling into different hooves if you get my drift" he said hinting that whatever weapon they make could be easily given to the other nations to combat the Empires armoured soldiers. He turned to face Luna, "As for your concerns about me, I would never do something so underhanded as to trick our Princess" he said with slight smirk. Starling had no intention of tricking Princess Luna as not only would it be as foolish as Twilight going into the Empire alone it would also probably be his neck quite literally, when he returned. Besides he knew tricking Luna would make Twilight very angry with him and that really was the last thing he wanted. "World war be damned we can't condemn a nation to death and do nothing" He stomped a hoof, "It's not right" he finished.

Garen nodded, "I'm glad you do" he said. There was silence as they made their way from the military sector before he spoke up again. "You know this is the last day I watch you" he said, "After this you're free as you were when you came here" he said, trying to up her mood. "Also, where are we going ?" he asked suddenly unsure of what was going on.

[GalacticWar_Xavier]

Luna sighed, she thought deeply on what it all meant. The Empire had the Elements of Harmony, the ultimate source of magic in the world. It was debatable what they could do with them, but she knew that if push came to shove, Emperor Kael would have little qualms about using them as weapons, now that she had seen that he was perfectly content with abusing and imprisoning Twilight Sparkle, "I remember when I said that battles were coming, Starling..." she said, "... I had just not thought that they would be coming so soon. Zebrica will only be the first of many nations to fall should it come to pass. That is why it cannot... Starling, Nimbus, what do you think must be done in able to ensure that the Empire will retreat?"

Twilight laughed, shaking her head at Garen's question as to where they were going, "I have no idea to be honest." she said, "This place is so huge that I could only vaguely guess where any of my friends are right now... I was figuring just going out to the front gardens to spend a bit of time. Every corridor on the first floor of the keep passes through that huge lobby, I think, and you can see down onto it from our rooms, so they can just call out from the balconies if they see us." Garen nodded, "There's not that much to do here, sorry." he said. Twilight shook her head, smiling, "Just being here is interesting enough for me, I've never been here in my own time." Garen blinked, "Really?" Twilight nodded, "The Griffon Kingdom and Equestria weren't the best of friends back in my day. We tolerated eachother, but we didn't have anywhere near the amount of cooperation we're getting now."

[Blue Fox]

Starling took a deep breath. His next actions could technically alter the world around them if the Princess was sure to listen to what he had to say. So whatever he said needed to carry every ounce of attention. With whatever plans he could make, he would make sure that they were much better prepared then they were when he rescued Twilight. He looked to the Princess and made it evident in his expression that it was going to be a tall order, whatever they do. "Well, we would need to build up an army worth being feared and by that I mean providing Zebrica with reinforcements from other nations. Talonopolis could provide the fire power alone but if we want to keep out hooves clean then getting the support from other nations is the only thing we can do. I would advise calling in all allies and favours for this one" he said before Nimbus chimed in. "Sounds like a good idea to me, realistically it's the only way to unsure safety for all parties and if we're lucky this plan could go forward without a shot needing to be fired" she said which was very true. If they could get this done and have the surrounding nations support the cause, the Empire would withdraw and the allied nations would step back in response. It would be a cold war for sure.

Garen nodded as he understood finding the whole thing to be quite interesting. "Well then I guess we'll go to the gardens then" he said as he led her up a flight of stairs to the main floor where they would head towards the lobby. From the lobby it was a short work out of the main entrance and around the side of the keep to the beautifully kept gardens with the statue fountain of Gilda. And of course past that was Starling, Winter and the others. Winter watched as Philomena was playing with Leafurn, the bird tickling him with her long fiery feathers. She smiled as he giggled before turning to Amalthea, "You've been pretty quiet lately, are you feeling ok ?" she asked slightly concerned.

[GalacticWar_Xavier]

"The Dragon Horde..." Luna said grimly, "The only force on the planet the Empire truly fears is the Dragon Horde. They're the only ones with the numbers as well as sheer strength... The mightiest of the dragons, the Empire would have to resort to nuclear weapons or mega-spells to defeat. Getting them to help us, however, is another matter entirely..." Airimus walked over, "There has to be some way for them to help us!" Airimus said, "I mean, the Dragon Queen is the one who would know if it is possible to send Twilight Sparkle and Winter Bell back to the past."

Twilight and Garen arrived on the scene just in time to hear the part about the dragon queen. It instantly had Twilight's attention, "Hi everyone... Er... What were you all talking about? Something about the Dragon Queen?" Luna looked to Twilight, casting a look over at Winter as well, "Winter, you may want to be involved in this conversation as well." She then looked back to Twilight, "War is on the horizon... The Empire is beginning its push to conquer the entire world. They're starting slow, with a nation they've already besieged for many years, but the world community doesn't know yet that the Empire holds the Elements of Harmony. With that and the Harmonic Citadel that Azuras made, the Empire now has godlike power... They won't fear retaliation from any one nation, other than the Dragons, and perhaps you, Twilight Sparkle and Winter Bell."

[Blue Fox]

Starling pulled a similar expression to Luna. He knew getting the dragons to help was likely the hardest feat to accomplish. The dragons were the strongest nation on the face of the planet, always have been and likely always will be. They never had to fear war since there was no nation stupid enough to attack them. He looked to Luna, "Then that's what we have to do, the dragons are powerful and highly deadly. But they are also intelligent and with luck they might see the value in keeping the Zebra's from extinction" he said hopefully. Starling honestly didn't know all that much about dragon culture but he did know they lived for thousands and thousands of years and if he had to guess, that meant the eldest of the dragons would be highly fuelled with wisdom and understanding. And he was hoping it would be this they could appeal to. He looked to Twilight and gave her a smile, happy to be seeing her again since the mourning. Winter looked down at Leafrun, it seemed Philomena had intercepted the colts attention while they talked and distracted him. Winter was grateful for the Phoenix's initiative and grasp on the situation. "Well we have to at least try and if not..... then" she looked to Twilight, "Then I guess we're up next" she said with an unsure expression. Winter was no fighter and definitely no soldier, "But I don't know how we can repel an army" she said honestly having no clue on how they would begin to accomplish such a thing. "You two getting involved isn't an option. Personal feelings aside you're both to valuable to the past present and future to be delving into dangerous wars. The dragons are our only ONE option. Failing this Talonopolis will have to make a choice weather to let the Zebra's die or get involved" he said plainly.

[GalacticWar_Xavier]

Amalthea was deep in thought, thinking about what the whole situation meant, to the world as well, but she saw how it would affect her right down to her own family. It was for the reason of the position her father held. Airimus knew, and she was surprised he hadn't yet confronted her about it, since they had pretty much been directly opposed by the Empire at nearly every turn. She didn't know if Airimus was waiting for her to reveal it herself, but deep down, she knew that they all would have to know about her father's position as an Imperial Army Commander. Not only that, but he was Cyrus Gainsborough, one of the most prominent Imperial Army Commanders in the entire Imperial Military. Twilight rubbed the back of her mane with a fore hoof, "The Dragon Queen?... Getting help from them with a war effort. I can see how the balance of this world hangs on this, but what if having the dragons help affects whether or not they'll reveal a way for Winter and I to get back to the past?" Airimus nodded, raising his index finger, "That's a very good point... If for any reason we have to choose between getting Twilight and Winter Bell back to the past, or getting their aid in the war... What would our plan be?" Luna shook her head, "We choose the path that sends Twilight Sparkle and Winter Bell home, of course... We'd just have to play it by ear from there, I suppose."

[Blue Fox]

Starling nodded, "Agreed, regardless of what's happening in this world its imperative they get back. I don't know much about time magic but if I had to make an assumption I would say their return will alter the timeline, thus altering this world to fit the new timeline. I believe Opal Moon theorised it as the 'Butterfly effect'" he said before moving to explain in deeper detail, "Basically she theorised that the fabric of time can be altered by the single beat of a butterflies wing, explaining how minor a detail would have to be to alter a time line. So Twilight's and Winter's return could very well effect the time line in such a way that the world as we know it will either cease to exist, or take on a completely different world where nations may not even exist. In short I'm saying that after they return this conversation right here would have never happened" he said with a grim expression. It was nothing that dark but the thought was quite disturbing. Of course all of this was also theory despite it making some sense. Winter took a deep breath as she took in this information, she had been worrying about this sort of thing for some time. "What sort of effect will that have on the people" she said looking to Leafrun who was still being distracted by Philomena. Starling sighed before replying with an answer that he didn't particularly want to think about, "To put it short, I may never have been born thus I will cease to exist upon your return" he said grimly. "But this is all theory, nothing is proven and the only one who could answer these questions is the Dragon Queen herself." he said, poking a pin of hope into the conversation.

[GalacticWar_Xavier]

Airimus and Amalthea looked to eachother, their feelings conflicting with themselves. This theory pointed to the possibility of an Ultimate End. Nothing would survive. Even the Far Dream could wink out of existence in that scenario. Time governed everything, from the smallest mortal level to the highest of the divine. Both simply could not convince themselves that it was worth it... Silently, they agreed that a contingency plan would be drawn up. Even if it felt like a betrayal to their pony friends.

Twilight listened to Starling's explanation of the Butterfly Effect. She had never studied time mechanics because she had never, until recently, believed altering time in any way was possible. When he finished, Twilight shook her head, "If that turns out to be the case..." Twilight began, "...Then, No..." Luna blinked in surprise and confusion, "...No?..." she questioned. The one word explanation on Twilight Sparkle's position of the nearly infinitely complex matter, deeply confounded her. Twilight looked up at Luna, an expression on her face that Luna couldn't immediately read, for she had never seen the expression straight on... It was one of defiance, "No." Twilight confirmed, but at least she elaborated this time, "Disappearing from the timeline has already caused me to be the reason for millions of deaths... I can't let that happen again. If that's the way things are; Then No, then I won't return to the past." Luna looked sternly at Twilight, "Twilight Sparkle, if you do, then all that may be prevented."

Twilight shook her head, tears coming to her eyes, "We don't even know that, either!" Twilight said, "Winter and I have never discovered who or what brought us here, or why... The Dragon Queen has never spoken up, so it obviously wasn't her. And if the Elements of Harmony didn't work against the Destroyer, when why didn't it just keep me there and and kill me with Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie? Better yet, why would it send Winter here as well if she only started using Resonant Magic afterwards? We need more time, and asking for the dragon's aid in the war is the only way to get it." Luna looked deeply and sternly into Twilight's eyes, "Those are valid points, Twilight Sparkle... But there is something you're not saying... A more personal reason for not wanting this world to disappear, obviously involving Starling." Twilight's tears dripped down her cheeks, she knew that Luna would know. Her magical senses were divine, and the signs to a unicorn were faint as could be, but detectable. Twilight turned to Starling, "You'd know that I would know, Starling..." Twilight said, looking deeply into her beloved stallion's eyes, "Luna obviously can detect it as well... I'm pregnant." she finished quietly.

[Blue Fox]

The news hit Starling like Celestia herself had brought her hoof down on Starling's chest. His ears fell to the side and he began to shake as his hind legs gave out from underneath him forcing him to sit back on his rump. He seemed gone as he stared into space, a shaky hoof came to his mane as he pushed it back. Words couldn't form in his mind as a thousand emotions with thousands of possibilities flashed in front of him. He felt a mix of sadness, worry, happiness and love all combined into such a feeling that he couldn't possibly bring himself to show any emotion in particular. He... Starling... could be a father. That vision in his mind became ever more real, but it meant the struggle and problems that they could face became stronger still. If he couldn't join Twilight in returning to the past she would be bringing up their foal alone, with Starling doomed to wink from existence. It was such a horrific thought and one that made another emotion join the mix, anger, the feeling of unfairness. He looked from the floor up to Twilight, coming to a sense as he got to all four of his hooves. He trotted over to Twilight and put his fore hooves around her, lifting her into a tight embrace as he closed his eyes, tears threatening to spill from his own eyes. "Twilight, I'm so, so happy. But I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I swear by Luna's presence as out witness, I will figure this out. I can make this right" he said feeling guilty. He felt like he had ruined things for Twilight, he loved her more then he ever thought possible and the feeling was doubled upon finding out she had his foal inside of her. But he knew the possibilities and he knew that there would still be a fight if they wanted to be together, as a family. Starling knew there would never be a time he would give up that fight. Even if he remained here and had to build a machine that could send him back.

Winter was utterly shocked, even Philomena had stopped and had her beak hanging open from the news. Luna closed her eyes as she looked on sadly at the two Unicorns, knowing their possible fate and what problems they faced with the possible out comes.