Summer Winds shifted somewhat uncomfortably as the alicorn tidied her armor. It wasn’t that she feared incineration or divine punishment- enough alicorn lead drinking contests had dispelled that notion. But she couldn’t help being thrown off by Sweeper’s… eccentricity. It wasn’t the informality or lack of some divine air that confused her, Armifera- or whatever name she went by in other cultures- was certainly informal as well, but she didn’t have the same bubbly air about her. 

When speaking to Armifera, one was still distinctly aware that she was a being capable of extreme destruction, an impression the alicorn herself did nothing to dissuade. Sweeper though… not so much. Summer could tell the alicorn had power in some way, shape, or form, but she lacked the aura of “I can flatten a village if I need to” that Summer had come to expect was a standard alicorn thing.

Apparently not.

“It’s uh… really something?” Summer offered lamely, before coughing into the back of her hoof. “Yeah it’s… how is hair a spoil of war?!” she blurted.
__________________________________________________________________________

Somewhere near Ponyville

Two pegasi flew through the air, their armor and the direction they came from clearly marking them as well trained, disciplined Stormwing soldiers. Or... at least well trained.

“Why are we even flying out here? It’s not like anything will have changed since the last patrol! Ponyville’s just a mosquito breeding ground now, why do we have to keep flying patrols to-” the cool blue stallion cut off his speech as he swerved to dodge a ball of ice thrown his way.

“Comet Trail, shut up, you’ll be doing the world a big favor.” The crimson maned, dark gray mare flying near him seethed, shaking her hooves of the moisture from compressing the cloud she’d snagged into a snowball to throw at her griping companion. “At least flying border patrol you didn’t have to deal with Trottingham.” The mare shuddered at the thought of something that could wound an alicorn, she’d seen the wounds on the alicorn who’d set up camp in Stormwing. 

Of course, the alicorn- Armifera, the mare remembered- had nonetheless managed to drink a whole tavern under the table, so it wasn’t as though she’d been seriously injured.

“Steel, coming up on Ponyville, prepare for the same exact thing. It might knock your horseshoes off.” Comet Trail snarked, taking a moment to roll his eyes. 

Steel Storm huffed, keeping her eyes on the rapidly approaching septic swamp that was Ponyville. It always saddened her to see it, associating the toxic morass with pictures she’d seen of a bright and happy town before the war threw her head for a loop, or three. 

She scanned the ground below, eyeing it for anything suspicious, though it all seemed to be the sa-

“Comet Trail, hide!” She hissed at her partner, frantically searching for somewhere to hide herself. Her gaze alighted on several trees the way they had come, well back from the water, and she bolted for them. 

Comet Trail looked around bemusedly, “What’s her problem…?” He muttered. Glancing down to the lake, the large stallion soon saw the alicorn standing [s]in[/s] [i]on[/i] the water, and gulped. He clumsily dashed for several boulders by the water, peeking over them at the alicorn on the water.