L

Bundeswehr got up first and stuck out his hand to Iremacht. Although the young militant was usually nervous, he held his calm this time around. Iremacht kept a straight face but still wouldn't look Bundeswehr in the eye as he took his hand and pulled himself up.

"We're not," Iremacht grumbled at MA. "That's not important." His eyes lit up to their previous glee. "What's important is I beat you! Dad, those ten bucks are mine!"

Wehrmacht and Germany skated over, with Wehrmacht pouting. "Aw, I was kind of hoping I could scam you but I guess not. How about I hold on to this so it doesn't get lost while we skate?"

"No way!" Iremacht said. "I might forget and you'll never remind me. Hand it over. I don't care if I lose it as long as it doesn't go to you."

Wehrmacht shook his head in exasperation and gave the ten bucks to Iremacht.

M

Mandara and MA exchanged glances at Iremacht's reaction to the joke, they thought he would be blushing in embarrassment that MA would suggest such a thing, but he wasn't.  They shook off the thought and MA grabbed hold of Mandara trying to reach his phone again.

"Give me that." he grunted as Mandara was trying to push him away.

"Nein, everyone back home is gonna see it and you can't stop me." Mandara said and took off again skating backwards away from MA.

The militant tried to go after him, but forgetting he was on ice, he promptly fell on his face again.

L

"You need to glide," Bundeswehr told MA. "Push, glide, push, glide, push, glide. Remember, there's no such thing as walking on ice."

Iremacht started reciting "push, glide, push, glide" in his head as he mimicked the movements with his feet. Wehrmacht skated alongside his son while Germany branched off to do his own twirls in the center of the rink.

Once Wehrmacht and Iremacht were far enough away from everyone else, Wehrmacht said, "MA's comment made sense. We thought you nearly kissed Bundie when you fell on him."

"Dad, it's not like that," Iremacht said, his eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him. "We're friends in every essence of the word."

Wehrmacht nodded, though he glanced back to where Bundeswehr was with the Mandarian brothers.

M

Mandara decided to be nice and went back over to help MA up, though he did stop by the rink gate to drop off his phone in one of the lockers first.  When he got back on the ice, he saw that Bundie beat him to it and was helping MA instead, so he went and did his own thing.  Even though he said that Poland was the one who taught him to skate, Russia helped him learn a few tricks as well like skating backwards, doing jumps without slipping, and even dancing.

As everyone was enjoying themselves, Mandara had for the most part zoned out and wasn't paying attention to who was around him, and he unfortunately ended up colliding with Germany, knocking them both to the ground.

Mandara immedeatly sat up and frantically started apologizing "Oh my god, Germany I am so sorry I wasn't paying attention."

L

Germany rubbed his hip where he'd hit the ice. He was quite surprised by Mandara's passionate apology. To be honest, the German hadn't been paying attention either; he'd been skating backwards when Mandara crashed into him.

"I wasn't watching where I was going too," Germany said, standing upright again. "I noticed you do a couple Lutz jumps earlier. Where did you learn to figure skate?"

M

"Russia taught me." Mandara said as he got up too, also rubbing where he landed, "I know I said Poland taught me to skate, but after I was fairly good at it Rus decided to help me learn more, he is surprisingly agile for a big guy.  Not to mention when you get to be my age there isn't a whole lot you can't do, except for cooking apparently."

L

"Lots of famous skaters come from his country," Germany said. "Rumor has it his fa - " Germany caught himself in time, clearing his throat. "Rumor has it that ballet runs in his bloodline too. But that could just be gossip that America told me to piss Russia off."

Germany scanned the rink for the others. Wehrmacht and Iremacht had rejoined Bundeswehr and MA. Bundeswehr was giving both Iremacht and MA lessons while Wehrmacht looked proud at his militant apprentice - official militant now, Germany reminded himself - for taking the lead.

M

"Huh, how long ago was that, because Rus and America have been together for years, Thunder and I even went to their wedding."  Mandara sighed when he said wedding, it made him think about his dilemma with proposing to Poland.

He looked over to the others to get his mind off the subject, but seeing Wehrmacht with his son just aggravated his problem.

Without turning away, he asked Germany, "I've been wanting to propose to Poland for a long time, but I'm scared I will get rejected.  I know you and Poland talk and hang out a lot, has he ever said anything about marriage?"

L

Germany tried not to wince. Normally, no one would want glare on their glasses but Germany adjusted his to hide his eyes.

"He has spoken about it," Germany said. That was an understatement. The last time they'd gotten together, Poland wouldn't stop fussing over Mandara. "You won't be rejected by him or his friends, as long as you continue to be the noble and righteous country you are."

He didn't know what other advice he could give. After all, Germany never made it to the stage of marriage.

M

Mandara turned to Germany with a mix surprise and relief on his face, then gave him a smile. "Thanks Germany, your a good friend."

Just then MA skated up to the two, "Look who finally learned how to skate."

He was very proud of himself and so was Mandara, "That's great Thunder, aren't you glad we made you come here."

MA rolled his eyes but still retained his smile, "Ok, ok, you got me, I admit I am having a blast"  He turned to Germany, "If you ever decide to come visit our country, we should do this again."

At the mention of home, Mandara took out his pocket watch to check the time. "Holy smokes time went by fast, we have to be at the airport in 45 minutes."

L

"Already?" Germany said, equally shocked. "Then we need to run back to the estate, pack your stuff, and run to the airport. If you don't mind, I can call my assistants to start packing the basics for you and clearing the guest room?"

Germany said all of this as he was skating towards the exit. He also summoned Wehrmacht, Iremacht, and Bundeswehr with one call of their names. Like MA, Iremacht was also skating properly, though he did have a couple more falls prior. He skated the slowest. Bundeswehr made sure to stay close to him, which Iremacht was secretly grateful about.

M

"That would be great thanks."  Mandara said as he and MA followed close behind Germany.

MA did fall one last time as they made their way to the exit and instead of just leaving him there, Mandara helped him up and let him hold on to his wing for extra support.  The two got off the ice and took off their skates fairly quickly, but they made sure to wait for everyone else.

L

All the Germans kicked off their shoes and Wehrmacht rushed them back to the rental booth. Then they hurried back to Germany's estate, with Germany calling his assistants beforehand. By the time they'd arrived at the front door, two luggage bags were waiting in the living room. There was a separate bag in between them that held the Crown.

Germany, Iremacht, and Bundeswehr all went inside but Wehrmacht hung back to whisper to Mandara, "I'm not sure if you brought anything else important, but you should check your bags later. And make sure that Crown is still the real one."

M

Mandara stared at him for a bit before letting out a sigh, "Yeah, I guess that's a good idea, but I if I'm being honest, I trust that Germany didn't swap them again.  I know that sound stupid but considering what was said when UN was here, I don't think Germany would risk a potential war over the crown even if I did swear on my wings, but if it makes you feel better we can exchange numbers just in case."

He took out a notebook from his pocket and wrote out his number, handing it to Wehr, "There, and please don't hold the crown against Germany, like my brother says, you have to accept it happened and move on."

L

"I know," Wehrmacht sighed. He wrote his own number in Mandara's notebook. "I just don't want any more strain. I'll help you clear up relations with Ireland when I get back too."

Once the luggage was ready, Germany ushered everyone into a large van. It had more space for their wings and they needed to drive to the airport if they were going to make it in time.

M

"Thanks Wehrmacht," Mandara said as everyone got into the van, "even though I'm sure Ireland still won't continue exports, it would be nice to at least be on semi friendly terms with him because it will definitely be awkward to have your friend's spouse hate you, right Thunder."

MA nodded, "I still don't understand why America doesn't like me."

"It's because you went feral and attacked FBI." Mandara answered.

L

Bundeswehr started up the engine and off they sped towards the airport. Like before, the other cars moved out of the way to let them pass, allowing a smooth trip stopped only by an occasional street light.

"Imagine attacking FBI," Iremacht daydreamed out loud. "Best prank ever."

"Don't mess with FBI," Wehrmacht said. "Or CIA, for that matter. Because if you do, they'll come after me."

M

"Don't worry Wehrmacht, I'll protect you."  MA said, playfully patting the Germans shoulder.

"Yeah, ever since Thunder attacked FBI, the man has been deathly afraid of him." Mandara said, "Whenever the two meet, FBI always ends up hiding behind CIA, literally, he cowers behind him like a scared child, it is very humorous."

The brothers snickered a bit before MA added, "But yeah, if Iremacht does ever prank one of them, just tell them you know me and they will leave you alone for the rest of your life."

L

"Whoa, such power!" Iremacht gaped, which made Bundeswehr chuckle after seeing the teen's face in the rearview mirror.

As they neared the airport, Bundeswehr steered their car towards an express lane that led to a parking lot designated for their special occasions so they didn't have to deal with traffic. Once the car was parked, Bundeswehr and Wehrmacht helped get the luggage out of the trunk while Germany called airport service.

M

The brothers both got out of the van and walked over to the German militants to grab their luggage from them.  Mandara checked that Germany wasn't nearby and opened the bag with the crown a sliver to check it, and thankfully it was still there and still very much real.  Mandara let out a silent breath of relief and closed it.  When he did, he looked over at MA and caught sight of his handgun on his waist.

"Thunder are you forgetting something?" MA looked at him confused and Mandara nodded towards his gun.

"Oh, dammit I did forget about that." He turned to Germany, "Hey Germany, how tight is airport security here?"

L

Germany finished his call with airport service in time to catch MA's question. He blinked at the handgun but decided it wouldn't be a problem.

"Normally, airport security on a passenger plane would bar you from taking guns onboard," Germany said. "But considering you're also packing a paintball sniper, I just called to switch you out of your original passenger plane. You'll be taking one of my private jets - I figured that would be a more comfortable departure for you two anyway. It's parked on the far side of the airport. I did tell them that we'd be there at the same time as before, so we'd better hurry."

M

MA and Mandara nodded and they all headed for the jet, with the brothers thanking everyone for the amazing time they've had in Berlin along the way.

"And don't forget you are all welcome to visit us anytime you like," Mandara said, "just make sure to tell us before hand so when you do come we can make sure Flurry and Tank don't tackle you."

MA chuckled at the mention of their dogs, "That would be funny though, seeing everyone get ambushed by the fluff balls."

Mandara smiled at the image, "and again, thank you all so much for this wonderful adventure, I never would have guessed that a simple trade deal could have led to everything that happened."

L

"Neither could we," Wehrmacht said. Germany turned away briefly at that.

"Dad, when can we get dogs?" Iremacht asked. "If we visit Mandara and MA, we can bring puppies to distract Flurry and Tank."

"That's clever but nein," said his father. "You already have Ireland's bulls to take care of."

"Can we bring the bulls to Mandara and MA's house then?" Iremacht asked eagerly.

The jet emerged ahead of them, a sleek white plane slightly smaller than a passenger plane. It had a long horizontal stripe around it with the colors of Germany's flag.

M

"Absolutely not" Mandara said, "Flurry and Tank may be as big as bulls, but there is no way in hell we are letting them near one.  Not to mention our house is slightly smaller than Wehrmacht's and in the middle of the neighborhood, if your going to bring anything it has to be smaller than a golden retriever, no exceptions."

MA chuckled at telling Iremacht off, he then nudged playfully, "I think you would be a great dad Trigger."

Mandara looked at him with confusion, but smiled and nudged him back.

L

Several humans came forward to tow the luggage onto the jet. A set of airstairs was positioned at the jet's door. Wehrmacht, Iremacht, Germany, and Bundeswehr stood at the bottom of the steps as the looming farewell drew nearer. All four were feeling some semblance of regret: Wehrmacht for the departure of new friends, Iremacht for the end of this adventure, Germany for not being the most enjoyable host, and Bundeswehr for bidding goodbye to some formidable allies and mentors.

Wehrmacht placed his hand on Iremacht's shoulder and said to the Mandarians, "Who knows. Iremacht might really get his new partner-in-crime." He added after a pause, "Have you thought of a name? If you ever..."

M

Mandara eye's widened at the sudden change of topic, he turned to MA for help but his brother looked interested as well, so with a small sigh/chuckle Mandara answered, "Poldara, I haven't brought up the topic of kids yet with Poland since we aren't even married yet, but I like Poldara."

MA gave him a smile and patted him on the shoulder, then turned back to the Germans.  "Well, I guess this is goodbye." he said that with slight remorse in his voice, and Mandara too lowered his wings, the brothers were definitely going to miss everyone.

L

"Ja," Wehrmacht murmured. "We'll keep in touch."

"I'm gonna miss you guys," Iremacht sniffed and his father rubbed his shoulder in reassurance. "Thanks for shooting with me. I'll beat you next time, that's a promise!"

Bundeswehr chuckled and saluted the Mandarians. "Farewell," he said. "And danke."

Germany was the last to step forward. He held out his hand for each of the Mandarians to shake and said, "To long-lasting trade."

M

Mandara and MA shook his hand."And to long-lasting friendships." Mandara said with MA nodded in agreement.

The brothers said their goodbyes, with Mandara shaking hands and MA saluting his fellow militant entities.

Then Mandara got to Iremacht, "I'm gonna miss you too Iremacht, you have definitely taught Thunder and I a lot while we were here and we will both be grateful.  Thunder told me that he gifted you his eyepatch, so I think I should too." Mandara then plucked a feather from his wing, "Here, I know it's not much, but for winged countries when someone gifts someone one of their feathers, it is one of the greatest symbols of trust and friendship you can give someone.  So with this feather, I hereby deem you a trusted ally and a dear friend."

L

Iremacht was speechless as he took the feather. It was long and glossy, the most delicate and soft, yet strong and sturdy object he'd held. Iremacht was even more elated at the trust Mandara was bestowing upon him. He jumped forward, wrapping his arms around Mandara's waist in a vice-like hug.

"Thank you!" he said. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Easy there, Machty," said Wehrmacht. "This won't be the last time we see each other. Don't kill him with your hug before we get to meet again."

M

Mandara was slightly startled by the surprise hug, but he hugged back all the same, wrapping his wings around the teen for a deeper embrace.  Once the two we're done hugging, MA and Mandara headed up the stairs to the jet door, they stopped at the top to wave one last time at their friends, and entered the jet to start their journey home.

FIN