Restless Spirits

by Maverick Huntress

Chapters

Infiltration (Revised)
Confrontation
Interrogation
Relaxation
Detonation

Infiltration (Revised)

Infiltration

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA.

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

SECTOR SEVEN, OUTER CANTERLOT CASTLE WALLS

12:36 AM

A lone figure sit crouched up on the rooftop, the glow of his thermal scope illuminating the dark skies a lighter blue. In his crosshairs was his target: a lone airborne guard performing his rounds. He increases the magnification to times four, allowing him to spot the literal chink in his enemy's armor.

A single shot rang in the silent night, the projectile finding its mark. "Got ya."

The hidden sniper smiled as he saw the pegasus's wing cramp up, the sudden lack of propulsion causing him to fall to the ground at roughly ten miles an hour. The commando tracked his target's decent, a smirk appearing on his masked face as he saw the downed guard land in a bush with a dull thud. The bipedal scanned the area for any more potential targets but found none.

'Looks like lady luck is favoring me tonight. Lets hope it stays that way.'

The skies, now clear of clouds, allowed the lunar mass floating above him reflecting the Sun's rays onto his tinted sunglasses, created an effect that would disturb even the most battle-hardened guards. The figure, still perched up high on the roof top, looked down below and saw that all his targets were still down for the counts. They all wore the same armor, a deep purple with a crescent moon in the center of the chest piece along with a roman-style armor, though it seemed that some were tougher than others. Most of them had a lone dart sticking out of their necks or chest but some had more than a couple penetrating their skin and delivering their nasty payload.. Oddly enough, it seemed the ones without wings or horns were more resistant to the projectile's content rather the other way around.

The sharpshooter only know as 'Ghost' slung his ACR over his shoulder, careful to deactivate the scope and not to damage the expensive piece of equipment. He then pulled out a device that had saved him from what seemed like certain death on multiple occasion, though instead of escaping he was actually descending further into what was considered enemy territory. . He aimed the Grapple gun at the building directly across from the one he stood on, a high-pitched whine accompanying the cable as it sailed through the air before it impacted the designated wall and the one behind him.The tempered-steel claws dug into the stone structures, minuscule cracks appearing around them. With an experimental tug, he test the line and knew that it was secure and ready to use. The Task Force 141 agent pressed a button on the bottom side of the Grapple gun, causing two spring-loaded steel handles to pop out. He grabbed onto them and slowly walked over to the edge of the roof, gauging when to let go.

After a moment of concentration, he was able to guess when to release his grip on the only thing keeping him from falling to a bloody and pathetic death. "Alright, let's do this."

Ghost backed up as far as he could, taking a deep breath before bursting into a full-on sprint. He felt the winds tearing at his clothed face as he sped through the air, traversing roughly a dozen meters in less than ten seconds. The sharpshooter released his grip on the bars mere moments before the Grapple gun's base came into contact with the wall, performing a forward roll as he made contact with the ground. His eyes sweeped the area, his pistol already drawn and ready to fire on anything that had come to investigate. When he heard the distinct lack of thundering footsteps or CO barking orders, Ghost gave himself a moment to take a breath.

'Good, now it's time to get to work.'

The masked commando ceased his squatting after taking a deep breath, sheathing his pistol but leaving it ready to draw at a moment's notice. Ghost quickly sprinted across the courtyard, his footsteps muffled and quiet by the padding on his boots.. The sharpshooter occasionally ducked behind one of the many tree posts decorating the area, scanning the area up ahead before continuing his advance. He looked at his mini-map and checked his position, along with the target's.

Twenty meters.

The Task Force 141 felt his pulse quicken as he saw something fly overhead, his heartbeat sensor giving off a small beep as it flew in and out of range in less then a second.

Ten meters

The designated building was now in sight, visible even without his night-vision scope. The paint that looked it had been used to cover the barrens stone walls had long-ago peeled off, giving him the feeling that this wasn't a building high up 'Repair' list if the outside was anything to go by. He looked at it for a moment and back to some of the other buildings surrounding him, looking for an open window that could give anyone the opportunity to open fire on the sharpshooter but found none. He glanced down at his mini-map and it told him that he was mere meters away, no more than ten.

'Almost there!'

Ghost took cover underneath a nearby outcropping as yet another shadow flew overhead, though this one flew much slower and read nearly eighteen feet northeast. Out of caution he drew his silenced M9, which was also equipped with the same type of ammunition as his ACR.

'Looks like this is gonna get messy...'

His heartbeat sensor's beeping became more rapid as the red dot came closer to his position, causing him to raise his silenced M9. The red blip on the screen halted mere feet from him, the round shape failing to give him information on its direction and height unknown. Moments passed and no moment was seen from the circle, causing the tense soldier to let go of a breath he didn't know he had held hostage.

"Probably just a gl-"

"HALT, CRIMINAL SCUM!" A loud, and strangely female, voice called out in the night. The trained marksmen immediately raised his pistol, aiming towards the source of the voice only for the weapon to fly out of his grip. The surprised soldier tracked the limb that had knocked his trusty M9 out of his hands and was met with a pair of reared hooves aimed well below his face.

"I'll be buggered." Was all Ghost managed to get out before he felt his lungs collapse, the breath knocked out of them by a force equal to a small car ramming him at full speed. The blow sent him flying into the brick wall behind him, a sickening sound filling the air as his body bounced off of it. The marksmen swore mentally as he noticed the familiar copper taste of blood coat his tongue, telling him that he wasn't likely to survivie another direct hit like that. The injured soldier tried to move forward but his body once again made contact with the wall, a dark limb pinning him to it.

"Well well well, what do we have here? Some mutt sneaking around the castle grounds, trying to steal from the Royal Treasury? Or perhaps you're an assassin, sent here to poison the Princesses's food. I doubt its the latter but either way, you're a fool for thinking you could get away with it."

Ghost said silent, taking the rare moment of opportunity to get a better grasp of what exactly stood before him. She, as that was clearly her gender judging from her voice, looking very similar to the miniature horses he had seen all over the country though there were quite a few differences that set them apart. Instead of having feathered wings and normal pupils, she had leathery wings and reptile-like eyes which shone like the sun and burned through him with the same intensity. What also caught his attention was that her armor was also a darker purple than he had the other Guards' armor and the helmet she wore was more like a samurai's rather than a roman soldier's. An eye-catching bright-blue eyeball was present at the center of her armor (slitted of course), while a crescent moon was mounted on the front of her headgear.

'Different species, different armor. Perhaps special forces...?'

Ghost grinned slightly at this last thought, his mind conjuring a small team of the blasted horses dressed up in modern combat gear and armed to the teeth with weapons. However, this action caused him to cough heavily again, the taste of copper once again alerting his taste buds that this was no time to make up silly image in his head. Ghost stared at the strange bat-horse thing for a moment, his sunglasses giving him the advance of analyzing her gear without alerting her. He chuckled lightly upon noticing that she was completely unarmed, which in turn disturbed the female pinning him.

"W-why are you chuckling?"

"Because I have the upper hand in this situation." He replied, his cold and calculating tone sending visible shivers through his would-be captor.

"What!? No you d-" The strangely draconic horse-thing started to speak but was cut off as Ghost hooked his left hand around the dragon-pegasus's limb, gripping the knight-samurai's face simultaneously with his right and redirected them both into the wall on his left. The marksmen heard a satisfying crack as the armor made contact with the wall as he brought his elbow up for a blow to the head. The strike connected with the back of her head and caused her snout to slam into the bricks, blood streaming out of it as her entire body came into contact with the floor.

"Bit more blood then I'd like but it'll do." Ghost said to himself aloud as walked over to his pistol (which had landed a few feet away from where the fight had taken place), picking it up and examining it for damage. When none was found he checked the clip and fired, a dull thump was the only audible sound in the area that was heard as the projectile soared out of the silenced weapon and right into her unarmored neck. After that he just stood there for a moment, his gaze unwavering from the unconscious (and now sleeping) sleeping form of the combatant.

The british commando felt a memory rise to the front of his mind, one that had been buried long ago. Ghost felt the heat of the roaring flames lick his face as he raced towards a crashed Black Hawk, a lone body visible in the bright colors of yellow and red. It reaches out for him, a lone hand extended and begging for help but he watches in horror as the chopper burst into flames. He screams, but no sounds comes out the fuel tanks follow suit. The hand, along with its owner, is incinerated in the explosion, leaving nothing left. The Brit shouts that they're still hope for her. That they can still save Kat, but they don't listen.

The marksmen shook his head, ridding himself of the haunting memories. He looked down again at the limp body, sprawled out like a corpse.

"Never again."

Ghost went over to where the unconscious guard was and picked her up, grunting a bit as he struggled to moved the body into a storage closet that he had been to busy to notice during the fight. The british commando propped her against the wall, taking a hand-full of clothes from a nearby shelf and went to work stopping the bleed and removing the dried blood. Ghost removed her helmet and let out a sigh when he saw that the wound was not serious. He did his best to bandage her up, cleaning the wounds the best he could before resuming his mission.

"I may be a soldier, but I'm not a heartless one."

Ghost shut the door but stopped before it clicked, his gaze still locked on the unconscious form of the strange creature he had met moments before. The british commando shook his head before he continued making his way over to the designated building, his prize located inside.. In front of him was a tall set of double doors, roughly half a meter taller than him. Holding them shut was a shiny, steel lock that looked like it had been recently replaced. His little fight had caused more noise that he liked and wanted to make this quick in case more guards were on their way.

Ghost undid one of the latches keeping his pockets shut and took out a blob of moldable plastic explosives before stuffing it into the lock's key hole, placing it in an optimal spot. The commando fished around one of his other pocket before he was able to find what he was looking for.Taking a stick out of one of his pockets, he plunged it into the shaped explosive and heard his transmitter give off a signal indicating it was already receiving the signal. He quickly ran for cover behind one of the rose bushes in the courtyard, confirming his decision to detonate the explosives via verbal command. Less then a second later the commando heard the sound of twisted metal flying through the air and the smell of smoke, the explosion having blown the lock clean off yet the doors remained undamaged.

Ghost made his way over to the doors, pulling on the handles as hard as he could. Despite the new lock, it seemed that the building was not all that important as the door themselves were poorly taken care of and the hinges were rusty. It took him roughly thirty seconds of pulling to get just one of them open half way, with the other was still stuck in its closed position. He slipped inside, his clothing snagging a bit on the rough edge of the door but became unstuck with a single twist of his torso. The inside of the building was dark, the filthy windows blocking out most of the light. Ghost brought up his ACR and activated its night vision capabilities.

As the commando went farther into the building, familiar scent filled the commando's nose. It was the smell of cooked flesh, (preferably of the pig and cow kind), something he hadn't had in months due to the inhabitants of 'Equestria' being largely herbivores. The building, from what he had heard, was an old army one dating back to when the equine nation had employed carnivores in its ranks. It had been built especially to cater to their meat-eating needs and was, in fact, a mess hall. All around him where sets of armor and weapons hung against the wall, obviously trophies from past victories. One shield looked like it was composed of lizard, or perhaps dragon, scales. He considered snatching one of those later when something caught his eye. It was something that appeared to glow, not from the light but it appeared to actually be glowing. Sure enough, when Ghost activated the thermal feature of his scope on his ACR, it shone brighter than anything he had seen before.

Even brighter than the heart of a missile explosion. Ghost thought to himself as he removed the scope from his eye and read the plaque above the case, its name displayed in clear English.

DAWNBREAKER- USED TO SLAY THE DARK SORCERER THALGOR IN THE BATTLE OF NEIGH HAVEN

Dawnbreaker eh? Interesting....

Ghost checked the case for anything that looked like it could set off an alarm, and seeing none, opened the case. The commando carefully grabbed the hilt of the blade, expecting to feel a burning sensation but was surprised when he only felt a mild warmness spread throughout his hands. He swung it a few time, the blade cutting through the air like butter and felt lighter than a carbon-fiber pistol. The marksmen turned sword-carrier performed a few moves with the Dawn Breaker, accidentally slicing one of the tables in half and setting it on fire.

"Bollocks." Ghost quickly put the weapon back in its display case and ran into the kitchen, looking for anything that could be used to put out the flames. He spotted a large towel and dosed it in water from one of the sinks before running back over to the burning table and covering the flames with it. After a while the fire eventually died out, its oxygen supply depleted. When the british commando removed the towel, he used the towel to dissipate the cloud of smoke that was all that remained of the burnt table. He looked down at where the fire had been been and saw that there was a gaping circle in the wooden table.

"Man, talk about choosing between crispy and extra crunchy. I'm lucky I didn't get burned."

The marksmen, learning from his past mistake, looked around for a scabbard to put Dawnbreaker in. He noticed one already in use by one of the many sword decorating the wall and pull it off, revealing a dull ball beneath it.

"Would ya look at that: fakes. Should've known guessing by the quality of some theses things. Luckily I picked a good one."

Ghost went over to the open case and carefully grabbed the blade, taking his time to slide the blade into its new home. Again, he was surprised when he saw that it didn't burst into flames. Ghost undid his belt and slid the scabbard onto it, his leg feeling a bit warmer than usual due to the nature of the blade. Checking around for the shield he had seen earlier, the commando saw that it too had its' own plaque.

IRONHIDE- CRAFTED BY BLACK SMITH AND USED IN THE RECLAMATION OF GRYFFINDOR.

"Wicked, but I'm noticing a play on words here. CANTERLOT-horses, Gryffindor-Griffins.. What's next? Draconia?" The shield-bearing soldier rolled his eyes at the thought, walking over to where the kitchen was. He rubbed his hands together and pushed the door open.

The room was filled to the brim with meat of every shape and size. Massive legs hung from twine on wracks like Christmas decorations, waiting to be taken off and to never be seen again. Steaks of every type were neatly organized by size and how well it was cooked. Ghost made his way over to the steaks and unwrapped a medium rare one, taking notice of how the wrapper had an odd glow to it which eventually faded. He grabbed a nearby knife and fork (but not before cleaning them off with his slightly-less-then-dirty undershirt) and hungrily devoured the finely-prepare meat with great joy and pleasure. The wrappers must have some sort of preservative in them because the meat tasted like it had just been cooked, the warm juices filling his mouth with rich flavor. It was a huge step from what he had been eating since his rations had been exhausted a few weeks ago, reducing him to eating meager meals made up of whatever he could find.

Confrontation

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

THE ROYAL COURT

1:08 AM

Luna watched as the grey unicorn disappeared she had been talking to left the courtroom, the dispute about what to do about his house (which had been unfortunately crushed by a piece of the inner wall) now settled. It had been a simple matter but one more in the long line of issues she had to deal with alone while her sister got her well-deserved rest.

"If justice is not brought, then it cannot be given to those who need it." Celestia once said, quoting a somewhat famous author.

The blue mare could not remember the name, nor did her sister, but she kept telling herself the same thing every time the young alicorn grew tired of the political position. However, it seemed that there was more justice to be given as the doors that led to the Royal Court swung wide open once more; though it was naught a mere citizen but one of the Night Guards. From what Princess Luna could see he was ran far and ran fast to arrive as quickly as possible; his silver coat and rusty hair slick with sweat. The light blue gem embedded in his chestplate marked him as a Lieutenant.

"My Princess," He huffed, still catching his breath, "one of the alarms have gone off in the Pre-Discord buildings."

"Really? Which one?"

"The Carnivore's Mess Hall, if the information is correct."

"Well isn't that... interesting. What would be of value in such a building?"

"I-" The Guard lifted a hoof and the lunar Princess nodded, giving him time to get some air. After a few moments he resumed speaking. "-don't know but I can only assume it is a well-armed thief seeking to add a rather dangerous prize to his collection."

"Why is that?"

"Princess Celestia had all the locks replaced on the Pre-Discord buildings after finding an item of a rather disturbing nature in an old shed located in the Royal Gardens. Each lock is made of reinforced steel and then enchant will a series of spells that make nigh-impossible to crush or break even when under the greatest of strain. We fear that there are artifacts still hidden in the old buildings, relics of a war-torn time that may cause damage once more."

Luna stroked her figurative beard with her hoof as she thought over this carefully. "Then we must hurry, for every second spent is one we cannot retrieve. Gather a platoon of Night Guards and ready your equipment Real Steel."

The humble earth pony blinked a few times before he managed to form a comprehendable a response. "What for, your Majesty? I have not seen combat for years, I will be of no help."

"If your theory is correct, then we must prepare for the worst. Go down to the Armory and ask for a suit. If they ask why, say that the Dragons have sailed."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA.

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

OUTSIDE THE CARNIVORE'S MESS HALL

1:32 AM

Princess Luna stood in front of the Carnivore's Mess Hall, a platoon of Night Guards standing behind her. Three groups composed said platoon, each one representing the three types of ponies. They were not the most experienced, but they have dealt with dangerous situations like this before. The young alicorn noticed that Real Steel stood steadfast and stoic, awaiting orders while the others shuffled their hooves absently.

"Are you prepared to face whatever may lay inside Real Steel?"

"Yes Ma'am, I mean Princess."

The Mare that had used to live in the Moon smiled and chuckled lightly, which in turn caused Steel to let out a breath that they both hadn't known he had held hostage. The Lunar Alicorn then raised a hoof and gave the signal to advance. Four combat mages, who held an enchanted stone battering ram in their grasp, made their way over to the large doors.

"HEAVE!"

THUNK

"HEAVE!"

THUNK

"HEAVE!"

THUNK

"HEAVE!"

THUNK

"HEAVE!"

BOOM!

As Luna struggled to stand up after getting knocked down by a massive wave of energy generated by Celestia-knows-what, she found that her ears were ringing, her vision blurry and her hooves heavy. 'I feel if as if the mages struck me instead of the door.' She thought to herself as Celestia's sister shook her head, trying to recover from whatever just happened. She scanned the area and saw that her troops were scattered everywhere, with some receiving minor wounds thanks to their armor while others received injuries much greater. The blue alicorn looked towards where the explosion that had caused the shockwave had originated, and much to her surprise she saw that the doors barring entrance to the Carnivore's mess hall were no longer on their hinges. She searched around for them, but was unable to find the doors. What Luna did find, however, was half a dozen pieces of twisted metal, torn to shreds by a tremendous force. The alicorn cringed when she saw that one her Guards, Blockade Runner, had been trapped under one of the said pieces. Luna's horn glowed a shade of blue lighter than her coat, her magic focused on lifting the twisted door high enough for the trapped mare to escape.

'Thief my plot! That caused by a high-grade explosive!' Luna thought furiously as she saw the crippled pegasus escorted away from the building. "Squad leaders, report!"

"Minor casualties, but all pegasai (minus one) are ready to rumble!"

"Need a medic over here, but nothing too serious. Shielding spells prevented anything more grievous than a fracture. Nine, no wait, eight unicorns at your disposal." The commanding unicorn made a sweeping motion with her hoof, giving the order to fan out and search for the missing mage.

"Thirteen Earth ponies accounted for and ready for duty Princess."

'Counting myself, that makes forty total... So where's Real Steel?' Luna searched the area, try to spot the experienced soldier. She saw the top of his helmet peeking out from behind one of the piece of the shattered door, dragging out an unconscious unicorn. She assisted by wrapping the Night Guard in her magical grasp, relieving him of the burden of carrying her and placed her gently before the field medics who immediately began treating her wounds.

"Lt. Real Steel, front and Center!"

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" The Lieutenant immediately made his way over to Princess Luna, saluting her. "Ready for duty Ma'am!"

"Good. Squad leader Gleaming Shield, what does the investigation of the doors reveal?"

A mare with a midnight purple coat and a silver mane teleported in front of Princess Luna, saluting her before speaking. Dust and grime covered much of her face, her stripped-down armor bearing dents and nicks. "Dragon-grade explosives Ma'am, something extremely expensive and harder to get then a ticket to the Gala. Completely obliterated the doors."

"No magical residue?"

"None whatsoever Ma'am."

Luna thought this over for a second, the metaphorical gears in her head churning. "Any idea as to who would have access to these kind of things?"

"Dragons obviously, but it may be a diamond dog or a griffin with a score to settle."

"True, we have put quite a number of them away recently... As of now, this is an official military operation and will be dealt with as such. Scan the building for lifeforms and set up a perimeter, I want noting escape from this area."

"Ma'am yes Ma'am!" The unicorn disappeared in a flash of light before shortly reappearing a fair distance away, relaying commands to her group.

The Princess of the Night then called out for the other two group leaders, who both saluted upon arrival. The alicorn nodded and they lowered their hooves. "Squad leader Prime Meridian, you are to have your troops lead the charge while Storm Fury's provide back up. If assistance is required, then we shall assist them personally. Is that clear?

"Yes ma'am!" The two squad leaders quickly dispersed, repeating the same action Gleaming Shield had performed with those under her command.

"Good, now let's get this over with."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA.

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

INSIDE THE CARNIVORE'S MESS HALL

1:37 AM

The balaclava-wearing british commando known as Ghost looked down his scope, the night vision scope illuminating the room a lime-green colour. After the gun was checked and double checked he slid in a new magazine and primed the gun before the masked soldier slung it over his side. He inspected his beretta afterwards, the dark colour absorbing what little light penetrated the dusty windows. The british commando counted the shots left in the magazine, hand-reloading the missing bullets instead of putting in a new magazine. Call it a hunch but the british soldier felt that he wasn't going to have enough time to reload once he was in the middle of battle. Even if that was the case, Ghost felt confident that he could hold out on his own for a while armed with the flaming sword and scaly shield he had taken from the wall along with multitude of grenades and tactical equipment. Among them were a couple fragmentation grenades, a few blocks of C4, and some semtex grenades.

The man with the skull design on his balaclava raised his ACR over the make-shift barricade, the temporary barrier constructed out of shields and over-turned tables with both providing minimum him cover from whatever they may throw at him. 'Both figuritvely and literally' The british commando thought to himself, recalling that he had seen some of them carry spears along with other melee weapons. At first he expected nothing for the theft of the two (non-human) weapons he had absconded with but that all changed when he spotted a message in the kitchen while he was busy eating. It had appeared out of no-where, the faint smell of smoke accompanied its arrival and had caught his attention. On it was the following:

Alert- Two items have been taken without permission:

(1) Dawnbreaker

(1) Ironhide

Threat level: Highly dangerous, Royal Guards have been alerted. Please remain in the Kitchen until the situation is handled.

Response-

A platoon of Guards have been sent to deal with the situation. Please remain in the Kitchen until the situation is handled.

As such he had prepared, and now that he had done just that all he could do was wait. Seconds turned into minutes, which seemed to pass like snails. However, his patience was rewarded when the muffled sound of voices outside reached his ears.

[size=8]"Ma'am yes Ma'am!"[/size]

[size=8]"HEAVE!"[/size]

THUNK

[size=8]"HEAVE!"[/size]

THUNK

[size=8]"HEAVE!"[/size]

THUNK

[size=8]"HEAVE!"[/size]

THUNK

[size=8]"HEAVE!"[/size]

BOOM!

Ghost cringed a bit a the rods connecting the bouncing betties to the C4 were dislodged by the vibrations caused by whatever they had used to attempt to break down the doors, the explosion which had resulted being strong enough to blow apart a tank. It had taken a while to modify the charges with parts taken from the bouncing bettys he had with him but the crafty commando had managed to make it work. Through the smoke and rubble, the Ghost was able to spot roughly a few dozen shapes in plain sight though there was one that really caught his attention. It was twice the size of the others had appeared to massive wings, not to mention a elongated...

Horn? They come with wings and horns? Jeez, this is sounding more and more like a bad mythology book now. First there were miniature horses, pegases (pegasi?), unicorns, demon pegasi, and now pegasi with horns. Great, all I need now is Harry Potter to come save my ass and I can go home.

Ghost watched the giant unicorn-pegasus (A pegacorn?) speak to a lone pegasi and miniature horse before he saw them salute and run out of sight. Then next thing he heard was the words "MA'AM YES MA'AM!" and the ground rumbling as the enemy rushed forward to meet him.

"Alright wankas, bring it on."

Princess Luna watched from a distance as roughly two-thirds of the platoon stormed the building, with Real Steel leading the charge as Prime Meridian's squad and Storm Fury's following suit.

'They might be inexperienced, but with Real Steel to lead them they should be able to overcome whoever and whatever lies inside. Though I can only hope that whoever is inside complies when the see the sheer number of Guards they will be face or else this might get messy.' Luna hoped as she watched the last of her troops enter the building. The Mess Hall was large enough to fit roughly sixty stallions, or twenty-seven griffins and five dragons in carnivorous measurement. When the sounds of battle failed to fill the air, the blue alicorn assumed that the 'battle' was over but then a flash of light filled the building and completely illuminated the archway.

Then the screaming started.

Real Steel was the first to enter the building, his armor plates clanking together as he rushed to face the enemy. The experienced Guard had expected maybe a small group of griffins or even a couple of dragons, but all he saw was a strange creature sitting on top of an overturned table smoking a cigarette. Never the less, he did as all Guards are trained to do: Hope that the offender surrenders.

"Freeze! You are under arrest for committing crimes against the Princesses and their people! What do you say in your defense?"

The strange being flicked away the cigarette, a devilish grin barely detectable on his face in the darkness as he pulled down what could only be a mask before gesturing upward.

"Wha-" Real Steel felt his pupils reduce to pinpricks as a blinding light filled his vision.

Ghost turned away as the flashbang went off, blinding everyone in the room but him. The commando quickly pulled out his M9 and shot off a few rounds, each one finding itself implanted in the unguarded hoof of the Guards or their necks. Ghost estimated he had a few more seconds before the first of them recovered and came charging at him. He fell back behind the barrier and flicked off the safety of ACR.

"Eat lead, ya bloody ponies!"

The CHNK CHNK CHNK CHNK CHKNK of his ACR firing filled with the Mess Hall with an ear-grinding noise as he unloaded the magazine into the crowd of armored ponies. Some immediately fainted, some groggily dove for cover while others ended up tripping over each other as they attempted to escape from Ghost's hail of bullets. Seconds later Ghost heard the sound all (gun-wielding) soldiers fear when in the midst of combat: the tell-tale click click of an empty magazine. He quickly reloaded, estimating that he had probably taken out half of them but the two seconds of silence was all it took for the assaulting soldiers to regain their composure.

"ATTACK!"

The defending commando raised his his assault rifle once more to fire but had to duck in order to dodge a kick aimed at his his head. Unfortunately, his ACR wasn't as lucky and went sailing through the air before landing out of sight.

'Shit, looks like this just got up close and personal.' Ghost drew his pistol and once again rose upward, taking down the same Guard who had knocked away his primary means of defense with a shot to the face. The stallion instantly went limp and the commando was able to get his body off the barrier as a bolt of lightning streaked past his head. 'Holy shit, was that lightning?'

Another flash of light filled the area, but this time it missed him entirely and was redirected at the apparently metal shield placed on the tables in front of him. "Bollocks." Ghost stood upward and immediately ducked when yet another bolt attempted to hit him, though this time he knew where to shoot. On his second attempt he was able to take out the pegasi armed with what looked like storm clouds, the unconscious bodies striking the clouds and any Guard unfortunate enough to be close to them.

And paved a path leading straight to the exit.

Ghost ducked behind cover once more and sheathed his pistol, trading it out for Ironhide who would be infinitely more useful now that his pistol was empty. The commando agility leaped over the barricade, which surprised a number of Guards who had been advancing towards him with spears and swords. He was able to bash any who managed to get close to him, dislodging one's sword and using it to block a strike directed at his legs. The escaping commando almost reached through when he was tackled from the side, the sword in his hand once again abandoned while his shield skidded across the room. 'Bollocks, not again!'

The masked soldier turned to face his opponent, a fully-armored guard with a blazing fire in his eyes. "You won't escape this time!"

The juggernaut rushed at him, but Ghost had expected this. Ghost fell on his back and retracted his legs, planted his feet firmly on the Juggernaut's chest, and then pushed. The Juggernaut's momentum sent him hurtling into the wall, gasps of surprise escaped from the guards around him. The skeleton-faced human pulled out his sword which burned with the intensity of the sun and the fury of its wielder, ready to cut down all who opposed him. "Bring it."

The remaining soldiers looked at their fallen leader, back at Ghost, and then back at their leader. Ghost saw that they all had fear in their eyes, terrified of the being that stood before them. Some nervously shuffled their feet, waiting for someone else to make the first move. That was when Ghost noticed movement from the corner of his eye.

"AAAAARG-" SLINK! The Guard's spear was yanked of out his grasp and embedded itself in the rafters above, its owner now left defenseless with a burning sword at his throat.

"Nice try, but next time: don't shout." Ghost didn't give the baffled soldier enough time to respond as he delivered a swift round-house kick to his head, a few teeth flying out of the Guard's mouth as he skidded across the wooden floor.

Ghost waited for the rest to follow suit, but instead he heard something vastly different from what he was expecting.

"Everypony fall back." Ghost looked around to see who had given the order and saw it was the Juggernaut from before, blood dripping from his mouth and moving with a slight limp.

The troops looked shocked, at either their leader still being alive or the order he was giving.

"I said retreat!"

The soldiers did as he said, dragging along with them the bodies of the fallen. It took a while but eventually the room was occupied only by Ghost and the fully-armored stallion.

"Who -and what- are you?" Grunted the equine, a look of anger in his eyes.

"Your worst nightmare." Ghost lunged forward, his blade slicing through a table as the Juggernaut dodged the move before bringing out his own blade. It looked barely bigger then a knife but then his eyes widened as the dagger soon transformed into a sword as long as his. Bloody 'ell, it's bigger on the inside.'

"I highly doubt that.." The juggernaut ran straight toward the commando, who barely managed to parry with his blade after he removed it from the blazing table.

Ghost blocked another strike and made a cheap move, feigning a blow to the head and instead striking his neck-plates with a looping movement. The blade began to melt the plates and Ghost heard the equine yelp in pain before Ghost slid the blade out.

The armored stallion attempted to return the move but the melted neck-plates prevented him from doing so. Instead, it was more of a lop-sided swipe then a decapitation of the commando's leg which easily dodged it.

Ghost replied with a flurry of blows, each one leaving a scorch mark on the Juggernaut's armor. "You're good with a sword for somepony who managed to take out half a platoon from a distance."

"And you're good for someone whose ribs are probably cracked a broken in a dozen placed."

"Touché"

The juggernaut rushed forward, his blade angled for a sweeper. Ghost jumped backwards, dodging the blade before bringing down his. Spark flew as steel ground against steel, the light generated by the commando's sword coloring their faces a crimson red. Despite the juggernaut being half his size, he still managed to make up for it in sheer strength. Ghost knew he was only lasting this long due to his position. He felt the floorboards beneath his feet move as the juggernaut poured even more strength into bringing him down, his armor shimmering a light green color. 'Bingo.'

Ghost suddenly retracted his sword, causing the juggernaut to fall forward and stab his blade into the ground. While the heavily-armored equine struggled to retrieve his blade, the commando reached into his pocket and pulled out a Semtex.

"Try this on for size." Ghost calmly said as he lobbed the round blob of C4 at the stallion, who panicked and futilely tried to to pry off the dangerous explosive before it detonated. The commando barely managed to dive behind a table one of the Guard overturned before the grenade exploded, a thunderous boom alerting him that the explosive had successfully gone off. Ghost waited a few moments, peering over his only line of defense and saw that the room was empty. "

Ghost went over to the counter and searched around for his assault rifle, finding it miraculously undamaged in a trashcan near the rear exit. He gleaned off the gunk that had attached to it with a rag and before long he was once again left with a clean ACR. He slung the weapon over his back and place Dawn Breaker in his scabbard, the blade glowing not as intensely as it was before. Ironhide had been knocked a good distance during the fight and the commando found it lodged between an over-turned table and the wall. It took quite a bit of effort to dislodge it but when Ghost took a look he saw that there wasn't scratch on it. 'Alright, Ironhide-1 miniature horses-0.'

The commando slid the shield onto his left arm and made his way out, a wild grin on his face.

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA.

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

OUTSIDE THE CARNIVORE'S MESS HALL

1:45 AM

Princess Luna eagerly awaited the return of Real Steel, dragging along with him the defeat intruder. The troops that had come out minutes before told her that it was be a difficult fight even for him, but she had faith in the the Lieutenant. Unfortunately, when the Princess of the Night saw yet another ball of light, this time followed by an "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH", she knew that Real Steel had not been victor as he was currently hurtling towards her. The alicorn quickly teleported out of Steel's path, while her Squad leaders were not as fortunate. Storm Fury was the first to be hit, followed up by Prime Meridian who did not have the wisdom nor the reflexes to dodge the equine cannonball. The trio of ponies finally stopped after hitting a bush, their limbs tangled up in its branches.

With an annoyed sigh, Luna made her way over to her squad leaders and pulled them out. Both of them had a few cuts and bruises but none more so than Real Steel, who looked like he had been through Tartarus and back.

"By Star Swirl's beard, what happened to you Lt. Steel?"

The normally spotless armor was covered in plenty of both scorch marks and shallow gorges, no doubt made by the ancient weapons known and Dawnbreaker. However, what could've made a dent the size of her hoof in the enchanted metal was beyond her. The back was also dented, though not as badly as the chest piece. Considering that the armor he wore was the strongest they had, it sent a shiver down Luna's spine when she just how beat up Real Steel was beneath his armor. Countless bruises were present, and judging by the way he was having trouble breathing it was more then just a couple of scratches.

"He, it, whatever it was," Real Steel began before he coughed wildly, specks of blood now present on the ground. "managed to get an explosive on me. I didn't have time to get it off."

Luna's eyes went wide upon hearing what happened. "And before that?"

"We engaged in one-on-one combat with melee weapons Ma'am."

"Really? And he accepted?"

"Indeed he did."

"I see....." Luna stored this in her brain for later. "Where there any others?"

"Negative your majesty, he was the only one."

The blue alicorn furrowed her brows at hearing this last part, obviously dismayed at this. "So the scans weren't lying.... Stay here, I'll go fetch you a medic." Luna teleported away, reappearing a mere hoof-length away from the field medics who were currently treating those who managed to stay conscious and redirect the most experienced towards the Lieutenant. She herself was about to ask for an inspection as she wasn't feeling too well but then she spotted something in the corner of her rather large eye moving away from the Mess Hall.

And it definitely wasn't equine.

"Oh no you don't!" Luna's horn glowed once more with shade lighter than her coat, a teleportation spell ready to bring her up close and personal with the thing that took out her Night Guards. And with a flash of light, she was gone.

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA.

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

OUTSIDE THE CARNIVORE'S MESS HALL

1:48 AM

Ghost breathing was heavy as he scrambled to get away from the Mess Hall, his left hand clutched tightly around his rib cage. He had suffered much more than he initially thought, with his back feeling like a military lorry transporting a dozen tanks had driven over it. 'Damn miniature horses, who knew they could buck so hard?' The commando thought as he limped towards a nearby wall, grunting as his body slid down the rough surface of the bricks when he eventually reached it. Now that the thrill of battle and the adrenaline that came with it was gone Ghost knew he couldn't get far in his current state, much less fend off another charge, leaving the soldier effectively stranded in enemy territory

'At least those Guards posted near the back didn't put of much of a fight.' The commando told himself as he prepared a cigarette, his mask lifted so he could enjoy the life-threatening treat. He'd recover, he always did, but he didn't know how long it would take without a medic.

No more than a minute had passed when a flash of light filled his vision, causing him to reflexively cover his already-protected eyes. When he lowered his arm in the place of the empty space before him was the same dark blue horse from before. And man did she look pissed.

"Oh shit!" Ghost got up as quickly as he could, letting out a grunt as he got up and drew his pistol, aiming at the face of the not-so-miniature horse.

"It would be most wise of you if you were to get that out of my face. I can tell you're already in no shape to fight me." The horned pegasi used her hoof to point the beretta away from her downward, which resulted in Ghost centering the sights back on the blue horse's face.

"I'm giving you to the count of three to leave. If not, I'm going to shoot you in the face."

Much to the british soldier's surprise, the mare in front of him laughed at his threat. "Ha! Like that tiny thing could hurt me. It doesn't even have a blade!"

Ghost flicked off the safety. "How do you think I took out all those soldiers?"

Her light blue eyes dilated as she noticed the deadly potency of the weapon pointed directly at her.

"One."

"Two."

"Thr-" Ghost never finished counting, nor did he see the cold stones of the courtyard rise up to greet him as throbbing pain filled his head.

Interrogation

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

CANTERLOTIAN MAX SECURITY PRISON

2:17 AM

Ghost let out a grunt of pain as the two Guards shoved the wounded soldier into his cell, the door sliding shut with an ear-grinding screech. "Sleep tight, you have a tough day ahead of you. Princess Luna doesn't take threats to kindly."

"Neither do I. So fuck off before you two end up in a body-bag and a hole through your foreheads."

The Guards caught the malice in his voice and exited his field of vision with great haste. The British soldier smiled weakly, knowing that even in a jail cell he could inspire fear. He sluggishly made his way over to the cot placed by the wall, gripping his stomach as he sat down.

'Damn horses... I think I broke a rib or two. At least I have somewhere decent to stay, better then sleeping in piles of hay or trash. Not to mention free food if these wankers are anything to go by.'

Ghost looked around and saw that creatures of all different shapes and sizes filled the cells around him, all wearing the same annoyed expression that they had after being caught and imprisoned. A jewel-hunting Diamond Dog attempted to dig out of his cell for what appeared to be the thirtieth time, judging from the scratch marks decorating the floor as a juvenile dragon tried to remove the bars holding him captive. What surprised the commando the most, however, was the sight of colorful horses with shackles placed on their additional limbs. The unicorns had some sort of steel cone covering their pointy appendage as the pegasi had unconformable-looking clamps on their wings, each type prohibiting the use of their bonus abilities. One of them, specifically an orange unicorn, attempted to break off the tip of his cone by banging it against the wall.

Repeatedly.

"You're going to end up with a headache and a broken horn at that rate kid. You'd need to grind away at the material instead of breaking it off."

The unicorn looked at the commando with an irritated expression, giving him a moment to view the strange image printed on his flank. It appeared to be a ball of fire, or something similar as he immediately went back to banging his horn against the wall.

"Hey jackass, I said stop that. You're going to give me a headache at this rate."

The orange-colored horse turned towards the trapped human, his mouth turned upward in a sneer. "You wanna run that by me again?"

Ghost got off the cot and walked to the front of his cell, turning his head to the right as to face him. "I said cut that out before you have one less appendage to worry about."

"You threatenin' me?"

The commando stood all the way up and cracked his knuckles along with his neck, each pop causing the stallion to wince. "No I'm promising you that if you don't stop I'll come over there and shove my boot so far up your ass you'll be tasting shit for weeks."

Ghost went back over to his cot and laid down, the hall now silent once more. He couldn't tell if his threat had silenced him or how he had worded it- either way he still got what he wanted. He pressed a button on his headset and closed his eyes, a familiar tune filling his eardrums as he fell asleep.

However, it seemed that a certain orange stallion had other plans in mind for the ex-Task Force 141 agent....

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

CANTERLOTIAN MAX SECURITY PRISON

8:43 AM

The British commando known as Ghost woke up to the teeth-grinding sound of his cell door being opened, a fresh pair of Guards waiting for him along with a pair of shackles "Get up, scum. You're been released for questioning."

The soldier rolled his eyes, although the action was lost on the two pure-white horses as he still had his sunglasses on. He stretched his muscles a bit before sitting up, causing the Guard's expression to change from blank to worry as they noticed just how big the human was. Much to their surprise, he held out his wrists for them to shackle.

"Take me to your leader." Judging by the confused looks plastered on the Guard's faces, they hadn't seen any alien movies with that line in it. 'Figures.' "Just get me out of here."

The Guards did just that, placing the shackles on him and a large maniacal around the commando's neck before linking them together with chains. As they traversed down the hall of the prison, Ghost looked at the cells and their inhabitants. A majority of them had looks of envy on their faces while the minority shrunk back into the farthest corner of their cell when they caught sight of him. A Diamond dog, Watt if he recalled his name correctly, was still struggling to get the toilet seat off his head from last night; his thick neck unwilling to let it go.

"See ya later Watt and remember: Getting stuck in a Maximum security prison jail is bad. Dying is bad. Pissing me off is even worse."

The commando could of sworn he’d heard the sound of a certain somebody releasing bodily fluids onto the floor as a white stallion walked into the room, though Ghost noticed that the armor he wore was different from the traditional kind. The plume's colours alternated between a dark blue and two lighter shades, instead of the default white and light grey. His armor was primarily a dark purple, with a lighter yellow trim instead of pure gold. He momentarily glanced at Ghost before looking at the Guards, though the commando could detect the anger he hid behind his calm composure.

"Is this the creature that took down half a platoon and threatened Princess Luna?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Take him to the Royal Interrogation room. The Princesses would like to have a word with him."

"Right away sir."

Ghost obediently followed the Guards out of the room and out of the building, which took much longer then he had expected as they must have walked half a mile before reaching the exit. The bright sun caused Ghost to blink rapidly even with his sunglasses on, forcing him to use his arm to shield his eyes. 'Was it always this bright? Or is someone just trying to blind me?'

Fortunately, Ghost didn't have to stay outside long as he was led to what he presumed to be the 'Royal Interrogation' building, where they met up with another pair of Guards.

"Here's the prisoner the Princesses asked for." The Guard holding the ending of his chain passed it to another, although this one held it at distance with his magic after noticing how it was covered in slobber. "Make sure he stays bound and whatever you do, don't let him out of your sight. I heard he was able to knock out Nightshade with a single blow."

Ghost's new companions nodded with understanding and led him inside as the commando made a note of what he just heard. 'Nightshade eh? First name I've heard that doesn't sound like it was made up by a child.'

The path they took was shorter than the one leading out of the Prison, though Ghost knew that there were countless security measures in place even if he couldn't see them. The soldier had witnessed the destructive capabilities of magic, and he wasn't sure if his body could take a direct hit. Eventually, he was led into a room with couch-chairs and a lone window, though it didn't show a view of the outside world it showed a steel table along with more two couch-chairs.

"Great, an interrogation. My favorite."

The Guard dragged Ghost inside the room, attaching the end of his chain to a spot on the table with a smug grin on his face before heading for the exit. "Questioning will begin shortly. Don't go anywhere."

'That little-' a thought crossed his mind, and a rather devious one at that. "I won't, but your head might. I'd watch you’re six if I were you. I have friends in very high places."

The stallion gulped audibly before slamming the door behind him, fleeing before Ghost managed to say anything else. The commando laid down in the surprisingly comfortable couch-chair, deciding to get some well-needed rest before his 'interrogation' with the Princesses. He reached for for the bottom-left pocket and felt nothing as he searched it, a single question crossing his mind before he laid down:

'Why are my cigarettes gone?'

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

CANTERLOT INTERROGATION BUILDING

9:53 AM

Princess Celestia sighed as yet another interrogator was reduced to banging his head on the wall, a sizable dent now visible. 'That's the fifth one today. At this rate we'll never get anything out of this strange creature whom, for whatever reason, broke into a mess-hall. At least we were able to recover the weapons....' Said interrogator then stormed out of the room, proclaiming that it was easier break a rock with a paper towel then getting him to talk.

The Sun Goddess looked towards the subject who was irritating her little ponies, who was now lounging comfortably on the seat he had been given. He had remained in this position for the last few hours; sometimes he even appeared to be sleeping! 'Either he's completely sure that he can get out of here clean or he's hiding something. Either way, I don't like it and neither does Luna. Let's hope he breaks before she does....'

Celestia heard the sound of hoof steps and turned her head to see a familiar grey pony.

"Good morning Princess, and might I say it is a lovely day today." The stallion strode over to where the Princess was sitting and joined her.

"Good morning Enforcer and thank you. And I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you."

"It was no issue, and it is my job. So I take it you're having trouble getting information out of whoever is inside that room?"

"Indeed. He is more stubborn then a Dragon and as clever as a Sphinx. He's managed to elude every question they've thrown at him and caused more than one of my little ponies to walk out of here tearing out their manes."

Celestia noticed that Enforcer had snorted upon hearing that little tidbit of information. "So I guess that's why I'm here right? Playing your hoof and revealing your Ace?"

"I'm afraid so. He has injured many and he must pay, but before he’s carted off to some far-off place we must learn his motives and who he works for. I would not like any more bloodshed."

"I can't believe I'm saying this but.... Wish me luck Princess."

"You're going to need it....."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

CANTERLOT INTERROGATION BUILDING

10:12 AM

The commando was currently relaxing the best he could with the restraints that had been placed on his wrists and neck. He had managed to scoot the couch-chair down a bit so that the chain wasn't tugging on him which allowed Ghost to put his hands behind his head. Music played softly as he waited for his next visitor.

♫Don't wanna be an American Idiot.... Don't want a nation that doubts the new media.♫

The sound of a door opening drew Ghost's attention, causing him to press a button on his sleeve and the music ceased playing; a small red light now blinking out of sight. The commando sat upward and turned to face the newcomer, planting his feet firmly on the ground. It was a grey stallion who had a strong build and dark hair that looked somewhere between black and brown. As he walked over to the couch-chair across from him he saw an image of two billy clubs crossover each other. The stallion took a seat, staring directly at him with hooves crossed.

"So you're the thing who took out half a platoon of Guards eh?"

"The one and only."

"Why'd you do it?"

"They were in my way."

"Would you have avoided conflict if possible?"

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"Probably."

Silence filled the room for a moment as the stallion pondered his next question.

"I'm going to ask you some more questions and I want you answer them honestly."

"I thought you guys had lie-detector spells or something."

"We do."

"So you want me to make this easier for the both of us then?"

"Yes. I have places I'd rather be then here, and so do you. Now let's get this over with." The grey horse cleared his throat before pulling out a list from seemingly nowhere. "Question number one: Why did you break into the Mess Hall?"

"I was hungry."

"Question two: Who are you working for?"

"Myself at this point."

"Question three: How many ponies have you killed?"

"None."

A look of mild confusion appeared on his interrogator's face but it quickly dissapeared.

"I'll ask again-How many ponies did you kill?"

"Same answer as last time: None."

Ghost noticed that he was getting visibly worked up, his left eye twitching. "They had no heartbeat! We couldn't feel their pulse!"

Ghost put up his hands as if to say 'chill' as he began explaining. "There was toxin in the darts, refined from the nectar of the rhododendron ponticum. It's quite infamous in the region of Durga bordering the Svelestrian Sea for its ability to induce an apparently mortal paralysis. Strong enough to deceive even the most skilled doctors. They'll wake up in-What time is it?"

"Uhhh ten twenty seven?"

"Yeah, in about an hour or so. Wait, you guys do the 'Wait twenty-four hours and then declare officially dead' thing right?"

"Yes. Now, can you tell me how you acquired it?"

"Sorry Gov, but that's Top Secret."

"You will tell me or else you won't be leaving this room."

"Who said anything about me leaving?"

The stallion before Ghost rubbed his hooves on his forehead, obviously stressed. He looked up at Ghost for a second and narrowed his eyes.

"What flag is on your shoulder?"

"My country's."

"And that would be...?"

"Classified."

"Is your name classified?"

"Yes."

"Is your rank?"

"Possibly."

"Are you going to give it to me?"

"Nope."

A familiar absence of sound once again filled the room, the grey horse sitting across from the commando holding his head in his hooves. Ghost smiled and went back to laying down, an invisible grin on his face. 'I might be trapped here, but I ain't giving these bloody horses a damn thing.'

The silence persisted for a while until it was eventually broken by a female voice. "Ask him if he would like something to eat."

Ghost shot upward and looked around for any signs of a speaker, but found none. He looked towards the stallion, who appeared hungry himself.

"Would you like something to eat?"

Ghost nodded. "A cup of tea and a sandwich if possible. Been a while since I ate something good."

"A sandwich?"

"Yeah, a sandwich. But not any of that horse crap- an actual sandwich. With lettuce, tomatoes, and all that jazz."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

ROYAL INTERROGATION ROOM VIEW AREA

10:41 AM

Princess Luna had come to see how the 'interview', as Tia liked to put it, was coming along. Her sister was sitting calmly,

gazing through the one-way window. The lunar Princess went over and joined her, taking a seat to her right.

"Any progress?"

"A bit. We found out that he used a toxin in the tranquilizer darts to mask their pulses."

"So... We can't exactly charge him for mass-murder?"

"Nope."

"Hmmmm...."

"You sound a bit disappointed."

"I don't like it that this... thing was able to waltz right past our guards, bust into one of our buildings, take out an entire platoon and walk away without a scratch on him."

"He has a name you know; or rather the local residents in the Canterlot Prison gave him one."

"Really? What is it?"

"Restless Spirit. I didn't get to hear the full story but I heard something involving a certain group of inmates and him being a 'Heartless Demon' if I quote one of them correctly."

Luna furrowed her brows. "A 'Heartless Demon? Is that meant to be literal or figurative? Surely if that were the case he would not be among the living. Speaking of which, did you ever find what group he belongs to?"

"We looked through the Archives looking for any information on what 'Spirit' he may be, but we have found nothing. The closest thing we can compare him to is a Minotaur and that doesn't do us any good besides giving us a general understanding of his body structure."

"Is it possible that we have discovered a new species?"

"Discovered? No. Uncovered a previously hidden species? Plausible. He wears clothing, which means his species isn't primitive. He speaks fluent Eurian, which means his species is well educated. His weapons are far beyond ours, built with materials we have never seen before. While we dragged him over here I tried to perform a few spells on him but found that his body resisted them, even managed to make a few backfire."

"Is he a threat?"

"He's extremely dangerous if that's what you mean, and from what you told me either very brave or very stupid if he had the guts to threaten you."

"He almost used that small thing with the long black barrel on me, but I knocked him out before he could."

"How so? His body was resistant to magic when I got to him."

"Perhaps it has something to do with his biology. Maybe It adapts to its environment to survive like many creatures out there, and seeing how I knocked him must've caused it to- " Luna stopped mid-sentence, something in her mind connecting. "Wait Tia, when did his body start reflecting the spells?"

"After my third or fourth one. Why?"

"I think we just made him immune to our spells."

"Sister, I think you may have been effected by him somehow because that is the craziest notion I have ever-" Luna grabbed her sister, trying to shake some sense into Tia.

"Think about it Tia! He was knocked out cold by my weakest spell, yet the next thing we know he's resisting yours to the point of making the spells backfire! The only species that have been known to be able to shrug off the simplest of magic are the Griffins, and we fought them for a very long time. If there are more of him, I and I bet there are, they could take over Equestria within hours! We need to do something about this immediately!"

The only species that have been known to be able to shrug off the simplest of magic are the Griffins, and we fought them for a very long time. He's a living weapon if his body is able to change like that!"

"If you're right, and by Star Swirl's beard I hope you aren't, then he and his race poses a bigger threat then then all the Dragon Kingdoms combined. However, the keyword in this situation is if there are more of them. It is likely that he is a straggler, either left behind or disconnected from his group. We should feel sorry for him if anything. A entire race with that kind of technology doesn't appear over night, and judging by the condition of his clothing he's been here for a while. All alone, struggling to survive. But if he were to become hostile and aware of his new abilities, it could indeed spell the end for us. I know the Real Steel managed to land a few blows, yet here he is walking around like nothing ever happened. And if he were to regain possession of that flaming sword we found on him...."

Luna didn't want Celly to finish that thought, the mere mention of the sight last night sent a shiver down her spine. Dawn Breaker's power was unmatched by any blade, able to slice through solid stone like it was water. However her thoughts were drawn to a certain white unicorn with a chef's hat propped up on his head walked past the two Princesses pushing a cart, knocking on the interrogation room's door.

"Excuse me Iron Chef, but what do you think you are doing?" Luna went over to the cart and saw there was a cup of coffee and some odd-looking sandwiches.

"These are for the pris-"

"Guest." Celestia interrupted. "I do not like the term prisoner, it is far too harsh and he has yet to be sentenced for committing any crimes. He asked for them shortly before you walked in."

Luna eyed the sandwich again, surprised at how simple it was. "I would've expected something... else."

"What? Seared pony flesh served on a silver platter? Must I remind you how the castle staff treated you after your return?"

Luna lowered her head in shame. "I am sorry Tia, I shouldn't be judging anypony by their appearance; even if they threatened me and took out some of my best Guards. It's just that-"

"That you do not like having to face somepony who could, potentially, bring you down? Times have changed Lulu, and you are no longer as powerful as you were back then. You must accept that." Celestia wrapped her wing around the smaller alicorn, her head hanging low.

"I know Tia, I know...."

Somewhere close by a door clicked and drew Celestia's attention away from her sister, revealing a surprised Enforcer.

Luna quickly pushed herself away from Celestia, regaining her stern composure and tone of voice. "How much of that did you hear?"

"The door was open since you frightened the Chef my Princess."

"You are to speak of this to nopony, is that clear?" 'If the press got word of this, I'd never hear the end of it....'

"Yes Princess, and if you don't mind I'm going on break. Your 'Guest' is taking his time eating."

Celestia gave Enforcer her thanks before he left the room, leaving the two sisters with just Restless Spirit who was happily eating his sandwich.

Celestia went over to the door and began to open it before she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Celestia turned and saw her sister with a look of worry plastered on her face. "Be careful, you know what he has done."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

ROYAL INTERROGATION ROOM

11:04 AM

Ghost heard the door open and looked upward; expecting to see the same stallion from before but instead saw a tall white mare in front of him. She had wings and a horn, something he had not seen on any other of the miniature horses.

"What in the bloody 'ell are you supposed to be?" Ghost said aloud, having swallowed the latest bite of his sandwich.

"I would have expected you to know at least who, or what; I am considering your performance last night."

"Hey, I make a habit of not getting to know my enemies-makes it easier to take them out when the time comes."

"Enemies? No, I think you have misunderstood. We are not enemies, we are more like....."

"Acquaintances?" Ghost suggested before she could continue. "And if we are, then why was I thrown in a Maximum Security Prison?"

"Yes, acquaintances. As for that, my sister insisted that you were to be put under lock and key. Though I must add it was rather humorous seeing the Guards attempt to carry you to your cell before you woke up. So far, you have not been charged by anypony or the wounded Guards' family members."

"Not all that surprising. I busted some of them up pretty good." The commando took another bite of his sandwich, chewing quietly as he listened to what the wise white horse had to say.

"Indeed. One of the, *ahem* survivors for the lack of a better term, said that you disarmed Flamehoof before preforming a move in which you did a full rotation before nailing him in the jaw and knocking him out. That must've taken a considerable amount of practice to perform."

"It did, but having steel-toed boots helps."

An odd silence began to creep into the room and persisted for several moments before was dissipated by the calm voice of pegacorn. "That is an unusual pair of headphones you have there."

"Technically, they're called a headset since it has a built-in microphone and are far superior to anything on the market. They also have built-in bass, which is one of my favorite features." He pointed to the black oval at the end of the cord and then to the inside of the headset.

"You like listening to music?"

"Indeed I do. Not much else to do while you’re riding in a lorry for six hours or waiting for something to pop up."

"What are your favorite bands?"

"I doubt you've heard of these since you haven't gotten a clue where I'm from but I'll tell ya anyways. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones are among my favorites, pretty obvious choices, but there are a few non-native bands that I like."

"Such as?"

"Nickel back, Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Egypt Central, The Heavy, and Cage the Elephant."

"May I, perhaps, hear one of their songs?"

"By which band?"

"The Heavy, if you don't mind. They sound simple and good."

"Alright then." Ghost tore open the pouch on his right arm, revealing a black iPod. It had managed to survive his entire military career, from the beginning to the end taking more damage than he thought possible. Of course, having a near-invincible Gform case helps. He hit exit on the recording app and selected the Music app, scrolling down his playlist list until he found the song he was looking for. Ghost tapped the song's name, a familiar beat filling his ears. He removed his headset and placed it on the table 'If there's anything the Americans are good at making, its guns and iPods.'

"Alright, have a listen to this."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

ROYAL INTERROGATION ROOM

11:25 AM

Enforcer, after taking a few stress pills and drinking a hot cup of Pony Joe's signature coffee, re-entered the room where Princess Luna was pacing back and forth, she seemed worried about something. He looked around for Celestia but could not find her.

"Where did Celestia go your Highness?"

"See for yourself." The blue alicorn pointed to the window which gave the earth pony a view of the inside of the Interrogation room. Inside, it appeared that Luna's sister appeared to be conversing with the Prisoner.

And he seemed to be replying.

"They're.... talking?"

"Yes, they are. I have tried to listen to them but they are speaking about topics beyond my grasp of knowledge." Luna walked over to one of the seats and sat down, her mane lacking its usual luster. She looked up at the earth pony. "Was he this open with you?"

"He wasn’t. It was like trying to convince a diamond dog to give up his gems. Impos-"

The alicorn interrupted the earth pony he could finish, having done the action before. "Not impossible, but incredibly hard. It appears that Celestia has found his sweet spot, if that is accurate to say. Would you like to hear what they are talking about?"

Enforcer gave her a nod and Luna pressed a button that he had noticed before, activating the hidden microphone within the room.

"-And he said, 'May I push in your stool'?"

Celestia burst into laughter, along with the prisoner she had been conversing with.

Enforcer looked towards the younger alicorn and raised an eyebrow. "Does she normally laugh that loudly?"

"Neigh, she hardly laughs at all. It is good to see her enjoying herself for once. Perhaps this... thing is not as bad as we thought."

Enforcer turned his gaze back to the Interrogation Room window to watch yet another unusual scene unfold.

"Would you like the rest of my sandwich? I think it's the fifth I've had today. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to be rolled out of here if I eat any more."

"I would love to." Celestia levitated the remaining piece of the yummy snack and tore off the part with bite marks before eating it, the lettuce making a nice crunching sound. She chewed for a bit and then swallowed. "Not bad, though I prefer mine with dandelions and a dash of hay."

"I'm telling ya though, that was the best lettuce, tomato, pickle, and cucumber sandwich I've ever tasted. Don't think I’ve had anything that good since my mother made it."

"How is she, by the way?"

"She.... won't be joining us anytime soon."

Celestia's smile shrunk a bit. "Oh, I understand. Well, I think it’s time to end this silly little interrogation. How about you?"

"The sooner I get out of here the better. I like being asked ridiculously stupid questions as much as the next guy but you can only take so much. Am I right?"

"Unbelievably so! All day I'm pestered by puffed-up lords asking for more stuff and complaining about every single thing! 'The sun is too hot!' 'The taxes are too high!' ‘There are too many peasants!' 'Can I tear down half the city to build a massive swimming pool?' 'Can you banish somepony to the moon for me?' It's unbeliev-"

The prisoner preformed a spit-take, obviously surprised by one of the imitations. "You can banish people to the moon? How in the bloody hell does that even work?"

"It works like one of your rockets, minus the fuel, preparation, money, the rocket itself, and willingness to go. It’s a high-speed, long-distance, teleportation spell." Celestia took a sip of tea.

"So.... it's magic basically."

"Yes, though there is a bit of science involved. You see-"

Luna abruptly hit the button again, silencing the two speakers. "I rest my case. One second it appears as if they are done talking and the next thing you know they're talking about something else entirely different from before. Do you know what a rocket is Enforcer? They were talking about it running on combustion engines or something like that earlier."

"I honestly have no idea."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SIXTH, 1003

ROYAL INTERROGATION ROOM

11:59 AM

Luna had fallen asleep waiting for her sister, wanting to hear how the prisoner would be punished for his crimes even if he was 'nice'. She was awoken by the sound of the thick steel door hitting the wall. Her ears swiveled towards the door, wanting to catch the last bit of their conversation.

"Bye Ghost!"

"Goodbye Celestia, hope we get to talk again soon!" Luna frowned, not liking the lack of her sister's royal title.

"I'll make sure of it! Take care now, and stay out of trouble!"

A hearty chuckle followed her sister's statement. "I'll do my best!"

Another loud clunk was made by the door as it closed shut, with her sister standing in front of it with a smile on her face. She gestured towards the archway and the Princess of the Night got the hint, joining her as they walked towards the exit.

"What did you find out?"

"Quite a bit actually. You know, it helps if you don't demand for answers and you ask instead."

"You seemed to have.... enjoyed talking to him quite a bit."

Celestia's gaze drifted upward, she shook her head as her mind focused back to reality. "What was that? Ah yes, I won't be ashamed of saying I did. He's an interesting young fellow and has an incredible understanding of many topics we have yet to become knowledgeable about."

"Such as...?"

"Space travel, nuclear physics, combustion engines, faster-then-sound transportation, long-range communication, long-range warfare, the microwave, gaming...."

Luna's ears perked up upon hearing one of the last few topics. "What was the long range one?"

"Oh, it was long-range communication. Did you know that his species is able to send messages from one side of the globe to the other in mere seconds? Imagine how that could benefit us! Talks between countries could be planned much easier, information could be transferred between databases far quicker, and not to mention it would benefit nearly every aspect of life! Dozens of trees could be saved each year, which in turn saves us thousands of bits normally spent on logging and hauling the cut-down trees and we could even shut down a majority of the paper-processing plants! We'd still need some for books but eventually those too could become digital! We have found not only a new creature, but a jackpot of information! He's got a whole different view on life, a whole new culture, and think of all the things we could learn from him!"

"I have one question Tia."

"Yes?"

"Have you decided on his punishment? He did break into a building, stole two priceless relics, used said relics to injure my Guards, and threatened me."

Celestia let out a sigh, her coat no longer giving off the same brightness as before. "Unfortunately I have. But technically, we specified that it was illegal for Diamond Dogs, Dragons, Griffins, Minotaurs, Zebras, or Ponies to break into and enter a building without permission and that it was illegal for Diamond Dogs, Dragons, Griffins, Minotaurs, Zebras, or Ponies to steal property of said building. It never said anything about his specie."

"So he escapes any real punishment due to a political loophole?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm...." Luna thought about this for a moment. "I need to find a way to fix that. Why is worded like that anyways? Seems a bit illogical."

"Good luck finding out how to do that, and I believe it was one of our earliest laws. We kept encountering new species and had to add them. Also, it appeared that nopony could think of a word that includes every species instead of just one. Even now we still have the same issue."

"But you do have a punishment in mind, yes?"

"Indeed I do."

"Will you tell me?"

"I'm sorry, but that's classified information dear sister." Celestia walked onward with a smirk on her face while Luna just stood there with her mouth opened. She wanted to reply but she didn't know how. The younger alicorn heard hoof steps and looked behind her to see Enforcer making his way out.

"I think he rubbed off on her a bit." He commented as he walked past her.

"I agree. This is most unsettling."

Relaxation

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT CASTLE, WEST WING

11:24 AM

Ghost spread his arms wide and twisted his head a few times, his mouth open wide as he let out a yawn. He couldn't remember the last time he slept so well, or when he hadn't been woken up by gunfire or by a Commanding Officer. He sat upward and twisted his torso, the sound of pops once more filling the air as his eyes adapted to the room. The British commando looked around and noticed several things, with one of them being a scroll at his feet. On a bed. With covers.

The soldier grabbed the scroll and broke the seal, scanning the contents of the message clearly addressed to him.

"Dear Restless Spirit,

I am glad to inform you that you are no longer a prisoner of the Equestrian government, but it is required for you to pay for your crime before your name is cleared. You have been given a room of your own free of charge along with access to a majority of Canterlot Castle, but due to how dangerous your equipment and weapons are they have been confiscated. You will be able to claim them once your debut has been paid. I am afraid that I was unable to persuade my sister from doing this, as I know what you have been through hasn't been easy to bear and the world around you is not your own.

Best of luck, Princess Celestia"

Ghost checked his pockets and sure enough all his equipment ranging from the leftover grenades to his back radio was gone. He tore off the covers and reached for his boot, hoping to find that his backup knife had made it but instead was met with emptiness.

"Son of a bitch!"

CANTERLOT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LABS, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

LAB NINE-THREE-FIVE

11:34 AM

Celestia felt a gush of air as the sealed door before her opened, the dark steel conflicting with the pure white walls. She stepped through the archway, her ethereal mane condensing itself into a more manageable form as she donned a lab coat. An access card poked out of her front pocket as she made her way to another sealed door, sliding it through the scanner and unlocking it. A bright sign near the door warned her about the possible dangers within the room, ranging from rogue spells to explosions and even sentient gas. Luna followed suit as the Goddess of the Sun approached a workstation where various ponies were investigating one of their newest items.

"Good morning gentlecolts. What have we learned about our guest's possessions so far?"

A light brown unicorn with aging grey hair levitated a clipboard over to the Sun Goddess, who quickly flipped through the many pages filled with what they had discovered so far. He spoke as she read the list, highlighting some of the more interesting bits.

"It is much more advanced than we initially thought, filled with various bits of equipment that we do not yet fully understand. It appears that it a much more sophisticated version of our, *ahem*, prototype cannons. We examined one of the ammunition types and when we took it apart, there was black powder stored in the rear of it. From what we currently know, I hypothesize that there is a mechanism inside the contraption that causes the powder to detonate and causes the loose piece of metal inside of the ammunition to go flying at high speeds. What I find odd, however, is that the weapon in question was loaded with non-lethal projectiles instead of these." Pocket Protector levitated two of the potentially deadly items towards the Celestia and Luna, with the younger alicorn eyeing it much more carefully then her elder.

"Have you tested out your hypothesis? It's a very interesting one."

"Are you kidding? Somepony could end up dead if we tried using it! We'd require somepony with the knowledge of how to properly use it before we tried anything like that. Of course, you could have that arranged Princess Luna."

Celestia noticed the look of conflict present on her sister's face, torn between her desire to see it tested and her want to keep the weapon out of Spirit's very-capable hands. She bit her lip in frustration and eventually she was able to choose. "I'm afraid the risk is too great. We shall be left pondering until the time comes for him to wield it once more."

The scientist nodded in an understanding manner. "Very well. Now, let's move on to the smaller devices we have acquired shall we? I believe we are about to make a breakthrough on one of them very soon!" He gestured them over to another table lined with small cylinder objects, though some were more round than others and had what looked like pins in them while a set of knives were also included.

She counted several different items (most with duplicates) along with a variety of other strange-looking items. One of cylinders was labeled 'SMOKE' in bold white letters, which happened to catch Luna's attention.

"Smoke? Why would anypony need a container full of smoke? It would do more harm than good and make it very confusing to see who you are fighting...."

"But that you’re Highness, is where you are wrong. As you know, we've been developing night-vision goggles for some time, and it seems that we are not the first to do so. Take a look through this."

Protector levitated an object that looked like somepony had taken the ends of a telescope and attached them to a black box with dozens of various dials and buttons on it over to Luna. She held it in her grasp for a while, trying to find out its use until she gave up and placed it to her eye. The smaller alicorn furrowed her brows when she saw nothing unusual but let out a yelp when a cloth abruptly covered the other end of the viewing device, allowing her to see its effects. "So that's how he was able to see so well.... I was wondering how he was able to take out my Night Guards."

"But that's not all! Turn the dial on the left side."

Celestia watched her sister turn the dial, a look of bewilderment visible on her face. "I-I can see your hoof! It's.... glowing!"

"Indeed you can! It appears to be able to detect thermal signatures somehow, but the components are yet again beyond our grasp. If we were able to understand even a fraction of the technology this... Spirit character has, it could change the course of history! We would be able to stop an invasion force long before they reached our boarder, end the slave raids of the Diamond Dogs, and get rid of those pesky Dragons harassing our troops on the eastern boarder!"

"Indeed we could, but what would the other nations and their leaders say about that?"

Pocket's ears flattened, his smile now resembling more a frown. "O-oh, I didn't think about that...."

"They would wonder where we got this technology, how we learned how to use it, and more importantly why we are arming ourselves with it. The underpony doesn't raise his hooves unless he is willing to fight, does he not? Equestria has been a largely peaceful nation since me and my sister became rulers, and it will stay that way as long as possible. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes your Highness...."

"Good, but I see no harm in studying these if they are used for the betterment of equestrian kind. Magic can only do so much, and Spirit has demonstrated that we must not rely on it so strongly if we are to survive. I'll want a status report on your progress every week from now on. Got it?"

"Yes Ma'am! Also, may I have my clipboard back? It has most of my notes on it."

Celestia let out a small chuckle as she noticed that she indeed had his notes in her grasp, levitating the board over back to its rightful owner. He gave her a nod before departing, tapping his watch.

"Ah yes, I believe it is time for us to grab something to eat. Would you like to join me Luna?"

"Actually, I think I'll stay here for a bit. I'd like to see for myself just how advanced these weapons of his are."

Celestia rolled her eyes, although the action was hidden from view. "Alright then, suit yourself....."

The Sun Goddess walked out of the laboratory, hanging up her coat in its locker before leaving. She pondered for a moment as she thought about who she would eat with as she exited the building, finding the concept of eating alone was one she would not enjoy. However, a certain name popped into her head and a smile formed on her face. "Would that work out? Probably not.... But I'll never know if I don't try."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT CASTLE, WEST WING

11:48 AM

Ghost wiped his hands with a towel before throwing it on the sink counter, a disgruntled expression visible on his unmasked face. "Why are their toilets so damn long? Do they have to lay down to take a shit or something? At least it's not a hole in the ground...." The British commando walked over to a chair and sat down in it, a cup of tea nearby along with couple of magazines leftover from the room's previous occupant. They had covered a wide variety of subjects, from tax issues to the brewing tension between the Griffins and dragons to miniature profiles on the 'Bearers of the Elements of Harmony'. Ghost had heard that they had 'Saved Equestria' but never knew how they had saved the country more than three times (and in two cases the world) from what could've been total annihilation.

"A space bitch, some whacko with the power to warp reality, an army of shape shifters along with their powerful queen, and some ancient king with the ability to take away a unicorn's power who got their asses handed to them by six teenage girls? That's pretty sad. And somehow they turned love into a weapon? How the hell do you make weapons out of feelings? And wouldn't hate or greed be more powerful? Or is it something along the lines of 'purest intentions' bullshit? All this weird-ass shit is making me hungry. I wonder where the-" Ghost was interrupted mid-sentence by a flash of light, followed by a scroll appearing on his bed.

The disgruntled soldier got up and walked over to the bed, wondering if the ponies needed his help or one of them had set off a grenade. "Dear Restless Spirit, blah blah blah..... Would you like to join me for-" Ghost's expression turned to one of disbelief and mild surprise "Oh,you gotta be kidding me. Whatever; it's not like I’ve got much else to do...." Ghost once again donned his signature balaclava and tinted sunglasses; scroll in hand but neglecting to move. He stood there for a moment, feeling a bit awkward without all his equipment to weigh him down.

"Great, I'm unarmed and stuck in a building filled with over four hundred guards and my only defense is an invitation to lunch with the Princess. I guess it could be worse- I could be stuck sneaking around in a box of oranges looking like an idiot rather than a bad ass."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT CASTLE, INFORMAL DINING ROOM

12:04 PM

Celestia munched idly on her pizza, enjoying the taste of melted cheese and seasoned daises. She swallowed and found that the chef was still present, much to her dismay.

"Were you..... Expecting, somepony to be joining you today Princess? I thought your sister normally ate with you."

"Oh yes, though I don't know if he is coming. As for Luna, she was..... Occupied with, other things."

Iron Chef nodded. "Ah, I see. Well if you need anything else, just ring the bell. After all, I live to serve you."

The Sun Goddess faked a smile as the white unicorn departed from view, his comment reminding her that she could never get rid of the burden of ruling a country. It was much more taxing than most ponies thought, and there were very few moments when she could act like she was just like everypony else; just another pony who wanted nothing more than to relax and smell the metaphorical roses. Normally, lunch time with Luna was one of those moments but it appeared it would be one more in the thousands of days she spent eating alone. The Princess barely noticed the dinging of a bell and the sound of rushing hooves speeding towards her.

"You rang Princess?"

Celestia shook her head, her brows raised in confusion. "I didn't."

"Then who did?"

"I did."

The white alicorn, who moved the sun and had sealed her sister in the moon for a thousand years, almost literally flew out of her chair upon hearing the gruff voice at the other end of the table. Celestia put a hoof to her heart in an attempt to calm it down, letting out a sigh as well. "Oh Spirit, it's just you."

"Were you expecting someone else?"

Celestia shook her head, a smile forming on her face as she noticed her Chef's confounded expression. "No, not really. I had begun to think that I would dine alone today, as did Iron Chef. Iron Chef, this is Restless Spirit. Restless Spirit, meet Iron Chef, one of the best meal-makers in Equestria."

"Nice to meet you Iron." Ghost held out a hand, and she saw Chef visibly cringe at the action. When the shake wasn't accepted, he just shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, at least he didn't run away. So what's for lunch?"

Iron Chef blinked a few times, sweat visible on his forehead. "O-oh, well I had made cheese pizza with seasoned d-daises for Princess Celestia. W-would you like some? I can go make more."

Restless Spirit grabbed a chair and sat down, a grin barely detectable behind the mask of black fabric. “I'd like that, though if you could replace the daises with mushrooms that would be smashing.”

"A-anything you want sir!" And with that Iron Chef once again disappeared from Celestia's sight, though much faster than last time.

The Sun Goddess looked towards Restless Spirit, who was found for the first time with his mask off completely. His face had patches of grime and dirt on it, though she could tell that he had spent a good amount of time cleaning the majority of it off. What surprised her the most, however, was the color of his eyes. They were a deep sea blue, holding many mysteries and secrets in their depths while only hinting what was down below the surface. She had been expecting something more... fitting such as a dark red like his lenses or perhaps fiery orange but not blue. But somehow they still managed to fit, even with the torn clothing and his dirty face.

"Hey Princess, you there?"

Celestia shook her head, the action bringing her back to reality. "Oh yes, sorry. I got distracted. I have a lot of things on my mind."

"I apologize for interrupting then. I bet you have a lot to think about."

"I do, but this is one of the times I can forget about them." Iron Chef levitated a steaming hot pizza before the soldier, forcing Celestia to pause. She watched him flee from the room once more, a garbled 'Carefulit'shot!' coming from the end of the room where the kitchen was located. "Shall we eat?"

"Let's."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT CASTLE, INFORMAL DINING ROOM

12:36 PM

Ghost lifted up his cup, waiting for the desired liquid to pour into his mouth but found that it was once again empty. "Dammit, ran dry again. Anyways, where was I?"

"I believe you were talking how you infiltrated a Russian gulag in an attempt to rescue a designated prisoner I believe."

"Hey, he wasn't just some prisoner," The British commando pointed at Celestia. "He was my one of my commanding officers and one of the damn best too. Unlike that bastard Shepherd, he knew how to lead his men. Anyways, after we landed at the Gulag we had to fight wave of wave of guys armed with enough firepower to take this entire castle and hold it for a while, not to mention the anti-air missiles and RPGs they had everywhere. One of our birds almost got shot down by our own missiles, no thanks to those bloody yanks." Ghost took a break from telling his story and took a bite of his third slice of mushroom pizza, savoring the flavors that flooded his mouth.

"Why are they called birds?"

"It's a name thing. They're actually called Black Hawks but everyone finds it easier just to call them birds, besides you can only remember so much before you stop caring."

"I see." Celestia took a drink of her own, using her magic to wipe away the residual liquid; something Ghost still couldn't get used to seeing. "Well, I think I've had enough for now. Would you care to join me on the balcony for a view of the city? I haven't seen it in a while and I've heard that since they repaired the building the view is even more gorgeous then before."

"Eh, why the hell not? So where is the balcony anyways? I don't see one nearby." Ghost noticed the sly grin on Celestia's face and instantly knew something was going to happen that he would not enjoy. "Stop. Whatever you're-ACK!"

The British commando felt like he was everywhere and nowhere all at once, his senses unable to give him any feedback. It reminded Ghost eerily of how death had felt- powerless and useless. However, the unnerving feeling quickly ended once he felt solid stone beneath his feet. Ghost felt an angry comment forming on his tongue but it died as he saw the breath-taking view before him. The white and gold city shone like a masterpiece of art work, the sun at just the right position to make everything seem like it was from an amazing fantasy world.

"It's.... amazing."

Celestia smiled, happy with her work. "It is, and I am glad that all the structural damage has been repaired, though I fear that the country and all those who live in it may be discontent with security for a while. I can only hope that we may preserve what remains of it until then."

Ghost chuckled a bit, knowing that there are far worse things that could've happened. "Look at this way: Nopony got hurt in the end and the changelings got their asses kicked. Win-win right?"

"I suppose, though many of the Royal families have demanded that Captain Shining Armor be removed from his position for incompetence or that we have higher security measures for such a thing. I have been thinking about forming an Elite Guard , seeing that I was over-powered and defenseless when Chrysalis attacked."

"You'd need a team formed from the best of the best, a battle-hardened group of soldiers who'd lay down their life for their ruler and their country in an instant. People who know how to take someone out in less than ten seconds flat with nothing but their bare hands and how to kill without hesitation." Ghost looked away from the glamorous city to see Celestia's reaction and was met with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

Detonation

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT CASTLE, INFORMAL DINING ROOM

12:41 PM

"No."

Celestia sighed and slumped in defeat, a chair cushioning her fall as she looked at the one creature in Equestria that could make a difference. "But why not? From what Luna told me, you seemed right at home taking out those Guards. You have skills our best fighters desire, experience that our troops could never earn, and a mind sharper then the sword you carried the night you were captured. Equestria needs soldiers like you. War is inevitable but I'd like to be prepared when it happens."

Ghost shook his head, a common sign of irritation. "Plenty of reasons why, with one of them being that I've fought for the last ten years of my life. Ten years of being surround by death and destruction following in my wake, and it seems they followed me here too. I never wanted this. A little peace and quiet is all I wanted- no more fighting. No more death. No more war." The harsh tone of the soldier's voice softened up, his muscles relaxing as he leaned on the balcony railing. "Life is short, as I have learned on the battlefield, and I'd like to enjoy the time I have left."

The Sun Goddess blinked a few times, surprised at the softness of his voice. It was a tone she was familiar with, but it had been a while since she had last heard it. Memories of Luna's return came rushing back to the white alicorn, reminding her of how her sister wished, no, begged for forgiveness of her actions.. And it seems that Ghost would like the same, though his bear a much greater weight. Celestia got up from her seat and stood by him, her left wing slightly extended over his back. He flinched at her touch, but made no move to resist the action.

"I understand your decision, and I know you have your reasons for it but I shall ask you one thing before I make up my mind about this matter."

Restless Spirit looked up at the alicorn, his expression blank expect for a slightly raised eyebrow. "Which is....?"

"That you train a small number of troops, no more then twenty at least once a week. The Equestrian Guard cannot be everywhere at once, and I need a team that can take care of threats that are normally out of bounds. From what you told me, this what you use to do when you served."

"It was, and we were damn good at it too. Unfortunately, I don't think I know how to train a bunch of ponies by myself, much less adapt my techniques so that they can use them. It would be like showing Sherlock Holmes how to pilot a space shuttle- impossible."

Celestia folded her wing, sensing the familiar tone he had been using the moment she first met him. "And why is that?"

"Well two things: One- He's a fictional character and two- What is the point of a detective learning how to fly something into space?"

Celestia chuckled lightly, causing the unusual creature before her to give the mare the barest hint of a smile. "Those are good points, but this is something you will not be doing alone. You will be aided by the Captain of the Royal Guard himself."

"Well that's going to be awkward, considering he looked like was about to kick me in the face last time we met. Then again, I'd probably do the same if I was in his position so I can't really blame him."

"Really? He's usually quite adept at masking his feelings, especially after the invasion. A side effect of have your wife being impersonated by a insectoid who wishes to feast on your emotions."

"How the hell does that even work anyways? And why love of all things? Plenty of other emotions to feed off of."

Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "Even I do not know, though I wish I did. If we were able to somehow supply them with a suitable replacement, our races might live in harmony together one day."

"You still want to make friends with them even after what they did to you?"

"Yes, I do. It is better to have many friends then many enemies, and besides- they would make very useful spies if Equestria was ever threatened. Ponies aren't the best at blending in, as you have learned."

"Ha, looking at it from both perspectives are ya? I guess it would be good to have shape-shifters at your disposal, though it would help to have a way of identifying them so they don't worm their way into the government and muck things up. Speaking of which, what kind of government does Equestria have? I know you and your sister run the country but thats about it."

"It's a constitutional diarchy, which means that Luna and I are the highest authorities but are required to only deal with issues dealing with the general health of Equestria while everything else is handled by Parliament. Anything they cannot settle is also sent to us. It doesn't sound like much but it's harder than everyone thinks to run a country and keep everyone inside of your boarders happy."

Ghost rubbed his chin thoughtfully, taking this in. "Interesting, my country has a setup that is similar but the Queen and other royals are more like figureheads while the Prime Minister handles everything else along with Parliament. It's a pretty effective system considering that the Queen doesn't live for a thousand years and doesn't raise the Sun or anything."

"Then who does? Surely someone must."

Ghost let out a gruff-sounding sigh. "No one raises the sun, and I'm pretty sure I mentioned before that it doesn't move. At all. The planets orbit around it, with the moon orbiting my planet. No magic is involved whatsoever in disappearance and reappearance of the celestial bodies. At all."

Now it was Celestia's turn to take this in, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to figure out how that would work. Something clicked in her mind and she let out a 'Ah' of understanding. "Is it due to the Sun's gravitational pull on your planet that makes it orbit? And I assume that the same occurs with the moon, though instead of the sun its your planet's that keeps it on course."

Ghost let out an 'Uhhhhhh" and shrugged his shoulders, causing the white alicorn to roll her eyes. "Something like that. I think. I just know that the Earth's axis is slanted and that it rotates due to the magnetic field generated by the core. I'm honestly surprised I remember any of this stuff since it was probably a good fifteen, twenty years ago when I learned it."

"Look like we've both learned something interesting today. I wonder how Luna will take it that your moon moves on its own and that there isn't anyone 'in control of the celestial bodies' as you put it. In fact, let's go pay her a visit. I bet she's awfully bored listening to those scientists drone on and on about things I barely understand."

"Hey, you understood the concept of rockets pretty well. I doubt there's much you don't know about."

"I guess, but I am not omniscient though many seem to think so. Now, off to visit my sister!"

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LAB NINE-THREE-FIVE

12:49 PM

Ghost felt the familiar feeling of helplessness as his feet broke contact the ground, his body growing cold in span of nothingness he occupied. Fortunately, it was not long until he felt the comforting surface of solid ground beneath his feet and the soldier sucked in a breath of air, only to find his mouth full of smoke and the nasty taste of explosive powder lingering in cloud. "Ah what the hell!" Ghost spat out the taste the best he could, his spit a muddied brown on as it landed on the dimly-lit floor.

The british soldier looked upward to see why their was smoke in the air and saw a most unexpected scene. Parts of the wall have been blown apart and the lights above him shone with the luminance of a dying torch, the tables beneath them obliterated and reduced to ruble. Ponies were laid against the wall, with the more medically-talented doing their best to patch up those with open wounds and pieces of shrapnel embedded in their flesh. Luna was currently watching over the ponies who weren't currently being treated, doing her best to comfort them. Something else bugged Ghost though, more so than some of the injuries the ponies bore. All of magically-inclined weren't using magic.

"Shit." Was all Ghost said as he made his way over to the blue alicorn, dodging a swinging light on it's last cable. He managed to get over to her without alarming any of the ponies, though that was one of his lower priorities at the moment. "What in the bloody hell happened here?" He asked Luna.

The blue alicorn looked at him with eyes full of terror and sadness, though she struggled to hide these feelings. "I-I don't know. One moment we were preforming research on some of your equipment when green spheres suddenly started flying through the air. At first we were able to protect ourselves with magic but then we all felt an odd sensation in our bodies and suddenly our barrier fell. Fortunately, most of the green spheres had already detonated and all of us survived the ordeal with minor wounds. I thought Strip had told you this before you came."

"Who the fuck is Strip? Wait, a second... You said you sent him a while ago to get help we before we arrived right?" Luna nodded her head. "Alright,who is Strip and what does he look like?"

"Mobius Strip, as that is his full name, is a light-green earth pony with darker green hair and a single black stripe running through the middle of it and was one of the scientists examining your equipment. Mobius had taken a interest in one of your cylinders after we discovered it held raw magic contained inside of it not long after we learned the use of the green spheres from a previous test."

"This," Ghost gestured around him. "couldn't have been done by a lone semtex or frag grenade. Where the hell did you get more of them!?"

"Klein was the one ponies who worked on the replication spell, though he suffered a severe cranial injury shortly before the spheres began to explode. We found him in the room next door after the dust has settled."

Ghost grunted and got up, looking around the room for a moment until he noticed the familiar steel grey color his ACR. He made his way over to the table and checked the magazine, switching out the non-lethal dart for the deadly ammunition that it was built to fire. He switched off the safety before making his way back over to where Celestia and Luna were sitting, with the elder comforting her sister. "Alright, here's the plan: Luna, you stay here and help out the others the best you can. He's not going to suspect us to follow him judging by how many frags he threw and that should give us the advantage Celestia, you go alert the Guards and tell them to keep a look-out for a green unicorn with a single black stripe in his hair. They are to persue but not engage- They will wait until I have given them the signal, is that clear?"

"Yes, but what is this signal if I may ask?"

Ghost slid back the pin, a menacing click following suit. "You'll know it when you hear it."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT AIRSPACE

1:21 PM

Shining Armor watch from a chariot far above the city of Canterlot, his magically-enhanced binoculars allowing him to scan the streets far before him with crystal-clear sight. They had gotten word that the pony matching the description given to them by Princess Celestia herself was somewhere on Celestial avenue but so far they were having no such luck locating him.

"Any luck sir?

"Unfortunately no. He's had plenty of time to escape and most likely has. Anypony want to tell me why I have troops scanning the area for some unicorn?"

Shining cringed as a third voice entered the conversation, his chest piece flashing every time he spoke."We're searching for Mobius because he has weapons capable of causing massive destruction and he almost killed more then a dozen ponies along with Princess Luna with said weapons.. Now shut up and keep your eyes open."

The Captain of the Royal Guard grumbled, muttering something very unprofessional as he raised the binoculars to his eyes once more and hating the fact that he was being given orders by the same beast who had been locked up a few days ago. "Who does he think he is, bossing me around like that? I could have imprisoned for talking to me like that..." The white unicorn absently scanned the ground below, his blue eyes noticing a black stripe against green hair amid a flurry of colors.

"Target located on Third Street, heading towards out the outskirts. Spitfire, prepare your team for a snag n' bag, I don't want to make this operation public." Shining Armor kept his eyes on the green unicorn as the mare accepted her orders, a certain masked creature crossing the rooftop towards Mobius with the grace and speed of a well-trained pegasus. 'For somepony who looks like he's been through Tartarus and back he can run pretty damn fast. Heck, I bet that he'd give the Element of Loyalty a run for her bits.'

He reached the edge of the rooftop where Mobius stood mere feet from, pulling out the strange thing strapped to his back. Restless Spirit, as some of the Guard had called him, laid down and propped the device up on the edge, which looked surprisingly similar to a crossbow. This realization caused Shining's eyes to widen in surprise as he heard a thundering noise penetrate the normal sound barrier that covered Canterlot's lower districts. Ponies panicked and ran for their lives as things around them suddenly exploded into a thousand pieces, with broken pottery and obliterated pastry flying everywhere. "What the-" The stallion viewing the city from above suddenly understood what was happening as he saw the flattened shape below move his weapon in the same direction as the hit objects. "This is our only chance now go go go!"

A trio of pegasi suddenly shot into view, a bag linked to each of them via rope. They swooped down and managed to bag Mobius without issue, flying in and out without drawing attention. They flew by Shining Armor's chariot and gave him a nod, confirming that the mission was a success. "Alright, I'm glad that's over with. Everypony head back to the castle, our work here is done."

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA

AUGUST THE SEVENTH, 1003

CANTERLOT AIRSPACE

1:53 PM

Ghost pushed through the doors leading to the hanger where the pegasi geared up, his ACR once again resting on his back. A few of the equines present in hanger looked at him with varying expressions, though most looked away as soon as they realized it was a skull imprinted on his balaclava. He made his way over to where the three pegasi he had witness bag Mobius were chatting, all of them oblivious to his approach. The commando stopped a few feet away from them and cough, trying to get their attention but was unable to.

"Screw this." Ghost drew out ACR and fired a couple of round, the shots tearing through the exterior of the hanger like it was paper and drew all eyes toward him. "Thank you, and that I have you attention I ask that you hand over the bag Mobius has on him."

The pegasi to his right, which for some strange reason had her mane flared up like fire, broke away from the group and faced him. "And why should we? We have received no such order and I don't believe you have the authority to do that."

"Well then, have fun being blown to smithereens when those bombs in his pack explode." Ghost turned and waved goodbye, a clock in his counting down. 'Three.... Two....'

"Wait, did you say bombs!? And they're armed!?"

"Oh yeah, they're armed alright. I was just sent down here to defuse them but since you are so confident that you can defuse them on your own I think I'll just let you do it instead." Ghost smirked as he watched the flaming-haired pegasus yell at the other two to grab the bag, carefully handing it to him before flying off once more. "Now if you would to so kind as to deliver Mobius here to the interrogation room, that would be great. After all, it would be a shame if one of these just happened to go off."

The mare's eye narrowed. "You wouldn't."

Ghost crouched down to eye-level and took of his sunglasses, staring directly into her eyes. "Try me."

The flaming-haired pegasus looked into his eyes and Ghost noticed a beat a sweat forming on her forehead, a smiling creeping across his face as she broke contact. "Soarin, Fleetfoot, take stripey here down to the Interrogation room."

The familiar phrase of "Yes Mam'am" followed shortly after as the two pegasi began their journey to same building he had been a few days ago with Mobius still in his bag. Ghost put on his sunglasses and began to make his way out when he was stopped by the flaming-haired pegasus, her grip surprisingly strong for someone without hands,

"Who do you think you are, threatening to kill me and my team like that!? Do you know who we are!?"

Ghost brushed the mare's yellow limb off his shoulder and continued walking. "I know exactly who you are, and I know exactly who I am. Question is, do you?"

"What kind of answer is that? I demand to know who you are or so help me I will have your court-martialed!"

The commando froze upon hear the last two words, a muscle on his trigger arm twitching in anger. He whipped around and stared directly at the pegasus once more, though there was malice in his words when he spoke this time. "I am Lieutenant Simon Riley of Task Force 141. I have gone through hell and back. I have died for my country. And I will kill you if you cross my path. I am clear?"

If Spitfire had been unsettled by Ghost statement, she hid it well. "Crystal." Was all she said.

Ghost turned around and walked away, a smirk appearing on his face as put on his glasses and noticed that their conversation had caught the attention of everyone present in the room. 'Bloody ponies....'