Into The Voidby General SoarinChaptersPrologueTimelineChapter 1: ArrivalSurvivorMovementsPrologue“Good morning Captain Sparkle, it’s time to wake up. The current date is Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR. The current time is 7:30 AM Intergalactic Standard Time. Current destination is Janax Station.” Announced the pre-recorded voice on the alarm clock, before automatically turning off. In the bed next to the clock, a sandy brown unicorn stallion with a reddish orange mane and blue eyes stirred, before yawning deeply to himself, and sat up. It took a few moments for Captain Echo Sparkle to fully wake up, before he climbed out of bed, and walked over to his closet. It was now day three of the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle’s voyage to the planet Janax, and things were normal. For Echo however, the voyage was anything but normal. This was his first voyage in command of the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle, one of the finest vessels in the Equestrian Navy. Built in 2125, the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle was one of the newest ships in the fleet, and was the first stealth cruiser to be ever be commissioned for service in the Equestrian Fleet. The most prominent feature of the Twilight Sparkle was its Grushinko Mark IV Stealth Drive, which was the quietest engine ever to be used on a ship. The ship was also equipped with a Lehner V Visual Cloaking System, which could keep the ship invisible to cameras and eyes for up to five days in a row. The final unique system that was built into the ship was a set of Braeburn Industries Hydra 6 Heat Storage Cells. When activated, the Hydra6 cells would capture all the ship’s heat emissions and store them, effectively hiding the Twilight Sparkle from thermal sensors. When all three systems are activated in synch, the Twilight Sparkle is effectively impossible to detect, which made it ideal as a type of infiltration vessel. It only took a few minutes for Echo to get cleaned up and dressed, and he made a quick stop to his desk, and picked up the phone. After quickly dialing a number, Echo listened to the phone rang for a few seconds, before one of the cooks finally answered. “Kitchens.” He stated simply, a slightly unamused tone in his voice. Echo chuckled, before clearing his throat. “C’mon Xavier, you should cheer up! Anyway, I’m calling to order my usual morning coffee.” exclaimed Echo, a cheerful tone in his voice. The cook was silent for a moment, before coughing. “I’m sorry sir, the morning is a bad time for me. Anyway, your coffee is on it’s way.” Replied the cook, hanging up a few seconds later. Echo placed the phone back onto the receiver, heard a small thump from behind the wall. He double tapped the wall, and pulled open a secret door. Taking the steaming cup of coffee that was inside, Echo couldn’t help but smile at the ingenious design of the ship’s food delivery systems. Taking a sip, Echo then closed the hidden compartment and exited his room, trudging slowly along to the elevator leading to the bridge. §§§ “Captain on deck!” shouted one of the guards, as Echo stepped into the bridge, coffee in hoof. Every pony in the room turned to face Echo, and snapped to attention only for him to wave them off a few seconds later. “At ease. Dragonfire, give me a status report.” Announced Echo, taking a seat on the rather large captain’s chair located in the dead center of the bridge. The gray mare in question quickly pulled out a file from her station and flipped it open. “Everything is running normally Captain. If everything stays this way, we should be at Janax station within 2 hours.” She replied, quickly closing the file. Echo nodded, turning his gaze to look out the windshield at the rapidly passing stars and planets. “That’s good. If your estimate is correct, Dragonfire, then we should be an hour ahead of schedule.” exclaimed Echo, taking a sip of his coffee. There were a few halfhearted cheers, but the bridge quickly descended into total silence. The bridge remained quiet for a few minutes, before Redheart, the ship’s Chief Communications Officer called out. “Incoming high priority transmission from Princess Twilight Sparkle sir. Shall I put it on the holoscreen?” Echo took a sip from his coffee and nodded. Redheart returned the nod, and typed something into her computer console. The large holopanel in the front of the bridge suddenly cleared and a video feed of the purple alicorn princess appeared on it. Every pony in the room including Echo saluted, before Echo cleared his throat. “What can I do for you, Princess Sparkle?” He announced, making sure to channel as much authority into his voice. Twilight frowned, shaking her head in disappointment. “Echo, what have I told you? You don’t need to talk formally to me!” Twilight exclaimed, a slightly disappointed tone in her voice. Echo shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee. “Sorry Twilight, it’s just habit now. I’m required to be formal to all ponies that have more power., and you of all ponies should know that.” Echo replied nonchalantly. Twilight scoffed, quickly rolling her eyes. “Yeah, I know that Echo. However YOU of all ponies should know that I hate it when family does that. It just isn’t right!” She replied, a slightly annoyed tone in her voice. Echo nodded, putting his coffee down on the arm of his chair. “Yes, I know Twilight. Anyway, what is it that you need?” He asked, his voice flat. Twilight straightened up, and cleared her throat. “I need you to divert your ship towards Bardock Station. There’s been a development.” Twilight announced, a professional tone in her voice. Echo frowned, quickly picking up his coffee cup. “What happened?” He asked, making sure to hide the surprise in his voice. Twilight looked down at something off screen, before returning her gaze to the camera. “Yesterday, Bardock Station reported a group of unknown ships entering their system. Naval Command told them to watch the unknown ships, and deployed the E.B.C Manehatten to check out the situation. Then around midnight, I received a call from Admiral of the Navy, Coldlong, saying that Bardock Station abruptly cut communications. Since you’re the closest ship that we have to Bardock Station, I have to ask you to move in and investigate. The Manehatten should be there already, but they haven’t reported in yet.” reported Twilight, her voice flat. Echo was silent for a few moments, before slowly nodding his head. “Of course Twilight, I’ll set course for Bardock now. I’ll report in when we’re there.” Echo replied, a slight hint of unease in his voice. Twilight nodded, giving him a quick smile. “Thank you Echo, I hope you can get to the bottom of this. If you need any help, don’t be afraid to call in for support. I have elements of the 3rd Fleet standing by, ready to arrive within a day’s notice.” Twilight exclaimed, a joyous tone in her voice. Echo nodded, returning the purple alicorn’s smile. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Echo out.” He stated, before nodding to Redheart. Redheart returned the nod and cut the video feed. The crew went silent as Twilight disappeared, before Echo stood up, and looked around the bridge. “You heard the Princess, set a course for Bardock. We got work to do.” Author's Note Welcome to Into The Void! This is my first attempt at a Science Fiction novel, so please let me know what you think. The next chapter will most likely be a chapter detailing a timeline of important events before the story, and maybe some other important plot information. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! See you next chapter! ~Bramble TimelineFebruary 2020 C.R: Twilight Sparkle is crowned Equestria’s newest Princess at the age of 20. April 2021: C.O.N, or the Coalition Of Nations is formed in Canterlot, Equestria to promote world cooperation. Member nations in the CON include Equestria, Saddle Arabia, Germaney, the Crystal Empire, the Zebra Union, and Manico. March 2040 C.R: Vahvoja, a radical group of Griffons under the leadership of Gilda takes control over the Griffon Kingdom in a violent coup d’ état. CON is shocked by the event, but does little against it. January 2043 C.R: Gilda initiates the Great Purge, and many Griffons in Vahvoja are executed or sent to labor camps. Of the original 100 members of Vahvoja, only 15 manage to escape the purge untouched. May 2050 C.R: The Griffin Kingdom attacks Giffalia, a small nation on the north border. The small nation surrenders in less than a year. When asked why, Gilda justified the attack with the following statement: “Griffalia rightfully belongs to the Griffin Kingdom. We fixed an ancient wrong.” CON enacts a very small embargo on the Griffin Kingdom, but does nothing else. June 2055 C.R: Griffon forces launch an all out offensive against the unsuspecting Zebra Union. The resulting Griffon-Zebra war lasts 7 years, but ends when Griffon forces marched into the burning capital of Zebes. CON is alarmed, and quickly enacts a major embargo on the Griffon Kingdom. August 2066 C.R: Gilda declares war on Germaney, before launching another surprise offensive. Four years of fighting ensure, before Germaney finally surrenders. Panic spreads across the globe as the Griffon Kingdom continues to expand. October 2075 C.R: Manico and Saddle Arabia are attacked by Gilda’s forces. Saddle Arabia is quick to fall, while Manico manages to hold out for 6 years before finally being forced to surrender. November 2086 C.R: On threat of annihilation, the Crystal Empire joins forces with the Griffon Kingdom. Equestria stands alone. January 2090: Griffon Forces cross the border into Equestria. Half of the county falls before the Equestrian military finally stops the Griffon’s advance. Equestrian morale is at a all time low July 2092 C.R: Extremely desperate, the Equestrian Military launches a massive counterattack under the name Operation Fierce Wind. The Griffons were caught off guard by the attack, and are quickly driven out of Equestria. Equestrian morale skyrockets. September 2092 C.R: Gilda passes away from heart complications, and power is handed over to her grandson Drake. January 2094 C.R: Griffon forces are pushed out of the Crystal Empire. In celebration, the Crystal Empire decides to join under the Equestrian flag. The Equestrian Empire is formed. November 2096 C.R: Applejack passes away at the age of 97. Out of the original six Bearers of Harmony, only Twilight Sparkle is left. May 2097 C.R: Manico, Saddle Arabia, Germaney, and the Zebra Union are liberated by Equestrian forces. All liberated nations vote to join the Equestrian Empire. January 2098 C.R: Equestrian forces commence the assault on the Griffon Heartland. March 2098 C.R: Griffons commence work on massive spaceships in the capital of Great Aerie. These are associated with a back up plan in case Equestrian forces push too far. April 2099 C.R: Equestrian forces surround the capital. Realizing the hopeless situation his people were in, Drake orders his military forces to gather as many citizens in the city as possible, and put them on the liveships. Within a day, the liveships leave the planet, leaving behind a small division of troops to fight to the death. May 2099 C.R: The griffon division left behind is eradicated. Celebrations take place all over the world as the Griffon threat is finally neutralized. November 2102 C.R: Twilight Sparkle’s grandson Echo Sparkle is born in Canterlot. March 2105 C.R: The Equestrian Empire launches it’s first space station, and names it Luna Station. Interest in extraterrestrial colonization sparks within the Empire June 2115 C.R: Equestria’s first extraterrestrial colony is established on the planet Janax. Flocks of eager settlers flood to the planet. February 2120 C.R: The 100th anniversary of Twilight Sparkle’s coronation is celebrated with the establishment of Equestria’s 10th extraterrestrial colony on the planet Bardock. Equestria continues to expand through the universe rapidly. April 2123 C.R: The Millennium Insurgency surfaces on the Equestrian colony planet of Mandspar. It quickly gains momentum, but is contained by Equestrian military forces. However, the insurgency remains a threat, and occasionally sends raiding ships to attack neighboring colonies. May 2125 C.R: Construction of the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle is completed, providing the Equestrian Navy with it’s first Stealth Cruiser. March 2126 C.R: Present Time Author's Note Note, C.R represents Celestia's Reign. I'm also going under the assumption that the Mane 6 were born around the year 2000 CR, and the Return of Nightmare Moon happened in 2018 C.R. So basically the show timespan was 2 years. Also, fun fact: Vahvoja is Finnish for "Strong" Also, I'm going to admit that Equestria's survival was a miracle. No doubt. Chapter 1: ArrivalCaptain Echo Sparkle Equestrian Navy E.S.C Twilight Sparkle Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR Approaching The Bardock System “Sir, we’re five minutes out. Your orders?” announced Dragonfire, as the Twilight Sparkle pulled out of Hyperspeed. About an hour had passed since Echo’s ship had been diverted to Bardock, and a sense of anxiousness had built up within the crew. Looking around the bridge, Echo thought for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Alert the rest of the crew that code ‘Calm’ is in effect. I want the Twilight Sparkle invisible until we know what we’re facing,” Echo replied, his voice firm. Code “Calm” was a certain set of orders for stealth cruisers, which basically meant that all stealth systems were to be engaged, and radio silence was to be observed. Dragonfire nodded, quickly flipping on the ship’s intercom system. “All personnel, code ‘Calm’ is in effect. I repeat, code ‘Calm’ is in effect. Report to assigned stations at once,” She stated. The sound of various systems turning off and on filled the ship, followed by a green light on Echo’s Captain’s Panel flickering on. Echo clapped his front hooves together, and then hopped out of his chair. “Alright, now the fun part begins. Eyes forward, the station should be coming into view any moment,” He exclaimed, a rather cheerful tone in his voice. The bridge went deathly silent as the ship slowly drifted toward its destination. It took a few moments for the planet of Bardock to come into view, but what the crew in the bridge saw shocked them. Echo’s eyes widened, and he slowly lowered himself to a sitting position. “Sweet Celestia...” Bardock Station had been violently split in two, with various dots surrounding it, most likely debris from the crippled space station. Floating near the space station was the large, bulky form of the E.B.C Manehatten, a huge hole blasted clean through the center of the ship. The bridge was deathly silent for a few second, before Riverside finally spoke, “What.....what the buck happened here?” exclaimed the aqua blue earth mare, a shaky tone in her voice. Nopony could answer that question, and a sense of fear suddenly came over the crew. It took Echo a few moments to recover, but he quickly got back into his captains chair. “Get me closer to the station. I need to piece together what happened here,” He announced, a firm tone in his voice. His command was met with silence for a few moments, before Dragonfire turned to face him. “You’re insane Echo. You honestly want us to continue flying toward the planet? Do you not see that Bardock station is bucking CUT IN HALF? Do you seriously want US to end up like that? I say we turn around, and call in the 2nd Strike Fleet instead of putting all our lives in danger,” shouted Dragonfire, a rather angry tone in her voice. Several quiet gasps emanated from several of the crew members, as all eyes turned to face Echo. Echo sat quietly in his chair, staring at the gray mare that had challenged his authority for a few moments, finally speaking a few moments later, “There shall be no debate, and our course will not change. Do you understand me, Dragonfire?” he said, his voice somewhat quiet. Dragonfire glared at the Captain for a few moments, then spun to face her station. “Yes, sir,” she growled. The bridge was silent for a few more minutes, with nopony willing to say anything to break the silence. However, the silence was soon broken when Riverside cleared her throat. “Captain, I’m picking up a distress call from the Manehatten. Should I play it to the bridge?” she announced, her voice quiet. Echo nodded, lifting his head to face the main holoscreen. A few seconds of silence passed before the transmission started playing. “...Captain Carter of the E.B.C Manehatten. We’ve been attacked by an unknown enemy, and have been severely damaged. We’ve lost primary power, and are currently relying on emergency generators. Casualties are estimated to be around 2000 dead, 150 critically wounded, and 200 lightly wounded. We won’t last long without help!” announced a rather gruff sounding stallion, clear desperation in his voice. Echo frowned, thinking hard about how he could help the Manehatten. The bridge hung in silence for a few moments, until Echo finally spoke,“Dragonfire, get me Lieutenant Bright Soul,” ordered Echo, making sure to keep a neutral tone in his voice. Dragonfire nodded, pressing a few buttons on her console. A few moments later, a brown unicorn stallion with brown eyes and gray mane appeared on the holo screen. The stallion quickly saluted, and cleared his throat. “I saw what happened to the Manehatten. What do you need sir?” he asked, his voice flat. Echo nodded, straightening up a little in his chair. “Lieutenant, I need you to gather a team of Marines, and get them to Hanger 3 ASAP. Understood?” Echo explained. Lieutenant Bright Soul nodded, quickly scribbling something down. “Yeah, I can get a team ready to go in ten minutes. Anything else?” replied the Lieutenant, his gaze returning to the Captain. Echo shook his head, before smiling. “That’s all I need right now, thanks Lieutenant,” Echo exclaimed, before pressing the button on his chair to end the transmission. The bridge remained silent for a few moments, until Riverside cleared her throat. “Shall I hail the Manehatten?” She asked, her voice shaking. Echo shook his head, leaning back in his chair, and pressing his front hooves together. “Whoever attacked the Manehatten would probably detect our hail, and lock on our signal. We’ll just have the marines tell Captain Carter that we're here,” Echo replied, his voice neutral. Riverside sighed, before nodding in acknowledgement. After that, nopony had anything left to say. SurvivorCorporal Nocturnal Royal Equestrian Marine Corps 1st Marines, 13th Battle Cruiser Detachment Aboard the E.B.C Manehatten Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR The crackle of electricity and small fires were the only sounds to be heard in the Sector 13 Barracks. Under a piece of collapsed ceiling, a black pegasus stallion with a dark blue mane and green eyes stirred, letting out a groan. Every bone in his body ached, and the rubble on top of him restricted movement. It took the pegasus a few moments to gather full consciousness and when he did, he immediately began trying to get himself out from under the rubble. Luckily for him, the rubble on top of him was rather weak, and broke with a large push. Now free, the pegasus got back to his hooves, and gathered his thoughts. All the Corporal knew was that the Manehatten had been attacked by an unknown enemy. They had an extremely powerful laser mounted on one of their ships that easily cut through the Manehattan’s thick hull. The corporal had been pinned down by rubble during the initial attack, so he had little knowledge of what was going on in the rest of the ship. Deciding that the first thing he should do was discover the fate of the rest of the ship, Corporal Nocturnal made a quick look over his armor. Surprisingly his Mark 2 Royal Marine Combat Armor was in good condition except for the fact that the Sparkle MK4 module was badly damaged. The Sparkle module was a miracle invention made by Twilight Sparkle in the year 2090, and basically gave earth ponies and pegasi a small amount of magic to operate different weapons such as rifles, grenades, and machine guns. Cursing at his misfortunes, Nocturnal pulled off the now useless module off its mount on his shoulder and stepped into the hallway outside the barracks. From a quick glance, the only direction that he could go was left. To the right was a large wall of debris that blocked access to the armory for Sector 13. Taking the time to take note of his surroundings, Corporal Nocturnal noticed he wasn’t alone. Several dead marines were scattered in various positions around the hallway, all of them covered in a large amount of blood. Inspecting one of the bodies, Nocturnal could notice large claw marks all over it, sending a chill down his spine. Nocturnal then looked at every other body and discovered similar injuries, bringing up a realization that something more serious had happened after the initial attack. Finished observing the carnage in the hallway, Nocturnal walked down the left side and into another hallway. Again, the right side was blocked by a large amount of debris. The left side of the hallway however had something much more shocking. Standing there was a rather large griffin with very long claws and blood all over its beak. Nocturnal just stared at it for a few seconds, before the griffin shrieked, and charged full speed toward him. He had no time to react before the griffin bowled him over. The griffin clawed rapidly at Nocturnal’s armor in an intense effort to rip through it, all while Nocturnal fiercely fought back, all while screaming for help. This continued for a second until a pistol shot rang out, and the griffin crumpled. Quickly pushing the dead griffin off of him, Nocturnal scrambled back to his hooves and stared at the door where the shot came from. The first thing that stood out about the newcomer was his sleek dark purple armor. The design of it was very different from regular Marine armor, and had a crescent moon painted on the chestplate. Sticking out of the top of the helmet was a gray horn, signaling that the wearer of the armor was a unicorn. A dark purple visor covered up the unicorns face, adding to his intimidation factor. There was silence for a few moments, until the unicorn spoke. “I’m surprised to see a Marine alive down here, especially with so many Berserkers in Sector 13.” Exclaimed the newcomer, as he put their HLP-27 Heavy Pistol back into its holster. Nocturnal glanced at the dead griffin, then back at the newcomer. “Who...who are you?” The newcomer simply laughed, then raised his visor, revealing his face. “I’m Major Nightwhisper, Royal Lunar Guard.” He replied simply. The major’s face was relatively neutral as he introduced himself, though his crimson eyes seemed to be fixed entirely on Corporal Nocturnal. A confused look came across Nocturnal’s face as he cocked his head to the side a little bit. “Wait, you’re part of the Lunar Guard? I thought they only conducted operations on Equestria!” Nocturnal exclaimed. Major Nightwhisper laughed again, flipping his visor back over his face. “We do conduct ops on Equestria, but some special cases require us to go off world. I’m here because Luna personally ordered me here. I was assigned to watch the operations of the Manehatten, and made sure things went smoothly. And obviously they didn’t.” Nocturnal nodded and then looked back at the dead Griffon. “Do you know what’s happening in the rest of the ship Major?” Major Nightwhisper nodded, walking over to the dead griffon and kicking it. “First thing that needs to be known is that we’ve lost most of our communications systems. Therefore, I only know the situation in parts of the ship that I’ve been through. The Griffons boarded the ship immediately after the attack, and deployed a lot of mutated griffons before leaving again. These ‘Berserkers’ are rather brutal, using super speed and extremely sharp claws to kill their targets. Most of the ship is overrun with these things, especially this sector and the bridge.” Major Nightwhisper explained. Nocturnal frowned and then stepped away from the dead Berserker. “So there are more of these things. Do we know if anyone’s coming to rescue us?” Major Nightwhisper turned his eyes to look at the Corporal, then turned around. “Follow me.” Author's Note From now on, I am aiming to put out longer chapters. And I apologize for the delay/ Movements“Movements” Admiral Lance Royal Griffon Navy 1st Griffon Expeditionary Fleet Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR Somewhere Outside the Bardock System Lance smiled to himself as he read the estimated damage reports the fleet had gathered on the E.B.C Manehatten. The attack had been swift, and the Manehatten had been quickly disabled before it could put up a fight. Every Griffon in the fleet had celebrated, for it was the first major Griffon victory over Equestria in nearly 26 years. As he reveled in the reports, Lance failed to notice that a guard had entered his office, and was nearly scared out of his wits when the guard coughed rather loudly. Dropping the reports, he cursed loudly before realizing that it was only a guard. Regaining his composure, Lance ordered the guard to speak. The guard smiled nervously, quickly pulling a piece of paper from his shoulder bag and cleared his throat. “Sorry if I disturbed you, sir. A report just came in from “Amicus Autem Nox,” he wishes to inform you that all preparations for the next stage of Operation Void are complete, and that he advises that we initiate the invasion of Bardock as soon as possible,” he announced. Lance grinned, pleased that things were finally ready to move along. He immediately dismissed the guard, before pressing a few buttons, opening a voice channel to the rest of the fleet. “All ships, this is Admiral Lance. I need readiness reports now,” he said flatly, as his eyes drifted to the status board built into his desk. The display quickly changed from a map of the Bardock system to a fleet status screen which showed red outlines of each ship in the fleet. Lance waited a few moments, and grinned as the red outlines turned green, one by one. He waited until every ship showed up green, then cleared his throat. “Thank you all. I am very pleased to announce that we are ready to launch phase two of Operation Void, and that a new age is dawning upon the Griffon Kingdom. For twenty six years, we have lived in exile among the stars, driven out by those rotten Equestrians. But now...now we can achieve our revenge! With our invasion of Bardock, we will send a clear message to the Equestrians that they are not safe. We will destroy their pride, take their colonies, and reclaim what is rightfully ours! Failure is not an option, for the eyes of our people are upon us. The fall of the Equestrian Empire will be swift, for our leader Drake II demands it. Go forth and secure the future of the Griffon race. Full speed ahead,we got a colony to claim,” he announced. Cheers broke out all over channel, as the fleet moved out. “Alright Major, I’ve got the transport working. Are we almost ready to get moving?” Corporal Nocturnal shouted as he closed the left engine cover on the All Altitude Troop Transport that he had been working on. After Nocturnal had met Nightwhisper, the two stallions decided to head to the Sector 13 Vehicle Hangar to see if they could find a way off the Manehatten. Luckily, they managed to get to the Hangar without encountering any Berserkers, where they immediately went to work on getting a transport in working condition. Nightwhisper was silent for a few moments as he typed a few more things into the one functioning computer in the hangar before smiling to himself, and walking to the ship. “We’re good to go. I just finished gaining access to the safeties on the core. The core’s designated to meltdown in approximately 10 minutes, so we need to get moving ASAP.” Nightwhisper explained as he quickly opened the canopy to the cockpit of the transport and got into the pilot’s seat. Nocturnal looked shocked for a few moments before shaking his head as he climbed into the co-pilot’s seat and closed the canopy. “You’re going to destroy the ship? What about the potential survivors? You’re killing hundreds of ponies!” Nocturnal retorted. Nightwhisper chuckled lightly, as he flipped a few switches to turn on the engines. “Listen, Nocturnal, the Manehatten is lost. The entire ship is overrun with Berserkers, and the Griffons could be coming back any hour now. If they capture the Manehatten, then they gain another ship with a High Intensity Energy cannon, and that would be devastating,” he replied with a neutral tone in his voice. Nocturnal simply listened to the engines boot up for a few moments, then sighed deeply. “This is wrong, Nightwhisper. These ponies don’t deserve to die,” Nocturnal said quietly, as he strapped himself into his seat. Nightwhisper growled, getting slightly annoyed at Nocturnal’s continued opposition to his sacrifice. “You don’t get it, do you Corporal? If we leave this ship intact, the Griffons will capture the weapon and they will use it without hesitation. If the Griffons take control of the Manehatten, the ship’s HIE cannon will cut through our fleets like butter. Countless ponies will be slaughtered if that happens, and I will not allow that to happen! My judgment is final, do you understand Corporal?” Nightwhisper shouted angrily. The Corporal was silent for a few moments, before nodding slowly. “Yes, sir,” he replied solemnly as the engines finished warming up. Nightwhisper smiled to himself, then increased the throttle, and lifted the transport off the ground. Nocturnal’s thoughts slowly turned to the hundreds of ponies trapped and about to die on the Manehatten as the transport slowly moved out of the hangar. It felt so wrong leaving behind so many ponies to die, but the Corporal knew that he couldn’t change the Major’s mind. The crew and Marines on board the Manehatten would be sacrificed to prevent the Griffons from gaining a weapon to use against Equestria. He thought quietly to himself for a few minutes, until a brilliant flash of white broke the stillness. That’s it. They’re gone. He thought to himself, as he shut his eyes. With that, he started crying Echo simply stared in shock as his eyes recovered from the brilliant flash of white that had come from the Manehatten moments earlier. Nothing remained of the huge battlecruiser except for large, irregular chunks of metal, shrewn in a large field around the general area of where the ship used to be. It took a few moments for Echo to recover from his shock before he finally got out of his chair. Trembling, the sandy brown unicorn slowly walked to the glass in the front of the bridge, where he just stared at the remains of the E.B.C Manehatten for a few more minutes until finally opening his mouth to speak. “Everypony…. please stand, and show everypony that just died the respect they deserve,” he said quietly as he removed his hat. Every other pony on the bridge slowly got to their hooves, all removing their hats and dipping their heads. The bridge remained like this for a few moments, until Echo placed his hat back on his head and turned to face the crew. “Thank you, everypony, please take your seats,” he said. It took a few moments for everypony to return to their seats, but Echo waited patiently until everypony was seated again before speaking again. “Now that we have witness the complete and utter destruction of the Manehatten, I believe it is now time to exit the Bardock system, and notify Princess Twilight of our findings. While I didn’t get the information I hoped to acquire, the danger of staying here is far too great. Drag-” he began before he was interrupted by Riverside suddenly getting out of her seat. “I’m terribly sorry for interrupting sir, but I just received an urgent message from the Sensory Deck. They’re telling me that a AATT just appeared on the radar, and that its course suggests that it came from the Manehatten!” she exclaimed. Echo looked at her in shock for a few moments before quickly running over to radiomare. “Are they sure?” Echo asked quickly, somewhat disbelieving of the situation. Riverside nodded, handing a paper that listed everything that the Sensory Deck reported. Echo took a few moments to read the contents of the paper, very shocked at what the paper said, before giving it back to Riverside, and rushing back to his chair. “Riverside, open communications to the AATT and notify them of our current position. As for the rest of the crew, begin preparations for our immediate departure from the Bardock system. As soon as we get that AATT on board, we need to leave the system before the enemy can lock onto our signal. Get moving!” he ordered as he sat back down in his chair. The rest of the crew on the bridge immediately shouted a loud “YES SIR” before immediately getting to work. For the first time since he had arrived in the Bardock system, Echo felt happy. Author's Note I apologize about the wait, I really do. Writer's block is a bitch. >:( Also...sorry for the random bit in the end of the chapter if you saw it, it was imported from a Google Doc...
Prologue“Good morning Captain Sparkle, it’s time to wake up. The current date is Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR. The current time is 7:30 AM Intergalactic Standard Time. Current destination is Janax Station.” Announced the pre-recorded voice on the alarm clock, before automatically turning off. In the bed next to the clock, a sandy brown unicorn stallion with a reddish orange mane and blue eyes stirred, before yawning deeply to himself, and sat up. It took a few moments for Captain Echo Sparkle to fully wake up, before he climbed out of bed, and walked over to his closet. It was now day three of the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle’s voyage to the planet Janax, and things were normal. For Echo however, the voyage was anything but normal. This was his first voyage in command of the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle, one of the finest vessels in the Equestrian Navy. Built in 2125, the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle was one of the newest ships in the fleet, and was the first stealth cruiser to be ever be commissioned for service in the Equestrian Fleet. The most prominent feature of the Twilight Sparkle was its Grushinko Mark IV Stealth Drive, which was the quietest engine ever to be used on a ship. The ship was also equipped with a Lehner V Visual Cloaking System, which could keep the ship invisible to cameras and eyes for up to five days in a row. The final unique system that was built into the ship was a set of Braeburn Industries Hydra 6 Heat Storage Cells. When activated, the Hydra6 cells would capture all the ship’s heat emissions and store them, effectively hiding the Twilight Sparkle from thermal sensors. When all three systems are activated in synch, the Twilight Sparkle is effectively impossible to detect, which made it ideal as a type of infiltration vessel. It only took a few minutes for Echo to get cleaned up and dressed, and he made a quick stop to his desk, and picked up the phone. After quickly dialing a number, Echo listened to the phone rang for a few seconds, before one of the cooks finally answered. “Kitchens.” He stated simply, a slightly unamused tone in his voice. Echo chuckled, before clearing his throat. “C’mon Xavier, you should cheer up! Anyway, I’m calling to order my usual morning coffee.” exclaimed Echo, a cheerful tone in his voice. The cook was silent for a moment, before coughing. “I’m sorry sir, the morning is a bad time for me. Anyway, your coffee is on it’s way.” Replied the cook, hanging up a few seconds later. Echo placed the phone back onto the receiver, heard a small thump from behind the wall. He double tapped the wall, and pulled open a secret door. Taking the steaming cup of coffee that was inside, Echo couldn’t help but smile at the ingenious design of the ship’s food delivery systems. Taking a sip, Echo then closed the hidden compartment and exited his room, trudging slowly along to the elevator leading to the bridge. §§§ “Captain on deck!” shouted one of the guards, as Echo stepped into the bridge, coffee in hoof. Every pony in the room turned to face Echo, and snapped to attention only for him to wave them off a few seconds later. “At ease. Dragonfire, give me a status report.” Announced Echo, taking a seat on the rather large captain’s chair located in the dead center of the bridge. The gray mare in question quickly pulled out a file from her station and flipped it open. “Everything is running normally Captain. If everything stays this way, we should be at Janax station within 2 hours.” She replied, quickly closing the file. Echo nodded, turning his gaze to look out the windshield at the rapidly passing stars and planets. “That’s good. If your estimate is correct, Dragonfire, then we should be an hour ahead of schedule.” exclaimed Echo, taking a sip of his coffee. There were a few halfhearted cheers, but the bridge quickly descended into total silence. The bridge remained quiet for a few minutes, before Redheart, the ship’s Chief Communications Officer called out. “Incoming high priority transmission from Princess Twilight Sparkle sir. Shall I put it on the holoscreen?” Echo took a sip from his coffee and nodded. Redheart returned the nod, and typed something into her computer console. The large holopanel in the front of the bridge suddenly cleared and a video feed of the purple alicorn princess appeared on it. Every pony in the room including Echo saluted, before Echo cleared his throat. “What can I do for you, Princess Sparkle?” He announced, making sure to channel as much authority into his voice. Twilight frowned, shaking her head in disappointment. “Echo, what have I told you? You don’t need to talk formally to me!” Twilight exclaimed, a slightly disappointed tone in her voice. Echo shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee. “Sorry Twilight, it’s just habit now. I’m required to be formal to all ponies that have more power., and you of all ponies should know that.” Echo replied nonchalantly. Twilight scoffed, quickly rolling her eyes. “Yeah, I know that Echo. However YOU of all ponies should know that I hate it when family does that. It just isn’t right!” She replied, a slightly annoyed tone in her voice. Echo nodded, putting his coffee down on the arm of his chair. “Yes, I know Twilight. Anyway, what is it that you need?” He asked, his voice flat. Twilight straightened up, and cleared her throat. “I need you to divert your ship towards Bardock Station. There’s been a development.” Twilight announced, a professional tone in her voice. Echo frowned, quickly picking up his coffee cup. “What happened?” He asked, making sure to hide the surprise in his voice. Twilight looked down at something off screen, before returning her gaze to the camera. “Yesterday, Bardock Station reported a group of unknown ships entering their system. Naval Command told them to watch the unknown ships, and deployed the E.B.C Manehatten to check out the situation. Then around midnight, I received a call from Admiral of the Navy, Coldlong, saying that Bardock Station abruptly cut communications. Since you’re the closest ship that we have to Bardock Station, I have to ask you to move in and investigate. The Manehatten should be there already, but they haven’t reported in yet.” reported Twilight, her voice flat. Echo was silent for a few moments, before slowly nodding his head. “Of course Twilight, I’ll set course for Bardock now. I’ll report in when we’re there.” Echo replied, a slight hint of unease in his voice. Twilight nodded, giving him a quick smile. “Thank you Echo, I hope you can get to the bottom of this. If you need any help, don’t be afraid to call in for support. I have elements of the 3rd Fleet standing by, ready to arrive within a day’s notice.” Twilight exclaimed, a joyous tone in her voice. Echo nodded, returning the purple alicorn’s smile. “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Echo out.” He stated, before nodding to Redheart. Redheart returned the nod and cut the video feed. The crew went silent as Twilight disappeared, before Echo stood up, and looked around the bridge. “You heard the Princess, set a course for Bardock. We got work to do.” Author's Note Welcome to Into The Void! This is my first attempt at a Science Fiction novel, so please let me know what you think. The next chapter will most likely be a chapter detailing a timeline of important events before the story, and maybe some other important plot information. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! See you next chapter! ~Bramble
TimelineFebruary 2020 C.R: Twilight Sparkle is crowned Equestria’s newest Princess at the age of 20. April 2021: C.O.N, or the Coalition Of Nations is formed in Canterlot, Equestria to promote world cooperation. Member nations in the CON include Equestria, Saddle Arabia, Germaney, the Crystal Empire, the Zebra Union, and Manico. March 2040 C.R: Vahvoja, a radical group of Griffons under the leadership of Gilda takes control over the Griffon Kingdom in a violent coup d’ état. CON is shocked by the event, but does little against it. January 2043 C.R: Gilda initiates the Great Purge, and many Griffons in Vahvoja are executed or sent to labor camps. Of the original 100 members of Vahvoja, only 15 manage to escape the purge untouched. May 2050 C.R: The Griffin Kingdom attacks Giffalia, a small nation on the north border. The small nation surrenders in less than a year. When asked why, Gilda justified the attack with the following statement: “Griffalia rightfully belongs to the Griffin Kingdom. We fixed an ancient wrong.” CON enacts a very small embargo on the Griffin Kingdom, but does nothing else. June 2055 C.R: Griffon forces launch an all out offensive against the unsuspecting Zebra Union. The resulting Griffon-Zebra war lasts 7 years, but ends when Griffon forces marched into the burning capital of Zebes. CON is alarmed, and quickly enacts a major embargo on the Griffon Kingdom. August 2066 C.R: Gilda declares war on Germaney, before launching another surprise offensive. Four years of fighting ensure, before Germaney finally surrenders. Panic spreads across the globe as the Griffon Kingdom continues to expand. October 2075 C.R: Manico and Saddle Arabia are attacked by Gilda’s forces. Saddle Arabia is quick to fall, while Manico manages to hold out for 6 years before finally being forced to surrender. November 2086 C.R: On threat of annihilation, the Crystal Empire joins forces with the Griffon Kingdom. Equestria stands alone. January 2090: Griffon Forces cross the border into Equestria. Half of the county falls before the Equestrian military finally stops the Griffon’s advance. Equestrian morale is at a all time low July 2092 C.R: Extremely desperate, the Equestrian Military launches a massive counterattack under the name Operation Fierce Wind. The Griffons were caught off guard by the attack, and are quickly driven out of Equestria. Equestrian morale skyrockets. September 2092 C.R: Gilda passes away from heart complications, and power is handed over to her grandson Drake. January 2094 C.R: Griffon forces are pushed out of the Crystal Empire. In celebration, the Crystal Empire decides to join under the Equestrian flag. The Equestrian Empire is formed. November 2096 C.R: Applejack passes away at the age of 97. Out of the original six Bearers of Harmony, only Twilight Sparkle is left. May 2097 C.R: Manico, Saddle Arabia, Germaney, and the Zebra Union are liberated by Equestrian forces. All liberated nations vote to join the Equestrian Empire. January 2098 C.R: Equestrian forces commence the assault on the Griffon Heartland. March 2098 C.R: Griffons commence work on massive spaceships in the capital of Great Aerie. These are associated with a back up plan in case Equestrian forces push too far. April 2099 C.R: Equestrian forces surround the capital. Realizing the hopeless situation his people were in, Drake orders his military forces to gather as many citizens in the city as possible, and put them on the liveships. Within a day, the liveships leave the planet, leaving behind a small division of troops to fight to the death. May 2099 C.R: The griffon division left behind is eradicated. Celebrations take place all over the world as the Griffon threat is finally neutralized. November 2102 C.R: Twilight Sparkle’s grandson Echo Sparkle is born in Canterlot. March 2105 C.R: The Equestrian Empire launches it’s first space station, and names it Luna Station. Interest in extraterrestrial colonization sparks within the Empire June 2115 C.R: Equestria’s first extraterrestrial colony is established on the planet Janax. Flocks of eager settlers flood to the planet. February 2120 C.R: The 100th anniversary of Twilight Sparkle’s coronation is celebrated with the establishment of Equestria’s 10th extraterrestrial colony on the planet Bardock. Equestria continues to expand through the universe rapidly. April 2123 C.R: The Millennium Insurgency surfaces on the Equestrian colony planet of Mandspar. It quickly gains momentum, but is contained by Equestrian military forces. However, the insurgency remains a threat, and occasionally sends raiding ships to attack neighboring colonies. May 2125 C.R: Construction of the E.S.C Twilight Sparkle is completed, providing the Equestrian Navy with it’s first Stealth Cruiser. March 2126 C.R: Present Time Author's Note Note, C.R represents Celestia's Reign. I'm also going under the assumption that the Mane 6 were born around the year 2000 CR, and the Return of Nightmare Moon happened in 2018 C.R. So basically the show timespan was 2 years. Also, fun fact: Vahvoja is Finnish for "Strong" Also, I'm going to admit that Equestria's survival was a miracle. No doubt.
Chapter 1: ArrivalCaptain Echo Sparkle Equestrian Navy E.S.C Twilight Sparkle Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR Approaching The Bardock System “Sir, we’re five minutes out. Your orders?” announced Dragonfire, as the Twilight Sparkle pulled out of Hyperspeed. About an hour had passed since Echo’s ship had been diverted to Bardock, and a sense of anxiousness had built up within the crew. Looking around the bridge, Echo thought for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Alert the rest of the crew that code ‘Calm’ is in effect. I want the Twilight Sparkle invisible until we know what we’re facing,” Echo replied, his voice firm. Code “Calm” was a certain set of orders for stealth cruisers, which basically meant that all stealth systems were to be engaged, and radio silence was to be observed. Dragonfire nodded, quickly flipping on the ship’s intercom system. “All personnel, code ‘Calm’ is in effect. I repeat, code ‘Calm’ is in effect. Report to assigned stations at once,” She stated. The sound of various systems turning off and on filled the ship, followed by a green light on Echo’s Captain’s Panel flickering on. Echo clapped his front hooves together, and then hopped out of his chair. “Alright, now the fun part begins. Eyes forward, the station should be coming into view any moment,” He exclaimed, a rather cheerful tone in his voice. The bridge went deathly silent as the ship slowly drifted toward its destination. It took a few moments for the planet of Bardock to come into view, but what the crew in the bridge saw shocked them. Echo’s eyes widened, and he slowly lowered himself to a sitting position. “Sweet Celestia...” Bardock Station had been violently split in two, with various dots surrounding it, most likely debris from the crippled space station. Floating near the space station was the large, bulky form of the E.B.C Manehatten, a huge hole blasted clean through the center of the ship. The bridge was deathly silent for a few second, before Riverside finally spoke, “What.....what the buck happened here?” exclaimed the aqua blue earth mare, a shaky tone in her voice. Nopony could answer that question, and a sense of fear suddenly came over the crew. It took Echo a few moments to recover, but he quickly got back into his captains chair. “Get me closer to the station. I need to piece together what happened here,” He announced, a firm tone in his voice. His command was met with silence for a few moments, before Dragonfire turned to face him. “You’re insane Echo. You honestly want us to continue flying toward the planet? Do you not see that Bardock station is bucking CUT IN HALF? Do you seriously want US to end up like that? I say we turn around, and call in the 2nd Strike Fleet instead of putting all our lives in danger,” shouted Dragonfire, a rather angry tone in her voice. Several quiet gasps emanated from several of the crew members, as all eyes turned to face Echo. Echo sat quietly in his chair, staring at the gray mare that had challenged his authority for a few moments, finally speaking a few moments later, “There shall be no debate, and our course will not change. Do you understand me, Dragonfire?” he said, his voice somewhat quiet. Dragonfire glared at the Captain for a few moments, then spun to face her station. “Yes, sir,” she growled. The bridge was silent for a few more minutes, with nopony willing to say anything to break the silence. However, the silence was soon broken when Riverside cleared her throat. “Captain, I’m picking up a distress call from the Manehatten. Should I play it to the bridge?” she announced, her voice quiet. Echo nodded, lifting his head to face the main holoscreen. A few seconds of silence passed before the transmission started playing. “...Captain Carter of the E.B.C Manehatten. We’ve been attacked by an unknown enemy, and have been severely damaged. We’ve lost primary power, and are currently relying on emergency generators. Casualties are estimated to be around 2000 dead, 150 critically wounded, and 200 lightly wounded. We won’t last long without help!” announced a rather gruff sounding stallion, clear desperation in his voice. Echo frowned, thinking hard about how he could help the Manehatten. The bridge hung in silence for a few moments, until Echo finally spoke,“Dragonfire, get me Lieutenant Bright Soul,” ordered Echo, making sure to keep a neutral tone in his voice. Dragonfire nodded, pressing a few buttons on her console. A few moments later, a brown unicorn stallion with brown eyes and gray mane appeared on the holo screen. The stallion quickly saluted, and cleared his throat. “I saw what happened to the Manehatten. What do you need sir?” he asked, his voice flat. Echo nodded, straightening up a little in his chair. “Lieutenant, I need you to gather a team of Marines, and get them to Hanger 3 ASAP. Understood?” Echo explained. Lieutenant Bright Soul nodded, quickly scribbling something down. “Yeah, I can get a team ready to go in ten minutes. Anything else?” replied the Lieutenant, his gaze returning to the Captain. Echo shook his head, before smiling. “That’s all I need right now, thanks Lieutenant,” Echo exclaimed, before pressing the button on his chair to end the transmission. The bridge remained silent for a few moments, until Riverside cleared her throat. “Shall I hail the Manehatten?” She asked, her voice shaking. Echo shook his head, leaning back in his chair, and pressing his front hooves together. “Whoever attacked the Manehatten would probably detect our hail, and lock on our signal. We’ll just have the marines tell Captain Carter that we're here,” Echo replied, his voice neutral. Riverside sighed, before nodding in acknowledgement. After that, nopony had anything left to say.
SurvivorCorporal Nocturnal Royal Equestrian Marine Corps 1st Marines, 13th Battle Cruiser Detachment Aboard the E.B.C Manehatten Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR The crackle of electricity and small fires were the only sounds to be heard in the Sector 13 Barracks. Under a piece of collapsed ceiling, a black pegasus stallion with a dark blue mane and green eyes stirred, letting out a groan. Every bone in his body ached, and the rubble on top of him restricted movement. It took the pegasus a few moments to gather full consciousness and when he did, he immediately began trying to get himself out from under the rubble. Luckily for him, the rubble on top of him was rather weak, and broke with a large push. Now free, the pegasus got back to his hooves, and gathered his thoughts. All the Corporal knew was that the Manehatten had been attacked by an unknown enemy. They had an extremely powerful laser mounted on one of their ships that easily cut through the Manehattan’s thick hull. The corporal had been pinned down by rubble during the initial attack, so he had little knowledge of what was going on in the rest of the ship. Deciding that the first thing he should do was discover the fate of the rest of the ship, Corporal Nocturnal made a quick look over his armor. Surprisingly his Mark 2 Royal Marine Combat Armor was in good condition except for the fact that the Sparkle MK4 module was badly damaged. The Sparkle module was a miracle invention made by Twilight Sparkle in the year 2090, and basically gave earth ponies and pegasi a small amount of magic to operate different weapons such as rifles, grenades, and machine guns. Cursing at his misfortunes, Nocturnal pulled off the now useless module off its mount on his shoulder and stepped into the hallway outside the barracks. From a quick glance, the only direction that he could go was left. To the right was a large wall of debris that blocked access to the armory for Sector 13. Taking the time to take note of his surroundings, Corporal Nocturnal noticed he wasn’t alone. Several dead marines were scattered in various positions around the hallway, all of them covered in a large amount of blood. Inspecting one of the bodies, Nocturnal could notice large claw marks all over it, sending a chill down his spine. Nocturnal then looked at every other body and discovered similar injuries, bringing up a realization that something more serious had happened after the initial attack. Finished observing the carnage in the hallway, Nocturnal walked down the left side and into another hallway. Again, the right side was blocked by a large amount of debris. The left side of the hallway however had something much more shocking. Standing there was a rather large griffin with very long claws and blood all over its beak. Nocturnal just stared at it for a few seconds, before the griffin shrieked, and charged full speed toward him. He had no time to react before the griffin bowled him over. The griffin clawed rapidly at Nocturnal’s armor in an intense effort to rip through it, all while Nocturnal fiercely fought back, all while screaming for help. This continued for a second until a pistol shot rang out, and the griffin crumpled. Quickly pushing the dead griffin off of him, Nocturnal scrambled back to his hooves and stared at the door where the shot came from. The first thing that stood out about the newcomer was his sleek dark purple armor. The design of it was very different from regular Marine armor, and had a crescent moon painted on the chestplate. Sticking out of the top of the helmet was a gray horn, signaling that the wearer of the armor was a unicorn. A dark purple visor covered up the unicorns face, adding to his intimidation factor. There was silence for a few moments, until the unicorn spoke. “I’m surprised to see a Marine alive down here, especially with so many Berserkers in Sector 13.” Exclaimed the newcomer, as he put their HLP-27 Heavy Pistol back into its holster. Nocturnal glanced at the dead griffin, then back at the newcomer. “Who...who are you?” The newcomer simply laughed, then raised his visor, revealing his face. “I’m Major Nightwhisper, Royal Lunar Guard.” He replied simply. The major’s face was relatively neutral as he introduced himself, though his crimson eyes seemed to be fixed entirely on Corporal Nocturnal. A confused look came across Nocturnal’s face as he cocked his head to the side a little bit. “Wait, you’re part of the Lunar Guard? I thought they only conducted operations on Equestria!” Nocturnal exclaimed. Major Nightwhisper laughed again, flipping his visor back over his face. “We do conduct ops on Equestria, but some special cases require us to go off world. I’m here because Luna personally ordered me here. I was assigned to watch the operations of the Manehatten, and made sure things went smoothly. And obviously they didn’t.” Nocturnal nodded and then looked back at the dead Griffon. “Do you know what’s happening in the rest of the ship Major?” Major Nightwhisper nodded, walking over to the dead griffon and kicking it. “First thing that needs to be known is that we’ve lost most of our communications systems. Therefore, I only know the situation in parts of the ship that I’ve been through. The Griffons boarded the ship immediately after the attack, and deployed a lot of mutated griffons before leaving again. These ‘Berserkers’ are rather brutal, using super speed and extremely sharp claws to kill their targets. Most of the ship is overrun with these things, especially this sector and the bridge.” Major Nightwhisper explained. Nocturnal frowned and then stepped away from the dead Berserker. “So there are more of these things. Do we know if anyone’s coming to rescue us?” Major Nightwhisper turned his eyes to look at the Corporal, then turned around. “Follow me.” Author's Note From now on, I am aiming to put out longer chapters. And I apologize for the delay/
Movements“Movements” Admiral Lance Royal Griffon Navy 1st Griffon Expeditionary Fleet Tuesday, March 14th, 2126 CR Somewhere Outside the Bardock System Lance smiled to himself as he read the estimated damage reports the fleet had gathered on the E.B.C Manehatten. The attack had been swift, and the Manehatten had been quickly disabled before it could put up a fight. Every Griffon in the fleet had celebrated, for it was the first major Griffon victory over Equestria in nearly 26 years. As he reveled in the reports, Lance failed to notice that a guard had entered his office, and was nearly scared out of his wits when the guard coughed rather loudly. Dropping the reports, he cursed loudly before realizing that it was only a guard. Regaining his composure, Lance ordered the guard to speak. The guard smiled nervously, quickly pulling a piece of paper from his shoulder bag and cleared his throat. “Sorry if I disturbed you, sir. A report just came in from “Amicus Autem Nox,” he wishes to inform you that all preparations for the next stage of Operation Void are complete, and that he advises that we initiate the invasion of Bardock as soon as possible,” he announced. Lance grinned, pleased that things were finally ready to move along. He immediately dismissed the guard, before pressing a few buttons, opening a voice channel to the rest of the fleet. “All ships, this is Admiral Lance. I need readiness reports now,” he said flatly, as his eyes drifted to the status board built into his desk. The display quickly changed from a map of the Bardock system to a fleet status screen which showed red outlines of each ship in the fleet. Lance waited a few moments, and grinned as the red outlines turned green, one by one. He waited until every ship showed up green, then cleared his throat. “Thank you all. I am very pleased to announce that we are ready to launch phase two of Operation Void, and that a new age is dawning upon the Griffon Kingdom. For twenty six years, we have lived in exile among the stars, driven out by those rotten Equestrians. But now...now we can achieve our revenge! With our invasion of Bardock, we will send a clear message to the Equestrians that they are not safe. We will destroy their pride, take their colonies, and reclaim what is rightfully ours! Failure is not an option, for the eyes of our people are upon us. The fall of the Equestrian Empire will be swift, for our leader Drake II demands it. Go forth and secure the future of the Griffon race. Full speed ahead,we got a colony to claim,” he announced. Cheers broke out all over channel, as the fleet moved out. “Alright Major, I’ve got the transport working. Are we almost ready to get moving?” Corporal Nocturnal shouted as he closed the left engine cover on the All Altitude Troop Transport that he had been working on. After Nocturnal had met Nightwhisper, the two stallions decided to head to the Sector 13 Vehicle Hangar to see if they could find a way off the Manehatten. Luckily, they managed to get to the Hangar without encountering any Berserkers, where they immediately went to work on getting a transport in working condition. Nightwhisper was silent for a few moments as he typed a few more things into the one functioning computer in the hangar before smiling to himself, and walking to the ship. “We’re good to go. I just finished gaining access to the safeties on the core. The core’s designated to meltdown in approximately 10 minutes, so we need to get moving ASAP.” Nightwhisper explained as he quickly opened the canopy to the cockpit of the transport and got into the pilot’s seat. Nocturnal looked shocked for a few moments before shaking his head as he climbed into the co-pilot’s seat and closed the canopy. “You’re going to destroy the ship? What about the potential survivors? You’re killing hundreds of ponies!” Nocturnal retorted. Nightwhisper chuckled lightly, as he flipped a few switches to turn on the engines. “Listen, Nocturnal, the Manehatten is lost. The entire ship is overrun with Berserkers, and the Griffons could be coming back any hour now. If they capture the Manehatten, then they gain another ship with a High Intensity Energy cannon, and that would be devastating,” he replied with a neutral tone in his voice. Nocturnal simply listened to the engines boot up for a few moments, then sighed deeply. “This is wrong, Nightwhisper. These ponies don’t deserve to die,” Nocturnal said quietly, as he strapped himself into his seat. Nightwhisper growled, getting slightly annoyed at Nocturnal’s continued opposition to his sacrifice. “You don’t get it, do you Corporal? If we leave this ship intact, the Griffons will capture the weapon and they will use it without hesitation. If the Griffons take control of the Manehatten, the ship’s HIE cannon will cut through our fleets like butter. Countless ponies will be slaughtered if that happens, and I will not allow that to happen! My judgment is final, do you understand Corporal?” Nightwhisper shouted angrily. The Corporal was silent for a few moments, before nodding slowly. “Yes, sir,” he replied solemnly as the engines finished warming up. Nightwhisper smiled to himself, then increased the throttle, and lifted the transport off the ground. Nocturnal’s thoughts slowly turned to the hundreds of ponies trapped and about to die on the Manehatten as the transport slowly moved out of the hangar. It felt so wrong leaving behind so many ponies to die, but the Corporal knew that he couldn’t change the Major’s mind. The crew and Marines on board the Manehatten would be sacrificed to prevent the Griffons from gaining a weapon to use against Equestria. He thought quietly to himself for a few minutes, until a brilliant flash of white broke the stillness. That’s it. They’re gone. He thought to himself, as he shut his eyes. With that, he started crying Echo simply stared in shock as his eyes recovered from the brilliant flash of white that had come from the Manehatten moments earlier. Nothing remained of the huge battlecruiser except for large, irregular chunks of metal, shrewn in a large field around the general area of where the ship used to be. It took a few moments for Echo to recover from his shock before he finally got out of his chair. Trembling, the sandy brown unicorn slowly walked to the glass in the front of the bridge, where he just stared at the remains of the E.B.C Manehatten for a few more minutes until finally opening his mouth to speak. “Everypony…. please stand, and show everypony that just died the respect they deserve,” he said quietly as he removed his hat. Every other pony on the bridge slowly got to their hooves, all removing their hats and dipping their heads. The bridge remained like this for a few moments, until Echo placed his hat back on his head and turned to face the crew. “Thank you, everypony, please take your seats,” he said. It took a few moments for everypony to return to their seats, but Echo waited patiently until everypony was seated again before speaking again. “Now that we have witness the complete and utter destruction of the Manehatten, I believe it is now time to exit the Bardock system, and notify Princess Twilight of our findings. While I didn’t get the information I hoped to acquire, the danger of staying here is far too great. Drag-” he began before he was interrupted by Riverside suddenly getting out of her seat. “I’m terribly sorry for interrupting sir, but I just received an urgent message from the Sensory Deck. They’re telling me that a AATT just appeared on the radar, and that its course suggests that it came from the Manehatten!” she exclaimed. Echo looked at her in shock for a few moments before quickly running over to radiomare. “Are they sure?” Echo asked quickly, somewhat disbelieving of the situation. Riverside nodded, handing a paper that listed everything that the Sensory Deck reported. Echo took a few moments to read the contents of the paper, very shocked at what the paper said, before giving it back to Riverside, and rushing back to his chair. “Riverside, open communications to the AATT and notify them of our current position. As for the rest of the crew, begin preparations for our immediate departure from the Bardock system. As soon as we get that AATT on board, we need to leave the system before the enemy can lock onto our signal. Get moving!” he ordered as he sat back down in his chair. The rest of the crew on the bridge immediately shouted a loud “YES SIR” before immediately getting to work. For the first time since he had arrived in the Bardock system, Echo felt happy. Author's Note I apologize about the wait, I really do. Writer's block is a bitch. >:( Also...sorry for the random bit in the end of the chapter if you saw it, it was imported from a Google Doc...
