Doppler's Logby Lewd YoshiChapters[1-1] Lure[1-2] Bait[1-3] Hook[1-4] Caught[1-5] The Night Watch[2-1] The Ties[2-2] The New Team[2-3] The Grasslands[1-1] LureThis story contains depictions and descriptions of the following: Politically incorrect morals, strong language, hinted-at sex, intense violence, gore... and ponies -You, the reader, have been warned thoroughly- -June 7, 2021 -Langley, Virginia (Central Intelligence Agency) -10:05 AM Mission Briefing About one week ago, a collective intelligence group referred to as 'Golf Squad' went to explore the Chernobyl National Power Plant after combined US and RU forces had retaken the territory. They had discovered access to another world through a portal that resided in one of the warehouses. It was one that was closer to the fourth reactor, so they had to take shots when they were out of harm's way. The fire team of four searched the new place for a brief few hours before returning. We were informed of a world that wasn't quite so different from ours. The inhabitants were... odd to our standards, but nonetheless interesting, and they speak English for...whatever reason. But this is where you come in, we want your group to further investigate the place. You will be allowed 15 days to gather any additional information on the planet, the inhabitants, and their ways of life. You will do this with precision and stealth, primarily stealth. We cannot have you startling the locals and having them fear us, so make all necessary attempts not to be seen. With this being the case, there is still always the off chance that you are compromised. If this is to occur, you are not to harm them. We can't assure you that they will return the favor, but it is important that we do not disturb their environment. Your armor has the ability of active camouflage and I trust that all of you have spent the last couple of weeks learning to use it effectively. It should be enough to let you slip through any townships undetected. If you cause trouble, you deal with it. Deal with it logically as well. Keep in mind that once you enter to the world, you cannot use your radios to contact us. You can communicate amongst yourselves while you are inside though. If you need to report in and tell us something, which you will be doing every 12 hours, simply exit through the portal and the radio waves should be good to go. Captain Alex Smith, you will be commandeering this unit of 6 when exploring. I trust that you are trained in this area and can handle leading teams. You have a promising reputation and we hope to see it put in play effectively. The KGB has helped with the funding for this expedition with the exception that they have one of their own members tag along. I introduce you to Vasily Yetgarev. He will provide extra ammunition if for any reason you need it, and don't worry, he speaks English decently. He is under your command and will take orders, regardless of his priorities. Being more specific on your mission, Golf Squad was not able to find any personnel of interest. This will pretty much cover your objectives. Listen around and use promoted tactics to acquire information. Again, if you are caught, just come clean and explain why you're there. There's no reason to startle the public and have them attacking you. Oh, it didn't occur to me until now... This is a society with their own ways of doing things, their own methods of coping, and their own beliefs... You are not to incorporate any personal beliefs on them just as much as you are not going to hurt them. The weapons provided were given to you to be used only when absolutely necessary. Alright? You will get to the Ukraine by air and you should expect to arrive in a few hours. Get prepped, you're leaving now... Good luck in there, Onyx team. "For evil men to win; good men have to do nothing. Well I think the opposite is true: for good men to win; evil men have to do nothing. Think about it..." -TJ Kirk, TheAmazingAtheist (Neckbeard Uprising) -June 7, 2021 (Day One) -Pripyat, Ukraine -Get to the Chernobyl NPP and locate the portal -12:47 PM Onyx was flown directly to the checkpoint of the exclusion zone to get proper militant access into the region. Only a week prior to this event had the Russians been fighting for control over the area. Successfully, and with the help of some soldiers of the United States, they had driven roughly one thousand Stalkers out of the Zone. Some teams of scientists roamed about to gather information on radiation spikes and possibly to find some of those precious artifacts as well. The team observed said scientists searching while getting an escorted ride to the city through humvees. The Russians were many things to the United States during their joint operation in this area, but courteous was fortunately the primary one. There would always be some uneasiness between them since the Cold War, but pursuit of the unknown was enough to make them set that aside for now. The Captain requested that the team continue on foot when getting to town square. Pripyat was a ghost town that had been uninhabited since 1986 due to a nuclear disaster the city's locale power plant. Radiation levels remain high even to this day. With all who lived there now gone buildings and homes were practically corroded. Moss and broken appliances filled all buildings and homes. All grass and fauna had withered away from constant exposure to the radioactivity. But the city wasn't what the six soldiers were in the Ukraine for. Only about three-thousand meters from Pripyat rested the Chernobyl Power Plant and all its nuclear infamy. So far, they had spent about twenty minutes walking to make it to their goal. The combat medic, Bradley McCoy, tried striking a conversation. He would be referred to as Mercury for the duration of the operation. They walked in a relaxed pace while the operative spoke, "I'm just saying, this doesn't seem like the best use a’ our abilities. Feels like a waste of all this high-end gear don't ya think?" The leader of the group, now known as Bellhop, only replied with the voice of reason, "If they want us to do something, we do it. Quit complaining, this is important." The Russian of the four that walked seemed far more focused on the mission, "Power plant's in 80 meters, sir," the mission required codenames, so he chose Spade. "Good," replied Bellhop, "Clover, how’s it look from you position?" Roughly 50 meters from the group of four, rested the combatants that would be called Clover and Ingot for the rest of the mission. The two were told to sit back that far so that they could warn the team of any possible threats. Though none would ever come; everything was dead here. Ingot replied, "We can see the power plant from here; heading to your AO." "I wasn’t aware that you two swapped names," grunted Bellhop, "Get here quickly." "We're on it Cap'," Clover said. As the group made progress, a few dead bodies really backed up their thoughts on how the militants from one week ago handled Stalkers. The corpses undoubtedly belonged to those thieves who were too stubborn to leave the Zone peacefully. The only noises in the area were sounds of dead grass rustling under the boots of Onyx and occasional spikes of radiation on the meters. The lifeless terrain seemed to deem the soldiers as unwelcome, but that wouldn't stop them... It wasn't long before they had entered the proximity of Chernobyl. The further into the Plant they went; the larger the buildings became through perspective. That towering yellow crane marked the object that was closest to their destination. It worked for Onyx like the Northern Star, Polaris, would work for a lost traveler in the desert. Hazel, the only other female operative in Onyx spoke up, "It's that green one, right? The... huh, portal should be in there." She spoke with a bit of skepticism, for the whole dimensional traveling thing sounded obscure. If it were true, then hot damn, was Hazel honored to be a part of it. She didn't see much reason not to believe her commanders, but the whole thing felt very sci-fi to her... "Yeah, that's it." Bellhop felt it was necessary to do final preparations before entering, "Alright, check your supplies, weapons, make sure everything's loaded and on safety. Now check reflector." Onyx wore armor that presented a pitch black color. Pouches were there for magazine storage. Precise stitching ran up the sleeves. Wrinkleless fine cloth pants with sidearm holsters met up with utility belts around the waist, burnt black combat boots with straps for laces, and medium sized backpacks firmly packed with any additional supplies rested over the hydration pouches behind the soldiers. The helmets were made of Kevlar and stitched over with a seamless black cloth. They wore masks that only covered their mouths and wrapped around the neck and back of the head. Just above the mask rested ballistic goggles that had a dark tint to them. Normally, it would be a disadvantage in any daylight situation because anyone could spot them in a heartbeat, but the solid color helped with the clothing's far more interesting ability. As a quick test; all Onyx members started up the desired feature. In seconds, all you would be able to see was the power plant in front of them and the small patches of dead grass that surrounded the warehouse. With a subtle sound of static, they disabled the ability. It was now confirmed that the armor was working properly and they could enter to start their explorations with the help of active camouflage. Bellhop reassured his team, "Okay, we're going. Note your surroundings and use your weapon where applicable. We stick together unless it's required to do otherwise, understood?" The whole group replied, "Got it." Onyx kept their primary weapons aimed and slowly maneuvered into the warehouse. Little flashlights were set on a type of attachment rail attached to their helmets. The lights ended up being necessary, for the inside was too dark to see. It drove Clover to slight discomfort as they walked over the dusty floor. The whole area preceding this place was just as unsettling and quiet, so the addition of darkness making her worry was justified. Ingot thought his light was glowing less brightly over the walls and stopped working to illuminate the area ahead of him. The others appeared to have this problem too as he looked to them for an explanation before getting the idea to announce the issue. However, Bellhop just turned his off, which made Ingot cock his head and copy the action. The rest of the team quickly discovered that they didn't need the flashlights anymore due to the well-lit opening ahead, so they clicked them off as well. The leader of Onyx entered a sort of tactical phase as he pointed the weapon and forced out precise leg movements to lower the volume of his actions. The minors parroted his example for a second before he boarded up with the wall, making them stop. Their black weapons pointed to the open doorway while they obediently waited on the okay to move in. Hazel felt her arms straining to hold up her assault rifle as they wobbled slightly, but Bellhop spoke up, "Mercury, go." "Yeh," he mumbled while quickly turning the corner past his commander. Bellhop pushed a closed hand through the air in front of him to tell the rest of the team to go ahead as well. One by one, they crept past Bellhop to meet Mercury and kneel next to him to piece a hexagonal formation where the operatives aimed in every direction. He turned the corner finally after Clover past him up to find that none of them actually started the hex form like he intended. They all stared at the emitter of light with their weapons sagging down. "Whoa, um... I wasn't the only one that thought they were kidding about this, right?" Hazel asked while examining her allies. They either didn't hear her or were to preoccupied with staring at the impossible object in front of them, likely the latter. Bellhop shot her a scowl for expressing mistrust, though playful, in their commanders. She shrugged at the gesture and pulled up a piece of paper. Unfolding it revealed a map drawn out by one of the Golf squad's members a week ago; something that should have also diminished her skeptical thoughts beforehand. "Hmm... Okay, Golf looked in this foresty area over here yesterday. We're going to be heading to the east of that mess to check out this place which is directly north when we get through. They marked it as a village or society of some sort, but they didn't explore it because they didn't have the means to do so like we do now... Y' know, active camo and stuff. So?" she concluded, wondering how her Captain wanted to go about doing this task. Bellhop silently looked at his small group, they blankly stared back. He stated clearly, "North is where we go then. C'mon." Spade was particularly uneasy while observing as Bellhop past him. The Captain waved a hand forward in the direction of the portal to make them follow closely. He vanished into the bright sphere while they walked and scraped against dirt clumps on the floor. Clover stopped in her tracks to re-evaluate the safety of going through with this. Ingot noticed her distress and patted her shoulder from behind. She jolted and concealed a gasp as she turned to see the firm nod of a friend. It brought her some comfort and got her moving towards the objective again. The others had already gotten through and were probably waiting on the two. Thinking about the adventure they would endure in the new world, Ingot and Clover entered to regroup on their squad mates. Bellhop achieved the rank of Captain during his service in Syria. He was looked at as efficient in his work and seemed to be a clear pick for a task of higher leadership. Such skills would be required for what was to come... -Unknown -Investigate new world -1:03 PM A vast land of forestry and plains was the first thing the combatants were greeted with. It was amazing, a solid green color made up much of the terrain that soared on for miles. Hills ran though the land, making random incline spikes all over and eventually met up with large brown mountains with the peaks covered in white snow. In comparison to Pripyat, the place was flawless. However, there were no signs of the inhabitants. That was a good thing though, for the money put into their equipment would have been pointless if the creatures were there to see them right away. The team of six rested, and performed self-examinations to see if anything was affected. They were concerned that they might have been burned due to the nature of the area that the portal was in. But, everything checked out alright, so they took a knee and formed a small hexagon to watch in every direction. There was still the matter of where they actually were for the past half hour. Bellhop spoke up, "Alright, step one is done. Take an anti-rads shot to get that stuff out of your system," "Anti-what?" Ingot asked. "The zone is prone to give you radiation poisoning if you do not take the drugs to combat it, friend," Spade said while he already had the orange syringe in his arm. He grimaced subtly while pressing the medication down into his limb. "So what's in it?" Mercury eyed the capped needle, rotating his hand to look around it and check the amount of liquid inside. "Dunno," Bellhop sighed as he shivered when pushing the drug into his body, "'Long as it keeps you from dying..." Mercury rolled his eyes then flicked his thumb up to pop the cap off and expose the clean needle. He injected the radiation stopping drug in his upper arm while those who hadn't also complied. Now they wouldn't die from cancer later in life hopefully. After putting the spent syringes into their backpacks, where they wouldn't cut someone who accidentally stepped on one, Bellhop stood up and had Hazel check a compass. She pointed off in the distance which directed everyone's eyes to more hills and a blue sky. "Okay, time to move. Clover, Ingot, you'll watch over us when we get within a hundred meters of the city. You'll be weaving us through and telling us if anything is looking at what they shouldn't be," Bellhop explained. Hazel spoke up with her face hidden behind parchment, "Oh, Really quickly: it doesn't seem like they place is more than nine-hundred m's from here, 'cause this thing says the forest was about thirteen-hundred away from where we stand now." "'Place won't explore itself; let's go," Ingot said while looking ahead using the scope on his battle rifle. "Yeah, let's just go slowly for the first few hundred meters." They took care with moving forward, for they didn't want to risk piling up any attention before even getting to the town. It did exaggerate the distance a bit which caused a few minor complaints in the group. "Let's just go slowly for the first hundred meters," said Mercury while sarcastically mimicking his Captain's words from before. "This'll take forever," he continued in a pestered voice. "If you want to kill our chances with this before it even starts, then by all means go ahead. If not, then keep a steady pace and stay cool," replied Bellhop. Mercury merely sighed and kept up with the slow pace of the group. They all had their camo working while moving up. Crouch walking was a necessary maneuver when using the device, for the mirroring technology had to keep up with its surroundings. On the bright side, the destination wasn't much further away. Onyx member Hazel does not like to discuss what went on during her tours in Syria. Her brother, Andrew Giles, was designated MIA shortly after Hazel was promoted to Command Sergeant Major for her successful operations... -Find Society of Interest -1:38 PM So far, at least for Mercury, the journey had been a tedious one. Not one creature other than his team mates had come in his field of vision when clearing over four-hundred meters of grassy earth. He decided that he enjoyed going up the hills more than down them, for Onyx would crawl up them instead of scooting along the ground. It was something, anything other than crouch walking, that he enjoyed, for the other thing strained his legs to a point of agony. Currently, the team was doing the awesome part: crawling up a hill. The grass rustled against his stomach and arms as he pushed each arm ahead of he other when scooting up. Mercury savored the little time that the action lasted because as soon as it ended, they were going to do the tuckered awkwardness that was crouching and walking at the same time. He felt the incline leveling out below him and brought out disappointment. This time, Mercury was ready to just groan really loudly and suggest crawling to the town, but saw his superior ahead of him mutter, "Stop." Bellhop went back down as the others made it to his altitude to observe. There was the city in sight from the top of this hill where the group lay prone. Before the objective in the distance rested a lake at the bottom of the inclined terrain. The pure water was as blue as the sky, but must have been shallow, for ducks were abundant and swimming about on its surface. But, there was something outside of the water too. All of the animals in the lake, maybe five or six, were crowding near it, for it was tossing bread slices into the water. *Something's there,* Bellhop said while squinting, of course, the expression was hidden behind his visor. *Dormant, unarmed...* Ingot said to disengage the group's suspicions. His face backed away from the magnified optic atop his Mark 17. *Clover, Ingot, you perch up here. Onyx, on me; we're getting a closer look,* Bellhop commanded calmly. The four members slowly descended the hill to further investigate. It must have been one of the inhabitants, based on the descriptions and pictures provided by Golf Squad. But, the photos that Golf took depicted black colored creatures with paper thin wings and hole-punched limbs. This one was different... Mercury was, of course, the first to question the odd appearance. He still did it quietly, "The hell? What's with the Technicolor?" "She looks adorable," Clover cooed. "How do you know its a girl?" Hazel asked. "How would you know if gender is even a factor in this place? Maybe all of 'em are herms," Mercury suggested. "At least stupid things like feminism would've never come around then," he continued with a grumble. Clover shook her head as if to reassess what she just heard, "Wha-?" "We are not doing this shit right now. Not now. Stay focused, all of you," Bellhop groaned. The harshness was clearly directed at Mercury for being the one to bring it up, but Clover took the blunt statement a bit more to heart. She couldn't think much more of it before Spade spoke up, "Don't startle the thing, just observe. That's why we're here". This definitely wasn't the time for banter, so used the scope on her SRS to look back at the cute pony. Bellhop began his observations using radio to give the group a better idea of how they were going to take note of the species they found. *It appears to be of equine decent. Yellow coat and pink hair. Looks to be fond of animals. Are those... wings? On her side.* *She has tattoos on her ass for some reason,* Hazel raised a brow. Ingot chimed in as well, *Looks like three butterflies on each side. I don't get what it means... Well that about wraps this-* The yellow colored pony's ears stiffened up as if she heard something like a cry for help, her head shot up as well while she looked around anxiously. *Get down... carefully,* Bellhop whispered into the mic. The group complied as they went prone subtly with the cloak still running. The pink haired horse walked in their direction until a voice came out from afar, "Hey, Fluttershy!" shouted a cyan colored pony that was... flying. It had all colors of the rainbow striped into its hair. But, it was distracting enough for the curious animal loving pony to redirect her attention, so that was a plus. An expression of glee brushed over the yellow pony as she responded to a potential friend, "Hello Rainbow Dash; How are you this morning?" she softly asked. "Yeah hey, uh... Twilight wanted me to come and get you. We need to meet her at the library," the flying equine, now deemed Rainbow Dash, explained. "Oh, okay," she looked back at the animals which were quacking audibly. She tossed in her last piece of bread for them and turned back to Rainbow Dash, "Well, we should get going." Fluttershy stretched her wings and took off with Rainbow Dash. They flew north. Onyx on stand-by now disabled the active camouflage and quickly regrouped to check for any additional contact in the region. There was none present. Now relieved, Bellhop sounded off new objectives, "Alright, they're headed north, probably to the same place we're going to." Spade is the only Russian operative in Onyx team. Over the years, he had put his interpretation skills to valuable use and can speak fluently in English. He is also able to understand German, and French, but typically isn't required to put it to use... -1:53 PM It didn't take much longer for the group to enter the immediate vicinity of the town. Hills, unfortunately for Mercury, became less apparent. On the bright side; his legs had become used to the soreness, so the trip felt less frustrating this time around. From the team's point of view, They could only make out bundles of homes, and their greatly diverse structures which differed based on the area of the town they resided in. The whole place gave the color wheel a run for its money if viewed from a distance, but the looks weren't what Onyx was after. "Whad'ya think we should do first?" Hazel asked. Mercury grumbled in a mocking tone, "We're just here t' investigate nuthin' more..." It earned a giggle from Clover while Bellhop shook his head, "Clover and Ingot, find a vantage point. Notify us if we're dragging on attention. You three are coming in with me." "Easy," said Clover to reassure him. Remaining Onyx members slowly moved towards the city. Oddly enough, the houses were basic at best. Some were made of stone while others had wood frames and roofs made of... hay. Village fit as a better description if it weren't for the considerable size of the place. Colorful equine roamed all over the streets. Some were shopping at an open market. Some were running around, obviously occupied with errands. Others were just talking with friends. Bellhop, Mercury, Hazel, and Spade waited beside a house for a chance to pass through the ponies that moved by. After about 30 seconds of waiting diligently on the cute things, there was a gap in traffic, so the four moved along and avoided becoming compromised too early. They awkwardly huddled against a tree to steer clear of wandering equine while they spoke. *Alright, break off into two sub-groups... Mercury, you're pairing with Spade.* *Ah, gonna get some alone time with the misses, eh?* *Shut up, Bradley. He just knows I'm better than you,* Hazel boasted with a chuckle. *Uh, no. I'm hoping you can use your guiding skills to make a mental map of the city while we float around looking for the library. I'm guessing that blue one from before will be there, along with her friend. Maybe they've got something worth looking into. Spade, you and Britain 'll bum around near town square or somewhere a lot of people are gathering up so you can just listen in on them.* *Got it,* said Spade. Bellhop, Ingot, and Hazel swapped to channel two as a sub group to avoid confusion if multiple people spoke. Clover, Mercury, and Spade stayed on channel one. *Mercury, you will lead...* said Spade. *Gotcha, we'll head more north to get to the middle.* Onyx skillfully maneuvered through the village under the surveillance of Clover and Ingot. Ingot used binoculars while Clover saw it fit to use the magnified scope of her SR Scout, so long as the rifle was on safety. They silently observed their teammates weave through the town while paired side to side like a precision marksman and spotter should be. Roughly ten minutes in, Bellhop and Hazel were having some trouble with finding the library... They were lost. Asking for directions by exposing themselves would give them a better chance at finding it now. That was, of course, your only option if you lacked a device that shrouded your every movement. Bellhop swapped channels for a moment. *Spade, Mercury, we can't find the library,* he sighed, *any luck on your end?* *Plenty. Nothing important though... And nothing about a library. I can ghost one for you guys,* said Mercury with determined grin concealed by his facial apparel. *Bradley, there's a loner strolling by you, try him,* Clover suggested. He complied and slightly moved up his crouch walking pace to stay parallel with the pony. It was light blue with white and dark blue hair. He brought down his mask while matching the equine's speed. He was able to talk clearly without the mask covering his mouth. He spoke calmly, "Hey friend, do you know where I could find a library in this place?" "Sure!" the pony exclaimed and revealed to be female, "It's closer to the center of Ponyville, which is the place we're in right now, but you already knew that. Anyways, the library is made out of a pretty big tree, you can't miss it. Usually there's only one pony there, her name's Twilight." "Thanks mate," responded Mercury as he vanished. The pony was about to turn around and say "don't mention it", and possibly question him on his accent, but the person she talked to was no longer present. Not like he was really there to begin with. The small horse looked around puzzled and spoke her mind out loud. "Oh... Alright then?" Mercury regrouped with Spade, who had witnessed the entire event. He smirked as he spoke, *Molodtsom, well done. What'd you figure out?* *Library's in the center. Clover, check for a tree house and get it back to Bellhop,* said Mercury. *Mhmm,* she hummed as she searched for the house and swapped channels. It took all of three seconds to spot it. It was pretty easy from her point of view, but she could see why Bellhop and Hazel had trouble. Houses were randomly scattered about in this Ponyville and routes through alleys were bound to get you lost. *Captain, the library is forty meters to your Northeast.* *Copy. Ingot, break from Clover to find a new vantage point. Try to spy inside. All Onyx not spotting, regroup on me,* Bellhop commanded. He repeated it through the secondary channel on the radio and also told them to swap back to channel one. The group gradually formed back together while both marksmen watched over them from two positions now. When ready to move, they crouch walked through alley ways to ensure the avoidance of unnecessary contact with the population of Ponyville. The abundance of homes made it incredibly easy to stick to shadows. Soon enough, they made it to what appeared to be their destination. Doors, windows, even a balcony. Standard living arrangements. Bellhop scolded himself when spotting the sign with an open book in front of the house. He disregarded his ignorance when using the radio again, "Ingot, how are we doing?" *No alarms yet. Uh... Looks like three static in there, unarmed. Like you figured; the blue one from before is there too,* said Ingot as he watched through one of the house's windows. Bellhop subtly commanded the group to stack up against the tree to listen in. Abrupt shouts of panic came from someone inside, "S-she's busy!?" exclaimed one. "Uh... yeah. She said she needed to feed her animals or something. C'mon you know how Fluttershy is. She has to-" "This isn't something that can wait, Rainbow!" "Calm down, Twili-" "I'm completely calm!" "Ugh...Do you want me to get them then?" "Yes! It's urgent that we address this to Celestia as. Soon. As. Possible!" "Alright... let's go, Pinkie." "Okie-dokie-lokie!" *They're coming out, step back,* warned Clover. The door opened, causing Onyx members to move away slowly while the camouflage did its job. Rainbow Dash and, the newer one, Pinkie trailed off; probably to find their other friends. The banshee on the inside seemed to mean business. Bellhop remained confused as to what happened to Fluttershy though... Bellhop silently spoke through the radio after the group was at a safe distance from the library. Spade was looking down; he seemed to be thinking hard about something, the captain didn't want to question him on it though, *Alright. Spade, Mercury, follow them. Hazel, let's just listen in on Twilight. We good?* he asked all of Onyx. Combinations of "Yeah" and "Yes" were tossed through the radio, confirming that Bellhop had their support so far. [1-2] BaitHyperlinks you find in this story are mostly going to be links to music tracks on Youtube. To have them play without breaking the flow of the story (whatever you make of the word 'flow', or if this story has it); simply right click on the link and left click 'open in new tab'. If you feel the song is annoying or something; I apologize in advance, and I guess you should never take my italicized advice again... -June 7, 2021 -Unknown, Ponyville -Investigate persons of interest -2:26 PM Just outside the library's vicinity, sat Bellhop, Mercury, Hazel, and Spade. They were on alert and tried their best to avoid contact with other civilians. So far, reconnaissance wasn't much of a challenge. They communicated subtly using the radios, but something was obviously out of proportion if that purple one was screaming at her friends to make haste only moments ago... *Think they know we're here, boss?* Spade asked. *Can't say,* Bellhop pondered for a second, *you two just follow these Rainbow Dash and Pinkie characters.* He wanted the ponies being looked after before the gap between them became too large. *We've got it,* reassured Mercury who was already breaking from the group. Mercury and Spade followed the two equine throughout the village. Rainbow Dash levitated with slow and even flaps of her wings while the other one playfully bounced to move, her hair flailing about as well. As expected, the pink one talked a lot. She was very energetic with not really any reason to show it. "Pinkie sense?" questioned Rainbow Dash like it was a regular occurrence. "Yeah, maybe I'll meet a new friend soon." "Whatever you say, Pinkie..." *Seriously, are they psychic too? I think they're on to us,* noted Mercury as he swapped his vision from the ponies to Spade. He wanted to make sure that Pinkie wouldn't stumble into him when he wasn't looking. *Can't be sure. Keep on them,* said Spade, trying to calm down his team mate. -2:30 PM Eventually, after minutes of slowly tracking after Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, they made it to a house of a more upbeat design. It featured purple exterior with yellow shades covering the windows. There was a second floor with a single window showing the inside at the right angle of view. The overall structure represented a party tent of some sort, with a flag on top. Surrounding the second floor depicted featureless ponies with poles running through their centers. They were mannequins made of plastic to show that the building was a boutique. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were still blissfully unaware of their stalkers. Pinkie Pie darted up to the door of the boutique and knocked on the door as Rainbow Dash continued to hover about two meters from the ground. A white unicorn with curled purple hair answered. She was happy to see the two at her door and spoke with a modest tone. It sounded formal... "Why hello Pinkie Pie, oh, and Rainbow Dash. What is the occasion?" she questioned the two's presence. Mercury and Spade sat less than three meters away from them, their camouflage still running of course. Rainbow answered, "Hey, Rarity. Twilight wanted us to come and get you for something important." She started descending to relieve stress on her wings when not moving around, but Pinkie blurted out before she landed, "YEAH, she said to get everypony and come back to the library! Normally I would be working, but this looked important and I do get to play with all of you now, so it's alright! Maybe we should grab some snacks and-" *I mean, she looks fun and all, but I really don't want to hear this all over again,* Spade protested. *They're moving your way, hide,* Ingot informed, who was watching them from beyond the city. The two just went prone on the ground and slowly crawled out of the ponies' paths. The cloaking was clearly enough to trick anybody not searching for soldiers, for the trio had no suspicions when moving by. *Keep on 'em. Also, Hazel and Bellhop are converging on your position. They're probably swapping channels too,* calmly stated Ingot. *Anything on Twilight, Captain?* Mercury asked, not waiting to make sure he was on the same feed first. Bellhop's radio clicked to the same channel just in time for him to catch the question though, *Uh, Enough to work with." The purple pony he listened to in the library wasn't doing much of anything other than making obnoxious and incoherent growls at nothing. "Let's follow them as a four-man squad,* Bellhop commanded quietly. *eh-hem,* coughed Hazel, expecting some form of acknowledgement. *Three-man-and-one-woman squad,* he corrected himself with a hopeless sigh. Bellhop could only assume that his team mates' attitudes wouldn't jeopardize anything in the near future. Mercury had pretty much already shattered this thought with his feminist comment from earlier... Mercury, before becoming part of Onyx, served as a militant in the SAS. The United States and Great Britain being the best of allies only further pointed out why he is in now. But the bond wouldn't obstruct Bradley's priority; they needed his perspective on the world for his own country... -2:38 PM Onyx stalked the trio of ponies unnoticed to an... apple farm, of all things. They had been following a dirt path that led outside of the village for the past few minutes. Trees ran all over the terrain for acres, creating an organized forest of apples. Sure enough, a sign came up stating Sweet Apple Acres. In the premise, a red barn stood out from all of the forestry. Onyx followed the three ponies closely while they continued for the farm. *Clever title for a farm,* chuckled Mercury. *Barn; one static. Unarmed,* said Ingot. He then figured that probably all of the ponies were unarmed, for they were only civilians. Even if they did have weapons; they still might be unrecognizable as such to the team. *Onyx, sit next to the barn. On stand-by, let this play out,* Bellhop whispered. An orange coated pony with blonde hair and a... cowboy hat... approached the trio as Onyx remained at a safe distance. Pinkie Pie bounced playfully ahead of Rarity and Rainbow Dash to confront the pony, "Hey Applejack!" she exclaimed. *Really?* Mercury grunted to himself, lightly turned away at the names. *I mean, that ain't creative-* *Shut it, Lieutenant,* Bellhop grunted. "Hey gals, whad'ya need?" she questioned in a Southern accent. Her head bobbed up and down to follow Pinkie's hopping in place before turning to the other ponies. Pinkie stopped bouncing suddenly and gasped loudly to take in air as she was about to speak. "Twilight needs us at her place. Is Fluttershy still at her cottage?" Rainbow Dash quickly asked to cut off Pinky Pie. She frowned after her shunning. "Probably. Ah'll go with you, RD. Rarity, you go back t' Twilight's with an' tell 'er we'll be there soon," said Applejack. "Alright dear. Come on Pinkie; Twilight sounds impatient today," Rarity sighed. *Great, new groups. Spade, come with me. We'll follow Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Mercury and Hazel, stay on Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Clover, watch over them. Ingot you're spotting us. We good?* he explained calmly. Hopefully they would get answers to the purple pony's paranoia soon. Both squads broke up into to execute their own tasks of information gathering, once again using separate radio channels to avoid confusion when communicating. Focusing on Bellhop's sub squad, they were following the two ponies to Fluttershy's cottage. As they drew near the outskirts of Ponyville, Bellhop spoke up to the rest of the group, *Stick close, we're almost there I think.* *Guys, the cottage looks to be around two-hundred meters from the village outskirts. The two that you're following may pick up the pace a bit to clear the distance. I'd Advise deactivating your camo so you can run while covert behind those hills,* suggested Ingot. *We got-... eh, actually? Can we just beat them there?* Spade asked. His legs cramped up and forced out tension to his hips. They yearned for a chance to stretch, even if the stretch nabbed more energy out of him. Another muffled grunt was all the confirmation that Bellhop needed before responding, *Sounds good. Ingot you're probably fine where you are. Just let us know if we're drawing on observers.* *I'm on it, Cap'.* -2:41 PM On the other side of town from Bellhop and Spade; Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the two operatives that followed them were taking their sweet time getting to the library. Mercury predictably let a grunt seep out whenever the stress on his legs became too much. When that happened, he knelt for a moment to rest while Hazel continued watching the ponies ahead of them. Fortunately, Pinkie Pie would jump as if something whipped her every ten seconds, which stopped their progress for a bit. It stopped her completely each time and caused Mercury to question her procedure and overall mental health. *What is it with this Pink one?* he asked. *Stay focused,* commanded Clover. *Not sure,* she responded, ignoring Clover, *maybe she's on coke or something. Speaking of which, I totally packed a Mountain Dew before we came here.* *Guys,* pestered Clover. *Wanna' see?* Hazel questioned. She was asking Mercury more or less... He sighed and figured that they should stay on Pinkie and Rarity as much as possible. Without stopping in his crouch walking pace; he turned his peripheral to the Hazel, *that could wait. Let's just keep-* Mercury stumbled over the electrified pink pony, causing a couple of grunts as his camouflage disabled itself. The ponies had stopped a few seconds prior while Pinkie Pie was shaking. Mercury recovered to a crouching position and just stared. *Smooth...* Clover sighed. "Well HI THERE! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name? You're new here, huh? Are you playing hide and seek? Can I play to? This is my good friend, Rarity! She makes all sorts of neat-" *Fuckin' A, what do I do?* hastily asked Mercury. The two ponies continued to stare him down, Rarity doing so in utter confusion. *That's on you, just talk I guess,* Clover suggested calmly. *I'm on it...* he sighed and lowered his facial apparel. "Uh... Yeah, My name's Brad..." "Brad? That's a weird name. Are you sure it's not Braid? Maybe you're good at braiding manes! Are you from out of town? Are you a monster?" She gasped heavily and puffed out her chest, "Are you a nice monster!? What's that on your back? Do you like to go and-?" Hazel remained covert behind several shrubs gawking at the pink pony's onslaught of questions with little to no breath. She also took notice to the fact that they all rested just twenty meters from the library. She sat on her knees behind the bush while Mercury listened to the pink pony babble on for a minute. With no other civilians in the premise; the stealth gimmick could still work if they thought of something quickly. *Hazel, that soda you mentioned; take it out n' toss it at that tree 5 m's to my right,* said Mercury while ignoring the pony's babbling. *What will that accomplish, you-* *Just do it. And do it soon,* he sighed. The other group, made of bellhop and Spade, moved quickly behind the hills outside of Ponyville. They started sprinting after disabling the armor's cloaking device. As predicted, Rainbow Dash and Applejack also sped up into a gallop to clear the distance faster. Ingot had poorly estimated the amount of usable hills for his team mates to slip by unnoticed with. Since this was the case; Bellhop and Spade had to slow down after the third hill to use their ability and remain undetected. The cottage was thankfully not too far away from that third or fourth hill, so they could still eavesdrop on the ponies if they kept steady. As he kept a close watch on Rainbow Dash and Applejack ahead of them; anxiety took over Bellhop's thoughts. Thinking back on that purple one back at the library and her outbursts; he spoke through the mic piece, *something's wrong, they keep going on about some urgent regrouping.* *I hear ya. If we run into any trouble, I have the Mark 17 ready to-* *Out. Of. The. Question. That shit better be on safety throughout this entire day.* *gotcha, sorry...* replied Ingot in self-disappointment for even considering having to use his SCAR-H yet. *Oh yeah, other than that; it looks like that yellow one from the lake, eh... Fluttershy? I think she's involved with these people we're tracking.* *Probably, they mentioned her earlier when we were following them near the barn. Also something about her character makes me feel that she would be their friend. All shy and timid... Maybe they felt sorry for her or something and let them into a posse just to give her some hope. Then she wouldn't turn into a psychopath and gut other ponies for a-* *What the fuck are you talking about? I meant I can see her through the window of the little cottage that Rainbow Dash and Applejack are heading to,* Ingot grimaced from afar. *Oh... yeah, never mind...* Bellhop rubbed his cloaked face. Focusing on the equine again; they made it to their friend's home. The two humans observed from a few meters away after catching up with their careful walking procedure. Rainbow must have been tired from beating the air with her wings from before, so she trotted up to the door with Applejack and knocked. Fluttershy, answering the door, confirmed Ingot's spotting, "Oh, hi Applejack...Hello again, Rainbow Dash." "Hey Fluttershy, Twilight was being pretty serious when she said something came up. We need to get back to her. Right now," said Rainbow Dash. "Oh okay... Just let me feed Angel and I'll be right out..." she replied softly while moving back inside. The door shut, allowing Rainbow to speak her mind. "Agh, we don't have time for this!" she threw her hooves up and landed on her haunches. "Calm sown, sug', she'll only be a minute," sighed Applejack. In 2015, the United States of America had gone to war with Syria to save the public from their dictatorship. The solutions to the problems were as simple as storming offices of government officials or capitols of the country, but the US didn't like simple. They spent more time and money trying to set up bases than any other sort of functioning method of taking down the leaders of Syria... Mercury considered himself lucky that no other ponies were in the area around him, despite the place being so close to the center of Ponyville. "Look... I have to be going," he said, trying to get the pink pony to stop asking questions, though he wasn't responding to any of them. She frowned and stopped bouncing around. For the past minute and a half, Pinkie was dominating the conversation while Rarity just stood stiff and judged the creature in front of her for all he was worth. There was no way she would just let Mercury leave without understanding what he was doing in Ponyville, "Where are you from?" "Well, you clearly aren't as manipulative..." Mercury groaned. Mercury really just wanted Hazel to intervene soon, so he employed stalling. He relied on subject changes and double talk to put the conversation through circles. Pinkie directed her head at each speaker successively when one spoke, Rarity asking the questions and Mercury responding. She gradually curved her lips into a smile and pointed to the speaker. Her actions quickly excelled from jump to the side of who was speaking to performing cartwheels and other little stunts. Hazel tilted her head in confusion while watching the whole bizarre thing unravel. She came back to her senses when radio static playing through the earpieces, *-S-wa-pping channels... Bravo, what's it look like over there?* asked Bellhop. *Oh, uh... We're caught...* sighed Hazel. *What!?* He nearly barked. *Quiet for a sec, please, Alex...* she asked softly. He complied by not responding as she asked. Mercury ignored one of the white pony's questions to complain at the circumstance, *Hazel, you need t' toss it now. I only need a couple seconds.* *I'll see what I can do... Just get over here, sir.* Bellhop groaned and rubbed his face again, *we need to get to them. We'll beat these three back to Ponyville; it doesn't look like they're going anywhere soon. Let's see if we can't get Bradley out of this mess.* While cloaked, Hazel peaked out from behind her bush to draw up her carbonated beverage. She thought about how the device would react to her quick arm action when throwing it, maybe a light toss was in order. Rarity must have caught on to what Mercury was pulling as her questions became more and more specific. Pinkie giggled at a couple of the responses. "How many of you are there in Ponyville?" "Just me; I can only be one person at any given time," he smirked. "Have you come here with others?" she stammered. "I came here with you two, didn't I?" She grew very annoyed at Mercury's stalling. The medic was having a great time as a matter of fact. He enjoyed pissing people off, whether they were from another realm or not. Rarity sighed, then a clanking sound made her ears twitch. The ponies redirected their attention at noise almost immediately to investigate. Mercury used the few seconds granted to quickly restart his cloak and roll next to a shrub. Pinkie Pie was the first to notice that he was no longer present. She bounced for dramatic effect and looked left and right, "Hey! Where'd he go? Are we playing hide and seek, Mister Braid?" She then tuckered down and covered her eyes with her hooves, "What should I count to? I'll start now! One, two-" "Pinkie, darling, he never left. He's on the ground right there," Rarity said while pointing a hoof to a patch of grass. Mercury felt his heart well up in his throat. Pinkie was confused, "Rarity, there's nopony there, silly." "Well not to you, but his presence is clear to yours truly." "Are you fucking serious?" he thought to himself. "The game is up, dear. Just answer my question please. Are you alone? Wait... is there another in the bush there?" asked Rarity. Mercury heard a hint of panic in the last sentence, which worried him. Now the ponies were staring right at Sherry and the white pony pointed a hoof in her direction. Thinking up something quickly, he disabled the device. One: it didn't seem to have an effect on Rarity when she was actually searching for them. Two: he didn't want them figuring everything out. When he gained their attention again; he stood up and sighed. Mercury didn't want to answer this yet, but his options were slim, "Look, just... don't tell anyone that you saw me, I need to-" The interrogator vanished into a bush suddenly, Pinkie Pie as well. He figured it was Bellhop. Mercury chuckled at the look on Rarity's face he remembered her having. He decided to go along with the new turn of events and start his cloak to hide. He went prone to rest easy beside a bush and spoke in a concerned tone, *what now?* *Keep them the bushes. The others will be passing by soon, don't let it rustle too much. I have a plan,* Bellhop whispered quickly. Hazel had a hard time trying to keep Pinkie Pie from squirming and mumbling something incoherently with wide eyes. Spade had an easier time keeping Rarity quiet, for she froze up in fear. At least it answered her question. Bellhop explained his plan and how to perform it while waiting on the ponies from Fluttershy's cottage to return. The squad confirmed that they knew what to do and waited. After another minute or so, the three mares moved past the shrubs without any suspicion and made it to the library. Rainbow Dash pushed the door open with ease and held it open for the other two while puffing out her chest. Applejack rolled her eyes and trotted on in while Fluttershy stopped momentarily to utter a timid "Thank you". Bellhop quickly perked his head around to check for any wandering towns ponies. For some odd reason; there were none that he could see in the premise. Maybe they just didn't like to read... Regardless, Onyx had to take action to keep their stealth a factor over the course of this mission, *Move up. Now.* The Captain and Mercury drew up their weapons, preparing to enter the library. They stacked on both sides of the entrance while their pony wielding team mates scratched against the shrubs coming out. Rarity took notice that there were indeed more Onyx members and she became mortified when figuring out where they were heading. She couldn't bear the thought of having such people pose a threat to her best friends; something had to be done. Mercury kicked the door in to startle those inside and enter with the Captain right behind him. Rarity's horn illuminated into a bright blue in Spade's arms. When the light caught his attention, he looked down only to feel immobile a moment later. Spade failed to control his arms as they let go of Rarity. Hazel tilted her head in confusion as Rarity grit her teeth, "A-Alex, I think-" She hurled Spade into the wall of the tree house while letting out a grunt. Hazel let go of Pinkie to try and grasp the situation and maybe help her partner, but the pony then bounced two feet into the air, "Oh my gosh! Are you alright mister!?" That one caused Bellhop to look back and feel his heart fidget an inch out of place when assessing the situation. Rarity looked about ready to do the same thing to Hazel as she had to Spade. With Rarity's back turned, Bellhop quickly jumped to her which made his camouflage undo itself. He whacked her over the head and immediately let his F2000 sag so he could grasp both of her hind legs. Pinkie Pie gasped loudly at the sight of her friend being hurt, but Hazel scooped her up and covered her quivering mouth. Spade recovered from being plastered against the wall and sulked inside the library with his A-91 drawn. Bellhop started dragging the somewhat conscious pony while Hazel scooted by him to enter. Bellhop nearly dropped her when someone burst out, "What the hell!? Rarity!" The shouting only made him speed up his actions and quickly got him in the library after Hazel. Spade shut the door while rubbing the side of his head to make some pointless effort to ease the pain from before. Mercury had his P90 aimed at the shocked group of ponies as Bellhop released Rarity's lower half carefully. She struggled to roll onto her back and stare at her friends in anxiety. The captain eyed all of the concerned faces, and the angered one... Shifting his weight, he grasped his assault rifle from behind just to prepare for any sudden attacks, "Hi there... You're friend here-" "Who are you!? Why'd you hurt Rarity!?" Applejack shouted while taking a charging stance. The five words Bellhop managed before her yelling was all she needed to know Onyx would understand her. "We're a research team made up of military personnel funded by the United States of America. We were trying to do this undetected, but one of our-" "For Celestia's sake, let her go!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She pointed at Hazel, but more likely at the pink pony with worried eyes staring back at her. "Whatever you say..." Bellhop said while gazing back over to Hazel. Hazel released her pony captive. Pinkie, still a bit shaken up by the whole ordeal, kept swapping looks between Onyx and her pastel friends. Pinkie and Rarity remained unsure of what to do. Spade sighed and knelt down to the white pony that whipped him into the tree only moments ago, "No need to be afraid; you can go to your friends now." Twilight cocked her head slightly when hearing the Russian member's accent. Rarity, though confused, nodded in return and sulked her way over to the ponies. Pinkie Pie, however, stayed on the same side of the room. Bellhop attempted to continue, "sorry for the intrusion, but we can't risk attracting more attention at the moment. We're sorry for scaring your friends too. One of our members had stumbled over Pinkie Pie here. With no-" "H-how do you know our names? You weren't near your friend when we were questioning him," Rarity worriedly asked while Fluttershy scanned her head for a wound. She also looked around at the operatives, unable to determine which was the one she was questioning only a minute ago. They all looked the same, except for their weapons which they had set aside now. "Collective intelligence, we communicate using radios. Other than that, we've noticed that your planet is surprisingly similar to ours... Just less... modern," said Bellhop with a lack of a better word for describing their observations. He shook his head left and right, "Never mind... Look, we'll answer any questions you have later, and I'm sorry I smacked you over the head Rarity..." He then diverted his attention specifically to the purple one. She was still angrily staring right back at the group, her wings flaring to show it. "We've only been here for a few hours, give or take. Upon investigation, you have a problem. We want to help you, but you need to be able to trust us," Bellhop reminded the team of his suspicions from earlier. "So, What's the issue?" "You," the purple pony hissed. "Excuse me?" asked Bellhop. "You heard me! You're the problem!" "Elaborate..." the Captain narrowed his eyes. "You need to go back to where you came from before you hurt anypony else!" "Anypony," Mercury thought to himself. "Why? I didn't mean to hurt Rarity. You have to understand though; we can't be discovered to your society quite yet. For now, she's my example. She threw my team mate into a wall before I knocked her over the head," Bellhop protested. "I would not have hurt your friend if he hadn't handled me so crudely!" "Again, I'm... sorry, Miss," Spade stared at the floor. "I... I can't trust you. We were warned of what you do long ago. You're a danger to our society and now I'm asking you to-" "I don't really think you're being fair to us, Twilight," Spade spoke up. "Who are you to interrupt!?" she roared. "One who wants to make amends, friend," he calmly responded while removing his facial gear to show his identity. "We are simply concerned about your issue and we want to help you out if at all possible. My name is Vasily... Or Vas', whatever you prefer. And you are a... eh, unicorn named Twilight, yes?" he asked, trying to sound friendly, though it would be hard for this Russian not to. "Hel-... lo... Um..." she stuttered while scratching the back of her head. Now that they had the attention of absolutely everyone; Twilight slowly cleared her throat and controlled her tone. Maybe she misjudged them, but the mystery still stood: how would they know of the humans before the humans knew of them? "Thanks, Spade. I got it from here," Bellhop spoke, "so what's your problem, Twilight?" "My last name is Sparkle; nice to meet you Vas'... So, is this your team?" Twilight asked Spade; ignoring Bellhop's question like he wasn't important enough to answer. "Eh... Miss Sparkle, we need to know what the problem you face is first. Once solved, we can talk and share stories and what not. Please, time seems to be of essence, for you were panicking earlier over this," explained Spade. "Alright. We were going to Canterlot to talk with Celestia. An old threat has come up. And I didn't really mean you guys by the way..." she assured the group, "Anyways, they're called changelings. They can take on the form of anypony for their own personal gain. I'm just worried that they might take one of your forms mostly; you couldn't have arrived at a worse time, Vas'... We're going to Canterlot now, did you want to come along?" she questioned. "Uh... Captain, I think we should help them. It's the least we could do..." suggested the Russian operative. Everyone, even the equine, stared in confusion. Spade was not the one deciding for the group which Twilight obviously didn't notice. The purple alicorn was about to question before Bellhop made an outburst. "Wait what? What's with this random shift in priorities?" he asked. "This is reconnaissance, Sergeant. We're here to investigate, explore, and acquire all information we can about this planet. And we're here to do it quietly. Also, where's this Canterlot place anyways?" "You should be more respectful to your squad leader," Twilight hummed. "Twilight..." sighed Spade. "Excuse me? Sorry, Miss Sparkle, but Vas' isn't running this Op," he scolded while making fun of their nicknames as well. "Oh..." she said in embarrassment, her wings finally receding to a resting position on her sides. Twilight remained curious as to why Spade wouldn't be in charge. Maybe she was just bias towards the Russian, and you couldn't blame her. Spade was the only one coming off as nice so far. "What exactly are y'all investigatin'?" Applejack saw fit to change the subject to something that wouldn't rile anyone up more. "Well... You, for lack of a better explanation. Your species, the terrain, basically everything here," explained Hazel. Pinkie was somehow able to completely forget everything that just happened a minute ago and went back to her cheerful bouncy attitude, "Is it fun? You should make a game out of it! First one to make ten discoveries wins! Oh there'll be prizes! I should get baking. Do you like cupcakes? Do you even have cupcakes in your world? Do you have cake? How-" "The point I'm trying to make is that we have our objectives," said Bellhop, cutting off Pinkie's ramblings. Shunned from a conversation for the third time, Hazel felt some extent of guilt for the pink pony. Bellhop only wanted to further stress the situation they were in. He understood that they needed help, but he didn't want it to require their exposure. "Captain, they may be willing to help us with our own research and breaking our presence to the public," said Spade in a calm voice, trying to change his Captain's mind. However, he would have no way of knowing if it were for better or for worse... "Breaking it to the public?" Bellhop questioned on the verge of slapping someone... He decided it would be Twilight if it came to that. "They'll find out eventually, sir. Also, a face-t'-face 'd be a bit better for our type a' task, yeah?" Mercury spoke up. He had been staring down Rainbow Dash a moment ago. He only contributed to the poll because he thought the pony was going to yell at him for daring to look in her direction. Bellhop wouldn't be doing his job if he just accepted this path. However, his radio clicked on mid-thought, *Uh... You guys okay in there?* Clover asked, *you didn't shoot them up, did you?* He raised a hand up to the ear piece, *No, we're all good here. Just a little misunderstanding. I think you guys should sneak on over here now; these ponies seem a bit more fond of us.* "Who are you talking at?" Rainbow Dash cocked a brow. "Two marksmen on stand-by. They'll be here in a minute." "There're even more of you? That's super! That's even more friends!" exclaimed Pinky Pie. Bellhop rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm; the expression blocked by his visor and mask, and then looked back over Twilight. Her expression remained a cold stare. Bellhop disliked that stare and scolded it right back from behind his Kevlar. "I don't see what the problem is; you were the one who said you wanted to-" "Yeah, maybe we would if the problem didn't require us to go to some other town. We aren't a support package for you to-" "It's not even that far away. But... Twilight, we don't really need these things' help. All they can do is some stupid disappearing act anyways. How's that gonna help with the changelings?" Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight sighed, "I guess so..." Then she caught Bellhop nodding to his team mates, "But we can't exactly have you running around spying on everypony." "Why not? We aren't going to-" "If you get caught, you think they'll just peacefully accept your presence? You tower over us you know. Do you not believe it will scare somepony and cause them to form a mob of some sort?" Rarity scoffed. "Even if you weirdos could face us, which I doubt, 'cause I'll be helping anypony kick your tails back to where you came from; I bet you'd feel awful knowing that you hurt innocent towns ponies," Rainbow Dash added. "I think you're all better off just helping us out here, we can tell ya all about our society n' stuff," Applejack chimed in. She then narrowed her eyes at Bellhop, "'summin y'all don't try n' hurt us again." "Fine... Where did you want us to go?" "Nowhere with that attitude," she said. A smile crept on to her face, now satisfied with her self-granted authority over Onyx. Bellhop buried his face in his palm while moving to the door, "Right well, Vas', you keep this going. I'm waiting outside for Clover and Ingot." Twilight's horn shimmered in a light purple and slammed the door shut after Bellhop opened it slightly. "So that isn't for show either..." he thought, now understanding that such a childish thing like magic was very real in this realm. It also let him fully understand how Spade was hurt before coming in the library. He groaned at the mare's new found aggression and confidence. She must have thought she could manipulate the soldiers for a bit. The squad leader would make sure this was not the case through examples in the future... For now though, he would play along... "Look, we'll help you." "We leave after we eat," Twilight demanded while perking her nose up like a noble would when passing by peasants. "How many tagged along with your group anyways? Will they get here soon?" "Just two... That makes us a team of six. We call ourselves Onyx, and you should consider yourselves lucky, no one's supposed to know we exist..." "Pft, right. With your stealth effort; it's really surprising all of Ponyville doesn't know your here," Rainbow Dash said while rolling her eyes. Onyx's active camouflage abilities make stealth missions a task of ease. The armor still does have its limits however. If a soldier were to collide with an object at too great a force, or moves too quickly; the camo is disoriented and disabled automatically. It is a revolutionary advancement in technological warfare... -3:07 PM A little after the turn of the hour; the ponies and soldiers were chatting together in the library. Clover and Ingot made their way inside undetected from other civilians in Ponyville. Hazel also used the resting point to recover her carbonated and artificially flavored beverage. They used the time to eat as Twilight suggested (demanded) while tossing questions back and forth. One group had a nice palette of vegetables and fruit while Onyx was nurturing themselves to packets of multi-grain powder and water. Clover secluded herself from the group mostly to speak with Fluttershy while everyone and everypony else talked to each other. The topic, focused more on technology, was ultimately one sided. The world of ponies wasn't exactly researching other planets themselves anytime soon... "You just respawn if you get killed?" asked Twilight to Ingot's statements. "Yeah, lots of programming and stuff goes into it," Ingot replied. "Do you have to power the devices manually as you play them? It must be hard to concentrate magic and play the game at the same time," Rarity asked quizzically. "It's powered using electricity" Hazel spoke to reassure the fascinated ponies "Which is kind of like magic, now that I think of it..." she said looking around "God knows how they figure this stuff out..." A pause... "God?" asked several puzzled equine. Hazel noticed her mistake while Bellhop scolded her silently. The mistake being her defiance to the briefing message which told them specifically not to incorporate any personal beliefs into this world. "N-never mind. Forget I ever said it..." she attempted to convince them. It would suffice for most of them, but Twilight intended to learn as much as she could. "Please continue, I want to know mo-" "We would prefer not to. We were told not to influence our own beliefs on your world. Over time, it has actually been the cause of some wars where we come from. It's for your own benefit, Miss Sparkle," said Spade, desperately trying to get their minds off of that subject. "Oh, alright..." she sighed. "But enough about us. Uh... How come you're the only we saw with wings and a horn?" Spade said, pointing to Twilight. "We've only been here for a little while, but I can't remember seeing others with both." "'Cause she's a princess, silly," Pinkie Pie playfully guided their wonders in the correct direction. "A princess?" asked Ingot, "like there are more given the title than just her?" "But of course! There's our beloved Celestia, goddess of the sun. Her sister Luna, manipulator of the moon. And-" Rarity trailed off before being interrupted. "Wait, are you sure her name's not Sol then? Luna is Latin for the moon, so wouldn't Celestia's name really be Sol?" Hazel asked quizzically. "What the heck is Latin?" questioned Rainbow Dash. "The root of the very language you speak now, thanks for noticing," the female guide added. "So, as Rarity was saying before we had trailed off into the abyss known as history..." Mercury said, attempting to let the white unicorn speak. He pointed a finger to her to silently gesture "You may continue". "Well, I can't entirely remember how it came to be, but through a series of challenges, our dear friend Twilight became a princess," Rarity smiled, trying her best to make Twilight look amazing. "But there was no doubt of it coming to be really, she was and still is the protégé of her majesty, Celestia." "Cool stuff, huh Cap'?" Spade asked with a beaming close-mouthed smile when looking over to his superior. Bellhop rolled his eyes; he couldn't shake the feeling of childishness out of the situation. They were ponies for peace's sake, not gods nor rulers. He didn't have room to complain however, for this was his mission for the next 15 days... "How are we arriving?" asked Bellhop. He figured they were ready since most of the dishes or food packs were empty. "Not that far a walk... Only twenty-six kilometers or so... Assuming this is equally scaled all around," suggested Hazel as she examined a map of what appeared to be the land of Equestria. Twilight gave her the map of course, for the pony wanted them informed of their destination. "Hey, you think I could keep this? It might-" "Nope," Twilight shook her head with a dopey smile. Hazel raised a brow and set the parchment aside. She pulled out her own map provided by Golf squad and used Twilight's as a reference to sketch a new one on the back. Hazel diligently worked to prove her worth as a guide while the others would wait on her. "What'sa Kilometer?" Rainbow Dash questioned and pulled attention away from the combatant. "Disregard it, it's pretty far away though," Ingot chuckled. "We're using a train," Twilight explained. "Public transport?" questioned Spade. "Yes, Vas'" she said to reassure the Russian. Bellhop sighed at the lack of organization going on, "isn't public transport a little bit risky considering we're on a stealth mission?" he reminded them rather harshly. "Ugh, all this again?" Twilight groaned. "You said we wouldn't have to be compro-!" "And if you're coming there with us; then nopony will think you're killers or a threat. We're well respected ponies I'll have you know, Smith," Twilight said while rolling her eyes. She then half-lidded her eyes and raised her brows to prompt a "Get it, dumbass?" expression, "Also, I thought you wanted to help us." "We did say that, Cap'. Also, the stealth thing doesn't sound like it'll work forever, whether we help 'em or not," Ingot said softly. "It doesn't have to work forever, just for 15 days," Bellhop protested. Mercury chimed in, "Sir, maybe it's just better that we reveal ourselves now rather than get blamed for shit later and-" "Language!" pestered Twilight, flexing a hoof at the offender. "Sorry, love." sighed Mercury in response. He was still getting used to the idea that he was going to be investigating a world clearly created out of the mind of an eight year old girl. Twilight distracted his thoughts with an outburst. "W-what!? You love me?" Twilight grimaced. "It's just an expression, calm down... Love," he chuckled. She raised a brow and looked back over to Bellhop, waiting for the banter to cease. Mercury picked up on his point from before, "Anyways, we should just reveal ourselves now to prevent getting blamed for stuff..." he nodded at Twilight, "later and they don't want to listen." "Defying orders, great plan," Bellhop replied while rolling his eyes. Clover stopped conversing with Fluttershy to speak her mind. growing a bit tired of Bellhop's reluctance towards reason, "Defying orders would be gunning down civilians who try to kill us out of confusion. It would be in our best interest to make a good impression now." Her new pony friend shyly restated to ensure the response they had hoped for, "Yes... It would be better that way... Mister Bellhop." He sighed again while swiping his hair back. There is no point in arguing when everyone is against you. Unfortunately, this always seemed to be the case based on his experiences as a leader... "Fine, as long as none of these people freak out then... Also, Fluttershy, just call me Alex... 'We going now?" "Yes. Just stick with us on the way to the station. Nopony will think you're savages this way," Twilight explained while heading towards the door. [1-3] HookViolence inbound -June 7, 2021 -Unknown -Undetermined Objectives -3:10 PM Deep inside the jungle of willows rested a swamp. It had random inclines in the terrain leading up such as hills do, but only a murky substance rested at the bottom. The water was shallow and much of the forestation grew well past the water level, but that was something to expect from such a place. Something one wouldn't expect was a village. There were huts that rested only inches above the water and they were made of wood. Slightly organized bunches of bridges ran throughout the place as well. Poles of wood held everything up from the shallow water. The lumber was probably plentiful, considering that whoever built the structures was surrounded by it. But why would someone... or something live in such a place? "Dammit, Barron, I'm going with them; that's final! You don't need to worry about me; I've done this before you know," a voice called. The source was a darker creature, much darker than the ponies. It was all black and had a pair of wings, paper thin and see through at that. The species had some sort of a shell over its back which wrapped around its stomach as well. As for the head, it sported pupil-less eyes that looked like they would glow in a dark room. The horn was sharp and had a slight curve. The most unnatural feature had to be the randomly placed holes in its hooves. They ran only through the limbs and made it seem difficult to think the creature couldn't suffer of broken hooves commonly. But that didn't include what it was wearing... A military grade torso and leg set covered the creature's body in a digital forest green pattern. The top concealed eight fully loaded P-Mags which rested above the wearer's stomach. A helmet which poorly fit rested atop its head with the ballistic goggles perched up. On its back rested a hydration pouch covered successively by a backpack and assault rifle. On the right pant leg held a holster and sidearm tucked in it; the left held a few spare magazines for the rifle. Where had they acquired such gear and why did they need it? Surely they couldn't find a way to use such weaponry, for hooves could not grasp firearms. The one making the outburst revealed herself to be female based on the voice. The creature sighed, "Fine, Just... Come back... Okay?" Barron regretfully spoke. "You know I will. You just rest up, and be ready in case of..." She trailed off. "I know... Just get going sis', and stay safe," said a concerned Barron. The sister nodded in response and flapped her wings until they buzzed faintly. The movements were quick, much quicker than that of a pegasus pony's, but they needed to be. With the wings being as thin and fragile as they were, it was necessary to flap them at such a speed. Insect fit as a useful definition for them. Flying was only noted as one of their tricks, as they acquire their names from a far more notable ability. Of course, it had only granted them notoriety over the years. But to prosper in a world that hates you; said actions were justified. This is what nopony could understand about them. At least, that's how the species saw it... The ornery sister took to the skies above the forest to meet up with a small group of maybe nine or ten of her friends. They also had rifles hang off from slings and were equally as outfitted as the female creature. This only made up a small number of what the colony held as a population. Each one would be important though, as they were born and raised to survive by whatever means they could. So off they flew, into the rest of Equestria to purge the population of their resources. Ingot is the youngest member in the explorations group but is determined to make himself useful to the team through battle coordination. When in combat, he provides information on the whereabouts of potential leaders in enemy groups and organizes real time strategies to get the team by... -Equestria, Ponyville -Assist Citizens -3:20 PM "Time to move," Twilight said. She needed everyone out in a timely manner, for the trains stuck to a schedule, and she was determined to abide by it. Walking all the way to Canterlot was not an option; it would take around 6 hours if they went at such a pace; 26 Kilometers is quite a distance. Though Bellhop would have probably preferred that idea over revealing a special observations group, having hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into it, to the public. Yet the pony couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something... or someone. Entering Ponyville before was an adventure all on its own, but it was as if they were about to enter it a second time. Onyx remained unaware of how the denizens would react to them. Twilight tried to explain to them that all suspicions about the team would turn null when spotted with her and her friends. Bellhop wouldn't risk it though, so he kept his weapon drawn, ready to threaten anyone who opposed them. The group followed his example, except Clover, she had faith in their society... and just common sense for that matter. The only ponies (That was the other thing: they were ponies; not combatants trained to kill on sight) capable of harming them were the unicorns based on their experience so far. It didn't make sense to believe that civilians would (or could) hurt any of the soldiers. Twilight gradually opened the door and ushered the group of twelve forward. One by one they made their way out; some took more serious measures of exiting the tree house than others. Onyx walked skillfully with forced slowness in their movements while the mares carelessly trotted forward. Somehow none of the citizens were wandering around the library. Bellhop didn't understand it really since the place was practically in the center of Ponyville. Though he enjoyed the thought of Onyx and the human race itself remaining unknown to these things; it wasn't going to last. After a minute of walking, those who walked with a tense pace soon eased up. There was no reason to be on alert, for the "they couldn't hurt us even if they felt like it" retort got to them. Finally, inhabitants became noticeable. The tense motions came back in the group, causing Applejack to groan in disbelief, "Would y'all calm down? We're almost at town square. If y'er freakin' out now, then y'er gonna faint or somethin' when we get there," she growled, obviously annoyed with the groups unnecessary stiff movements. Bellhop shot her a vexed look, masked by his facial apparel. He followed it with a gesture to the group with his hand to tell them to stop being timid with their movements, for Applejack's sake. The group of twelve drew more and more curious eyes as they moved by; and why wouldn't there be? Two legged creatures, never before seen, wearing all black clothing and equipment. This inevitably caught the attention of the very promising demographic of absolutely everyone. Onyx tried to ignore it; they couldn't help but feel awkward around the mares too. Twilight and her friends just kept moving as if nothing was out of the ordinary; no species from another world here, no sir. Bellhop just assumed they were used to this kind of attention... Now they had gotten to town square, and became the center of attention of course, ponies of all varieties watched them walk by. Some showed more interest than others, as those who didn't went back to their errands. But, like the others, all it took was the knowledge that Onyx was traveling with this particular group to go back to what they were doing without suspicion. Twilight becoming a princess recently probably helped the group move by without harassment. As they continued their way towards the station, three ponies trotted right for the group. They were clearly younger due to their size with a spatial difference in their colors of fur and hair. The voices were chirpy and cute, but to Bellhop, annoying. It wasn't for this reason he stopped them though. The one with red drapes of hair called out as she ran up to the dozen. "Hey Sis'! Where-?" "Stop right there! State your name and designation!" Bellhop growled. "Oh, well howdy! Mah name's Applebloom and Ah just-" "They're just kids Alex; the hell is wrong with you?" Hazel barked at her Captain's outburst. "Sorry about that... uh, Applebloom," she added, trying to be friendly enough to remember the filly's name. "Applebloom, what'd ya' need?" asked Applejack. "Oh, well the gals and Ah just wanted t' ask mah sister what's goin' on," she innocently continued her question from before. "Where 'r ya headin'?" "Aw heck, we were just goin' t' Canterlot to see Celestia. The serious fellers ya' see here are comin' with us," she said, ensuring their victories for most authentic accents of the South. "They're on a stealth mission, which's kinda like hide and go seek! But Mr. Braidy here made the biggest mistake of moving positions while hiding and I won!" Pinkie giggled. An orange filly with purple hair spoke up, obviously more interested in the flying arrogance of the group, Rainbow Dash. She jumped once to get the floating pegasi's attention while talking. "So Rainbow Dash, do ya' wanna hang out when you get back?" the filly nervously asked, her confidential jump in vain. "Uh, we might be there all night; sorry Scoots..." Rainbow Dash responded, feeling a little less than proud of herself for saying it. It certainly didn't cheer Scoots up very much. The last filly, a white coated one with a puffy hair style rested a hoof on her orange friend. "Ah don't be upset, Scootaloo. Now we have time to work on getting our cutie marks!" She smiled, showing off teeth as white as her coat. "Sweetie Belle, where are your manners? Introduce yourself, please," Rarity said, pestering the filly to show some decency in the presence of otherworldly beings. "Oh right. Hi there, I'm Sweetie Belle! This here is-" "Scootaloo, I'm Scootaloo. This is Applebloom, "the orange filly spoke up, cutting off Sweetie Belle and presenting Applebloom. "And we're~" the red haired filly hung the last note of the sentence, getting the other three ready to sound off. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the three exclaimed. Clover giggled at their unbelievable cuteness. "Adorable," Ingot added sarcastically. Hazel tried to retort, "Lighten up, Jason. I know it's silly, but-" "I remember that we have got a train to catch or something, friends?" said Spade, trying to remind everyone of their objectives and deadlines. "He's right. Sorry girls, but we have a job to do. We'll talk some other time. C'mon, we need to get to the station to get our tickets!" Twilight explained. "Bye!" the three called out as Onyx made their way to the station with the ponies. The two groups picked up the pace a bit to get to the station in a timely manner. With more (expected) public gawking and shrugging; they eventually made it. The train, powered by coal, whistled once as the conductor peaked out of the side. Like every other horse in the town, this one stared just as blankly. Bellhop rolled his eyes behind his visor and continued examining the locomotive from his distance. Continuing; it sported seven cars, each with a more ridiculous design than the previous, including the caboose. The mares paid for twelve tickets since Onyx obviously didn't have the money to pay for them themselves. Twilight felt compelled to do so because it was her idea to bring them along and get them involved. She was also responsible for compromising Onyx's existence to the ponies of Ponyville, so it wouldn't make much sense to have the operatives sentenced to waiting around. Bellhop rolled up the sleeves on his torso piece, exposing the rubber made wrist band that showed off the USMC he always wore. He only did this because it was hot out and the use for his active camo would be null in this situation anyways. He also lowered the mask, but kept the visor set over his eyes. Bellhop noted that his comrades had removed any facial apparel hiding their identity from these ponies. Sighing, he upped his goggles too… Not like it mattered anymore. Of course, as soon as they stepped aboard; the combatants got the same stares and baffled facial expressions from before. Most were able to ignore the civilians at this point, Bellhop being the only exception. His distress made sense though, who could ignore the one with the widest open eyes in the entire car? It bugged him. He waved a hand at the mint green colored pony, who was too interested in the Captain and his team, hoping it would ease her gawking. Immediately noted as a mistake; the mare's eyes went even wider while her mouth hung open. A cream colored pony sitting next to the astounded pony poked her several times. It must have made the light green pony shift back into reality, for her eyes and mouth were no longer obnoxiously open. She then smiled while looking over to the cream colored pony again with "I told you so" etched into her face. Twilight was close to taking a seat right across from the mint green pony and her friend before Bellhop quickly called out, "Can we sit in the next car over?" "Why?" Twilight asked, barely interested in hearing his reason. Bellhop didn't say anything to explain, he simply narrowed his eyes and darted them to the ponies on his right. He was hoping the gesture would explain exactly why to her, which it did. The purple pony grinned too widely for his comfort after a brief giggle. "Nah, this car has way more ponies in it! This way you can get publicly accepted even sooner!" Twilight explained, trying to make Bellhop as uncomfortable as possible before they arrived. She was trying to manipulate the team, break their sense of control over the situation. But Bellhop wasn't going to take it. In due time, would he prove that it was a mistake to underestimate a Marine. Onyx members just appeared peripherally out of nowhere next to Bellhop as they sat down, the ponies taking all other seats. The Captain looked back, now fully realizing that he had to sit right across from his potential rapist. Though the seats lined up like any average bus back on Earth, the gawking pony remained parallel with Bellhop's row but on the other column to his left. The grin she wore, Bellhop assumed, said a lot about her personality. He sat uncomfortably, making any uneasy movements to tell the mare to stop staring at him without actually having to say it. Suddenly the train jolted with a rusty squeak and made Bellhop jitter. Mercury, sitting next to the Captain, pat his shoulder to rhetorically ask, "Ya alright?" Bellhop narrowed his eyes when returning a glare, but it did little to intimidate him. Clover is the younger of the two female combatants in the explorations group but is a higher rank than Hazel. Her CO's beforehand found her more useful in over watch roles and long distance take downs, most of which were done outside of heavy combat situations. So far, she handled them all flawlessly. She despises the term "sniper" and prefers "precision marksman"; though no one understood why... -3:37 PM Mercury took notice his superior's discomfort after a few minutes of the train's progression and wanted to help him out. Of course, the medic wouldn't simply tell the mint green pony to "Stare at her own arse for a change," for that was rude. So, he would create a conversation to at least take his captain's mind off of the mentally defective pony across from him. He turned around in the seat to bury his knees in the cushion while staring at Twilight, "So what's the issue with uh... changelings I think ya called 'em?" Twilight awoke from her own arrogant thoughts of taking full advantage of Bellhop's team. She stressed over the question, since the initial attempt at a response was an outburst, "the issue is everything!" she shouted hastily. "What's to be worried about here exactly?" Hazel questioned. "'Cause a years ago, they nearly took over all a' Canterlot by corruptin' Twilight's brother. Their queen kidnapped his bride and even shape shifted to make everypony think she was her!" exclaimed Applejack, also pressed on the question. "Nice one, Sherry," Ingot snickered. "Well I didn't know!" she retorted, trying to waver off her insulting tone from before. Ingot rose up his hands to his chest and pointed his palms towards Hazel to show defeat and possibly an apology for his pestering. It went silent again for a few moments, minus the other little conversations going around the box car, before Rainbow Dash pointed out something else that had been making her wonder about the well-being of Onyx's arrival. "So, I've been meaning to ask... You guys had like... no idea what to expect from Equestria right?" She trailed off, waiting for a response to confirm her next question. "Well, not entirely. All we had to go by was that oh, the place looked beautiful and like it was straight from a cartoon. That and these pic's of some creatures that Golf Team must've seen," said Hazel while dragging out some images. Five of the six ponies taking Onyx to Canterlot, Fluttershy being the exception, got up from their seats and gathered around Hazel to see the photos she had. Twilight's, Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as they all shouted out the same conclusion. "That's them!" "Yeesh, calm down," Hazel snapped while covering her ear that they shouted closest to. They cowered back, sheepishly grinning to pass for a silent apology. "Those are changelings, sorry for yelling," Twilight made her lip quiver down in guilt. "It's fine... Rainbow Dash, what were you getting at before?" Hazel asked. "Oh, right. So, you came here with little to no info on what we're capable of, but you came here without any sort of weaponry or anything? What if the Royal Guard found you or something? I don't think they would have reacted as nicely as we did," she asked, trying to show some concern for their possible well-being. At first, Bellhop repeated what she just said in his mind several times "As nicely as we did," because he wouldn't exactly describe their first encounter as nice. However, there was no need to touch on their behavior from earlier, as it would not do anyone or anypony any favors. "It's touching that you're concerned, but there's no need to be," he said while pulling out his F2000. The Rainbow haired pony looked at it, her expression unchanged from prior to when he dragged up the rifle. "It... doesn't look very sharp..." "It's a firearm, Rainbow," Hazel corrected her observations. "It lights your arm on fire and you can blast people that way!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Though, it sounded more of a cry for attention rather than her tossing ideas or explanations. Hazel would be the one to either humor or correct the pink pony. Bellhop raised a brow... "Uh, not quite Pinkie," she said while removing the magazine of her MTAR 21 and suppressing a smirk. She dislodged one of the NATO cartridges from the magazine to show the mares. "See, these are bullets. Pretty sharp, huh? Now imagine; these can travel at incredible-" As Hazel continued the trivial explanation; Spade subtly spoke, *Captain, move to the third radio channel please*. Bellhop turned to him to notice that he put his mask back up and slumped into his seat and facing the window beside Hazel. He wanted to privately cat apparently, so Bellhop faced the window as well to make others pay no attention to him, *What's happening?* *That purple one uh... Twilight. I believe there is more to her than we know.* *Holding back on us, Russia?* Bellhop asked bluntly. *More correctly; the KGB I'm afraid. Since that portal was in Pripyat, you can probably imagine that we were the first to find it. Well, actually with the US tag teaming with us to evacuate all the damn Stalkers; we both found it.* *Alright, so?* Spade slouched from his seat and turned over to glance at Twilight. She, like all the other mares, was listening to Hazel babble on about how much more efficient weapons on Earth were. With a sigh and awkward shuffle to sit up straight, *I think she was running around in the zone before we even knew about the access to her world.* *What? How?* "Something wrong?" Twilight's ears perked up. Bellhop turned away from the landscape he was simultaneously observing to see that everyone was paying attention to him now. Maybe he wasn't as quiet as he thought himself to be. Lowering the facial accessory, "Nothing, uh... What kinda stuff do you ponies do for fun?" Twilight raised a brow but Pinkie quickly shattered any of her ability to follow up with her suspicions, "Oh, loads of stuff! There's-!" *That's how it's done. What's up now?* *There have been rum- eh, not so much rumors. But uh... Agh, let me explain. A man in the KGB... er, Nikita I believe. He reported seeing some small horse roaming the nuclear exclusion zone about three years ago. More specifically, he noted how it was a purple one with darker hair to compliment the coat. He failed to tell us if it had a horn and wings like Twilight though, I am unsure if it was the same creature... But how many times do you see a purple pony on Earth, eh?* *Huh... I guess we'll figure this out eventually. That skank doesn't sound like she's telling us everything any-* *See? Now that is the attitude that will not get us where we need to be with these ones. Just try to play along with their little civilization; we may learn something. That is why we are here, yes?* Spade smiled... Well, none saw it, but Bellhop just figured he was doing it behind that facial gear. Bellhop sighed and looked back to the random activities that Pinkie Pie was spouting out of her mouth left and right. Though the new information and possible history of Twilight did take his mind off of the staring pony sitting right across from him, he couldn't ignore her bulging eyes of amazement that she showed as Hazel's explanation of the weapons progressed. Still, the mares and everyone in Onyx were somehow able to ignore that mint green pony. Pinkie Pie was the first runner-up to attempt at taking Bellhop's mind off of the awkward pony, "So, you just take-" "Cap', we got pass byers, your 6'," Ingot pointed past the window while squinting. It caused everyone to turn their attention away from the energetic pony yet again. Hazel could tell she didn't like everyone shunning her from the conversation, but that was far less important than what awaited outside. They spotted ten figures from the windows of the train thanks to Ingot. With a more defined examination, they could tell they were the doppelgangers that Twilight had gone so far to warn them about. With any effort put into a glimpse, one could tell the black creatures were flying, and they were intending to board the train. Twilight leapt from her seat with a slight hint of excitement; probably from the thought of getting even more payback from her last encounter with them (As mentioned before in Canterlot). "That's them! Get down and use your invisibility spell! We'll handle the changelings!" Mercury ignored her incorrect assumption that the active camouflage was a spell to speak reasonably, "Out of the question, miss. We made it our sub task to protect you, so that's what we're going-" "She means to not let them morph into your copies and wreak havoc on Equestria using y'er advanced weaponry 'n whatnot," the apple farmer sighed. "Onyx, pull reflector. It's too risky to be revealed to these guys right now," Bellhop commanded his team. They followed the order immediately while passengers on the train panicked. In moments, the soldiers fitted entirely in black became unable to find because of their armor's ability. Mercury pondered a thought out loud in the radio, *Wait, if they copy our forms, do they automatically get the weapons n' stuff too?* *I dunno, just-* Right then, the changelings burst through the train's windows, sending shards of glass over the innocent passengers. Of course, they had their heads covered by their own hooves; only a reasonable reaction to the glass. When looking up again, the civilians quickly felt outmatched and helpless due to the threat in front of them. Only six of the creatures burst into the locomotive, the other four resided on the roof, waiting to see if their friends came out okay. Inside the train however, panic still went about as one spoke up. He wore the clothing of any modern day soldier in the United States; complete with a digital forest pattern and a Remington ACR on his back. "Alright, we'll make this brief so you can go on with your lives," the changeling spoke in a modest tone, trying to calm down the ponies on board. Most on board were confused now though. They were not aware that the species could communicate like they could. "We're taking two of you hostage to help-" "You aren't taking anypony you fiends!" Twilight snapped while slamming a hoof down into the floor. One of the supporting changelings felt a bit worried now, "I-is that the princess's student?" "I-... It doesn't matter! We were given a task and we're doing it! Grab one of them and let's go!" another shouted clearly in hesitation, unsure if they should stand up to Twilight and her friends. One attempted to knock over Applejack, only to receive a buck to the face. It sent the changeling flying across the train's length and planted him against door to the next car over. Others, now intending to simply avenge their injured friend, darted at the apple farmer. Twilight and Rainbow Dash gladly greeted them with blasts of magic and a forceful smack across the face, making them unable to get up. The three left held a shaky stance, knowing they had underestimated what the mission would require of them. Bellhop lingered to his own thoughts, wondering why exactly they were wearing such apparel and why it looked familiar. The armor was one thing, but they also had the weaponry of a modern day soldier in the United States' Army. He couldn't think much of it before one of them shouted again. His eyes darted anxiously around the car before he pointed a hoof at Fluttershy, whom was cowering in the corner still. "Her! Take her and let's get the hell out of here!" "H-how though!? They're too strong!" another cried out, now understanding how badly Onyx's new friends outmatched them. The leader responded while erupting in green flames surprisingly, "Like we've been told to do." The fire that surrounded him ceased after a few seconds. Now, it wasn't a four legged creature that stood anymore. It was a man, a man equip with weapons to even oppose Onyx. The other two also performed this technique, reshaping into soldiers of their own tier. The leader pointed his ACR, hoping that the mares knew what it was capable of, "Get out of our way, now! Or we'll fucking kill you!" "Not gonna' happen, ya' varmint!" Applejack yelled as she hopped forward to attack. "Applejack, wait!" Twilight yelled in vain, but the leader's firearm made a deafening sound around the inside of the box car resulting in many screams of confusion. The apple farmer fell to the floor, bleeding from a fore hoof and wincing at the pain it created. The changeling's expression didn't change as he threatened them further. "That was your only warning! Now move!" *Clover, Ingot, let's sweep n' knock 'em* Bellhop commanded through the radio. Three operatives of Onyx team slowly moved into a position behind the three shape shifters aiming weapons at the mares. The leader kept shouting demands as Bellhop spoke again, "Call it." All three operatives used the same disarming maneuver: grab the barrel and yank upwards while positioned behind the target so that the gun smacks into their forehead. The upwards pull ensured everyone's safety by pointing out of harm's way, and the smack to the face would make them drop the weapon. Usually... Clover's target managed to fire off a couple of shots into the roof due to a panic reaction from the blow to his head. A second later, Mercury, Spade, and Hazel pointed their own weapons at the changelings while Bellhop, Clover, and Ingot restricted them. Exposed to the public once more and their new changeling acquaintances, Onyx had the enemy where they wanted them. Randomly, a grunt of pain came from above everyone in the train and a thin strip of blood ran down from the hole in the roof. Panicked conversing ran about from the terrified passengers, but Bellhop tightened his grip to draw their attention once more, "how many more of you are there!?" he shouted while not receiving a response. "Answer me, dammit!" The changelings were shocked. They all had a look of complete and utter fear on them while restrained. Rainbow Dash mocked them in their new position, "Hah! Not so tough now, are ya?" "W-what are you doing!?" Twilight questioned fiercely, for Onyx did not abide by her wishes for staying hidden. "How many more have come here with you?" Bellhop shook the changeling, ignoring Twilight's rage and trying to force an answer out of his victim at the same time. The changeling looked over to his equally as frightened friends. "Coal..." he sighed while looking at his female companion, "... get out of here." Just as he said those few words, the one identified as Coal erupted in flames along with the other captive. The green fire made Clover and Ingot released their grips, not knowing if the flames could actually harm them or not. The leader, which Bellhop only half-restricted, brought up his secondary G21 to shoot the Captain behind him in the head. Mercury shuttered at the sight, causing his finger to jump back. The medic's P90 fired a round off and hit the human-morphed changeling in the forehead. He shot once while falling due to a shock reaction and grazed Spade's shin before dying. The two that escaped Clover's and Ingot's grasps now flew out of the window to retreat. Before anyone could even comprehend what had just occurred, another shout came from behind their left, "Bleak, NO!" a downed changeling yelled while shifting into a soldier form of his own. Bellhop, desperately trying to keep the situation under control got ready to redirect the changeling's line of fire before it happened. Unfortunately, he couldn't expect what the doppelganger actually tried, which was jumping on the seat and springing into the Captain of Onyx team. The enraged shape-shifter struck down the Captain, intending to avenge his fallen ally. Clover was quick to pull up her G19 and aim at the target's head. The changeling showed no intension of ceasing to shoot Bellhop with his UMP45. Without any more hesitation, the female precision marksman pulled the trigger, ending the black creature's life swiftly. Bellhop tossed the flaming body away from his downed state to get back up. He jittered due to the green flames, but quickly discovered that they weren't lighting him on fire or causing any pain. When the flames died down, it revealed an eyes wide corpse on the floor. This made two... "C'mon, get up Specter! We've got to get out of here!" A voice, sounding similar to the one from above the car before, called out. It was a female changeling, urging her downed teammate in the back of the train car to get up and escape too. Onyx, save for Mercury, swiftly raised up arms while Bellhop got back to his feet. "Stop right there!" Ingot shouted, hoping they would comply so that they could acquire some answers as to what was going on. Mercury now tended to Applejack's hoof while she lay parallel with the floor of the locomotive. The one being helped up started a question, "w-what about-" "There's no time; we need to go now!" the female changeling shouted again, stretching her wings and quickly taking off out of the train. Bellhop raised his fist at Ingot, telling him not to shoot... He might penetrate the door and hit civvies in the next car over. The other swiftly followed her, leaving Onyx as clueless as they were when the battle started. At least it was over... Another wince made them all redirect their attention downward. "You're gonna be fine, stop y'er whinin'," Mercury said in an annoying way while wrapping some gauze around the apple farmer's bleeding hoof. It quickly blotted in red, but halted further loss of blood. "Cap', I think this one's unconscious," Hazel said slowly while removing her hand from the throat of a floored changeling. "Alright, use something to restrain him... Is there like a prison or jail or something we can take him to in Canterlot?... Twili-?" Bellhop questioned before turning to see shocked ponies all around him. It put his question on hold so that he could assess the terror and confusion of the passengers. "Y-you... killed them..?" Rarity slowly came to a realization. Fluttershy burrowed herself into a corner of the still moving train while Rainbow Dash pet her head to comfort her. The other ponies in the train all stared at Onyx team while small puddles of dark green blood formed beneath what they had achieved. Bellhop sighed... "Two of you go check the rest of the train, make sure no one stuck around..." "R-right... Sherry, with me," Ingot said softly. She complied and they went over to the next car to check for enemy stragglers. "B-but I thought...-" Pinkie Pie trailed off, unsure of what to make of the situation. "We've stepped in to dangerous grounds now, hyper one... It will not ease up anytime soon..." Spade frowned at the not-so-energetic-anymore pony. "Why did you have to kill them!?" Twilight anxiously shouted. "I don't know," Mercury replied. "B-but... w-wh-" "I dunno!" he shouted, practically shaking the car, "My finger slipped, alright!? My fuckin' bad... Jesus..." He was upset because he knew all too well that his little flaw just cost Onyx the mission. Don't kill the inhabitants. The commanders stressed it to them at least three times before they came to Equestria. Of all the rules; that seemed most important and they already blew it. "We didn't have a choice," Bellhop spoke up, trying to make it seem less severe than it already was. Twilight jittered with worried eyes and a mouth open frown, "I told you not to do anything! Y-you couldn't even handle doing nothing!? What is wrong with-?" "The fuck did you want to happen exactly!?" Bellhop shouted, not caring who was listening in at this point. "If we hadn't of done something right then, your damsel in distress there would be a hostage to who you claim to be the enemy!" A bit taken back now, Twilight knew the Captain had a point... Though the cursing didn't sit right with her... Fluttershy may have very well been missing and even more ponies could have gotten hurt if Onyx had just sat doing nothing. *Passengers, sorry for the scares on board, the train will now be entering Canterlot. Thanks for riding with us,* a voice called over a megaphone from inside the box car. Almost right after a speaker click sounded off, Hazel and Ingot returned through the door they went in before. "Train's all fine and dandy," Ingot said while sulking back. "Good," Bellhop replied. Glaring back at Twilight reminded her that she had nothing to complain about what Onyx just pulled. They saved their lives for all they knew. Clover was looking down now as well, showing off some minor depression because she thought she was also responsible for the team's failure. "I'm sorry, sir... I-I didn't mean to shoot him, h-he just-" "What are you sorry about?" Bellhop squinted, "Again, it was something that had to be done. If you hadn't of done it, I'd be dead, and you wouldn't have a leader anymore. What I'd like to know is how they got those guns and armor." "It looked like Golf Squad's don't you think?" Hazel asked. "Must've been," Spade sighed. Mercury studied his companion. "You need me to-?" "It is fine, no need to worry, friend," Spade replied, trying to just walk off his flesh wound while giving a weak smile. "Urgh, Der' mo..." "We've got to do something about this... We're going to make this right, okay everyone?" Bellhop raised his voice, asking everyone in the box car. He got worried stares and silence in return. Sighing, "Let's just go see this Celestia then..." Captain Alex Smith (Bellhop) doesn't tend to discuss what went on during his time in Syria. He holds himself responsible for deaths of many men, including soldiers of the United States. Sometimes he questions his own ability to lead a team... Back in Ponyville, a small purple and green dragon scampered to the Golden Oaks Library. Being one of the only beings in Ponyville that walked on two legs, his arms were able to carry two filled bags of groceries. He bumped open the door with his barbed tail and entered what he would call home. Immediately, when entering, he set the bags down and tried to catch his breath. He also allowed his arms to flail below him so they could regain strength from the stress they had just faced. It wasn't long before he noticed something else that was odd. "Twilight? I got the food like you asked me to," he called out. He would receive no response. Forgotten and left behind by his friends, he set down the bags with a sigh. The dragon slugged up the staircase afterwards and dropped into his bed to sleep off the aggravation... [1-4] CaughtNever take things at face value... -June 7, 2021 -Equestria, Canterlot -Speak with the Princess -4:02 PM The train came to a rusty halt, the breaks singing against the metal tracks for twenty or so meters. A station, obviously with more money invested in it than Ponyville's, is where the train stopped completely. A large building with ornate window housing that made arcs in the wall. A second floor rested atop the structure as a balcony, judging by the gates on the roof, but must have just been for show, for no ponies were up there. The entire structure could double as a clock tower since there was a classic time tracker in the center. The truly breath-taking part had to be everything beyond that clock tower and station. Canterlot was amazing! The city's walls showed off an overall shade of white with gold trimmings. Many of the buildings sported some odd spiral figure atop of them much like the Saint Basil's Cathedral over in Moscow. A river ran through the outer edge of the town. As if trying to pertain to a child's imagination of a castle; a drawbridge presented itself to allow any to cross into or out of the city. And it rested on the side of a mountain. Your argument is invalid. Though from any of the soldiers' perspectives, it was ridiculous. The place was a disaster waiting to happen... The captain was confused however. Wouldn't there be some castle that Celestia was in if she was a princess? All of the buildings looked as posh and expensive as the others. Some had an altitude advantage sure, but it was just because the floor they sat on was inclined. Maybe the princesses were low profile or something in this world. After all, Twilight was just living in a library like any-... Okay, that's not exactly normal, but she was living as casually as any other pony in that village. Maybe this Celestia character did the same... Bellhop kept his thoughts to himself throughout the rest of the trip. He made it his own task to bind the changeling and carry him to the castle to have them arrest him or imprison him or whatever they saw fit. But he couldn't get Spade's information out of his head. That little tid-bit, assuming it to be true, meant these ponies knew more than they let on, especially Twilight. He wasn't about to go around throwing accusations though, no... The Captain wouldn't risk losing their trust, whether they really had it or not, just yet. Even if it were true, it didn't really mean anything. Had Twilight been strolling around in The Zone; it only meant just that: She had seen Earth and all its terrible features. She didn't know anything about Onyx or the military or the Russians. But he could always be wrong. "If it's some threatening ordeal; it'll unravel itself soon," Bellhop decided. The train car doors had opened which allowed all passengers on board to exit the train. Some were still a bit shaken up from what they had witnessed on board, but hopefully would be able to get on with their lives in the large and decorated city of Canterlot. The group of twelve, thirteen counting the incapacitated changeling, were the last to leave the train. The team, save for Bellhop, got off and waited at the deck next to the immobile train. The captain now carried an immobile changeling over his shoulder. The poor thing was still unconscious from the battle only minutes ago. "Again, I'm sorry for the confusion, hopefully this kind of stuff won't happen to you anymore," Bellhop said speaking to the conductor of the train. "It's quite alright, Captain. You did save everypony's life on board, I can't say I've seen a species like you before though. You're new around these parts then?" he asked, trying to get Bellhop to stop being so modest of what he did on the train. The question did make him think. He figured that only Twilight and her friends knowing that there was a whole other world that Onyx came from was in everyone's best interest. All of the other ponies were better off ignorantly assuming Onyx came from some unknown area of the world they were already in. "Yeah... Something like that..." "Well, safe travels. And hey, my name's Steamer. It was nice to meet you," the brown haired pony said with a smile. "Likewise, Steamer," Bellhop nodded, stepping off of the train and paying no eye contact to the pony. He really needed to get this damned side mission over with, and then go back to Onyx's main objective. Though he couldn't argue that this was giving the team some major insight that they probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Unless they somehow stalked them onto the train while-... He didn't want to think of what could have been... "Canterlot should bring up your attitudes!" he called out while the train's whistle sounded and the locomotive started its journey to Ponyville. Bellhop sighed again and turned to his team, the station, and more ponies staring in awe at the humans before them. How incredibly fitting. He didn't speak while walking by the group, but they understood from the silence that he wanted them to follow. He didn't know where to go, but he just wanted to move away from these crowds. Celestia's home wasn't going to just be right in front of them when they got off the train anyways. Maybe one of the buildings would stick out enough to identify which one she resided in. The group followed suit, not daring to start a conversation after what happened on the train. The same silent rules did not apply for Pinkie Pie though, "Well, this 's been a-" Ingot snapped, "The next thing you say better be-" "Stop it, stop the fighting!" Fluttershy burst out. Ingot scratched his head and covered the ear that the shy pony just wailed into. "Look, my bad alright?" he groaned. "Alright, we're done with the sulking, okay? The mission isn't over just because we killed someone. Command couldn't have really expected us to go in unopposed if they gave us this much firepower. What we did was justified, get it?" Bellhop said without hesitation. His eyes never left the path they walked on. "Um... excuse me?" a voice from behind the ponies and human operatives. Bellhop was first to turn, always determined to set an example to his team. However he cringed when making out what it was that just asked for their attention. It was the mint green mare from the train ride along with a follower of her own. The pony that Bellhop deemed stalker was awkwardly shifting left and right rather than staring at the team with bulging eyes like on the train. The cream coated pony with two colors of hair impatiently waited for her shy friend to do something so they could move on. "I... uh... er, n-never mind, l-let's go Bonbon," She said, almost squeaking at one point. The one she referred to as Bonbon simply sighed and rolled her eyes, disappointed at her friend wasting their time. And with that, they strolled back to whatever they must have originally intended to do in Canterlot. Bellhop raised a brow and shrugged. He continued walking, the squad and ponies automatically following him again. Twilight being skeptic of every single action the soldiers did asked, "Do you know where you're going?" "If it's a princess we're looking for, then she'll be in the most blatant and large structure in the city," He replied while mocking royalty at the same time. In all seriousness, he was lost... Twilight was failing to find a way to make him feel like an insignificant being at this point. Bellhop could tell his plan to prove his worth was working. He wanted to fully get it through her head that she wasn't in control of Onyx and it could very well be the other way around if they chose it to be. He looked to his left to see if his comment did any-... Why was she so smug? "Oh, is that why we're heading towards the bakery?" That brought his tedious pace to a halt and nearly caused him to drop the shape-shifter over his shoulder. The others stopped too, knowing that this would bring out an argument betwixt pony and soldier. "Where are we going then?" Twilight cocked her head at that, "No rude remarks this time?" she pondered, "If you were using your head; you-" "When we stepped off the train; we should've headed to the first structure you witnessed on the train. It was the one with the little moat-waterfall and drawbridge. By the way, do you like the city so far? I think we should visit one of the stores when we're done visiting her majesty," Rarity said with a sheepish grin. Twilight groaned at her white coated friend... "Nah, I think we're heading right back to Ponyville. Our CO's- Wha- hey, dude. 'Helmet stays on," Hazel cut herself off to scorn Ingot. Indeed, he had removed the last piece of his headgear to show his buzz-cut. He narrowed his eyes at the female guide. She sighed with little swats to the air, "You don't wear the helmet, battle comes outta nowhere, 'ya get shot in the head... Just... Wear it, 'k?" "Sure thing, Sarg'," he pat it back on his head with a sigh. "Lead the way then, Lavender," Mercury tapped the princess's horn. Before taking one step he received a light jolt on the offending forearm. He shook his shocked hand with a groan as Twilight skipped by with her smuggyness. Clover chuckled, "That's whatcha get. Mess with- Ah, hey!" she gasped after something pat her behind. She connected the action to Hazel because she walked by right as it happened. "Pants sagging, tighten your bel-" "You couldn't 've just told me!?" Clover hastily fastened her clothes. She overheard a few giggles and blushed, "Sherry, come oooonnn." "Are you people coming or what?" Twilight shouted from ahead and dragged over everyone's gaze. Bellhop had already been moving with the pony and shifted his shoulders a bit to get a hold on the knocked out changeling. Awkward shuffles quickly brought the rest of the ponies and soldiers to the two. Bellhop wasn't much of a talker... unless being spoken directly to, of course. Walking long distances to get some place annoyed him just from the thought, but he preferred keeping to his own thoughts on the journey. What Spade had told him, what was to come, when he'd confront Twilight about it. If he'd confront her at all... How would she react if it weren't true? Maybe he'd get to feel what Spade had when Rarity flung him into the library... That white pony... He had harmed one of the people they were supposed to get to know better. Why were they just okay with this? Why wasn't the immediate reaction to try and maime the team? The Russian was a friendly guy, but... This was just weird... They're being too friendly for Bellhop's comfort. Well, maybe not friendly friendly, but friendly enough not to go on a rampage when seeing bipedal creatures with weapons... Even when the creature was hurting their friend right in front of them. Bellhop would remain- A shout from afar to bring him back to reality. Before him stood a tall, bracketed gate with walls stretching across both sides to hold guards about eight meters above the ground. "Halt! In the name of Celestia!" a pony shouted out. It must have been a guard, which there were plenty of in this case, for they lined the top of both walls. They were suited up in a gold colored metal, complete with a helmet piece and blue cloth decoration. He was quick to summarize everyone in the actual group. His expression seemed to be less... angered when spotting the mares that brought Onyx to Canterlot. He called out again in a calmer manner. Some wielded spears and stuck the spikes towards the sky. Others did not have weapons of any kind, but the armor showed off their horns, implying they dealt with magic rather than weaponry. Soon, others that hovered in the air, flapping white wings arrived. Guards of all pony types ready to scold Onyx. "What do you require, Princess Twilight?" "We've come to converse with Celestia, for she requested our audience!" she shouted, making sure that the guard could hear her from their position. "All of you? What are those anyways?" He skeptically questioned. Bellhop groaned when hearing him use the term those, because it meant he just saw Onyx as things rather than people let alone beings equivalent to that of a pony's. "They're our friends, and it's urgent that they come along with us. Princess Celestia wanted us to bring them," Twilight explained, lying at the latter part. "Understood, Princess. You and your friends may enter," he concluded while hitting the butt of his spear into the ground twice. Right then, the gate split in half vertically and opened inward slowly. The group of twelve entered while still getting scolds, though directed more at Onyx team. "Who were they?" Ingot asked, a bit annoyed with the stares Onyx got. "The Royal Guard. Celestia's soldiers, if you will," Rarity answered. "Hey Twilight, isn't your brother supposed to be in the castle today?" Pinkie Pie bounced playfully while moving alongside the party of ponies and mares. "That's what the letter said, yes. And maybe he can back me up with explaining Onyx's presence," Twilight added, hinting that the group of humans was only causing them more of a hassle. Bellhop sighed, simply accepting that the alicorn was stuck up and changed the subject without insulting her back. "What's so special about your brother?" "Why he's none other than Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard!... Well, Captain of his guards back in the Arctic North." "Another Captain, huh?" Spade chimed in. Pinkie Pie bounced around the group while they purged forward, "Yeah, all this cool stuff's happening on the same day! Twilight's brother only came to Canterlot like one other time since he got married and went to live in the Crystal Empire! And we got to meet all of you! This day is crazy!" "One thing we can agree on..." Bellhop mumbled. Rainbow Dash spoke up before Pinkie could ask Bellhop to clarify his whispers, "Well, should we split up to find your brother or do ya wanna just head right to Celestia?" "For Twilight's sake, let's just look for her brother. Onyx pick a favorite, six duos," Bellhop once again subtly poked fun at the alicorn while giving an order. "I call Fluttershy ♥!" Clover hummed. The pale gold pony had no complaints. "At least they can get along well," Bellhop thought. "I'm with Mercury, or... Bradley," Rainbow Dash clarified. "Just Brad, thanks," Mercury wanted to get her on the right track. "Wanna tag up with me, Pinkie?" Hazel asked. "Sounds super!" she exclaimed while bouncing over to the female combatant. Rarity cleared her throat next to Spade to get his attention, "I do believe you were hit in the leg, I'll move slowly with you". His leg stopped bleeding on the walk to the castle but still ached a bit while he moved. The bullet hadn't lodged into the bone fortunately. He just shrugged and stood idly by the white pony. Bellhop and Twilight were quickly coming to the realization that they had only each other for partner options. They both sighed simultaneously. "Guess that leaves you and I, Alex," the alicorn rolled her eyes. "I guess so. Alright, split up and find him." Ingot was hoping that he could just use his time in the military to fund a college education but spiraled into somewhat of a clinical depression when he took courses. His grades suffered immensely as he mentally refused to do the work given to him. Without a college education, he figured he had nowhere else to go for work really in life, so he just continued working up the ranks of the USMC... -4:17 PM The skies of Equestria were probably the most breath taking features in the world. It was an unscathed light blue, complimented by the white puffy clouds that looked as if they made perfect use as mattresses. In all seriousness; they worked as building materials for this world. About 260 meters from the ground were structures that scraped the blue air. It seemed that buildings were sitting on top of a large platform of a cloud to create a city. Maybe the platform was made of multiple clouds crushed together or had some special property, for the objects on top of it didn't look light enough to just sit on top of something like a cloud. Then again, anything seemed possible on this planet so far... White columns surrounded entrances to white buildings. All of the structures rested on their own individual cloudy platforms. Harder material staircases and narrow platforms, made of stuff similar to the other cloud floors, connected all of the homes. Though, these didn't seem like homes. One in particular had smaller puffs of clouds, as soft looking as the ones that didn't make up the town, surrounding it. And, like the others, used columns as a type of entrance rather than a door of some sort. Inside, instructions sounded about to have the recipient make haste. "Hurry up, Helios," a voice called out. Around the voice and in the room were desks, chairs, some papers, weapons... and winged beings dressed in gray suits with red complimentary trims. The suit was simply a torso piece that covered only their chests, allowing the tail and hind legs to move freely. Not to say that the vest restricted the beings ability to fly, for cuts in the back let the wings to break out when needed. It featured sleeves so that the forelegs snuggly held the clothing in place too. Last was the hat... Dull gray, just like the chest piece of the outfit. It resembled that of a baker's cap (Not a chef's hat; a baker's cap). The individuals weren't planning on making pastries anytime soon though. The hat had a red circle about one inch in diameter placed directly in the center of it. The one referred to as Helios was still filling a saddle bag, both pouches also gray with a single red stripe. He stuffed in water bottles, salty crackers, some gauze, and a pair of knuckle blades. The weapon was plainly a sharp edge with three precisely put holes and an indent on the edge to grip. The blade itself extended 15 centimeters away from the handle indentations. Helios closed the pouches and strapped them around his stomach to stand on all fours efficiently while carrying supplies at the same time. "I'm good to go, Captain," he said in a vexed tone. He didn't like to be rushed... "Right. Get to-" "we're going now, sir..." Helios stretched out his wings along with his apparent friends in the room. The captain waited, expecting them gone two minutes ago. Several winged beings flew out of the open roof of the building to get to their new objective. Now soaring through the air... "Really getting tired of him," a feminine voice spoke up while the group of four flew over the city. "I know, Mist. You're almost done with the academy though, alright? Soon enough, you'll never have to hear of Stride ever again. Now just think of it this way, you'll be much better off than I am," Helios chuckled. "Why's he so stern anyways?" another called out so that everypony could hear. "Well, he's been through a lot, Decker. Obviously not a reason to go around yelling at new recruits all the time, but you know. That and he's kind of supposed to. Rookies need to be whipped up into shape I guess. And he takes it more seriously than anypony I know of." "Heh. But seriously, how cool is it that I get to graduate under your watch, bro?" "I guess it's pretty nice, but don't get too comfy, Eos. I never agreed to handing out freebies," Helios grinned. "That goes for the rest of you too... though, just between us... I think you're all gonna be accepted. Just keep up your work ethic around here. Got it?" "Sure thing, sir," said Decker. He had his head turned while speaking. And unfortunately, while waiting for a response that never came, he smacked into the column of another building. He fell to the cloud floor while Helios and the others flew down to help him. "Decker!" Eos shouted, getting to his fallen friend first. "Agh, I-I'm fine," he replied in a bit of a daze. "You sure? Anything sprained, or broken? How many-?" Helios trailed off in an overly concerned manner before Decker interrupted him by stretching his wings. He then smiled and got up to stand on all fours. "No need to worry, man. I'm all good." "Heh, always a quick healer Deck'. Let's get to the next trial then," Eos smirked. Decker rubbed his head and stared down while his companions moved into the building. "It's not really that I'm a fast healer, see I just hit my-" "You comin', dude?" Mist called from inside, making the winged being flinch into realization. He jumped and made a dash to catch up with his team. In moments, he slowed down to once again be sided by Mist. On the inside of the column surrounded cloud resided a training course. Near the center, the four spotted other friendlies. Another group of three, suspended in mid-flight, took orders from the female shouting below them. "Lift, you need to stay directly behind Swift when in line, he's the only thing on that field keeping you from going against the extra wind. Turbulence is going to throw you off if you don't stay center." "Right ma'am, sorry ma'am!" he replied, unsatisfied with his effort. "Yeah, don't stress too much, you've still got the other trials to make it up in," the squad leader replied to the anxious flyer, Lift. "Alright. Swift, Drift, Lift, finish up with a couple more laps to work out your wings a bit. Then get back to me." They boasted air born salutes by using their forelegs with determined smiles and flew off. She redirected her vision at Helios's squad in the distance. Eos cringed a bit at the instructor's gaze from afar. "Nervous?" Helios nudged his younger brother playfully. "Maybe a bit... But we flew here all the way from Albatropolis. And I'm not leaving until I'm accepted first," Eos replied with a healthy boldness in his voice. "New recruits again, Lift?" the sterner commander called out. "Yeah, Gilda, I'm sure these ones will get through though," the leading gryphon responded. Helios moved up closer to Gilda while his squad followed. "Stride's in a mood again, so be sure your guys are up and alert when you head back." "I hear ya, Heli'. In a minute, the course is all yours," Gilda said while smiling at her circling trainees. Mist also eyed them, exclusively Lift. Decker nudged her a bit with a smirk, "What're ya staring at Mist?" It caused her to flush slightly and force her gaze downward. "N-nothing... The sky's nice today..." she warmly smiled to herself. "Stay focused and remember to curve, not bank on those turns, okay?" Helios stated, snapping Mist out of her fantasy. They looked up to him with vigor. All of them were determined to pass basic training and get accepted into the EPOW, Eagle Pointe's air force. The fourth established gryphon company known as none other than Shock and Awe. Command Sergeant Major Vasily Yetgarev (Spade) and many other GRU helped out Syria. Specifically Russia had ties with the Syria's government and leaders. Their part was pretty much making sure that the rebels didn't go too far (like chemical weapon attacks on the populace). Russia had pulled out of the war about 6 months after getting involved though, for they feared an international conflict with the United States if they continued... -4:20 PM Smo' queed erreday... The duos of Onyx and ponies all searched different parts of the castle, not including the throne room where Celestia was of course. They needed, or... Twilight needed in this case, to find Shining Armor to maybe help them explain Onyx's arrival. But that didn't make much sense at all... How would he know anything of it? Maybe she was just hoping her brother would side with her if Celestia started yelling at Twilight. Bellhop lightly chuckled at the thought of the purple alicorn getting shouted at for being the arrogant pony she was over the last few hours. "Is something funny?" Twilight asked, unsatisfied with getting the Onyx Captain as a partner to search for her brother. "Nah, it's nothing. But you know what?" he responded, giving her time to mutter a 'what' before he continued. "Yes?" "You and I both know what you've been trying to do since we found you at the library. For hours now, I've humored you, diligently waiting for a just shrivel of respect, but you clearly aren't the kind of being that does that..." She didn't pay him any eye contact as they continued walking... "So know this, you don't lead this team. And I don't know if you've noticed, but we aren't gaining anything spectacular out of this little visit to your beloved princess either. This is a sub task, nothing more. And I was the one that allowed us to go through with it." He overheard her hoof scrape the ground when she mis-stepped due to what she was hearing. He continued, "We could have just said solve your own damn problems and left you to die on your train ride here. Or get captured, whatever you feel you deserved... This is taking up time we could be putting towards what we actually came here for. One of our fifteen days has already been used up because of my concern for your species.” Finally, she paid him full attention with a vexed glare which he narrowed his eyes at, "We aren't friends, and Onyx is going back to their original mission as soon as we're finished cleaning up your little changeling epidemic. Understand?" "M-may I remind you that the changelings rising up in arms was your fault?" She furrowed her brows while trotting alongside the Captain, turning away again to avoid looking at him. He gave that one a bit of thought and nodded with a shrug, "Yeah, I guess it was. But, now we’re all that more important to you," he smirked. "W-wha-" "You can't face these guys on your own power, admit it. That orange one with the Stetson; the bullet was two inches away from slicing her artery open. What would you have done if we weren't there? What if we just never showed up? These creatures," he patted that knocked out changeling twice," would still have their guns, and you, would be dead... What's done is done, and the outcome is you need us now." "Princess Sparkle, is this thing bothering you?" A female guard's voice came from behind them. "... Not at all, thank you for your concern," Twilight sighed. "Do you by chance know where my brother is? It said he was here in a letter I received." "The old Captain? He's speaking with Celestia right now. To be honest I thought you'd be in that room right about now rather than taking a stroll through the gardens," the guard responded a bit confusedly. Twilight face hoofed and groaned. The guard's heart sank, for her mind naturally amplified the princess's frustration to an audible scream. "W-would you like me to take you to her?" she nervously offered. "That's fine I suppose, but first I need to find my friends. Can we-" *Onyx, her brother 's in the throne room speaking with Celestia, we've just been wasting our time so far. Regroup at the entrance,* Bellhop said through the earpiece while interrupting Twilight at the same time. "Or... not," she rolled her eyes. "Let's get a move on then. Thank you for your help that you could have potentially provided if it weren't for his fancy gadgets," "I-... Thank you, princess?" she stuttered, not sure to make that out as a compliment or an angry sigh to her bipedal companion. She didn't much feel like asking her about it either. "Right uh. Don't mean to be rude, but why is your purple friend such a bi-?" "Finish that sentence and you're in a world'a hurt, pal," Rainbow Dash threatened, not very amused with Mercury's smart mouthing. He chuckled softly while she continued, "Twilight isn't a bad pony, she's just under a lot of stress, and you guys can't seem to see that." "I guess so. So where do you fall on this whole... epidemic... as it were?" Mercury replied, not really taking anything she said before to heart. Rainbow Dash sighed, "I just hope we can solve this changeling business like last time and get on with our lives. We aren't always doing the princess's bidding, y' know?" "I hear ya. Believe me, we're going to make the changeling thing as quick as possible, then you probably won't even remember we're here while we go researching for whatever remainder of days we have left," he smiled, pleased with his ability to calm people down easily. "Well thanks for at least taking responsibility for your own actions. That takes guts. Especially when it comes to something like this," she smirked. "I'd thank you for thanking me 'n all, but I dunno what you mean." "Well... I mean, wasn't their ability to get weapons... because of you?" She slowly expanded on her earlier claim. "I guess in a way, yes. Onyx in particular? No. We established that it was a team that came here yesterday just to get a glimpse at what this world offered. Notice how they had ACR's and UMP45's?" he answered, trying to take some negative tension off of his team. The rainbow maned pony just raised a brow in confusion. Mercury quickly realized why she was making such an expression, "ACR's and UMP's are what weapons the changelings were using. And as you could probably tell, they looked nothing like us. Don't the changelings need some sort of reference or model to base their forms off of?" "I... think so... Well then, you have a point. But still, it's good that somepony's here to-" "Somebody, kid." "Wha-" "The word you're lookin' for is somebody." "Th-that makes no sense," she curved her lip to show disgust almost. Mercury thought on it for a moment. "Not to you at least," he grinned while stopping at a large door. "Hmm, we're here then?" "First as always," she smiled, satisfied. A familiar peppy voice redirected her attention and Mercury's. "Then we found all of the elements at the same time! But I was super grumpy, and GRAY! Can you believe it!? I was totally gray! Then we split up for a bit, but Twilight found out how to make us NOT gray. She's smart like that. Then we became friends again, and- oh! Hey Rainbow Dash, and Bradley!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She must have been talking for the entire time Hazel was searching around with her, for the female combatant's expression was astonishment. Ballistic eye wear and a black mouth covered her face up of course, but Mercury could kind of tell she was amazed at the pink pony's lack of a need to breathe when speaking. "Ya don't have to really wear that stuff since we're not really being all sneaky like anymore, Sherry," Mercury chuckled. Hazel shook her head a bit to faze back into reality. "Oh, right," she said while raising up the goggles to her helmet's forehead and dragging down the mask that covered the lower half of her face. It let her curly red hair bounce a bit and Pinkie Pie gasped, to which Hazel raised brow at. "I got to see your face!" she bounced twice with a grin. "Um, alright? Why's this a good thing?" "Oh, well maybe it isn't really a good thing. I just thought you were self conscious of your face or something, so you hid it behind that head gear all day." "Well, good to know there ain't a shortage'a nuts in the group," the combat medic groaned. Hazel giggled a bit and pat Pinkie Pie on the head, "I like her. She's like a never ending fountain of joy." "Yay!" she smiled in return. "Come now, dearie, easy does it," said Rarity who was now only a couple of meters from the group and walking alongside Spade. He didn't show any sort of limp or physical struggle, but the white coated pony remained concerned. "Howdy-ho," Spade waved to his team in a less than amused mood. "And Vasily, I simply must know why it is you speak with that... eh, gurgle in your tongue. Are you trying to stand out? Public individualist perhaps?" Spade rubbed his head with the palm of his hand in stress. "It is because English was not my first language you undersized horse. Man, Hazel, can I trade ponies with you? This one is... Eh, she's so... posh," Spade rolled his eyes. Rarity didn't seem to take kindly to the way he described her just then. He wasn't trying to offend any of the ponies or anything, but whatever Rarity was talking to him about probably just didn't meet his interests. "Hmph. I may be small, mind you, but no mere equine comes even close to looking as fabulous as a pony does on a regular occasion," she explained with a bit of posture while rising up her nose at the Russian. He simply rolled his eyes again. "And that's when I found Angel and-... Oh, we're here it looks like," Fluttershy said when appearing with Clover. Clover smiled and leaned in close to the pale gold pony. "I think you're just about the cutest thing I've ever come across ♥," she whispered while rubbing the top of the pony's head. Fluttershy made crescents out of her eyes and smiled. Mercury and Rainbow Dash gagged simultaneously, then immediately noticed they copied each other's reactions. Hazel chuckled, "Maybe you two have more in common than you thought." "Heh, yeah. There was actually a cider mill close to where I lived when I was a kid. They made these cinnamon powdered donuts that were probably the best things ever," Ingot smiled. The orange earth pony following him took every word to heart. "Well it's good that ya were into farm work when ya were younger, keeps y'er strength up," Applejack grinned. The battle manager shook his head, "Nah, Michigan has farms, but I don't think I lived near any of 'em." "Oh, didn't mean t' just throw-" "You're fine, I can't honestly remember doing anything special as a kid though. I kind of just wound up doing this right after high school, and I've never really looked back," he trailed off starting to linger to old memories of home, "I guess I got into this because I felt sympathy for those civies in Syria. 'Whole thing started 'cause our they told us their government was killing them." "W-what!? That's awful! Why would they do th-?" "Pretty much the civies didn't like the current law system, so they rebelled. Protests come around, police are told to beat the protesters, rebels start riots in the streets, and they suppress media outlets so no other countries find out about it. That kinda stuff." He looked at Applejack with her dumbfounded expression, "Unfortunately, like my friends and I predicted, it's turning out to be another Afghanistan..." "Whad'ya mean?" Applejack asked with great concern. "The war is a never ending loop basically. Remember I said that there was a rebellion and they are against the government? As it would turn out, a lot of those rebels are cooperating with a terrorist faction from the last war we were in. So, we have a handful of militias trying to kill us there, and we have the Syrian military trying to kill us there." "But... How can ya help them if they don't even want it?" Applejack asked. "Well, that's what I mean. 'S funny: we actually supplied those rebellion factions in early 2013. Everyone thought 'Murica was just insane. The civilians do need our help, but supplying the rebels was stupid... I still, to this day, can't believe we all sat there wondering how Al Qaeda worked its way to a threat again. The US has no business in the Middle East if ya ask me. Those people can't get it together..." "Doesn't mean they aren't worth defending, Sergeant," Bellhop said a meter away from him while catching up alongside Twilight. "HeyJasonWhoIsGodAndWhatDoesHeOrSheDo?" Twilight quickly muttered in an almost unintelligible way followed by a cough. Bellhop face palmed and shook his head left and right in frustration. Again, someone was endangering the good meaning of the mission. He felt like he was the only one who bothered reading the damned log before they stepped off the Huey in Pripyat... "He's a spiritual being widely credited in the US... and Ireland or something as being the creator of the universe. He belongs to the religion of Christianity and is said to be a miracle worker of sorts." "Oh... that's ne-" "But, there's no proof of his existence other than a book written a couple thousand years ago," Bellhop sighed. "Interesting, does everypony in your world believe that?" said Twilight. "Again with that stupid word" he thought, "I said widely, not factually. Besides, there are far more religions than just Christianity. This one just so happens to be more popular than most." "Do... you believe in it?" Applejack asked a bit shyly. "I've been... iffy over the past couple of years on it. The more I move on in life, the more I find reason not to believe someone's watching over me at all times," Bellhop said with his head turned towards the sun set. Ingot curved his lip to show disapproval, "Well, what do you-" "'S enough, we can talk about this some other time. I'm sure everyone's waiting at the door as we speak," Bellhop explained while walking in the direction of the rest of his team. "Now c'mon." First Lieutenant Bradley McCoy (Mercury) tries to keep a lighter mood running in his operations to help everyone remember that being happy isn't the worst thing to be in a situation. He has a degree in psychiatry and has helped many soldiers with their PTSD and injuries on the field... -4:24 PM "You totally copied me, admit it!" Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. Mercury shook his head at the childish pony in disapproval, "Amazing what little things it takes to rile you up. Fortunately, it's just as easy to calm you down." "Brad, why do you have to make 'em all mad right away?" Hazel sighed. "Making her-? I'm not making her mad. If she's actually getting pissed off then she's taking things way too seriously. You're not actually mad, are you?" he cocked his head. "No way, I'm just saying you're trying to-" "Oh right, the point. Well, this was what you call a coincidence you ignorant, ignorant pony. I could have just as easily rolled my eyes, or as likely not have reacted at all." "Whatever, ya better get ready t' have your jaw drop in awe when you see my stunts in the air. Just you wait; you'll never sit again when you stand up from-" "Pestering them again, Brad?" Ingot called out. "I'm not- you know what? Fuck it, yeah I am. Look how pissed off she is. Look at the pure hatred and rage flowing from her angry blue face," he said while pinching Rainbow Dash's cheek. She flinched back and stuck her tongue out at Mercury. "What'd I tell you about swearing!?" Twilight shot a hoof at Mercury. "I can't fuckin' quite fuckin' remember what the fuck you're fuckin'-" "That's it; you're done making fun of everypony!" Rainbow Dash shouted while gaining altitude. Her wings flapped more quickly as she darted towards the unimpressed combat medic. He simply stepped to the left and she zipped past him and into the wall next to the large door in front of Onyx and the ponies. Mercury slowly stepped towards her and kneeled to lift her head up. The pony's magenta eyes were making circles while he spoke. "Hey Rainbow Dash... Y' alright? How many fingers 'm I holding up?" She didn't respond in her dazed state. He chuckled slightly before getting a scornful response. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Twilight yelled. "Hope it was worth it, 'cause now you're going to apologize and carry her. Now," Bellhop commanded. He sighed, "Sorry that you lost your temper and pointlessly threw yourself into a wall. And due to this action that you did, I have to unjustly carry you for the rest of the trip." Bellhop rubbed his right palm in his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, facials off. We're not keeping this disrespectful tone anymore, alright? We need to make a decent impression-" "Which you've failed miserably at so far," Twilight corrected him. He groaned, "Fine whatever, we're sorry that you don't like us and whatnot. But the last thing we want is to make you all rise up in arms. So we're fixing this changeling issue, and we're fixing it as soon as possible. All good, Sparkle?" None of the mares responded while any Onyx members who hadn't lifted their facial apparel off did so. "Let's go then," Bellhop said while pushing the door open. He was disappointed because he actually expected the throne room to be right on the other side. He scolded himself tacitly while the others moved by. In moments, they were through the lengthy hall way. The corridor had other smaller doors on either side, but the one that everyone desired was obviously standing out. They stood behind yet another large door, possibly bigger than the one to enter the hallway to begin with, and heard voices on the other side. Rainbow Dash squirmed a bit in Mercury's arms, "Let me down, I can walk..." The combat medic complied and set her on the floor. She immediately swept his legs off of the tiles by using her own and sent him to the ground with a thud and grunt. "And kick," she chuckled. He planted a palm on the floor and used a bit of momentum to horizontally swing his legs behind him and then in front, also taking down the rainbow haired pony. Bellhop walked at Mercury while he was still on the floor, making him inch back more and more to avoid being stepped on. "Will you quit it!? Where do you get off Bradley, huh!? If she wants to act like a fuckin' child, then-!" Rainbow Dash started laughing obnoxiously while getting back up. "You really thought I was being serious? Puh-lease, banter is my game, and this guy knows how t' dish it out well enough. Good to know I can use this as a new form of it though. I get him mad at you even if I'm the one who started it!" She started laughing again before Applejack smacked her over the back of the head, immediately causing her to stop and groan. "Guess that goes for both of us," Bradley smirked. "Ya done? Are we done with this?... Good, how 'bout we do what we came here for. Can you hold off acting like idiots until then? Please?" Bellhop asked impatiently. All of them shaped up their attitudes to the situation appropriately and stood straight. Bellhop traded looks with the mares and his squad and patted the unconscious changeling on his shoulder. "If she asks you a question, just answer it in a decent and sophisticated manner. Can you at least give me that Alex?" Bellhop nodded to confirm that she had nothing to worry about. With one last sigh, he shoved open the door with his shoulder as the mares scampered by him to get in first, followed by Onyx, and lastly Bellhop. As expected, he entered in receiving stares and silence for a greeting. Whatever the well decorated guard with blue hair was saying before, Onyx and the mares had cut the conversation short. He spoke to a pony that was much larger in stature and had a white coat. Her double colored mane flowed as if there was a draft right next to her head but never showed any signs of ceasing. "Twili'?" the red coated and blue maned pony called in a (not often around these parts) masculine voice. Twilight reacted excitedly at the sight of the one asking her name. "Shining Armor! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed while galloping up to wrap him in hooves. He hugged right back while the large white pony stared in discomfort. Clover giggled to herself, "Heh, Twili ♥" she cooed. "Clover..." "I know," she smiled softly. "Princess Twilight?" the larger white pony called out. "Y-yes your majesty?" she stuttered while jumping away from her embrace with her brother. Bellhop figured that this pony had to be Celestia... Well, Twilight referred to her as her majesty anyways, so it could be her. She lacked any expression on her face while she continuing, "I requested that you and your friends come here as soon as possible." "Of course, and here they-... Oh... Right," she sighed when realizing again that she brought along six more guests. It made Bellhop feel very uneasy about being here again, and it only made him wish they never failed the stealth portion to begin with. Fortunately, it was allowing them to get a better idea of who was in charge and how things worked. They had been exposed to more of the land in one hour moving around than when they were sneaking around in Ponyville. It seems that Spade was right in this aspect... but only this one... "It is alright, my faithful student. Who are they? Can they speak our native tongue?" she asked, showing a bit more interest in Onyx now. Twilight's ears perked back up, knowing she hadn't disappointed her mentor after all. "They can, your highness." "Soldiers of the United States, please state your names and designations," Celestia asked. Bellhop thought on her words for a moment. How would she know they were from the US? He stopped thinking when meeting her soul devouring stare again. He shook his head a bit to break the mesmerizing gaze. "Alex Smith, Onyx Squad Captain." "Bradley McCoy, team medic," said Mercury. "Uh, Sherry Giles, I work with maps and navigation," Hazel credited herself. "Jason Macombs, battle management and designated marksman," Ingot said. "M-Miranda Fey, team sn- no, uh... precision marksman," Clover stated shyly. "Vasily Yetgarev, I give out-" "You're from Russia?" Celestia asked. "Eh, yes ma'am. I work to supply the team with any extra ammo they require." "What... is that on your shoulder, Captain Smith?" she raised an eyebrow. "It's a changeling. There was an attack on the train ride here, but we were able to fend them off," Bellhop sighed. "Why have you brought it here though? And what happened on the locomotive?" "Uh... I assumed you had a prison or something and again, we were attacked." "Was anypony on board harmed?" she asked in a very stern manner. "Not to our knowledge, no," Bellhop replied, "Uh, Vasily here was grazed on the shin. He should be alright though. We... had to kill two of these things, the rest fled when they saw themselves as outmatched." "You... killed th-" Multiple ponies called out in Onyx's defense, particularly Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight. Audible bursts of "They had no choice!" and "It wasn't their fault!" went about as Celestia tried to make peace of the scenario. "Enough! Captain, you're certain that none were harmed on the ride here?" "Yes, ah... wait, no Applejack was shot in the leg too, but Mercury patched her up." "A-Ah can walk just fine, y'er majesty," the apple farmer added. "Listen though; we came here to understand what this world is all about and what it's like... If you have a problem, we can he-" "Alex!" Twilight blurted out, for she thought Bellhop's tone was indecent. She looked back to Celestia, who was staring in a bit of concentration. "Perhaps you can assist us in this matter." "Whatever you need. Keep in mind that we only have fifteen days here. Fourteen since today's almost over. Our expertise is limited in some areas such as air travel and transport, but we have the weapons required to combat the changelings. And there's something else. They have access to these weapons too." "What are you implying, Alexander?" He once again had to waver off how she knew full versions of names or what country each of them were from to answer, "I mean they used their abilities to transform into soldiers. But not us, mind you. The changelings must have copied the forms of members in Golf Squad, the team that came here a week ago." "I understand," she smiled. Shining Armor, the only sort of guard in the room, chimed in with suspicion, "Princess, are you sure that we can trust them? They just-" "Oh c'mon, Shinin', they're professionals!" Applejack boasted Onyx's skills. "Darling, it would have been easy to tell if they meant harm when arriving," Rarity chimed in, adding to Applejack's praising of Onyx. She forced herself not to bring up how Onyx actually introduced themselves... "I think you can trust them! I trust them! They're trust worthy ponies!" Pinkie Pie blurted out ecstatically. Everypony in Equestria should-" "You mean everybody. Everybody in Equestria, Pinkie," Hazel attempted to correct her energetic friend. "Huh?" she raised a brow. "Well, not everyone is a pony, therefore- agh, never mind, Sorry Celestia..." "'Tis quite alright. Back on the subject, we would be happy to accept your services Onyx team. Could I ask of you to defend the Elements of Harmony back in Ponyville? I would also ask if you could simply defend the Element Bearers themselves? They are of upmost importance to our society and it is crucial that the changelings do not harm them, especially when they are unable to defend themselves to such tiers of weaponry," she trailed off, subtly silencing herself to give a sense of uncertainty. Just as she had hoped, it affected Bellhop's sympathy. Not before Mercury interrupted his thought of course, "Elements a' Harmony?" "You know, Laughter!" Pinkie Pie bounced. "Honesty," Applejack hummed. "Radicaln- Er... I mean, Loyalty!" Rainbow Dash declared. "Generosity," Rarity smiled softly. "Kindness and affection," Fluttershy heartily spoke. "And Magic," Twilight boasted. "Right. So, we'll need like a photo ID or a description of some-" Bellhop began. "No you don't," Twilight corrected him. "You've been doing this task throughout your entire stay in Equestria so far, Captain," Celestia noted while hinting at what Bellhop wanted to know. "Understood. Onyx, hope ya like who you paired up with, 'cause they might be the only thing you see for the next couple of days." "Thank you in advance for your help, I wish nothing but good fortune for you and your team Alexander. Have a safe journey back to Ponyville." "Good bye, Princess. Shining, it was good to see you again," said Twilight. "Yeah, but it looks like you have to get go-" Shining Armor was unable to finish before being embraced in his sister's telekinesis grip and dragged to her for a farewell hug. They went on for around five seconds before letting go of each other. Twilight turned to face Onyx again. "Alex?" the decorated pony asked. He looked up to him, waiting for Shining to continue. "Take care of my sister please." "I'll do whatever I can, Captain," he replied while giving a warmer smile. Shining also found it fitting to smile back. "Really, can we switch, Sherry?" Spade asked silently as Rarity scolded him... ... And so their fate was sealed... [1-5] The Night WatchYou know what I hate in a story? People who have the god damned nerve to put an irrelevant romance between two characters in their story just to make it seem like they're relevant to the situation and not just side characters that aren't really important at all... Fuckin' punks, all of 'em! -June 7, 2021 (Day One) -Langley, Virginia (Central Intelligence Agency) -Wait on Onyx -7:23 PM A well lit room full of computers and monitors all lined up neatly in rows. CIA member Jeffrey Hues worked alongside David Royecwitz in monitoring Onyx team's expedition. David, however, wasn't anywhere to be found. Jeff tiredly watched the screen while just waving off any ideas that whatever his co-worker was doing was important, or at least important enough for him to be gone this long. So far, it seemed as if Jeff's skills weren't quite needed at all since Onyx could only really report if they exited the unknown land. But he was starting to worry; they had a little less than two hours to report in successfully and on time. He thought that maybe something could be endangering them... But then he looked at the pictures that Golf Squad had taken the previous day. Hills, the greenest grass, lakes, some cartoony looking towns in distance shots; this didn't look like a place that could pose a threat to much anyone... Then he looked at a picture of those creatures. Black body, sharp fangs, menacing stare; it made confused him as to why such a dastardly looking thing made up the population of such a peaceful looking world. If only he were aware of the situation; no one had come back to inform him yet. A hard pat on the back shattered his thoughts, "Any word yet, man?" Dave asked his watchful companion. That question was starting to drive Jeffrey insane... "No. When we started this about seven hours ago, it was no. Two hours later, still no. At the mid-day mark, no. Eleven minutes ago, no. And when you ask me, SIX MINUTES from now, the answer will still be NO!" he barked. "... A simple no would've sufficed, but... agh- anyways, good news, they had Dr. Pepper and I got you one," he said with a smile while setting it on the space next to Jeff's monitor. This shift of monitoring nothing was becoming exhausting. Dave weakly chuckled, "So, any-?" The CIA member, whom had been waiting diligently, threw up his arms to represent flipping over the table and his screen with a sound effect to boot. "Good to know I'm the only one taking this seriously. Why won't you!?" he questioned, probably louder than he should have. Dave broke into a self-contained laugh, "dude, you need ‘a calm down. Onyx 'll be fine, alright? I bet they'll come up in the next hour or so; Captain Smith can handle a team pretty well you know." "Yeah, I'll bet... I just wish you could show a bit of concern about this task rather than going to get food and stuff every 10 minutes," Jeff sighed to which Dave rolled his eyes at. "Okay, if it'll make ya happy, I'll sit and watch this other screen just to be able to tell you what you'll already know when they show up. See how that works, eh?" Jeff merely groaned while sticking his forehead to the desk to rest until further notice. Dave slowly reached for the can of carbonated cola and pushed it inch by inch to his co-worker's head. The icy can touched Jeffrey's black hair and pressed against his cranium. He let out a prolonged and unnecessary sigh, for it was going to be a long day... Staff Sergeant Jason Macombs (Ingot) remains neutral on determining if the US should be involved with Syria. He, like many others males, joined the military as a form of work, one that he expected to get paid decently for. As far as he was concerned, the Marines just liked to bust down doors of houses that were on the other side of the planet from him... -Equestria, Canterlot -Go back to Ponyville -7:26 PM Darkness had washed over Canterlot while Onyx and the supposed Element Bearers were talking to Celestia. It left a beautiful moon to behold though. By now, they had exited the castle after more proper farewells and were on their way back to the train station. Getting back to Ponyville was easily possible because Celestia had provided train tickets to everyone, including Onyx. Since the civilians that the soldiers passed up the first time were still the ones that remained outside on their way back, they seemed more accepting of their presence. Crowds that scowled the group, whether in confusion or disgust, weren't existent anymore. The lack of public shunning probably helped towards the humans' acceptance in this world. Rarity insisted that the group explore Canterlot for just a teeny bit longer than Bellhop hoped for. Observing the gardens soon turned into meeting platoons of guards, one of which scorned Bellhop thoroughly... Some darker furred female one with purple armor named Make, or Quake, or something. She determined quickly that Bellhop was leading Onyx and demanded his respect. Fortunately, some of her minors came out and (figuratively) dragged her away before the Captain said something he'd regret. After that, Rarity promised the Captain that they were returning to Ponyville... Which sidetracked into the mares exploring local vendors. He was annoyed that the team so easily bought into the whole experience and aimlessly wandered about the city with the mares. Any time he would bring up that getting back to Ponyville would be wise; they waved it off with "lighten up; it's important that we understand their culture". After wasting a good three hours; the ponies finally decided getting back home was a nice idea... only because they were exhausted from walking around. Of course, when arriving at the station, Steamer seemed to welcome them again to his express. Something Bellhop couldn't actually understand, for he was more focused on the trouble he had brought to Equestria so far. He didn't actually save any of the passengers on board, regardless of what he said to Twilight, the changelings would have done little more than kidnap one of the passengers. You couldn't convince this train conductor however... "I can't thank you enough for helping the defenseless on board. The uh, the fallen in the box car were taken care of. I had some guards come to deal with that..." Steamer said a bit carefully, as if trying to show sympathy for the changelings. “Right, if that’s what you make of it, I guess…” Bellhop said calmly, not trying to express his thoughts through his actual voice. He wanted to get this ride back over with quickly and preferred not to talk much while on it. Twilight levitated the twelve tickets to the conductor and he allowed them on board. To Bellhop’s delight, the gawking pony that sat across from him on the last ride wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Actually, there weren't any other passengers on board... He just plopped down on a seat closer to the edge of the car. When all had taken seats accordingly, meaning in little separated groups of equine and human, the train took off. Next destination: Ponyville. -7:33 PM The box car was a bit quieter than Bellhop originally planned for it to be. He expected his team to be conversing a little bit, for they seemed so interested in them before. He scanned the bunch surrounding him for their faces. Most were looking down; probably thinking back on the incident only hours ago. To his dismay, he saw Clover in her more morbid state of mind. She sat next to Fluttershy, but seemed unwilling to grant her attention of any sort. The first kills, one of which she was responsible for, could have jeopardized their ability to stay longer than the first day. Bellhop wasn’t sure if she was more worried about leaving before getting to know a friend better, or that she was partly responsible for making everyone else have to leave as well. He didn’t like seeing any of them in this light, it wasn’t right for anyone to think it was all over just yet. “Miranda,” Bellhop spoke up, just wanting her to lift her head up. “Y-yeah?” “Everything’s gonna work out just fine, okay?” “I… I hear ya,” she frowned while looking back down again. “Miranda, please… I know this is corny n' shit, but if it doesn’t end well… then it isn’t the end yet, don’t forget that. That goes for all of you, yeah? We aren’t done here yet. Command knew something stupid was gonna happen if they gave us this much equipment, got it?” he said while looking around to make sure everyone heard. He saw the slightly relieved faces of most, even the element bearers that Onyx group was entrusted to defend were a bit more comfortable. Other than the lightly disoriented Clover, most of the squad either smirked or nodded to their commanding officer. Clover was granted a hug by her pony counterpart, which she snuggled against. Second Lieutenant Miranda Fey (Clover) joined the USMC at the age of 19 because she felt compelled to help the poor civilians of Syria in their time of need overseas. She found it difficult to muster courage in closer combat scenarios but was a professional distance marksman and worked her way up that way... -Unknown -7:37 PM During the night, moonlight could at least assist inhabitants with seeing past their own faces. The same didn’t apply to the Everfree Forest however… The swamp remained the same at night as it were in the day: damp and gloomy. At night, it was impossible to see anything, but not for the changelings. Whether it was an environmental adaptation or a lucky mutation; their eyes had allowed them to see clearly in the darkness. As presented as a possibility before, their eyes actually did glow in the dark. It probably wasn’t a very useful effect, but a bystander would probably have a nice time looking at them. In one of the wooden huts rested the hero of the train ride and her brother, “Sis’, c’mon you can’t get him back… It’s too late,” Barron said to his younger sister. She was staring into the abyss of black that was the forest at night. Her glowing eyes turned into narrow rectangles, showing a scorn. “It’s never too late… Chip may still be okay, I have to be sure, Barron!” she shouted. She took responsibility for what happened to her friends a few hours ago. She thought they might be able to save Chip; the one whom Applejack knocked unconscious on the ride to Canterlot. Barron let out a low groan, “Alright… But I’m coming with you.” She nodded a bit satisfied that he was more accepting of her aggressive nature. Taking on problems immediately would be a useful tactic, for it worked so well all the other times. Barron had copied a Golf member that used an LSAT light machine gun. The weapon was heavier than basic rifles, but he got used to lugging it around while flying... sort of. They left a note on the entrance of their hut “gone hunting” so that none of the others in their colony would worry too much. With a little more preparation, motivationally based, the two flew off into the night. They would hope to see their friend again soon. A notable ability of Onyx's apparel is the ballistic goggles they wear. They represent snowboarding goggles, having one large lens that connects narrowly above the bridge of one's nose, with a dark tint. The notable part is its HUD system. On Earth, where satellites are abundant, the soldier’s HUD would inform a soldier of their latitude and longitude. In Equestria; the ability is useless... -Equestria, Eagle Pointe -7:42 PM The night sky complimented Eagle Pointe with a nice, ambient, and dark blue. One of the cloud-made buildings was brightly lit from the inside and illuminated a bit of the platform it rested on outside. Inside were a few long tables that stretched across the walls and many, many folded up chairs underneath them. Towards the center of the room were seven neatly placed chairs. Ahead of the chairs were some podiums with a few documents on each. It was livelier by the tables however, for ice cream and beverages presented themselves. Six: six had graduated from the academy that day and couldn’t be more pleased. There was one problem with The Force though… The six that had graduated made up six of only nine members in the entire company… Now why was this? They could hardly call themselves a squad, let alone company, so where was everyone else? The recruits were all on their own in the little party room while Gilda and Helios left so that they could talk to Captain Stride a little. “So I say ‘What? I don’t even know you’ and she’s all ‘Well I don’t know you either!’ Heh, kids are always funny,” Decker said with a grin. “Did you ever get her name though? I think I know who you’re talkin’ about, Deck’,” Eos asked, still smiling at his story. Decker shook his head no, “nah, I think she said she heard her mother calling… Excuses, maybe she didn’t like her name or something.” “I dunno, what do you think, Mist? …Mist?” Drift asked the only female gryphon in The Force besides Gilda. Though she was the only one among the recruits; she had gotten along greatly with the others in her team. Mist never had an issue with comfort around the other sex and they didn't seem to have a problem either... Except with him... She jolted out of her light daze when Drift tapped her shoulder. "Huh?" "Any particular reason you're always gawkin' at my cousin? Not saying that he doesn't fit the stitches nicely, but you're always doing that," he questioned with a comedic tone, hoping to not press on her feelings. She had been passively staring at Lift yet again... He was talking to his brother, Swift, on the other side of the room. It must have been about something private enough... "'S nothing... I just... meh," she shied away from the question. Her awkward response seemed to catch the attention of the other two gryphons closest to her now, for they huddled around Drift to listen in. "Meh?" "Yeah, mhmm," Mist smiled robotically and chuckled afterwards. One thing the small amount of peers in The Force did allow them was to create a series of inside jokes... or a little humorous styling that teetered on just random and unrealistic responses to questions they didn't want to answer truthfully. She sighed happily and smirked while rolling her eyes, "I dunno, he just... yeah?" "What?" Eos grinned. "You should talk to him, Mist," Decker suggested, followed by a sing-song tone, "If you don't; you'll never knooow." "Psh stooop, It's not like that, Deck'," she waved off his smart-mouthing with another eye roll. Now that he mentioned it; the others seemed to draw to the conclusion that Decker did. "And I've talked with him before, just like I do with all 'a you boys," she scoffed again with a playful smile. "hmm, I disagree. I distinctly remember you avoiding such conversations," Eos pointed out. "You always seem to shy away from him too." "So? That doesn't really mean anything." They all gave her a grin of some sort which actually did draw some discomfort of her situation. "What? Please don't tell me you all think-" "Yeah, man... er, girl; Lift's a cool kid. And it's kinda obvious whatcha think of him... so?" Drift continued his grin. She tried to compose her expression for a brief moment... Only for it to turn into a happy sigh, "Okay... I may... kind-of-maybe-not-really-sort-of like him... More than I should... More than you fags at least." It drew chuckles as intended; friendly banter is friendly banter. "But... I don't know... Agh, he's kind of... up there. And I'm all... meh," she lowered her foreleg down to gesture "down here". "Up there?" Decker asked while raising a brow. Eos started chuckling and making crescents out of his eyes, "Damn, 'you think Lift's up there; then I probably make you 'gasm when you're-" He was forced to dodge a punch while bursting into laughter. The other two began chuckling as Mist regained composure... and smiled at the good time they've created despite the topic's discomfort. "I think you'll be in for a bit of a treat if you just speak to him a little," Drift offered with a wink. Maybe there was more to Lift than Mist assumed. Drift probably knew what he was talking about since he was the guy's cousin... But what if he was just comforting her into doing it? What if Lift didn't have the same feelings for her? What if she ended up looking stupid in front of everyone!? WHAT IF- "Geez Mist, he isn't gonna stab you or anything. The worst he can do is turn you down," Decker said concernedly with a frown. He must've noticed her expression taking a worried turn without her even realizing. Upon realization, she changed it from a teeth-bearing-eyes-wide frown back to a mouth-closed-eyes-worried frown. When giving his advice thought; it got rid of her light anxiety over the whole thing and even raised her hopes a bit... for now. "If ya go up to him, we won't watch or anything. We'll even call Swift over here so you can chat with Lift in private if you'd like, sound good?" Eos offered with a smile. She looked over her shoulder behind her to see that Lift was still conversing with Swift. It looked like he was a bit worried about something as well... He turned to catch a glimpse of Mist before she immediately forced her head back towards the closer gryphons. She sighed... "Okay..." Peer pressure claims another soul... For shame, EPOW! They all formed smiles which reduced her anxious frown into an angered one. "Don't say anything to Swift and you better not lie and listen in, got it? Don't even look in our direction," the recruit spat. They all nodded and lowered their expressions from grins to basic smiles. Drift gazed over to his two cousins and called out, "Yo, Swift! I need 'a ask ya somethin'. 'S personal, can you come away from the group for a bit?" The gryphon in question stared blankly back at Drift then to his brother again. Lift nodded at Swift and received a pat on the shoulder from him which drew a smile from the timid lion-eagle hybrid. As Swift walked towards the group of four; Lift went back to his frozen dairy treat on the table. Eos elbowed Decker which resulted in an unintended "Agh, what-", but he quickly understood what it meant. Hastily, he brought up a conversation about the miniscule amount of members in the EPOW. It wasn't to actually dwell on the reason, for most of them already knew why; it was intended as a distraction. While Drift pulled his cousin away from the small crowd, Eos had joined in on the forced conversation. Mist felt a small well-up in her throat as she finally understood "Oh, this is happening right now; not in the distant, distant future..." It only took another nudge from Decker, who tried very hard not to look at her while he did it, to make her start towards Lift. The shy gryphon's heart started to beat a bit harder. She scolded her chest with a smack on the left side using her fist in an attempt to calm the organ, which didn't help much at all. She got the pleasure of only seeing the back of his head for the agonizingly slow journey across the room so far. She had the odd assumption that seeing his face would make her feel that much more awkward. Mist failed to realize that it was inevitable that he would soon- Lift's eyes went a bit wide with surprise when he turned to see Mist inching her way to him. He ducked his head down and frantically swallowed the delectable contents in his mouth. With a quick throat clearing, he brought up his head to see that the gryphon was much closer...closer than he hoped at least... He stuttered, "H-hi, Mist..." "Heh, hey there, I was um... Just walking around a-and thought you would... maybe wanna talk... a-about stuff...?" she asked nervously. Lift coughed up a chuckle, "Sure, uh... What kind of stuff?" She blinked... "Fuck," Mist thought before coming to a quick-save question, "Actually, what were you two talking about a second ago?" "Oh, um... Nothing really... Just... the ice cream..." he looked down. Though he was a bit taller than the female gryphon; he certainly didn’t want to show it. When perking his head up again and meeting her confused eyes, "It's good, yeah? You should try it- I mean, not assuming you haven't- I'm just... saying... stuff." He shrugged and forced his eyes to look anywhere except in her direction. "Is he trying not to look at me?" she thought whilst being possibly annoyed at the assumption she came to. Her anxiety slowly worked down to a calm state and she raised a brow. "Could I talk to you about something... a bit more...personal?" His head never rose again to meet her eyes. Mist frowned now and her eyes squinted in light anger, "Ignoring me doesn't make me leave". He scratched his foreleg against the floor slowly. He peaked up at the gryphon quickly before coughing and randomly turning back to the table to get a mouth full of ice cream... "What are you doing?" Mist said while furrowing her brows. He stooped away from the treat on the table and forced himself to stare down again after swallowing, "I... I'm sorry, I just...-" Mist cupped her claw under his chin and applied pressure upwards. She forced his wide-open eyes to meet her not-so-welcoming ones. His pupils dilated when he heard his clothing behind him rustle slightly. He blushed lightly, "O-oh geez, I-". "Listen, I don't want you to-" "Recruits!” a voice broke all of their conversing, “Front and center!" Mist let go of Lift's chin and heard a lengthy exhale of relief... Why was he holding his breath? Regardless, they all turned to see Captain Stride, Lieutenant Gilda, and Staff Sergeant Helios. A moment later, they all lined up in front of him side-to-side. "As a test of your initial acceptance, we came to the conclusion that you all stay up for a night watch over the skies of Equestria." "What?" Helios frowned at his Captain. "We agreed that you only needed two to come along with you Stride, and we said we’d do it, don't be like this," Gilda said as her face dropped to disappointment. He sighed, "Fine, fine. I guess you’ll all be on your own for-" "I'll come!" Lift shot a claw up hastily. Stride turned to him and formed a smirk, "See? That's the one who's going to excel". Mist raised a brow while Lift awkwardly shuffled towards his superiors. Stride spoke on Lift's behalf again, "he's already got his wings unfurled; ready for anything". That one made the recruit blush and stare at the floor. "You sure you want to, Lift? We're going to be out like all night; you'll need to wake up an hour after going to bed when we're done," Gilda said concernedly. "Yeah nah, ’s fine," he replied with a forced smile. It earned another nod of approval from Captain Stride. Eos felt the subtle guilt trip reach him while he stared at Helios. The gryphon's returning stare seemed to spell out "You shouldn't let your friend do this alone, bro". Eos groaned and slowly went over to the small squad of four. He hoped his simple presence would be able to inform them he was coming along. Lift didn't quite understand, "What are you-". "I feel that I need the experience..." "Eos..." he heard from the other side of the room. He turned to see Mist with a vexed glare. She put a finger up to her lips and squinted more intensely which he supposed meant "Tell him how I feel and your wings won't let you do night watch again anytime soon." He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Time to go?" "Yep, I'll lead. To everyone staying; behave yourselves please. Get to bed soon as well, for we won't be here to tell you," Stride firmly stated. They all murmured something incoherent to themselves which possibly protested his order, but they nodded while doing so. With another quick inspection, Stride turned towards the exit and moved to it. The others in the group followed him suit without him having to ask. The night breeze calmed down Lift's wings as they stepped to the edge of Eagle Pointe. With a calmed exhale, Stride dived off of the edge and spread his wings to begin a brief flying exercise. The others did the same and stuck close behind him. When they had enough stretching; they flew off into the night sky, ready to defend the grasslands of Equestria from threats. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Romance. It's a plot device. Second Lieutenant Gilda joined the Eagle Pointe Over-Watch about two years ago. She had militant experience three years prior to that, but joined the EPOW afterwards. The gryphon earned her current rank after one and a half years of service to her new group... -Equestria, Grasslands (Near Canterlot) -Rescue Chip -7:56 PM Though Barron was used to hefting around his LSAT while flying around; the endurance required to do so for such a time was wearing him down. His sister groaned at the strained changeling that accompanied her. She stopped moving forward and lowered her altitude to float a few meters from the ground level. Barron also soared down to her level...then fell down with an audible thump on the grassy floor. The sister groaned and swooped down to land next to him. "Sorry, just tired..." "From doing what? You were-" "I was worried about you! Everypony else and I were waiting diligently on your return; preparing to give help where it was needed. When you got back we were appalled, but you saw us; why do I have to point this out?" he frowned worriedly. With a sigh, he shifted to his human counterpart with green flames covering him. He let the LSAT sag on the grass beneath him after unhooking it from the 3-point sling, convenient now that he had thumbs. "I guess I'm just too worried about you... Also, this thing's really heavy, you have no idea..." Barron snickered. "Then why'd you choose that one to begin with?" She raised a brow then sighed, "C'mon, we're almost there. The castle's in our vision, Barron!" "Yeah, about that... How exactly are the two of us supposed to take on the entire Royal Guard?" Barron asked skeptically. The sister readied herself to retort in a belittling tone... only to realize that she had no answer, for they hadn't actually discussed a plan. They were about to waltz right on in to the most heavily guarded city in Equestria without any strategy... She scratched a hole-punched hoof on the side of her head. "Um... We could take one of the guards as a hostage after we demonstrate what the weapons are capable of?" "Okay, but how do we find the cell after that, and how do we know that he's-" "Don't you dare finish that sentence!" she roared which made him sit down in sorrow. "He is alive, and we're getting him back tonight! I'm ready to do whatever it takes for the safety of our own, but you...you just complicate things like this... I think it's because you never even liked Chip." He took the dangling helmet off his head and narrowed his eyes, "What?" "You heard me, brother. You dislike him, therefore you feel as if he doesn't deserve your assistance when he needs it the-" "This is just absurd! Sis', just because I never really talked to him doesn't mean I hate him. And stop this-... Agh, guilt trip! It's no good for either of us," he spat. "Then fly with me or go home. If holding the damned thing is so hard; I'll do it for you, alright? You need to hold mine though, 'cause I'm not doing both." He sighed and stared at the light machine gun on the ground. Sighing, "Fine, I just wish you were a bit more patient with these things. If I hadn't have stopped here; we'd die due to a lack of preparation." With a quick groan, he hefted his LSAT back up and clipped it to both sling hooks. After he confirmed that it firmly stuck to him, or it at least wouldn't fall off during a flight, he morphed back to his changeling self. It earned a smile from his sister... "I know you mean well, Barron, I just want what's best for everypony." "Yeah, it's fine Ski-" Something dark and roughly his size drove him into the ground rather harshly. Before the sister could react, she had met the same fate and had the luxury of a mouthful of grass while the rifle knocked the wind out of her. Oh, how perfectly it had been placed as it hit the ground before she did when being pummeled down. Gasping for breath as soreness washed over her stomach, she saw that Barron was looking up to what struck him down. It pinned him as he stared in fear at it. In another second, it hit him over the head and rendered him unconscious... But what was in store for poor Ski-? The same exact thing... she felt cold as darkness took over her vision... "You get 'em, Gil'?" Captain Stride asked calmly as he sternly examined his prey. "I told you not to call me that, Cap', and yes..." Gilda replied scornfully. Lift, Eos, and Helios had landed subtly behind them waiting for further orders. Gilda got off of the female changeling and turned to her recruits and fellow CO. Helios stepped forward to see that one of them had started to bleed slightly. A crack in her left foreleg started seeping out a dark green, yet oddly neon against the night, liquid. Lift seemed a bit disgusted at the appearance... maybe he was squeamish... Eos kept glancing over their equipment, "What’s that stuff they're wearing? I don't recall them having uniforms." "Uh... I dunno, whad'ya think, Serg'?" "Some kinda armor...maybe," Helios squinted. Stride seemed unimpressed with any new motives or adaptations the threat was developing. He was certain that it would be in vain if the changelings attempted any other assault. But that only left one more matter, for they were a bit too close to Canterlot for his liking. "Alright, finish it. Can't have 'em coming back. Lift, you want to do the honors?" "M-me? Finish what?" "Them," he raised a brow, "with a blade or something, c'mon there might be more around here or some coming to check on them." "You want me to kill them?" his pupils dilated in anxiety, "W-why?" Stride sighed, "Look to your left, what do you see?" The recruit turned his gaze over his shoulder while seeing the other curious eyes of his squad mates. His vision met the castle of Canterlot... He then turned back to the team, all eyes fixated to him as he felt his heart sink a little. "I-I... No..." "No?" Stride questioned in disbelief. Gilda rubbed her temple, feeling that sticking up for the recruits would only benefit her later on, "Why do we need to kill them, huh?" "Why? Why not?" he asked with his eyes closed and an even more calmed tone. It looked like he was scoffing the downed changelings by refusing to pay them any eye contact. "Well... they didn't actually do anything..." Lift mumbled. "Can't we just take that stuff they're wearing away... or maybe even throw them in prison back at the Pointe?" Eos shrugged. Stride sighed, "I suppose... You recruits tend to know better than I do anyhow. Everybody always calls me on my moral standings with these things... I guess I should start to believe them". He started to stare off into the night sky, appearing to wait for a response. Understanding that one would never come, "Regardless, you're the ones carrying them, that is, of course, after you bandage the bleeding one." Lift heard him say the words but didn't quite comprehend it until they were all staring at him again. "What, me?" "Yes, patch her up. I need you both to get some type of experience out of this," he chuckled while tossing a small roll of white gauze to Lift. The roll of bandage fumbled through Lift's claws and ended up making him dive to catch it. He sighed as he worked his way to the unconscious changeling. Gilda stepped back slightly to give him some working space. A minute in... "Okay, what the hell! The thing's skin is made of glass or something, i-it won't stay, I swear I'm trying," Lift angrily undid the wrap of medical cloth. His claws fidgeted slightly as he brought them to eye level, they were soaked in that repulsive green substance... He felt his stomach tumble a bit... Eos took notice to his friend’s uneasiness, "Uh... Li-?" Lift forced his head to the right and vomited into the grass. Gilda face-clawed while Eos and his brother turned away in disgust... Stride just raised a brow, "Son, are you not good with seeing this sort of stuff?" It was in an officer-to-recruit way, not in a father-to-actual-son way... Because clarification. After a couple seconds of recovering from the episode he had, Lift turned back and shook his head "no" with a dumbfounded frown, "What makes ya say that, Cap'?" Stride worked his way over to the injured changeling and snatched the gauze roll off of Lift. He sighed, "Just don't stare at your hands while you wipe them off..." He bent down towards the changeling before Gilda called out, "Uh, I could do-" "Relax; I'm not going to hurt it," Stride squinted, "Quite the contrary, yes?" The officer wasn't going to wait on her permission to save a bleeding changeling... After maybe 10 seconds, he had the wound patched up to the best of his ability... Really he just knotted the ends together after wrapping one around multiple times which ensured the gauze would stay in place. As for the wound itself, he didn't know...or care for that matter... "Alright, pick a favorite Eos and Lift," Stride ordered. Lift flipped over the feminine changeling and raised a brow. He picked up a tan colored... whatever it was and held it by a grip. "What's this thing?" he asked while setting it down gently and away from the doppelganger. "Maybe a weapon... It doesn't seem like something that somepony with hooves can hold though," Helios chimed in. "That other one had some strange form before you tackled him, Stride." "Yeah. Hey yeah, you're right... I need you two to take the possible weapons along with us while we go back to base. We good?" They nodded eagerly, hoping to obtain as much information as soon as possible... In 2016, the Selective Service System expanded to include women ages 19 to 23, as opposed to the men being 18 to 25. Unfortunately, Syria required said act to go into effect for the fourth time in the history of the United States. However, the draft was only in effect for 3 months, from mid-April to early July... -Equestria, Ponyville -7:57 PM Much of the time passed had been spent through conversations of sports and leisure activities, specifically the ones on Earth. Rainbow Dash seemed the most interested, of course, and the others just enjoyed hearing about a planet that was similar to theirs in more ways than they could imagine. Mercury described the Olympic Games and its routine occurrence every four years. Since Rainbow Dash was indeed Rainbow Dash; she claimed that she would win any event. Spade shot down her theory by explaining how most of the competitors spend around half their lives training for only one event. He also suggested that wings would give her some sort of unfair advantage... This quickly led to the mares, primarily Applejack, gushing about Dash's athletic abilities. Mercury only had to mutter a "ya don't say?" before the pegasus got all up in his face about daring to question her amazing skills. Push came to shove and the medic found himself offering to race the pony… Fortunately, the banter, insults, and slanders came to a halt when they shook on it. Mercury cringed at the pony spitting on her hoof before the initial shaking part, but it did seal the deal. “When are you two going through with that?” Ingot asked with a smirk. “Some other time,” Bellhop said in a calming tone, for he wanted this to settle down rather quickly. “Right now we decide whose staying up for nightly rounds of the town.” “Hm, why do you need to do that? You should probably go to bed or something. Won’t you need rest for your exploring and helping us with the changelings?” Twilight asked in a, for-once, concerned tone. Then again, she might have just been concerned about their ability to do something in her interest, much like a slave owner’s interest in the well-being of the slave… “That’s why we’re doing a night watch; what if the changelings suddenly decide those damn ponies got our friends killed, let’s get them when they sleep, huh?” Ingot said to back up his commander. “And it’s not like staying up all night is hard; we do that all the time in danger zones… it just takes will power.” “And for explaining, you’re one of three that gets to go to bed tonight. Tomorrow you’ll be up though. I’ll stay up tonight, so whose doing that with me?” the Captain asked. The others gave him antsy looks, even Ingot. “I don’t really have to go to bed toni-.” “You should spend the night at my house, Sherry!” the pink pony jumped. "Huh? Wha- I mean, are you sure Pinkie? We’ve only known you guys for like two hours,” Hazel replied in an uncomfortable manner while understating their actual time spent with them. “I’d hate to impo-.” “Nonsense!” she exclaimed, “Would it make ya feel better if I said I wanted you to?” “A…little… Thank you,” she replied a bit shyly. She never did like accepting gifts or hospitality because she felt she owed the person something afterwards. Nonetheless, it meant she wasn’t staying up that night. “Miranda, would you like to come by my house? You can rest up there… You know, if it’s alright with you…” Fluttershy reduced to a whisper and hid an eye behind her bangs. “Alright with me?" Clover asked in a confusedly. The pale gold pony was offering hospitality and asking if it was okay with the person she offered it to... Then she saw that Fluttershy was starting to buckle down in her seat, for the pony thought she was imposing on...the only possible imposer... “I’d love to, ‘Shy. ‘Much appreciated,” Clover accepted, making her another resting soldier for this night. Ingot was unconfirmed, but Bellhop still needed two to actually stay up. Applejack smiled at Ingot to which he let out an unsure, “Uh, I-”. “Jason, would ya want t’ sleep in the barn back at the orchard?” she asked. Then she thought about how the day had gone so far. Ingot probably knew where the barn was already, for Onyx had been spying on them only hours ago. She looked back to the combatant again; expecting an answer. Ingot had the same problem that Sherry did with kindness, except maybe twice as bad… “I, uh… I’ve got a sleeping bag n’ everything; I’ll be fine.” “Fine? Fine where? Outside?” she raised a brow. He sighed calmly, “Yes.” “Then ah’m asking ya to stay in the barn tonight. Ah won’t take no fer’n answer, friend,” said Applejack while patting a hoof on the seat for emphasis. He exhaled slowly again, failing to make eye contact with her, "'Kay.” “Al-…right… Well, that leaves you two and I then,” Bellhop declared. “Thank you for providing shelter and such, we’ll try our best to hold up to our word with protecting you.” "I think you'll do fine. Vasily sounds like an excellent combatant, so I can trust that six of you will be six times more efficient I'm sure," Twilight said with closed eyes, little smile, and a slow nod. "I...guess so?" Mercury agreed with her, unsure to take that as a compliment. "Shouldn't be any trouble, Miss Sparkle," Spade smiled. Right as she felt comforted and a bit more accepting of their presence; they felt and heard the squeaky breaks being deployed for the train. A speaker clicked and allowed Steamer to talk to everyone on board. *Attention passengers, the train has arrived in Ponyville. Time is 8 o' clock, thank you for riding with us.* Bellhop sighed, "Alright, pleasant dreams you three. Mercury, Spade, let's move." -8:17 PM Mercury sat against one of the many poorly placed houses in Ponyville as his helmet light kept illuminating whatever he paid attention to. He turned the stupid thing off, not like he'd need to see anything anyways. Maybe Bellhop would just forget he was part of their pointless three-man night patrol and he could sleep against this house. No such luck prevailed when he heard grass rustles from in front of him. With his eyes closed, he slumped further down into the pavement until he was laying and sighed, "Whatcha nee-?" "Changeling!" one yelled. "YOUR DAYS OF TYRANNY ARE OVER!" another shrieked. "Tyranny? What's that mean, Sweets?" a third chirpy voice asked. "Ain't the likes a' you three supposed to be in bed by now?" Mercury sighed. He was wishing now that it was his commanding officer that showed up rather than these three kiddies. With a groan, Mercury stood up and began walking away from the trio, unwilling to explain anything to them. He felt no need to, for he assumed that they could at least remember their encounter several hours ago. The crusaders quickly swapped glances of anxiety amongst themselves. Without need of much more motivation, Scootaloo sprang up in pursuit of the British combat medic... Hearing her scampering towards him; Mercury ducked to nearly avoid the orange filly trying to tackle him. The victory was short lived as the other two also pounced at his legs and forced him to the ground. He groaned, "Fuckin’ hell, go n’ bug Rainbow Dash or somethin'!" "Twilight told you not to curse anymore. Also, they're just kids. C'mon now," Spade chuckled while coming towards the group. The fillies bunched together in fear and stiffened up when seeing him. Mercury got up and patted the dirt off of his clothes while walking over to the Russian. "They attacked me, so they get cursed at. Nothin' personal. And seriously, don't act like they've never heard such language before. 'Specially since that orange one's always around 'Dash," he squinted his eyes. It drew a gasp from Scootaloo, "You're the ones from earlier?" Mercury rolled his eyes, "No shi-" "Isn't it time you gave someone a break, Bradley?" Bellhop came from around the house that the medic was resting on moments ago. The captain was met with a light scold all the way from England. He ignored it and figured that Mercury was just tired or something. They had been moving around for most of the day. "Ain't it time you gave all of us a break?" he raised a brow at the unmoved Captain. Shaking his head, "Look, 'm sorry. It's just... Doesn't this all seem just a little silly? I mean, a world full 'a ponies that talk and fly and do magic 'n whatnot," he squinted. The operative thought the last notification of their abilities would take the cake to support his explanation: Magic. "What's wrong with us?" Applebloom frowned. "No, nothin's wrong with you per say, but little horsies don't speak... or create societies on their own for that matter where we come from if ya know what I'm sayin'. And all the other stuff I listed..." "There's no flying on your planet?" Scootaloo stood dumbfounded. "Or magic?" Sweetie questioned. "Well, actually we can fly with the help of machinery. I have not heard of a horse born with wings yet. I do not know. You crazy Americans are always cross breeding and such; have you done something like that yet?" Spade asked. "Okay, One: we don't do that kind of stuff just 'cause we're Americans. Two: Pegasus… Pegasi?... and unicorns are impossible creatures, they don't exist unless it's part of a story or mythology," Bellhop groaned. Then he took notice to two of the three fillies staring sadly at his remark. Regardless of attempting to make an adult argument, he had to remember that children were still up and about. He sighed, "I'm simply talking about our world. In our world, there is no such thing as childish as magic." "No magic? Well how do you do anything?" Scootaloo questioned." "Science, orange one," Spade smiled. "Science?" Applebloom frowned, "Ain't that a tad bit borin'?" 'S funny you say that, because science is magic," said Mercury. Bellhop raised a brow, "Um, no, science is the systematic knowledge of the physical or material world based on observa-". "But look at what it's accomplished," the medic waved a hand and shook his head "no". "Only 100 years ago would we call what we have available now in the medical field witchcraft. We can fly above the clouds, ride over oceans in hours, and go to other planets for..." he was about to boast a "fuck's sake" to further drive his point, but remembered there were young ears among their conversation, "Peat's sake." "Science is the best thing to happen to humanity," Spade chimed in. "I... guess... But whenever you say magic, it always gives me the impression you think God did it or some other stuff," Bellhop finally spilled what bugged him about that statement. He noticed the fillies perk their ears at that word as he said it. He sighed, "Alright, why is it so easy to get the interest of these people? You saw that green eye-fuck on the train right? She couldn't stop staring at me. And why is it that the word God makes all of your heads auto-target the offending voice?" "Well, wad'ya mean god?" Sweetie Belle asked quizzically, "Does Celestia know about your world too?" Bellhop would have retorted, but then forced himself to come to terms with what he was about to express... So he didn't, "Just forget it, please, I'm getting ahead of myself..." "Maybe you're tired or something. Wanna take a nap? Oh wait, silly me, we gotta do a night watch for a threat that'll never come," Mercury smirked. "Also, how come you're the only one that gets to break the rules?" he further inquired, calling Bellhop on swearing a couple of statements ago. It earned an annoyed glare from Bellhop before Spade chuckled, "I'm starting to wonder just how it came to be that someone like you got in the SAS. You keep boasting your laziness when something does not come in your favor, friend." "And that's where medical skills come in, mate. I can excel in that and they see fit to put me in spec ops 'n whatnot." "Mate?" Scootaloo cocked a brow. Mercury rolled his eyes while Bellhop took on, "The changelings seem to be a threat, the only possible one, and you would risk them coming in here and raising hell?" This earned a scold from the combat medic, "And you're gonna try 'n shame me into doing this?" "Sha-?" "Y'know what? Don't bother. I'll do this lil' patrol thing or whatever, but I can see right through your persona, Cap'n. Be open to criticism every now and again, mkay? I'll see you around," Mercury finished for him. He then walked off into the darkness that was Ponyville during night. Spade stood a bit awkwardly next to a still Bellhop. "He'll come around... So, uh... How did you three know of the changelings? You accused Bradley of being one." "Hm? Oh, we heard about wut happened on the train ride. Ponies that got back from Canterlot spread news like wildfire 'round here," Applebloom answered. "Hope we can prevent any more of these mishaps... What are you three doing out this late anyways? It would be pitch black if it weren't for our lights," Spade asked. "Well, we heard about the changelings on the train..." Scootaloo noted. "The town ponies seemed awful worried," Applebloom added. "And we haven't figured out our special talents yet, so..." Sweetie Belle smiled. "You want to see if you're good at looking after the town during night?" Bellhop asked. They smiled blankly to answer his question... He caught a glimpse of Spade chuckling before sighing, "Can I ask why it is you keep going on about talents and stuff? Are your parents hell-bent on figuring out your major for college?" "Oh no, mister, ya got it all wrong," Applebloom giggled, "We're tryin' t' get our cutie marks!" "Didn't you notice the little mark on Rainbow's flanks?" Scootaloo asked. "I... didn't spend much time ogling pony butt, so no," Bellhop said sarcastically. "The mark represents a ponies’ special talent... Most ponies get theirs when they're young. All 'a the school kids got theirs already..." Applebloom said while her ears drooped to the sides of her face. The other two mimicked her action and lowered their heads when reminded of their sluggish step forward in life. Bellhop sighed, "So you're trying to see if there's some talent in patrolling or night watching over a town? That sounds like something the Royal Guard would do." Sweetie perked her head up and gave puppy eyes, "Can't be sure until we check." The look didn't affect Bellhop's sympathy, but did make him realize what they were passively asking of him... "If you'd like to stay up and guard this place with us; I guess that's fine. Just get to bed at a reasonable time, yeah?" They all chirped a vexing, "YAAYYY!" Bellhop sighed while turning to Spade, "Let's find Bradley…" [2-1] The TiesIt didn't really occur to me how often the anti-feminist rhetoric comes up this chapter. Hopefully the part with the Delta members on the helicopter will make up for it (though it's pretty much just her defending herself from exaggerated problems that someone brings up)... Hopefully, if you find yourself disagreeing with any of it, you'll notice that I *try to make the characters avoid a one-sided debate... Also, sorry in advance for the lengthiest of chapters.* -June 8, 2021 -Equestria, Ponyville A Pinkie Pie Perspective Today was LOADS of fun! Well, not all of it, but I did meet a handful of new friends! These friends were super special, because they aren’t even from our planet and stuff. I guess they just like clothing on at all times and whatnot, I think they’re shy of their bodies… But it confused me why it was all black… hrm… Anyways, we met when Mister Brai- er… Bradley had bumped into me when using his invisibility powers. It’s neat-o because they can all do that, even Sherry. Then they were all a bit of sore losers, so they swept me and Rarity away and hid us in some bushes for a little while. Before I could really understand what was going on, I was being dragged towards Twilight’s library. They must’ve known I didn’t like reading… Fortunately, Twilight was there along with all of my other pony friends. …Well, Twilight didn’t seem very happy with seeing them, but I was! Especially with Sherry, she seemed so nice. Miranda got along amazingly with Fluttershy while their leader… um, Captain Balance or something struggled to get to know anypony. He felt really uneasy on the train ride… Oh yeah! We went on a train ride to meet Celestia and introduce Onyx team… Well, actually we were supposed to go as a pony-only party to address the changelings, but then you know what happened. Celestia was a bit happy to see them from what I could tell. She even said they could stay in Ponyville to have fun with us over their 15-day expedition. After that, we got back on the train to Ponyville and had a rousing conversation about sports and stuff! Mister Bradley even challenged Rainbow Dash to a hoof-race… or a… leg-race… whatever. After we got close to home, I invited Sherry to spend the night at my place, and I totally convinced her to come over! She seemed a bit shy at first, but we baked some muffins together, and it made her a teeny-bit more comfortable. She thanked me at least a thousand times for letting her stay over before we went to bed in my room upstairs. I kept telling her it wasn’t a problem and ended up hugging her after what felt like the 437th time she said thank you. She giggled after that and I knew she’d be fine staying over for the night. Maybe we could do that a few more times over her exploring in Equestria. Either way, I know the next 14 days are gonna be awesome! The F2000 was created by FN Herstal (Fabrique d' Nationale) in Herstal, Belgium. It sports a bullpup design, meaning the entire mechanism is behind the trigger of the rifle. It also features an ejection port on the foremost point on the rifle, making it fully ambidextrous. -Langley, Virginia -3:18 AM “Dude, where the fuck are they?” David questioned before Jeff barked at him. “Why do you keep swearing? Seriously, you need to act more professional if you wanna keep this job,” Jeffrey groaned in frustration. He was a bit tense as well, except there were three things bugging him. One was Onyx not showing up in a timely manner, for something may have happened to them. The second was how he had stayed up for the past 20 hours waiting on them and he was tired… Third being the mentally defective co-worker breathing down his neck as he worked… “Sorry, I’m as worried as you are though…” he sighed and set down another can of Dr. Pepper for his partner in crime. It sat nicely next to the seven other empty ones, exposing a long night for what it was worth. David was worried about losing his job as well for not being able to monitor Onyx… even though they really had no control over that. They just had to hope that the team showed up on time… Regardless, Onyx was over 8 hours late… And that couldn’t possibly mean good fortune came to them. “I gotta send in someone after them, to see what happened,” Jeff stated calmly. “Who?” Dave asked with interest after opening a snack-size bag of pretzels. “Most likely a Delta squad. These guys have been doin’ ops for us longer than I can remember. Just lemme mail the boss an’ tell him what’s up.” -Hues here, Onyx hasn’t come to tell us of their exploring in that new world. We think something’s wrong, for they are 8 hours late. Could we have permission to scrape together a small Delta force and see what’s going on? Sent. Jeff twiddled his thumbs for a few moments while staring blankly at the mailbox tab on his monitor. David frantically chomped on pretzels while staring attentively at the screen too. Why, oh why, did they have to share the computer station? There was no time for his companion to annoy him further, for a reply appeared in his in-box. Hues quickly double clicked it. -Yes, by all means. I’ll arrange the team for you soon. Within maybe a half-hour, you should receive some activity. If not from me, then from the four going there. Everything should work out fine, I’ll be dragging in professionals now, so don’t hesitate when they contact you. They need precise directions on what they’re going to be doing, alright? I need you two to be responsible using this team, Delta have too much trust in the CIA for you to tarnish it. And Jeffrey? If you wake me up in the middle of the night again, you’re fired… “Well that wasn’t very nice,” Dave said while scolding the text. “Who cares? At least we didn’t completely fuck up.” “I thought you said swearing was unprofessional a second ago…” Jeffrey rubbed his temples while staring at the desk… Mist, A new recruit of the EPOW, had no military career prior to her acceptance. She really just needed a form of income to maybe live independently someday. She couldn’t quite recall a day where her mother didn't tell her to get a job and move on with her life… -Omaha, Nebraska -3:22 AM Two occupants of a house were sound asleep together in one king-size bed, one male, the other a female. The woman teetered in her slumber however, for a heat flash washed all over her. She threw the covers off with a sigh which woke her partner up. He lazily sat up and looked around, “Whaz’zat? Who’s-? Oh, can’t sleep?” She curled up and wrapped her arms around her knees to form a cannon ball to stay somewhat cool, “Yeah… When’s that AC supposed to get here?” Her friend got out from under the uncomfortable covers as well, “’Not sure, it said in eight or ten ‘business days’, so like three days from… today today… Like, it’s three AM today.” He leaned over and pecked her cheek, "We can stay above the covers to keep cool. Or maybe other activities might be enough to tire us out 'til we don't care about the heat." She cuddled against him with a warm smile, "hmm, I'm afraid I don't follow; could you show me what you had in-?" A text message forced her phone to ring blatantly and ruin their moment… She sighed and reached over the night stand to retrieve it. “Please don’t be work, please don’t be work, please don’t be-”… She growled at the phone when reading that the message was from Virginia. That’s all she really needed to know to know it was work… The male put a worried glance on, he didn’t like seeing her upset, not one bit. But he kind of figured he knew what the message was, “Didn’t you just get back?” “Literally two weeks ago,” she sighed… “Listen, hun’, it’s from straight from the Agency, I’ve got to go ASAP,” she sighed. Then got up from the bed and walked over to gather an outfit from the closet. He hit the lamp next to the bed so she could see better while navigating. He smirked when an idea popped in his head. What once began as a serious lecturing turned into a playful test. He wanted to see if she'd fumble with her duties in the CIA “So, where are you heading?” She smiled, knowing that she surpassed him in the ranks of the military. “Sorry, babe, it’s against the rules to tell ya. ‘N besides; all of this is above your pay grade,” she finished with a little spin. “But! I know what we can do before I leave to remember each other!” she excitedly hopped next to her partner in the bed. Lift, like his other friends in the EPOW, currently remains rank-less. And like his other comrades, he had no experience prior to the acceptance of this group. His timid nature only elaborated this to his superior in any exercise that involved fighting… -Equestria, Eagle Pointe -3:25 AM Lift snored in a corner of the cell… Barron and his aggravated sister sat still on wooden chairs with their hooves duct taped to the table in front of them. Eos stared coldly at them, either for indirectly depriving him of sleep or refusing to talk over the past few hours… likely both. “Why were you so close to Canterlot, eh?” he said while his baggy eyes betrayed him and drooped shut for a second. Gilda, Stride, and Helios left it up to these two to interrogate the changelings they captured. So far, they accomplished nothing, for the two had no more information than when they started. The two black creatures stared back at him blankly, just as they did so many hours ago. Eos sighed, “Lift, you’re taking on, I need to sleep… Lift?” he turned to see that his friend had been asleep the whole time. Not that it should have surprised him, but his sense of hearing was growing worse as the minutes stretched on, so he couldn’t hear Lift’s snoring. He groaned and made for the metal door. Upon opening it and walking out, Eos made sure to piss of at least one person indirectly before all of this ended, “Mist loves you, good night.” The out cold gryphon woke suddenly in time to hear the door close and lock… ... Lock? Lock!? He forced his eyes open after rubbing them hastily. With the door closed, Lift was locked in and alone. “Oh shit, Eos! Wait! I’m awake, I won’t fall…” he sat on his haunches and stared down, “asleep…” Sighing, he knew he’d have to get comfortable with the hard and cold floor… and the changelings… The thought directed his gaze behind him to see the changelings from earlier. Lift stared at them with uncertainty. He opened his mouth to speak- “The room is soundproof as your friend mentioned before you fell asleep and he locked you in here,” the sister said in a less than amused tone… “Just, thought I should remind you of, y’ know, why he couldn’t hear you…” He took note of their magical suppressors weaved onto their horns which would prevent them from shifting to any form that they could use to threaten others. “Y-yeah? Well, you’re stuck here too!” he boasted, unable to really think of a comeback… an effective one at least… It failed to phase her even slightly. “Really? I thought we were doing bondage and we were your subs,” she rolled her pupil less eyes as the remark made him blush. “Of course, if you’d like, we could actually do that; we’re rather hungry at the moment, and you seem like a decent fellow. Tell me, who is it you have feelings for? I bet I can mimic them and do even better,” she said with a seductive twist at the end. “W-what?” Lift nearly gagged. “Oh, come on now, surely you know of-" “Just knowing it was you would be enough to make me throw up during intercourse!” he shouted, proving he was fully awake now. The three hours of sleep was enough to get the new recruit up and about for the moment. Her expression remained that of nothing as he set his claws on the table with a slam. “And I’d be careful if I were you! My captain won’t be too happy when he hears of your disgusting sex drive being blatantly tossed about. I can’t believe this; can’t you just be happy he fixed your hoof? You would've died if he hadn't done anything! And what the hell were you doing near the castle!?” “Waiting for you to make a move on me, baby,” she said with her mouth open and tongue hanging down while fluttering her neon eyes. Lift backed off from the table with a frown of disgust. Barron sighed, “Skits', would you just drop it? There will be time to eat later…” Almost instantly, her believable seduction changed to a scolding of her brother, “And when will this be? How do you intend to break from this prison before we die of hunger, brother? And I almost had him; his heart is still pounding heavily.” “Is not!” he yelled while punching his chest to try and calm his BPM… “Fine, we’ll pretend I can’t sense your lust for a few minutes. Will you just tell us about one you deem special? Brag about her… or him if that’s your true preference, perhaps both?” she asked which drove Lift into confusion. Maybe they would be willing to open up in exchange for some food. The gryphon took off his saddle bag and placed it on the ground. He then opened up the top while reaching inside, "Listen, I can give you some bread or something if you-". “No, imbecile! We require love. That is our nourishment, our source of life. That is our, how you say, bread and butter,” she said harshly, making Lift stop digging through his bag… She then fidgeted like something crawled on her, “Seriously, can you just sit there and masturbate or something? We won’t judge y-” “Thaaaaat won’t be necessary…” he shook his head with his eyes closed, hoping to stop the conversation where it was. Lift sighed, “Just talking about her will make you feel better?” “Aaah, getting somewhere now, are we?” she smirked. “Tell me, what is she like? Does she have a larger behind? Powerful wingspan? Perhaps a sweet smelling cu-.” “No, no, no, we’re doing this my way," he cut her off. "I’ll tell you all about Mist after you tell me why you were near the castle, what that stuff you were wearing was, and if your queen intends on doing any assaults soon. We have a Deal?" Barron nodded at his sister and made her sigh, “Very well…” I bet no one saw that coming! Bellhop doesn't favor the outcomes of most of his missions, specifically the ones he leads. Though all of them were deemed successful, he never shakes the death tolls of his own men. It hardened him to an extent, but he just figured that was all part of the job and pushed himself to move on… -Equestria, Ponyville -3:29 AM It didn't take long for Bellhop and Spade to find Mercury again a little less than three hours ago. The fillies had tagged along gleefully. After a quick chat about Mercury’s remarks, they continued their night watch by aimlessly floating around the town. About an hour in, Sweetie Belle fell asleep from exhaustion. Bellhop was skeptical on allowing the still awake ones to continue going, but they convinced (begged) him to let them do so… And fifteen minutes later, Scootaloo and Applebloom were out cold. Spade held Sweetie Belle, Bellhop held Applebloom, and Mercury needed persuasion to carry Scootaloo around. Two Hours and forty minutes later is the present time… Mercury dragged his feet along the grass which made it rustle excessively. He fell backwards suddenly and lay in the grass with scoots on his stomach. “I can’t do this. Why the fuck do we need t’ be walkin’ around and all this othe’ non-sense? Wouldn’t it’a been better if we just set up posts or somethin’?” he questioned. Bellhop sighed and rubbed his face while sitting down as well. He gently placed Applebloom onto the ground. Spade did the same with Sweetie Belle. … What? They didn’t know where the young ones lived, so they dragged them around for the past few hours, nothing wrong with that. They were sure the parents weren’t too worried. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) They've got this, don't worry.~ Bellhop sighed, “I don’t know, you’re probably right… I’m sorry, okay?” Mercury shook his head while staring at the night sky. The sleeping orange Pegasus rose up and down due to the medic’s breathing. “Fightin’s not gonna get us nowhere, so your forgiven I guess, Cap’.” They heard a light chuckle. “Hey guys, watch this,” Spade said with a smile. Watch they did as he wiggled his gloved index finger on Sweetie’s cartoonish and plump stomach. It made the white filly squirm while she grinned in her slumber. Her hooves made feeble attempts to bat away the offending digit. Bellhop immediately shuddered, “Can you not do that?” Spade stopped and looked up in confusion, “How come? Do you not like chil-?” “Mate, ya best be happy feminism never got to this place or your arse ‘d be jailed for pedophilia in a moment’s notice. Ya gotta keep in mind these are lives that are as valuable as any other human child,” Mercury said while narrowing his eyes. “I get the value to life thing, but you are mistaken. You two see my action as pedophilia because society sees it that way, not just the... eh, feminists," Spade said while cringing. "Let us be honest here, if you saw Miranda or Sherry tickling one of them, you would find it adorable, not dangerous. Furthermore, pedophilia is a mentality. One cannot be imprisoned for a thought process, unless they act on those thoughts. Molesting a child is a crime, not the thought of doing it... Follow?” “True… All true,” the medic sighed. “I just though it was always funny: women are the most likely people to attempt infanticide, yet the man is always the one who needs supervision at daycare centers. ‘Explained it to the cunts a thousand times, but stereotypes prevailed as always…” “That was your line of work before this?” Bellhop questioned calmly. “Yeh, got fired for using said argument when they kept breathin' down my neck. Eh, kids weren’t that nice to be around after a while, ‘specially if all the nurses are on yer arse for no reason.” Bellhop sighed and finally lay down to let his back release tension after a day of walking around. “Y’ know I don’t mean to discourage you two, and this’ll inevitably be used against me at some point, but I don’t think command picked the right guy to lead this op…” “Why not?” Spade asked with concern. It wasn’t a good sign of leadership if the leader questioned his or her leading abilities. Obviously. The question received another sigh, “I’ve, uh… made a few mistakes before this... I dunno if you were being serious Bradley, but it’s stunted my confidence in all of this stuff lately. Not what you said, just... the mistakes part...” Mercury chuckled at that statement, “Nah, if you had the attitude of who I was thinking of, you wouldn’t ‘a gone n’ apologized, let alone admit to makin’ mistakes…” No one granted it a response as they all looked up to the stars and really bright moon complimenting it. Bellhop stood up randomly, “You can watch them while I’m gone?” “What?” Spade asked while sitting up to see his commander walking off. “Where are ya headin’?” “Just set up a camp and go to sleep or something, I need to be alone for a little,” he answered as he disappeared into the night. Spade sighed and took off his backpack to dig something out of it. Mercury took a second to carefully lift Scootaloo off his stomach and set her aside. A moment later, the Russian was next to him with an unfolded sleeping bag, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom in his arms. He carried the bundle like a crate and used the bag to hold the two fillies like a small trampoline. He set them down, “they can rest on top of this for the night. It will probably be better for their backs and such… I am still confused as to how they never woke up with all of our fidgeting and moving,” said Spade while rubbing his head tiredly. Mercury chuckled while setting Scootaloo on the sleeping bag next to Applebloom. The Russian spoke up, "So what lead you to that bit of information you brought up? The thing about infanticide being-?" "Don't dwell on it. I know what you're askin' of me Vas', okay? I don't deny that men make things unfair for women sometimes too. My experiences just seemed rather one sided in the crazy scheme known as gender expectations..." Mercury sighed. Spade nodded while his eyes drifted back to the sleeping ponies. The medic chuckled, "I'd say we should take feminine advice from them though. Sun's comin' up in a few hours..." Hazel enjoys the company of others, but feels... afraid when alone. Sometimes it results in her talking to herself to give herself the false sense of someone being near her. As a child, she played with split personalities and found it entertaining to mimic people on television and other media sources… -Knoxville, Tennessee -3:34 AM The pub was as dim as it always was, even at two in the morning… Fortunately, for a few, the place stayed open a bit too late… or early in this case. Only about eight people had been pulling an all-nighter while drinking, two of which did not consume much of anything over the last three hours except water. These two just wanted to spend time somewhere together and think… Both were male, and both had gotten to know each other well over the last year due to their dedication to higher authority… The darker-skinned one was downing some crispy French fries while his lighter friend was focusing on his phone. An obnoxious giggle forced the one eating fries to stop and stare up in frustration. That was the eighth time he heard the feminine drunk cackling very, very loudly across from her partner. The two were sitting at a table maybe four feet behind the table he and his buddy sat at, and the woman in particular had been giving shit to the other people in the bar for the past hour... Whenever someone told the woman to quiet down, her damn boyfriend or something would get up and yell right back. It happened twice so far, and two times, they made the person leave in the interest of other patrons. They did not want to be the ones to start a fight, but it sure looked like these two were ready... “Just let it go, Matt,” the white male said without looking up from his device. Mathew rolled his eyes and turned to see what the hell that lady was giggling at every five seconds. Her face was beet red from the alcohol and he could nearly smell it from his seat. She got up suddenly and sulked over to the counter to clank her glass against the polished wood. “’Nother round, deary,” she said while using any leg strength she had to post herself against the counter. Matt raised a brow while watching the generic scene play out just like in all the movies. “I think you’ve had enough, deary,” the tender said as if on cue. The woman, instead of somehow escalating the situation into a brawl, sighed audibly and turned around. She caught Mathew staring at her and shot a scowl at him. “What are you looking at?” she spat. “Yes, excuse me; you’ve been very rude over the past few hours. Can you tone down your laughter a bit, or better yet, leave?” he responded quickly. Her eyes narrowed as Matt took notice to the gentleman that was at her table a moment ago. As expected, that man got up and began to make way towards the two. “What’d you say to her?” he asked, clearly not as drunk as his possible wife was. The man had a slightly larger build than Mathew, and he was willing to bet that he was taller as well. “I asked her to leave. It’d be nice if you could take her somewhere where she doesn’t have to bug everyone else while they think to themselves, ‘kay, friend?” he said without much of an expression. Matt noticed the bar tender bring out a cell phone while he eyed the other man. “You best watch your mouth, son,” he said which also revealed a southern drawl. “Maybe you should tell your wife to-.” “Kale, enough… Just ignore him or something,” Matt’s friend sighed. “I’ve been ignoring them for the past three hours, I think it’s time they went and ignored me by leaving,” Mathew Kale said sternly. “Kick ‘is ass, Johnny,” the woman said while tipping left and right… “Here’s a better option, Johnny: Take your wife and get the fuck out of here. Or, have her fight me, not you. You aren’t the one giggling like a psychotic bitch…” The man standing right over Matt clenched his hands and started a swipe. “I’ll show you, ni-,” was all he could mutter before Kale backhanded his fist out of harm’s way. He followed with a rather cruel punch to the man’s jaw and made him fall over on the tabletop and into his plate of fries. Matt was about to knock him unconscious with a quick blow to his target’s temple, but had his fist blocked by his friend’s outstretched arm. His hand was open with his phone facing Kale and had a text message opened up. “We gotta go,” said Matt’s bar mate while staring at him with an annoyed glance. -Dale, I know the break has been short-lived, but I need you for another assignment… You have a new fire team leader since your last mission for reasons I don’t need to get into right now. Do make haste; your new team leader, Lt. Piers, seemed unhappy about waking up for work so early. Get to the Agency for briefing. You should be meeting Stafford as well. Kale sighed and started to feel the vibration of his own phone against his lap, which would tell him the same thing inevitably. He let go off the man’s arm and let the somewhat conscious buffoon fall to the floor. Mathew and Dale got up from their seats. The lighter of the two went up to the bar tender, who had already called the police… Dale put a twenty-fold on the counter, “They started it,” he winked. Then he caught up with Kale. The path to the exit of the pub would cut through the woman who pretty much did start the whole thing. Sure, the husband failed to try and stop it, but... As Matt walked by her and her tipsiness, he shoved her on the shoulders lightly to make her fall crudely to the floor. Dale chuckled lightly before a voice of distaste called out. It was not the idiot that Kale beat down, but another bar dweller, "Hey, what the hell'd you do that for? You don't hit wo-." "But it's okay for women to hit men? Is it okay that this skank got her man to attack me because she got offended? Huh? Wake the fuck up, blue-piller," Kale said, not wanting to hear this. It at least made the man he directed it to sit back down, only in mild confusion... Dale sighed, "You take this shit way too seriously, brother," he said with a smirk. Mathew gave no reply as they headed outside into the dark. In 2016, the Selective Service System expanded to include women ages 19 to 23, as opposed to the men being 18 to 25. Unfortunately, Syria required said act to go into effect for the fourth time in the history of the United States. However, the draft was only in effect for 3 months, from mid-April to early July… -Equestria, Ponyville -3:37 AM "sixty-seven... sixty-eight... sixty-nine... seventy... seventy-one..." Bellhop counted mentally as he strained his arms to heft his body weight up from the grass and drop it back down parallel to it. He did push-ups all the time... but now? Training did not seem like something he should have set his mind to. Not during an operation, even if it did scale over the course of two weeks. His arms gave out suddenly and prompted him to roll on his back after absorbing the earth face-first. The soldier panted lightly, for he spent the last half an hour doing such activities. Other than push-ups, he practiced kicks, punches, cover swaps, and basic melee swipes with his firearms... Safety feature on, of course. The captain forced himself to get up again. He swatted the air quickly with a clenched hand and followed up with the other. Bellhop attempted to focus on inhaling and exhaling properly while delivering punches. After four attempts at the same maneuver, he quickly buckled down and sprang to do a roll to the right. After hitting prone, the determined soldier shifted the weight of his F2000 over his right side and grasped it. In another swift moment, he had it pointed. It was a fine trick if you were ever stripped of cover... Only he forgot to breathe since he landed the aerial twist. He let out a prolonged sigh to get said respiratory cycle in motion again. He scolded his hands that gripped the bullpup rifle... He had to get it right; he had to try harder... Bellhop let the three-point sling hold the rifle on his back as he crouched. Getting ready for the move again, he thought back on the day. He flashed a thought of the train ride... that instant where he was at that thing's mercy... The captain pictured himself sweeping the changeling in his vision. Clover would have never had to shoot it, and he could have successfully disarmed it when it fell over. Maybe he could have just smacked down the first martyr and kept Mercury from killing that one... If only he could have seen it coming in time. Bellhop finally noticed that he was mimicking the scenarios he played out in his mind and paused. The mind was a powerful thing, no doubt. Imagination becomes reality in some extreme cases, cases like these at least. It can make you talk at nothing, jump at nothing, behave in front of nothing, argue with nothing, and even see nothing... Bellhop did not think of himself as extreme; he just liked practicing for his next encounters, whenever they may come around. He did feel bad about forcing his squad mates to do an unnecessary night watch. Whether Bellhop was aware of it or not, his conscious was forcing himself to do the activities to keep him awake. The Captain passively felt it as a form of punishment for his wrongful decision. He didn't let his team sleep, so neither could he. He forced a night watch, so he had to finish it; alone if required. Not like it mattered; Bellhop couldn't sleep anyways. The time he had spent practicing alone constantly made him rethink scenarios he could've done something better in. The problem was that it also made the man think on his failures that weren't relevant to the mission or Equestria... Those... eight he got-... He shook his head left and right rapidly for a moment to avoid the thought again. The Onyx leader tried to focus again on his methods of apprehension and applied thought into situations like the one on the train ride. Occasionally, he'd stop due to the thoughts on his journey this far... But he shrugged them of... At the end of the day; all he could do was shrug it off... Spade is able to efficiently give people spare magazines and cartridges individually if they need to be loaded into the magazine manually. He must carry a black cloth-wrapped box on his back that sits next to his regular backpack. Would it ever come to them needing the extra rounds, he did not know... -Delta, Colorado -3:43 AM Thread. Lots of it was scattered about through a narrow hall. The stuff varied in color, but kept an overall melancholy scheme going as it wrapped around the walls and ceiling. Fortunately, he had a flashlight to dimly illuminate the area ahead of him. He walked, to what he assumed was forwards, slowly after checking behind him to see complete darkness. The same pattern of cloth was somehow weaving through the wall. A murky green color on top, some stained red on the left wall, and a dark purple on the right. The floor was tiled white, which he couldn't understand. The thread looked like it was soaked in water before being stitched up, making much of the material sag against the wall. He walked forward for several minutes and started to think that maybe he went the wrong way... He turned around, and to his surprise, found a door there. He didn't think much on how it might have gotten there as he turned the-... There was no knob... The man pushed on it in and witnessed it creak open. He stepped back a bit while it continued squeaking to reveal the other side slowly. It ceased its squeaking and actually stopped at about a 45 degree angle with the wall. Raising a brow, he attempted to angle the flashlight from where he was standing; hoping to be able to see past the cheap panel without touching it again. The man took notice to some purple curly thing through the crease. He was starting to think that the room was a source for the thread, before the door slammed shut and startled him. It forced him to take a step back, thinking that something would jump at him, but he was halted again. He turned around to see that a wall had caught up with him and kept him from moving back at all... He was now in a closet rather than a hallway. Without any other option, except the abyss that was the ceiling now, he slowly reached for the door. He pushed it quickly and dragged his arm back to prepare a fighting stance, or a defensive one, whatever would help him more against what rested on the other side. Instead of the shady room with the thing he saw, it was replaced with a bright light and a grassy earth. The door opened completely also to reveal a walkway leading up to a tree... with windows, a balcony, and a door... The door had a depiction of an old style candle on it. The adult, stepping out of the closet like room, looked to his left and right to check for any aggressive beings that would hurt him. He figured it was safe enough to move forward to the door, for there wasn't really anywhere else he could go to. He continued observing the bright and repetitive terrain around him. The plains of grass stretched on until his vision ark met with a blue and cloudless sky. The man wasn't able to see beyond the tree house anymore because it had covered his vision entirely now that he was in front of the door. Slowly, and with an exhale, he reached for the-... again there was no knob. He didn't get it, but he began to stretch his arm out to push it open like the previous- The door shattered apart to reveal a Blood covered white equine with purple curly hair. His heart stopped for a moment as his spine rattled while the frowning monstrosity with pupil-less eyes stared blankly at him. He couldn't comprehend anything beyond that because the creature started to wail at him in a frustrated female scream while reaching a hoof out. It shocked him awake to the motel he slept in over the past few hours... The man noticed his heart rate skyrocketing as his frantic panting went on. He rubbed his face and obnoxiously groaned. "Fuckin' jump scares, agh..." he sighed while shaking his head left and right in his palms. He heard a rumble on the nightstand next to a portrait of... people he once cared for, one of which he was no longer allowed to care for... Still a bit dazed, he patted his hand around on the surface until he gripped the slim rectangle of a phone. He looked at the screen which blinded him slightly before his eyes adjusted. -Langley, Virginia 4:36 AM Michael, I know it's early, but something important has come up. We need you at the Agency as soon as possible, briefing for your new task will be there. The objective at hand shouldn't require too much of your time, do not worry. I understand you have just returned from Syria, but this is urgent. Kale and Oaks will also be present, along with your new fire team leader, Miss Courtney Piers. As far as your personal problems with your family go, I assure you this will not interfere with them. You will go in and go out in a fast manner I promise. You know how to get here from where you are I'm certain, do make haste, Stafford. That last paragraph, if you call three sentences a paragraph, made Michael sigh and look over to the portrait. It was a photo of three people: Mike to the right, a younger girl, and a woman to the left. That made his makeshift family up until about two weeks ago... "I'll see you soon..." he sighed at the portrait. Michael hoped the mission wouldn't stretch on for too long, for he had a trial to attend in August. The right to see his own child was on the line, and he'd be damned if he didn't show up... With a sigh, he tipped the portrait so it lay face down. The man got up, determined to approach the task with vigor. He would need it so that he could finish it quickly and come back to have a successful trial. You should probably close out that Cry of Fear video if it's still playing, it was meant to just give more pizzazz to the feminine scream. Unless you enjoy hearing this guy shoot water monsters with a Glock 19 and sucking at a puzzle map... Ingot was hoping that he could just use his time in the military to fund a college education but spiraled into somewhat of a clinical depression when he took courses. His grades suffered immensely as his mind refused to do the work given to him. Without a college education, he had nowhere else to go for work really in life, so he just continued working up the ranks of the USMC... -Equestria, Ponyville -5:50 AM Miranda stood anxiously with the lengthy board attached to her winter boots. She looked back to her friend in a very worried way, unsure about being atop a snowy mountain. The friend to her right and also had a snowboard engulfing her boots so it would stay on during the ride down... the inevitable ride down... "I, uh... I don't think this was such a great idea, Anna... C-could we maybe go-" Her screaming cut off her question. Her friend, Anna, had pushed her and gravity took over to pull her down the mountain. The friend smirked and hopped towards the slope to get some extra thrust when starting downwards. In mere moments she caught up to Miranda, who was holding her mouth with both hands in utter terror. Her eyes were peeled open widely while she watched the terrain in front of her shoot by at dangerous speeds. Her friend chuckled while moving parallel with her, "!" she shouted... Wait, what? Miranda looked to her friend who appeared to be yelling at her to do something, but no voice came out. Was Anna messing with her, or did Miranda's fear cancel out her ability to hear? Miranda could hear the wind harshly scrape against her face and the sound of her board sledding along the snowy ground, so she wasn't going deaf... But- Anna's eyes widened and something made her point ahead of Miranda while she watched her speechless friend. Miranda glanced back to her front only to get a glimpse of a tree before she could comprehend it would be her fate. Clover's body decided to spasm fiercely to wake her up. She gasped loudly while sitting up to recover from the shock. "Fucking jump scares..." she moaned and rubbed her eyes to see around in a clearer way. A couch in Fluttershy's living room provided as a sufficient bed during her stay. The shy pony offered her own bed several times, but Miranda declined to try and bat away the feeling of imposing she had already built up. The human felt more welcome and less like she was a burden when they started conversing about fun stuff they enjoyed doing in their spare time. Activities they enjoyed turned into stories about their friends. Stories about their friends turned into Clover's military service. Clover's military service turned into politics. Politics turned into something Clover shouldn't have brought up...at all. The timid pony was shocked to hear some of the things her new human friend spoke of. Soon enough, the topic broke apart as the marksman realized she should probably avoid the discussion due to the rules her CO's placed. Though the pegasus was both appalled and fascinated with the claims made by the Onyx member; they both decided it was best to get some sleep for the following day. Speaking of timid ponies, the pale gold pony poked her head up from the other side of the couch with concerned eyes. Clover cocked her head thinking her mind was playing tricks on her, but Fluttershy smiled warmly to prove otherwise. She then drifted back to her worried gaze, "Did you have a bad dream, Miranda?" "Uh... no," which earned her more of the pony's stare, "Sort of. See, I was snowboarding down a mountain with my friend, and I jittered awake when I thought I slammed into a tree". Then the marksman thought about whom she was talking to, "Oh yeah, snowboarding is taking a board that straps to your feet-... or hooves and you ride it down a snowy incline…mountain in my case". The pegasus continued studying her, but she had shifted from worried to absolute neutral in emotion. The look made Clover fidget to sit upright on the couch instead of having her whole body on and lying parallel with it. "You're alright though, right?" the worried pony asked. Fluttershy then stretched her cheeks to grin, "I always wake up this early to feed my forest friends; you just seemed troubled when I was walking by". A white rabbit hopped up on her back then atop her head successively. It was enough to get Clover to smile. Reassured that she was in a pretty nice place to be now, she stood up to stretch and do little hops to get her body in the moment and fully wake up. "Thank you. And thank you again for letting me sleep here, I'll do my best to keep you from getting hurt by those changelings," she smiled. "Did you need some help with the-?" she continued, but paused to squint at something beyond Fluttershy. The pony turned to note that her new human friend was looking out the window. The Goddesses of day and night kept the sun and moon on a transferring schedule of 6PM and 6AM, but that was based on what Onyx presumed when examining how the time shifted yesterday... and what the ponies had explained to them about the deities doing it manually. However, the sun had failed to rise on time so far and the atmosphere remained as dark as it was when the sun was replaced by the moon hours ago. With these factors in place; what Clover spotted was merely a silhouette... an outline of some large serpent-looking thing that had to be at least forty meters from the cottage. The creature slithered right for Ponyville. "'The heck is that thing?" the Onyx member questioned. "I'm not sure; it's too dark to make out. It didn't look like something that Ponyville would normally have around," Fluttershy replied nervously. "Do you think your friends will be able to handle it if it's something dangerous?" "I guess I'm gonna find out. You can stay here and feed your animals; I need to give help where it's needed," Clover said as she kneeled to recover her SRS from the side of the couch... along with her vest, boots, backpack, G19, pants, holster, and sleeved shirt. She had stripped down to her socks, undergarments, and bra to sleep more comfortably overnight. I'm telling you; they've got this! Don't worry! It would not have been an issue if she didn't have to put it all back on in such short notice... The unarmored marksman fumbled with several items clumped up in her arms while others dropped to the furniture. After ten seconds of wiggling; her pants dangled loosely, her shirt clouded her vision, and her sniper rifle strapped itself over her bare skin with the sling in a poor fashion. The black sleeved top muffled her sigh. The pegasus giggled, "Did you want some help?" "Um, actually, do you see that little metallic curvy thing on the cushion? That's my radio piece. Could you hoof it to me? My arms are a bit wedged here," said Clover who was passively smiling at her predicament. She seemed to really buy into the whole pony society she was in right now, despite only having known it existed for a day. Fluttershy wasn't complaining and would have enjoyed giving her props for being so accepting, but there was a problem at hand...hoof...forelimb, whatever. The Element of Kindness scraped the earpiece off of the couch and clenched it easily with her teeth. Next, she dropped it out into Clover's hand with a subtle "pleh". Fluttershy got to laugh quietly to herself while the human fiddled and worked the gadget on properly, her shirt sinking over her chest finally; easy enough after she removed the rifle from her body. "Alright, *Captain?*" the marksman asked over her radio while pulling up her pants. She didn't really find her exposure to the pegasus embarrassing, for she figured that Fluttershy was used to seeing every creature naked anyways... Then she thought that maybe ponies operated in the exact opposite way about clothing. Maybe they thought clothes were arousing since they never wore them. But that was too simple a thought for her; societies are never just vice-versa like that. She forced the thoughts on pony sexuality out of her mind when getting a response, *Yes Clover, you sleep alright?* It was Bellhop, no doubt. He had been awake for twenty seven hours straight (three spent on a helicopter to Pripyat; woke up one hour before boarding. Twenty three spent in the mission so far), but still managed the firm voice of a leader. *Um, well enough. 'Shy and I spotted some serpent looking thing and it seemed to be heading for Ponyville. We're not sure what it was and the night made it a bit difficult to make out. I'm coming to you to see what it is, 'kay?* *I hear ya; I'll keep a look out and try to get the others up. 'S about time everyone woke up anyway,* Bellhop said. Moments later, he muttered some lines over and over a few times to get responses (some more ornery than others) from other team mates and rouse them from slumber. Clover pulled her pants up all the way, tucked her shirt in, and took the rifle with its sling off her back. She wasn't quite sure why she put the sling on before her other equipment first. As Clover continued getting dressed appropriately; Fluttershy observed with concern, "I could come with you, if you'd like." "That'd be fine," the marksman smiled while weaving her left arm through the backpack. "It might be something that could hurt you though. ‘Sure you don't wanna stay here and tend to your furry critters?" "It's okay; they're used to waiting a bit," she said while ignoring the white bunny stomping on her head now. "Also, I've got to help you with your argumentation when you approach Mister Smith, right?" "Argu- what?" Clover asked before coming to the slow realization. "About Fe-" "Um... I really don't think we need to talk to my friends about it. They don't seem like people who would want to have an open mind towards it... Also, Alex is trying really hard to keep things rolling here. I don't need to put more weight on his back with social issues back where we're from." "But if you don't stand your ground, nothing will get done, right?" Fluttershy put on her worried glare again. It twisted the Onyx member's heart; you simply could not say no to such a face. In all honesty; Fluttershy only wanted to help. "I suppose we could... discuss it with him when we all get together," she sighed. "Great! Let's find out what that thing was then," the pony grinned while heading for the door. Clover grimaced, knowing that she'd try everything she could to avoid the topic Fluttershy wanted to get into with her team. She quickly equipped the rest of her gear and made for her new pony friend. Another feature of the HUD visor that Onyx members use (and abuse to a lesser extent) is its ammo counter. The visor displays the number of bullets left in an individual magazine by registering distinct sounds of the weapon fired. When a magazine release button is hit, the visor resets the counter… -Ukraine, Pripyat -Investigate whereabouts of Onyx Team -5:57 AM The blades flicked the air surrounding the UH-1 loudly outside, but the four soldiers and two pilots inside weren't bothered by noise. It was relatively quiet inside the vehicle which allowed one of the operatives to sleep... Actually, ever since Matt, Michael, and Dale stepped aboard an hour ago; their fire team leader had been asleep. Matthew Kale was growing bored of examining his KSV45 and stared up in disbelief of the person leading his squad. "Is he still sleeping?" the squad medic asked. The others in the team gazed up to observe the fellow Delta member. Dale was looking at his phone for just about the entire trip so far while Mike had just been silently thinking to himself. The less up-beat of the two was first to speak though. "I think so. Aren't we gonna be landing in like half an hour?" Stafford questioned. *ETA fifteen Mikes, Delta, the walk through the Power Plant should get some blood flowing through ya,* the co-pilot informed using radio. *You're probably going to want to have her up and about now so you don't have any hassle when you're getting off, Out.* *Wait, what? What do you mean her?* Kale questioned skeptically. He then turned to his sleeping superior to examine closely. Dale Oaks had gotten up from his seat and shakily made his way towards the leader. *Yes, her. Miss Piers will be guiding you through this operation; I thought you were all well aware of that,* the co-pilot shot back. Oaks shook the sleeping soldier several times until she woke up while Stafford questioned, "Not really anything wrong with a female leader, Kale." "Nothing wrong? When we all get back; she'll accuse us of trying to rape her or something stupid to get a free discharge. And Delta ain't no place for women," Mathew spat with a scowl. Piers yawned after becoming aware of her location and rubbed her eyes. "Who raped what now?" she asked. The skeptical medic rubbed his face in frustration while Oaks replied, "Dude how many women do you even know that have done that in the army?" "Three," he stated bluntly. "Two of which actually accused me because I'm the big scary black guy that fits the picture of a sex offender flawlessly," Mathew finished with an eye roll. Stafford got a chuckle out of it while Oaks sighed and shook his head. Piers didn't find it very entertaining either, "I wouldn't do that to any of you. We're just here to find Captain Smith and his team, right?” She was willing to be lenient to her minors. Maybe they had been discussing controversial before she woke up, so there might have still been some tension going through them. "Of course you wouldn't. We're only gonna be there for a couple of hours, so you won't be able to pass that off as sufficient time for us abusing you when you take it to a marshal." Then she furrowed her brows, "Okay, you're being absurd. I woke up at two in the morning to come and do this task. I'm not going to taint my trust with the CIA and the US military as a whole just to get some extra leave time. I like this job too much... uh...-" she paused when realizing that she had no idea what their names were. The text message she received didn't explain who Piers was leading or if she knew any of them. Dale caught on to her ignorance, "I'm Sergeant Major Mike Wuzouski. This man, dis guy, is none other than Rodrigo Sanchez. He goes by the code name Jorge. Finally, dis man, mah main nigga, be none other than Black Sunshine." She stood dumbfounded while Stafford laughed, "... Really?" "No, of course not really!" Kale said while stretching his arms out to silently voice a "What the actual fuck". "He's Staff Sergeant Michael Stafford. He's Dale Oaks, an actual Sergeant Major. I'm your medic, Mathew Kale, Second Lieutenant. Follow, Ma'am?" "Yes, I follow, and you're gonna smack the smart ass out of yourself if you want me to take you seriously, Lieutenant. Keep talking the way you are and I just might go ahead and say you fondled my boobs in my sleep," Piers narrowed her eyes while crossing her arms over her chest. *Everything alright back there, you four?* the pilot asked. Though he had heard the entire discussion that went on; he wanted to stop it right here. Nothing good would come from a team that had issues within it. *Yes, we're fine," Oaks sighed back into the microphone. He then scolded the two for their childish banter. Piers grimaced and looked down, "I'm sorry, I just don't want you to think that me being a woman means that I'm gonna do all this stupid stuff you've claimed. I'd really appreciate it if you'd shove the generalizations aside for now; I am still the one leading your team, whether you like it or not. We all good now?" Matt swiped a hand over the top of his helmet and let the limb fall to his lap afterwards to show forced out dissatisfaction, "Fair enough, I suppose..." "Great. My name's Courtney, but surnames are what we'll be going by throughout this op, so call me Piers. Is there anything important I should know about you three before we get there? If not, I still need to know your roles so we can perform more efficiently in combat if it’s required at some point." They swapped glances briefly and Michael shrugged. He described his role as a designated marksman while showing off his M417. The others would do the same as they waited to draw near the nuclear fallout zone. Hazel spent most of her time in Syria leading fire teams quickly through objectives as a leader. She always seemed to have some odd sixth sense and situational awareness when in combat. Flanking routes and areas that were least prone to being lit up were easy for her to spot and direct her team to… -Equestria, Ponyville -Investigate unknown specimen -6:03 AM The sun had still failed to rise to what most Equestrians would consider on time. Bellhop rubbed his eyes thoroughly to try and cope with the fact that he kept himself awake for the past twenty seven hours, and he was going to keep himself awake for another fourteen at least as of now. The second day shift seemed like an odd one to the Onyx leader, for his internal clock was telling him it was time for bed. It would probably continue to say that relentlessly as the hours stretched on. For now, eye rubbings would suffice. He made sure to squeeze in a final one before putting down his ballistic goggles to ensure complete head protection. He shook his head left and right quickly to get his focus and situational awareness up, for something was crawling about that he didn't like the sound of...at least how Clover described it. Some... snake thing was bound to be trouble. Only moments ago had Bellhop successfully woken up his team. Some were more ornery than others... Mercury in particular, while Ingot and Hazel sounded just fine with their amount of slumber overnight. However, several of the mares would be left out of the know, and would come to finding out what was going on when they woke up on their own schedule. With a sigh the Captain sat down and waited for his team to regroup on him to help with the possible threat. He leaned his back against the side of a residence for some level of comfort. Without much else really to do, except maybe keep an eye out for the thing he was supposed to look for, Bellhop looked up to the sky and watched the glimmering stars... along with that painfully brilliant moon. He had to squint at the damned thing because, while it may not be half a bright as the sun, he wouldn't deny it if a local proposed you'd go blind staring at it. Then there was that odd engraving on it. Yes, the moon appeared to have a picture etched into its surface. Something that the Onyx member made out to be a wad of cotton candy that someone smashed into the inside of a bowl while it was attached to the paper stick, and that image was the result. Okay, he didn't actually think that. He knew it was a depiction of a pony with a horn right away, but his mind wanted to experiment. One thing was certain though: he couldn't keep looking. It made his eyes sore, so he stared back down, ready for anything and ready to look for threats to Ponyville. What he got was a face full of purple that clearly wasn't amused. "That was-" "Jesus fuck!" Bellhop yelled while tumbling to his left and out of the alicorn's face. "Don't do that!" he groaned after recovering from the shock and standing up. She merely closed her eyes and perked her nose up, "I was trying to give you a little information about why the moon had that picture in it, but you seem to be more ornery than I thought. I suppose I should have rejected the night watch." With a groan Bellhop retorted, "Sorry, I guess. My team mate spotted some creature that she didn't think looked safe for this town, so I've got them coming here now. The moon thing caught my attention for a second, and then you appeared out of nowhere, so it spooked me a bit." Twilight nodded in response with a neutral facial expression. He continued, "Listen, I don't like this negativity going between us. I really don't, especially if I have to protect you and your friends now. That makes me feel like I have to babysit some bratty child and might make me end up doing a worse job because I had little motive to abide by. That fair? Can we make up?" With an eye roll and a sigh, Twilight stuck a hoof out, "Oh, I suppose". The Captain assumed she meant it to be a hand-hoof-shake or something along those lines. The alicorn still paid him no attention by keeping her head turned away. He gently clenched the limb and gradually moved it up and down. A giggle... He raised a brow as she dragged it away, “I wanted to see if you’d actually kiss it, but then I lost it.” “What…” “I don’t usually act the way I’ve been acting in case you didn’t understand. I wanted to see how much farther I could push the façade.” “Act…?” he twitched. “Well, sure. I was going to stop at the library, but I wanted to see if I could out-do yours,” she smiled. “It was fun, but I guess you won after-.” “Really?” He rubbed his face with his palm for a moment not expecting an answer. Sighing, “Really!? I come here with equipment that costs more money than I can make in three life times along with five other militants, we screw up the whole point of its use within an hour, we agree to help you solve a crisis that you cannot defeat on your own power, and now you’re telling me that you were being a dick just for fun!? Is that what you’re saying!?” “I, uh…” “My attitude is not an act, Miss! I did not fake my emotions on the train! Do you even care about the sanity of my team right now, or how about your friends? Did they know that you were doing this?” “…Yes.” Bellhop was about to tell her off further, but just grit his teeth and sighed heavily. The alicorn sat on her haunches as the Captain sagged to the grassy floor. Keeping his hands covering his face entirely, “You’re all insane. You have to be. Are you even a princess, or do people around here just pass around the title occasionally to make everyone feel special for a short term?” “Actually, only a princess can have wings and a horn, so the title is-," she shook her head with a sigh, "Listen. I’m sorry I deceived your team about my trust in you. I know you mean well. I was just...kind of hoping that making you fight for my trust would insure your compliance… Which… It did somewhat. I needed to make sure you weren’t going to be something evil now…” Bellhop kept staring daggers at her, hoping to make her feel as low as possible before the conversation ended. She forced herself to look away and chuckle, “But, ha-he-hey, look at that: we actually ended up needing your help after all! Y-you said it yourself; the changelings can only be overcome by your militant experience.” It caused him to groan loudly again, “No one is going to believe any of this when I go back to-… Oh, shit.” He then planted his face into the ground and shook. “What’s wrong?” “We were supposed to report back to my commanding officers about this place. We’re late... very late,” he grunted while standing up. “You have to leave already?” Twilight frowned. “No, smart one, we already explained to you and your friends why Onyx came here. They wanted us to come back and report what we learned about every twelve hours ‘cause the radios won’t reach them when we’re here. As you can imagine; they’re probably worried sick since we came here around one o’ clock yesterday.” He only got a blank stare and silence in return. Was that so much to comprehend? “Maybe I’ll just rename you short bus… Did you understand anything I-?” She shook “no” and stretched a hoof to point behind him. “I see you two are getting along fabulously.” “Discord?” Twilight muttered. Bellhop turned and backed up a bit to widen the very small space between him and the smug being. He eyed the smirking creature up and down: dragon-like head, bear’s right arm, some weird bird hybrid’s left arm, and a bunch of other animals clustered into one being which shaped entirely into a serpent. “Well, you look like the thing my friend was describing. Do you live here or-?” “Aren’t you supposed to be in Canterlot and helping the Princess?” Twilight interrupted. “I’m sure Celestia will be fine without my magic. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I simply adore your new friends. Tell me, sir, do you fall into the category of human where you’re from?” he snickered. “Uh… yeah? Twilight, who is this?” Bellhop turned to her. She smiled and pointed a hoof, “This is our recent friend, Discord. He’s the God of Chaos who used his powers once to cause imbalance and discourse throughout Equestria. But now he’s-“ “Oh yes, here’s the part where I tell you that I’m not helping Celestia anymore and I wanted to go back to doing my own thing,” he smirked. Twilight widened her eyes and opened her mouth only to be stopped short again, “And this is where you question my desires and begin to panic because you cannot defeat me on the spot.” “What? T-then what are you doing!? Why are you-?" “I'm just going to do what I do best now: Cause chaos. And your mean old Princess isn’t going to stop me this time," Discord stated with vigor and snapped his fingers. He vanished quickly after a puff of smoke took his place. "What's the deal, Twilight? ‘He on your side or not?" Bellhop frowned while he drew his F2000 and scanned the area. The magic thing was still new to the Captain and he assumed it was just some trick that the odd ball figured out by watching Naruto or something... Then he remembered how full off ridiculousness his childhood leisure activities were. Twilight snatched him away from those evil thoughts, "I... I don't know. He's supposed to be helping us with his magic since Flutter-..." she looked down. "Wait, that's it! Fluttershy!" she beamed then put a determined smile on her face while scanning around like Bellhop was. "Discord, where are you!?" The Onyx operative shivered when feeling a head next to his own. Bellhop stumbled back while aiming at Discord. The creature, smug. Alex, annoyed. "I was about to strike up a rousing conversation with your new supposed friend, but I guess he's shy today." The Captain narrowed his eyes at that one. "But do go on and be a rude pony, what is it that you need to talk over Alex fo-?" "How do you know me?" he stepped closer to the multi-hybrid and tightened his grip on the rifle. Twilight stepped ahead of him and pointed a hoof, "I'm certain that Fluttershy wouldn't like what you've been up to if what you say is true! Are you sure you want to lose the one true friend you-?" She gasped and tilted her head back when Discord popped in front of her and bopped her nose to emphasize punctuation with a neutral glare, "You don't what it is you are talking about. Think of this: I got to know some random pony for a day who only became my friend because she had to; six days if you count the ones where I messed with the day and night scheme of this world. You know, before you turned me to stone for another six months. It was for your prospering as a nation, whatever that garbage means these days." Twilight's widened eyes turned into angered ones as she prepped a magic shot and lunged forward to hit him. Easily dodging it with another teleportation; Discord sat on her back and rubbed her hair into a scrunched up mess. "You think I care about what one pony's friendship. I am a God I'll have you know. You said it yourself. What would the likes of a God want with a common pony, let alone her friendship? It was an act. I knew you'd fall for it; just like you bought into my quote before I went back off to Canterlot." He vanished and reappeared behind Bellhop, only to spin him around and smirk into his angry face, "Rate this on a scale of one to ten, Alex." He zapped a near-by hedge so it transformed into the shape of Fluttershy. It oddly jiggled against the grass and talked with an unmistakable copy of her voice. "C'mooon. Say it," the hedge pestered while pointing a hoof at Discord. "Oh... alright." He sighed and held a hand up over his head pretending to be a damsel in distress, "Friendship is magic." Discord snapped his fingers again and the hedge turned into a copy of him. The dragon-morph offered a hand which the bush grasped with glee it seemed. The two started to tango as he continued, "See, I think the hardest part of that was faking the gag as I said the line. But why do I need to explain this to you? Alex tells me you're an expert in the acting fields. Just look how you handled his arrival so far." "How does he know my name, Sparkle?" Bellhop frowned. "I don't know, okay? I'm as lost as you are! I don't get the sudden change of heart... Agh, did she really mean nothing to you?" she asked nothing, for he vanished again. "What the-," again, Discord startled the pony by appearing behind her. She grit her teeth in frustration and lit her horn to prep an attack if he kept at it. He laughed uncontrollably while pointing at her and clutching his stomach, "What do you plan to do exactly? Overwhelm my power and save the day just like the other time? You don’t have the elements on you; not like they would help this time. And don't think that you becoming an alicorn will make your skills par with mine. Your pathetic little parlor tricks will-." Bellhop silenced the pest by smacking him over the head with his rifle. When Discord thumped down to the ground, Twilight gasped and prepped an outburst before only gasping louder. The Captain stomped the hybrid's face into the earth before she could mutter another word. Someone screamed it for her from afar though, “Discord!” Fluttershy yelled after she witnessed Bellhop crush her friend's head into the dirt. The pony zipped through the offending operative, nearly knocking him over, to examine Discord's injury. The blow fractured his skull and blood soaked his chin; that was a fatality… Clover caught up with her SRS pointed down while looking over to Alex. The pony sniffled while staring up at the Captain, “W-why would you d-do this?” “N-now, Fluttershy, listen! He said he was going to start causing chaos again!” Twilight interjected before her friend’s emotions destroyed her heart. “H-he said he made the whole thing up about wanting to be your friend… He just didn’t want to be a statue anym-.” “Well now he’s DEAD!” she whined. Followed up with more hacking and sniffs, “Did he even do anything to hurt you two?” Bellhop shook his head while letting his F2000 sag against his back, “He was prepping a fight with Twilight. If it kept up; someone was going to get-.” “Somepony DID get hurt, you-… you-!” She failed to find an insult, so she went back to sobbing over the corpse… a corpse that didn’t exist anymore. With her eyes closed, someone handed her a tissue. She accepted the thin paper and wiped her eyes with it, “…Thank you.” “Don’t mention it, you gullible pony, you,” Discord smirked. Fluttershy’s ears perked up as she gasped and turned to him, “You’re okay!” “Fluttershy, who is this guy?” Clover asked as she took note of Bellhop drawing his weapon again. Twilight’s vexed expression made it seem like a brawl was imminent. “This is Discord, the master of all things in disharmony. And he’s my close friend,” she said while hugging the draconeequs. She angrily stared at Bellhop and Twilight, “My close friend that you shouldn’t go and attack! Twilight, how could you!?” “Me? He said he was going to cause chaos, so I took it at face value! Just like Alex here! I’d say his actions were somewhat in the wrong... I mean, killing him was a little extreme… But-.” “Excuse me, but I do believe this is where I clarify my ambitions,” Discord rolled his eyes. He snapped his fingers and reappeared behind Fluttershy. She scanned around in confusion before something pushed her to the ground. “We aren’t friends, Fluttershy. We never were.” The timid pony scrambled to get to her hooves, "What?" "Cap' what's this one's deal?" Ingot called from afar. Looking around, Bellhop noticed that all other operatives made their way over. Ponies accompanied them too, but the only no-show was Rarity… Yeesh, how come no one likes Rarity? "I don't know. Weapons ready," he said, keeping the rifle pointed at Discord. Besides Clover and Ingot, the others drew up their firearms to threaten the beast before them. "I'm asking you once: how do you know my name?" "It's funny, because you already asked me that. Your new pony friends kept interrupting you though. Such nuisances, aren't-?" "D-Discord, what do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, verging on tears again. He groaned, "How many times must I elaborate?" He slithered over to her and tapped her head a few times, "We. Are. Not. Friends. Un-der-stand?" "No! I-I-". Clover narrowed her eyes, "You think you're tough picking on her or something?" "Sure, why not? This reminds me. I actually came here because I wanted to become your friends. You see; I-" "How the fuck do you know my name!? Who else do you know!?" Bellhop growled. "Canterlot, imbeci- ah. Nearly blundered there, hah. For a stealth team with undisclosed information; you sure aren't a stealth team with undisclosed information. Did you simply forget that you gave out your real names to Celestia? I take it you forgot that I came here from Canterlot as well. I just listened." Bellhop continued aiming at him, his expression unchanged. Discord sighed, "I wanted your help to-". "Not happening, pal..." Hazel joined in. Applejack frowned, "I think you'd best leave before something bad happens." "You're outnumbered, and you've done enough as it is," Rainbow spat. "You forgot to say "But we're outmatched" somewhere in there, but fine. I know when I'm not wanted." The draconeequs yawned then vanished suddenly. Bellhop dropped his F2000 to allow the sling to take over holding it. He spun while quickly drawing up his sidearm to immediately point at Discord's head... After the second time it happened, he sort of just figured. Discord chuckled with an evil grin, "Not to worry, Alex. You'll be doing my work for me sooner than you believe." The gun in his face didn't affect him in the least bit as he flicked it and walked off. He started a trail northwards while the team kept their weapons pointed to his back. Another sniffle caught their attention... Fluttershy cried softly as Clover sat next to her and stroked her mane. They've got this... Don't worry... [2-2] The New TeamYou can *skip this chapter** if you don't care much about Delta's introduction, Twilight's history with The Zone, a tid-bit about the changeling’s side of the situation, or debunking Feminism. Information in the next chapter will be provided to catch you up.* -June 8, 2021 -Equestria, Grasslands (Near Ponyville) -6:08 AM When Bellhop thought he killed Discord; that was the first time he saw a pony cry. When that particular God of Chaos refused to be the pony’s friend any longer; it was the first time he saw one bawl. Rarity got to the group a minute after Fluttershy started crying in Clover’s arms. Applejack explained to her what happened with the draconeequs and she seemed appalled. As disheartening as the whole scene was; Bellhop remembered that he needed to get back to Pripyat to tell his Commanding officers what was going on. “Alright, listen. I forgot to go back tell command what’s up. I can go myself or if one of you needs to just get away from the group a bit, I understand. Anyone coming?” “I’ll tag along, I guess,” Mercury spoke up. “Kay, that it?” “Could I go?” Twilight asked and shakily raised a hoof. “You? Wh-? “Oh, me too! I’m going,” Rainbow Dash smiled. Bellhop rolled his eyes and thought for a second. A grin crept upon his face, “You know what? Yeah, you can come. This way Twilight can explain why we exposed ourselves to your entirety of citizens after only a few hours of using equipment made precisely to prevent that from happening. Very, very expensive equipment which I’m sure everyone’s happy went to waste.” “Don’t ya think there’s any other good use of goin’ invisible?” Applejack asked. “Yeah, think of all the neat pranks you could pull on ponies!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I was thinkin’ more along the lines a’ sneaking around and knockin’ some changelings up without ‘em knowing ‘til it’s too late.” “Makes sense, Cap’, you shouldn’t be so quick to demean these guys… Gals,” Ingot smiled. Twilight grinned too, knowing she wasn’t responsible for getting anyone in major trouble. Bellhop assumed that, like all the others had; Ingot grew fond of the ponies and was willing to defend them from any and all scrutiny… maybe not all of his team, but Clover and Ingot definitely would. “I guess… Anyways, yes you can tag along. Just don’t die, there’s a lot of radiation that ‘ll poison you.” “Pft, we’ll only be there for five minutes or something, right? What’s the worst that can happen?” Rainbow asked. “Again: You can die.” “I think we’ll manage, Alex,” Twilight nodded. Bellhop glanced once more at Clover. She still held the yellow pony and rocked slightly to comfort her. Rolling his eyes, Bellhop spoke, “We’ll be back in a few.” -Ukraine, Pripyat -6:19 AM “Yes. The operatives that came here yesterday haven’t given feedback. We need to see what’s going on,” Piers spoke to one of the Russians defending the entrance to the power plant. The translator nodded weakly and sulked over to another individual eyeing the Delta members, for his shift ended soon and he had worked the overnight to keep trespassers from entering, "Ser, oni zdes', chtoby-" "Any idea what he's saying?" Stafford asked subtly. Oaks wondered aloud, "He and his Russian buddies 'll let us pass and when we think it's all safe, they gun us down. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya." "He's asking if we can pass. The sergeant replied 'yes'," Piers sighed. Right as she finished, everyone took notice to the Russian stopping in his tracks to the team. He overheard what Piers said and shrugged, "Correct, you are all fine to move on. Udachi vam." He walked by them like a bear longing for rest. "Vam tashye," she smiled back. It fell on deaf ears as the man just worked to getting back to base or home or somewhere he could sleep. Piers felt the blank faces glued to her and turned. “You understood what he said?” Michael asked. “Well, sure,” Courtney nodded. “I learned a bit before I came a few weeks ago. I was one of the only soldiers from the US that helped evacuate the Stalkers here. It was helpful to pick up on-.” Kale rolled his eyes and moved ahead of the group, “I don’t think waiting here and telling stories is gonna help Captain Smith or his team if they’re in danger.” Oaks shrugged and waved a hand forwards to get everyone after Kale. Piers raised a brow and walked to catch up like the others. The Russian guarding the gate made a quick salute, though he didn’t really know any of the Delta operators or work in the United States’ military. Not to say they didn’t welcome it. 'Better than getting shot because of stigma from the Cold War… Stafford caught up to the medic and put out his thoughts with a chuckle, “Jeez, you really don’t like her, huh, Matt?” “Who, Courtney?” “Piers, thank you…” she chimed in. “Are we really doing the last name thing?” Courtney nodded, “Yes. If not for the sake of doing what the log asked; can you just do it for me?” It made Kale turn his head to her while they continued their journey to the desired warehouse. “Okay, one: You’re not my mother. 'Doing it for you' doesn’t mean anything to me. Two: you failed to see how we refer to friends by their first names. Keep it classy, Miss Piers.” He smirked before he fumbled over something and kneeled to keep balance. “The hell?” Kale groaned while pointing his KSV45 at it. “Karma, man,” Stafford chuckled. “Also, doing it for her just means 'I’m your boss, do it'.” “No such thing as karma, man,” Oaks snickered while kneeling to see what his friend tripped on. “Ohp, dead guy. Well, I guess the radiation ‘ll get em in a few years… Onward to Oxford team or whatever they called themselves.” “Onyx team, Dale,” said Piers, “Also, the-" “See? There ya go,” Michael said while he gave a ‘thumbs up’ with his left hand. “The group ‘ll probably work better if we work as friends.” Kale shot him a scowl, “How was it karma if I was the one who suggested that?” “The way you said it, dude,” Stafford smiled back. He squinted at the buildings around him, “When do ya think we’ll get there anyways?” Piers pointed ahead of the group, “It’s that yellow crane. There’s a green warehouse near it that we’re going into. Somewhere in the place should be the portal; I’m certain that it ‘ll emit enough light for us to locate it quickly.” “You sure know a lot about this place, Courtney,” Stafford noted while observing his M417. “This thing’s so cool, heh… Anyways, er. You wanna tell a story about the zone before ‘Murica went all freedom, fuck yeah on it? It Might help make the trip shorter.” “Sure thing; if Matthew is alright with it.” “Why would I not be?” he raised a brow. “’Cause you don’t like her, remember?” Oaks asked smugly. He shook his head left and right, “When did I say I didn’t like her? I just said there’s a possibility of her accusing us of trying to rape or assault her. But she claims that this job is more important to her than scoring extra leave time, so that’s that…” Kale turned back to see if his words had any affect. They still stared blankly at him, Piers included. “What? I don’t think she’s going to accuse us of that stuff anymore, okay?” Piers frowned, “But you also said Delta isn’t a place for-" "So you prove me wrong then, ma’am…” She swapped glances between Stafford and Oaks, each shrugging at her. “He’s always been like this by the way; it’s not really anything new to us,” Oaks sighed. “Will he at least follow my orders if we get in a tough situation?” “Sure,” Kale said without emotion or eye contact. Piers rolled her eyes while the group continued to the warehouse. The journey would remain storyless, for she just wanted to think to herself now… “I don’t need to prove anything to him; my rank should be enough.” -6:25 AM The group had jogged to cross the fields quickly and get back to Earth. Well… the soldiers had jogged while Twilight and Rainbow just floated over the land and kept within range of the operatives by flying. As of now, they slowed to walking speed and the ponies descended to accompany their pace. Of course, the rough kilometer of a trip to Pripyat included nothing but Rainbow Dash asking the same thing over and over again. Rainbow smirked, “Race me there?” Mercury groaned, “No.” “’Chicken?” “No, I’m tired.” “You’re too afraid you’ll lose, aren’t y-" “Oh my Goddess, Rainbow! Please stop asking that! He isn’t going to race you, alright!?” Twilight blurted out in frustration. “Thank you,” Mercury sighed. Then he raised a brow, "now you're stickin' up for me? Captain, what'd you do to her while we were sleepin'?" Bellhop turned to Mercury, unsure of what he meant, "What?" "Like five hours ago, you two looked about ready to tear out each other's throats." he pointed to Twilight, "She kept goin' on about how bad we were and yellin' at me for swearing. Now she's defending me from the person I cursed at?" "Oh, I thought you were joking around, but I actually remembered something... Turns out she faked the whole stuck-up-bitch attitude so we'd try and fight for her trust. She wanted-" "You told them? Lame, Twilight," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I couldn't help but laugh," she smiled, "I'm not the snobbish type." "It's really not funny," Bellhop said while his eyes narrowed. "I guess you've just forgotten what's going on and figured that fucking with my team for a few hours was more worth your time than saving your town from a very real threat." "I already said I was sorry..." Twilight frowned. "Actually, no. No you didn't. You just shrugged and tried to pass a fake laugh off as a way to avoid admitting a mistake on your part," Bellhop said scornfully. "Does that mean Dash isn't actually an arrogant, ill-tempered-?" "You better stop there..." Rainbow growled. Mercury shrugged as the blue pony angrily stared at him. Bellhop spoke up again, "I think we should get to Celestia again after this... unless you know how to defeat Discord too?" "Normally we use the Elements of Harmony, but he claimed that they wouldn't help... Also, they're with Celestia right now anyways, so it looks like heading to Canterlot again would be wise," Twilight offered. "I like this one better now," the medic smiled. "Between her 'n those kiddies from last night, this place ain't so bad. Ya gotta admit-" "Wait, wait, woah. What do you mean from last night?" Dash cut him off. Bellhop sighed, "Those three fillies from yesterday found us during the night watch and kept using puppy eyes to get me to let them stay up and help..." "So you let them?" Twilight worriedly questioned. "Mate, you wouldn't be able to say no to those faces... Oh right... Alex, Vas' and I woke up and they weren't there..." “What?” “I mean we woke up and they were gone. I think they-" “Why didn’t you search for them or something!?” Twilight shouted. “I’ll leave Alex up to answering that one,” Mercury said with a shrug. “Me?” Bellhop asked; a little shocked at the accusation. “Yes, you. You wanted everyone up and comin’ to you right away. Vasily and I didn’t think much of it, and just went to you. Cap’, I’m sure they’re fine.” “I’m thinking this is why you might’ve been fired from your old job,” he scorned. “Oh… You didn’t just take it there,” the medic replied; shaking his head. “What was his old job?” Rainbow asked. Something bright forced her to squint and turn to the source. She noticed that the others stared ahead as well; trying to make out what caused such brilliance. She gasped when seeing a large sphere-like ball of energy. “How did somepony not find this yet? It’s so noticeable…” “I don’t know, Rainbow… You’re sure this is safe, Alex?” Twilight asked. Bellhop rubbed his face with a sigh, “I asked you twice if you were sure you wanted to come along. Are you still trying to screw with me?” “There’s a ton of energy flowing through this thing. It looks like it could easily vaporize a pony if it weren’t a portal,” she replied anxiously. Twilight walked closer to it to reach a hoof and feel its heat. “I suppose it’s safe though… I mean, not like you got here some other way… at least not to my knowledge.” “This is how, yes…” the Captain sighed. “Alright, if we take more than five minutes explaining anything; I want you to guide them back to this place, Bradley. The radiation will harm you permanently if you’re exposed to it too long, and I don’t know if the drugs we have to combat its effects will work on you.” “You have medicine for that kind of stuff?” Dash asked. “Sort of. It works like some set of really buffed up white blood cell I think,” Mercury pondered. He, like other operatives didn’t know much about the drug or its contents. There was probably Iodide somewhere in it, but that had limited use when the pharmaceutical industry made it public. “We ready to move then?” “Uh… combatants first?” Twilight sheepishly grinned. Rainbow nodded as well. Bellhop rolled his eyes, “I’d laugh if that weren’t so true…” -6:28 AM “Stacey was all about this band and that Dahvie Vanity kid, so I looked him up. First thing I found was a youtube video that explained to me how he was a sex offender and pretty much a pedophile. Crazy shit, heh. I showed her the video and she was heartbroken,” Piers explained. “And that’s why video game sound tracks are where it’s at,” she continued with a shrug. “What about actual songs within a video game?” Stafford asked, intrigued with this conversation. Anything that got his mind off of work was something he liked to talk about. He took notice to her scornful eyes before realizing what he asked, “Not saying that original scores aren’t actual songs, but uh…” Oaks chipped in, “He meant like songs made by outside artists, but are put into vidya games.” Putting his unfunny word twist aside, Piers replied, “I knew what he meant, but I wanted to see if he’d correct himself.” “Correct by proxy. Perpetrator: Dale Oaks,” Stafford chuckled. The group paused behind Kale when he held up a closed fist, "'That the one, Piers?" "Uh..." she cocked her head while walking in front of Kale, "Yeah. Alright, weapons up." They clicked off the safety features on their weapons and made sure the magazines were loaded by detaching them. Stafford turned the twenty-round transparent box to examine it thoroughly. The HK M417 was his favorite weapon ever... It was just such a nice looking firearm. Seriously, look at this thing. He spoke up to take his mind off it, "So what's this all about? Are they stuck in the warehouse or something?" "Dude, really?" Oaks sighed. "You had all that time to read the briefing on the heli'," Piers frowned. Kale pat the extended clip back into his KSV45 "I don't think we have enough time to explain it; Captain Smith might be hurt... Uh, we're going to another planet apparently though. That much you should know..." "...What?" Stafford raised an unconvinced brow. Kale rubbed his face, "Just... never mind. Piers, should I take point?" "Uh, sure. I'll stick-" "I think our journey’s been cut short," said Oaks as he pointed ahead and lowered his P416. "'The hell are those?" Mercury looked up, "What the-? Those your lads, Cap'?" "Delta, looks like. Uh... Sorry we're late, but I forgot when they wanted us reporting every so often. A lot went on yesterday," said Bellhop. "Captain Smith?" Piers called out. "Yes, ma'am." "Where's the rest of your team... And what... what are those?" she cringed. "They're ponies," Stafford nodded. "They befriended them and decided to rob them from their home world to domesticate and cuddle with them forever," he smiled. "Can I have-?" "I ain't nopony's play toy, ya creep," Rainbow Dash said while extending a hoof. "'The fuck? They talk?" Kale looked back to his squad mates. “Dude, this’s crazy,” Stafford laughed. Bellhop shook his head ‘no’, “Listen, the rest of Onyx is in there right now. We found out the place is called Equestria. These ponies make up the inhabitants there… And why am I telling you this?” he face-palmed, *Command?* Jeff stuttered, *What the- C-Captain?* *One and only.* *What happened? Are the others with you too? I need to-*. *Slow down. Everyone in Onyx is fine… just listen,* he sighed. Bellhop looked over to both curious ponies and rubbed his chin to think of what to say, *Uh… We… were discovered within a couple of hours. It turns out that the images were of another species. The main inhabitants of the village are these colorful ponies… That talk and do magic and-*. *What…?* David raised a brow, though he was on the other side of the planet from the operatives. *I think you’ll have to clarify this stuff, Captain Smith. Did you take any pictures of the creatures?* Jeffrey asked. *Also, was Delta correct a second ago noting that you brought some of them here?* *We didn’t take pics, no. Uh…* He kneeled and dug through his backpack. “Something I should’ve done, I guess. Yes, two tagged along with us. One happens to be a government official or something.” “I’m a princess,” Twilight frowned. “Wings and a horn: not that hard to remember.” “You want our pictures?” Rainbow asked. “Can I be in one?” Stafford asked with a smile. “Mike,” Kale sighed. “What? They’re cool looking. That one has a rainbow in its hair, dude.” “Wait, I’m not tripping right now then?” Piers questioned with a raised brow. “Doesn’t look like-" “Alright, alright. I know it’s weird, okay?” Bellhop groaned, *Command, I’ll… I think we should just do a little recap. I brought McCoy back with me too. I’d prefer you not question any antics that seem abnormal, one being magic. I’m still skeptical, but I swear these guys figured out some supernatural abilities.* Dave nodded, *Understood. Continue.* Bellhop exhaled slowly, *the place is peaceful like in the picture. We got caught right away because Bradley and Sherry were screwing around while following two of the ponies in the village. We had no choice but to reveal ourselves to their friends as well… Upon talking to them, we found out they have a big problem.* *So… The camo went to good use…* Jeff sighed while typing what he heard into an MS Word 2020 document. *I know we fucked up, but listen: those black creatures with the weird limbs are actually a threat to their society. They can do some shape shifting ability. What’s worse? They actually copied the forms of Golf Squad from a week ago and started using them to bully the ponies,* he said quickly while snapping a photo of Twilight. *You’re receiving a pic of one of the inhabitants. Her name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m not making this up: she’s a princess in their world. They call her an alicorn because she has both wings and a horn.* “Thank you,” Twilight smiled. “Can they really do magic?” Oaks asked skeptically. “Like what kind of magic?” “All sorts back home. But I can’t do any here…” She sighed, then her eyes widened. Bellhop caught that right away and stared her down. “I-I didn’t say-" “Have you been here before?” Mercury asked confusedly. “Look, we’ll talk about it later. I think I already knew she was here before,” said Bellhop. Spade was right… “What? How?” Piers questioned and swapped glances with her team mates, “I’m freaking out here, man. This is so weird…” “Just let me continue and I’ll tell you all about it…” Bellhop explained. -6:32 AM Ponyville no longer remained pitch black, for the sun started peaking over the horizon. Rarity presumed that it had been Celestia’s doing and that she may have been a bit late waking up. Clover fortunately got Fluttershy to calm down, though she remained heartbroken that a close friend betrayed her all of a sudden. The group decided it would be best if they remained in the same spot so that those who traveled to Pripyat would have no trouble finding them when returning. “When do you think they’ll return?” Rarity asked no one in particular. She figured keeping Fluttershy from thinking about Discord was in everyone’s interest. “’S only been like twenty minutes. They had to walk a kilometer you know,” said Ingot. He noticed Rarity pointing to the sad Pegasus which made him realize why she asked such a question. He thought of something else to take fluttershy’s mind off of that weird hybrid thing, “Oh, uh… Anyone else have a crappy night of sleep?” “I thought you said the hay stack would be fine!” Applejack grimaced with an outstretched hoof. Ingot chuckled, “No, I meant my dreams made it impossible to rest for more than an hour at a time. I thought I was doing hard core parkour on the roofs of my college campus. Short story even shorter: I failed a jump and died.” He noticed Applejack scratched her head and stared down. Ingot nodded to let her subtly know her outburst was forgiven. “Parkour? Isn’t that the thing where you jump off buildings and not break your legs somehow?” Hazel questioned; now amused with Jason’s history. “Yep, he did a few stunts when we were in a team together over in Syria,” Clover smiled. “Speaking of dreams: I had one where I was snowboarding… I smacked into a tree and woke up from shock. ‘Shy was there to make sure I was alright though,” she patted the yellow pegasus on the shoulder. Fluttershy sniffed one last time, a smile finally crept to her face, and she looked up to Clover. Hazel slowly raised a hand, “Mine was about being on the moon…” Pinkie bounced and scored major hang time, “The moon? Did you jump like forty hooves and slowly come back down?” She asked with a hint of excitement as she flopped down on the grass. “I couldn’t breathe,” she weakly chuckled; making Pinkie sulk down further into the land. “How do you all even remember what happened in your dreams?” Spade asked. He smiled soon after, “your minds seem to not like you if they keep portraying your imminent death.” “I don’t think it works that way,” Applejack frowned at the Russian. “He’s just kidding, Applejack. I find it weird that they all had to do with some previous interest of ours though. Uh, assuming Sherry was into astronomy or something,” said Clover. Hazel put a clenched hand over her mouth to think that over, “I didn’t really like school at all growing up, so I’m not sure if sciency stuff like space interested me.” “I loved school; what made you dislike it?” Clover cocked her head. Spade spoke up, “Could we talk about something less educational? How about-" “Clothing!” Rarity shouted. “He was going to say clothing. What are the nicest fashions on your planet?” “Or we could talk about baking!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a hop over Rarity. “Or feminism,” Fluttershy smiled next to Clover. The operatives blinked and turned to the precision marksman with blank expressions. It was like a child cursing out loud and then everyone turning to the parent, for everyone knew that was the only place they would have learned such a word. She sheepishly grinned at her team mates’ stares for a moment before Hazel spoke up with a smile, “What’s feminism? I heard about it on facebook a couple of times.” “Miranda, why would you tell them about- wait, what? How do you not know what a feminist is?” Ingot asked Hazel, surprised as this had to be the first woman he ever met that wasn’t aware of the movement, let alone a part of it. Hazel just shrugged as they looked back to Clover for an explanation. “I uh…” Spade intervened, "I am not sure what the problem is. Bradley, Alex and myself were talking about this last night as well. It brought itself up when those fillies were trying to help us with the-" "Wait, what fillies?" Rarity asked worriedly as her eyes widened. "Eh, I believe your sister and her friends, Applebloom and Scoo-" "W-where were they when you woke up?” "Uh, Captain sulked off somewhere and they were gone when we woke up. Alex left us before we fell asleep though. I really do not know where they could have gone," Spade said while scratching his head. "I am sure they are fine; they were roaming around hours before we had found them. Maybe your sisters went back to their appropriate homes to rest... As for Scootaloo, I do not know." Rarity and Applejack groaned but only the white pony spoke her mind, "I suppose I should go back the boutique. I just hope she isn't making breakfast again if she happens to be there. And you aren't off the hook yet, sir," she grumbled while trotting towards her home. "Ah'll be right back, Jason... I'm thinkin' Applebloom is just sleepin' in 'er room," Applejack sighed while making her way to said destination. That left four operatives and two ponies in the group. Hazel broke up the brief silence with a chuckle, "So much for getting your views across to them. I guess you could convince Pinkie and I about the femi-thingy." Ingot winced, "I would seriously reconsider going-" "No, no, no, Miranda said you'd all try to do this!" Fluttershy pointed a hoof accusingly. "Help a woman climb the ledge; stop and check your pri-vi-lege, Mister Macombs," she smiled softly. Clover buried her face in her sleeves and stared down. Ingot laughed uncontrollably, "Dude, did you make that up just now, or did she teach you that?" "What have I done?" Clover sighed to herself... Spade patted her on the shoulder, making her look up, “It is only fair to look into both sides of a story, friend. Perhaps we will all learn something.” He looked over to the pegasus and nodded, "Please continue, Miss 'Shy". -6:37 AM Bellhop finished his explanations within a few minutes. By the end of it, the Delta members stood in awe as Onyx’s commanding officers thought of what to do next. The group had two major issues and unfortunately, one of those they promised the praised goddess of their lands to deal with. The other one was going to require consulting Celestia a second time. At the end of the day, the humans were at fault for the changelings’ rise in power. It only made sense that a team of humans came to fix the problem; especially since the ponies couldn’t combat it effectively. Defending the Element Bearers was the least they could do. However, Discord was to be another matter altogether… Bellhop remained unsure about handling the self-proclaimed deity, for it felt like something that Twilight and her friends would have less trouble doing. Especially if invincibility was a factor... “How many changelings are there? Or at least how many of them are willing to face you?” Piers asked. “Maybe a few... hundred... And most likely all of them are willing to face you. They’re born to be fighters, I believe…” Twilight trailed off, knowing that this information only pushed the team further away from helping them. “I-I really don’t know how many there are. They’re relatable to insects, so I’d guess quite a few. They have a Queen who tells them what to do as well.” “Do they talk too?” Stafford asked quizzically. “Actually we found out that they did yesterday. Nopony ever heard one speak before,” Rainbow said with a shrug. She continued after a quick chin rub, “Well, except for Chrysalis, the Queen that Twilight mentioned.” *I think it’s noble that you guys want to take on their problems that they can’t solve themselves, but… How are you going to deal with that? Those creatures you mention don’t sound like reasonable things. They just seem like thugs the way you worded it. Also, Captain Smith, you nearly died yesterday. Are you sure using just Onyx will work?* Jeffrey asked over the mic. *Sure as I can be… We can’t wait another day for extras to show up. We’re going to Canterlot again to speak to Celestia. If Twilight can brag this much about her, I’m hoping she actually knows how we can solve this,* Bellhop replied. “I didn’t brag about her; I only acknowledged that she has superior wisdom and power over us,” Twilight shot back with a frown. “Bragging,” Mercury said flatly with his arms crossed. *Alright, I guess. Just be-*. Piers spoke up, *Command, request that Delta assist Onyx in combating the changelings?* “What?” Kale grimaced. “Dude, we get to see a whole ‘nother planet if we go with them,” Stafford said with excitement. Twilight cringed at hearing that phrase, but let it slide. “This could be like the coolest thing ever, and you wanna pass it up? I think it ‘ll be like a vacation to some summer resort if it’s anything like Smith described.” “Yeah? Well I prefer my vacations without the hassle of killing shape shifting bugs,” Oaks said while shaking his head 'nope'. “Guys, c’mon. They aren’t gonna come out okay if it’s just six people defending them,” Piers noted. “Granite, they’re incredibly experienced and the changelings don’t sound like they know what they’re doing, but still. Won’t it be less likely that someone dies if we tag along? We can leave when the threat’s dealt with so they can go back to their explorations and stuff.” “Sounds like good enough reasoning to-” Stafford paused during mid-agreement, for Dale pulled him aside to speak in privacy. The designated marksman's smile quickly turned into a frown of possible offense when Oaks brought something specific up... *It's your call, Delta,* David chipped in. "... I know. I can handle my own problems outside of work, 'kay, Dale?" Stafford sighed. Oaks looked down; thinking he struck a nerve with his question. Michael set his mood back in order with a shoulder pat, "I know you're just lookin' out for me, man. These guys could use our help though." "I guess so... You make up your mind, Matt?" "I'm not sure... I'd give in to majority rules, but-" Rainbow shook her head, "Wait, hold on. Who are these guys anyways? Can we trust them, Alex?" Bellhop scowled at that, "In case the conversation from earlier already flew over your head; I know you’re throwing out the skepticism just to mess with them too." "She means they kind of just popped out of nowhere..." Twilight noted. "So did you, kind of," Stafford chuckled. "I think Dash has got the right idea in a sense; can't trust everyone you meet," Mercury shrugged. "Exactly," she nodded. "So you don't want their help if we're met with a swarm at some point?" Bellhop asked. “I meant others. I agree that Dash should lay off on the tough guy act too, but skepticism is healthy,” he finished, earning a hooves-crossed pout from the Rainbow pony. "Curiosity's got me; I'm in," Kale spoke up with a smirk. It earned a smile from Twilight at least. He rolled his eyes at that, "If nothing else, it' ll keep me in shape." *You're all going then?* Jeff asked while quickly inputting more information to his document. This was quite a story so far and was glad he could be a part of it. How often do you get to hear about someone traveling to another planet with magical ponies? Okay, it didn't really sound cool on paper, but soldiers going in to investigate the place made it at least seem serious… Bellhop answered, *looks like. We'll try to keep everyone safe while moving around. And I won't be late coming back this time either. Hopefully the others can head over here too to give their perspectives when we return...* Something occurred to Mercury, *did you guys jus' sit there 'n wait on us to return last night?* *All day, every day,* David responded with a smile. Jeff rolled his eyes, *we get sleep as required, Lieutenant McCoy.* *Brad, thank you.* Dash smirked as she guessed why he responded in that grumble. Twilight happily spoke up, "Are we going back now?" "Yeah, and on the way back, you can explain to everyone why you were running around in The Zone a while back. Spade told me there were reports of a creature such as yourself wandering about. Your little outburst confirmed his assumptions I guess..." Bellhop said. The purple pony anxiously frowned at that, "But, I already came to the conclusion that you couldn't have done anything dangerous while here, so?" She brushed a hoof through the dirt while the operatives directed all attention to her, "It... was an accident I suppose. See, I-". "On the way back," the Captain emphasized his point. A story would help shorten the shy kilometer of a trip back to Ponyville... -Unknown -6:44 PM The sun finally rose high enough over Equestria to help the ponies mark a new day in their lives. Things weren’t as bright where the changelings resided within the forest, for dead trees towered over everything. Light only seeped through in random mats and shimmered against the shallow water. The spirit-broken changelings wandering the area only pushed to further darken the area, not literally of course. The defeat at Canterlot a while ago forced them to seek refuge in this horrible place for about one year now. Since the creatures lived off the emotions of others; the environment was actually a risk to their health just because of its gloominess. So how did they survive this long? Towards the northern end of the village they created; a tree, much larger than any of the other willows, stood out proudly. This one, unlike the others, was actually alive too, for the leaves remained intact and show no signs of withering. But it was hollow, because the changelings lived in the tree as well as the huts stationed outside. Somehow they managed to keep the tree a living thing though they carved a dungeon inside of it… Within said wooden marvel; sticky little lines of liquid stretched throughout the corners and ceilings of rooms. They lit up a bright green to allow someone to see how to navigate through the naturally dark innards of the tree. Perhaps it doubled as the willow’s live support in some unrealistic way. Given how hectic the last thirty hours were, it only made sense that things in the fortress were too. The dark creatures ran around in collective panic, trying to organize parties and figure out how to handle Onyx’s arrival. The outcome of the train ride spread throughout the hive maybe twice as fast as it had in Ponyville. Not only had two died; one’s status remained unknown, for the returning scouts didn’t specify. Then, in the light of the morning, two more just disappeared with no clue other than 'gone hunting' on their hut… They would have returned by now. Things weren’t as panicky in a few rooms though. 'Nursing rooms' were what the species collectively referred to them as, for they nursed in two ways. They helped the changelings harness energy and power. The pony captives received hospitality for expressing affection towards the black creatures. No wrong doings here. No, Siree. A changeling lightly stroked the mane of a red mare while she slept calmly. Really, there was no harm in this set-up. Sure it drained the giving pony of his or her emotions, but Queen Chrysalis made sure to set up regulations on consumption. They couldn’t just make the poor things all depressed; lest they wanted to go and kid nap more ponies… This particular mare didn’t get pony-napped though, she came to them as a matter of fact. A changeling armored in Golf Squad equipment called from the room’s entrance and ruined the pleasant ambience from within, “Coal, the second squad’s prepped and-“ “Shh,” she hissed at his loudness, “She’s asleep, Meek.” His name made this predicament rather ironic... The female changeling, Coal, got up from the makeshift bed and nuzzled the sleeping red pony before returning to Meek. Coal whispered while nearing the changeling, "What's up?" "Barron and Skittles haven't yet returned..." Meek trailed off. Worriedly, he continued, "We believe something may have captured them, quite possibly the Miasma. Chrysalis has instructed us to band a quick search party together." The mare's ears perked up which made Coal smile warmly. She turned back to the less than amused Meek, "What are you planning to do?" "She told us that the... energies are rather lacking as of now. The Queen wants us to hit the train on the way to Canterlot, have half of the team will guide two or three ponies here, and the other half will explore the grasslands to attempt to locate the two if possible. If not, we may at least gain some clues to their whereabouts." He scraped a hole-filled hoof against the floor in uncertainty. "You're bringing more friends for us?" a perky voice called out. Meek leaned to his left to look past Coal and spot the source of such a happy voice. He found that it belonged to the mare that was sleeping only moments ago. “Er… Yes?” the changeling spoke up. The earth pony seemed familiar, but he couldn’t put a hoof on it, “Coal, who is this one?” “She’s lived here for months, Meek!” Coal shot back, upset that he failed to realize this. Thinking she caused distress between her close friends; the red mare apologized quietly, hoping to resolve the conflict quickly. “It’s quite alright. Meek, this is Miss Light, and she’s probably the only reason things have been lighter around here.” Ignoring how she referred to the mare as 'Miss' when her pitchy voice made her sound like a foal, Meek nodded, “I see. Sorry for failing to realize your involvement here, but you must understand that I work outside of this structure typically.” “All fine, Meek,” Light chirped. “I’m very happy that you’ve kept me company all this time though. I’ve tried to get to know everypony here, but there are so many of you,” she chuckled. “Right, well. You can explain to her what’s going on if you’d like, Coal, but I have to get going. We’ll try to get you some more company, Miss Light. We may soon become strong enough to raise our living standards for the better.” He finished with a smile and trotted down the hallway. Light turned back to her care taker, “He seems nice. Do you think Chrysalis will smile for once when we get Ponyville to understand your intensions?” Coal giggled at that, “I don’t know; she’s been awful grumpy over the last month. I think if you do that little dance in front of her, the Queen’s greater nature will reveal itself. Wanna practice?” “You bet!” she hopped with glee. “An earth pony OC? ‘The fuck is wrong with this writer?” Don’t worry; I thought what you were thinking for you… -6:52 AM Had enough ideology for one story? HAHA, me neither! If you want to skip this part due to its length and *partial** irrelevance; I'll word the starting of the next chapter so it fills you in on what's happening~* "I cannot, for the life of me, remember what I was experimenting with," Twilight looked to the sky in confusion. "But I couldn't finish it because everything turned white and I ended up in that place." "Man, Twilight, you do the craziest stuff when we're not watching you," Rainbow chuckled. That meant that Twilight never told them apparently… "How'd you end up getting back?" Mercury questioned. "I just... found it, I guess." Bellhop looked up from his scribble filled journal, "You're sure you didn't receive any help?" He had written down the entire conversation; though walking while doing so had made that task quite difficult. The purple pony turned to meet a very unhappy stare emitting off of the Captain. He used her gasp as an answer, "Spade mentioned a Russian that went by 'Nikita', that sound familiar?" Twilight sighed, "...Correct again, Alex. He found me not too long after I arrived. Nicky got me back safely-" "Pfft, Nicky?" Stafford chuckled. He always considered Russians to be the coldest and most unforgiving people on the planet... coldest could also describe them in a literal sense. The nick-name that Twilight awarded to one just seemed silly. "Yes, I called him Nicky. He preferred that I call him that, Michael. Anyways, he figured that heading to the Power Plant might've led us somewhere, for strange things happened there. He told me that Stalkers made rumors about some sort of wish granter or miracle creator... We searched a couple of the warehouses and found that portal." She looked down, possibly saddened at remembering what occurred afterwards, "He... said his farewells, and I never saw him again..." "'That it?" Bellhop asked while finishing his writings. Twilight nodded weakly in response. Though he didn't enjoy the pony's dishonesty, sass, manipulative nature, or overall attitude towards Onyx's operation thus far; the Captain enjoyed seeing the sad version even less. Fluttershy made him figure that out less than an hour ago. He dragged his backpack up and stuffed the college-ruled notebook back inside, "I guess it's nothing that troublesome then... You, uh... You learn anything neat when roaming throughout The Zone?" "Neat?" Twilight cocked a brow, confused at the random shift in his outlook towards her. "I suppose it was curious to see the random energy spikes scattered around that place..." "Uhuh... Well, I'll leave it up to you to inform your friends or not about your adventures," Bellhop assured her. He pointed ahead to note that their team was around thirty meters from them. "Just stop acting that way to my team, please. I'm certain you'll make a friend or two by the end of this." "I get it... Again, I wanted to be sure you wouldn't hurt anypony." "Why would anyone hurt you? You're too cute to maul," Stafford chuckled. "I ain't cute, bud'," Dash grumbled. "Correct, you're pretty," Piers noted with a smirk. Rainbow would have retorted, but her energetic friend put the thought on hold, “They’re back and they brought even more friends!” Pinkie jumped up with glee, sank back down, bounced to the shyer pony and giggled. In. Her. FACE! “And you thought they were going to be mean to us because we’re mares.” “More friends?” Ingot asked while turning, “Oh, damn, Delta?” “Your eyes don’t deceive, dude,” Stafford smiled. He always took pride in knowing he was part of a spec ops unit. Mercury explained, “They sent these ones over ‘cause Alex forgot to report to HQ on time. We’re all good now, and they tagged along because they felt we needed the help.” “Well that’s nice, but I think Miranda wanted to talk to you guys about something,” Ingot said while holding out a hand to drag attention to Clover. Bellhop studied over their expressions, excluding the precision marksman’s. Ingot had his arms crossed while looking down uneasily. Spade looked like he rubbed his face dry by burying it in his palm from frustration. Hazel and Pinkie seemed to be out of the moment compared to the others, for they laid back and watched clouds float by with smiles. Clover and her new pony friend stared blankly back at him. He finally got over to the mares that shot scowls at him. Applejack and Rarity had returned while Fluttershy helped Clover explain the score of womyn’s rights in the Western World. Rarity shouted at him, “You think you’re tough treating ladies the way you do?” “What?” Kale raised a brow. Bellhop sighed, “I take it Clover got you talking about feminism?” Ingot spoke up so this wouldn’t get any worse, “Cap’, she didn’t do anything wrong, we’re just tossing ideas back and forth.” “I… didn’t say anything was wrong with that. Spade, Mercury, and I were talking about this stuff last night,” he replied. Clover’s expression rose lightly knowing she didn’t upset anyone or the mission. “However, we didn’t express our views to any of the people here… so, minus one.” Her expression sank back down… “How can you pay females less for the same work?” Applejack asked in disgust. The Captain wasn’t in the mood (or awake enough) to argue points he couldn’t retort. He remembered how common a woman on his campus explained to him how the world operated. It felt like a mantra with these people, and now the ponies were catching onto it. Bellhop honestly didn’t know if the findings of the wage gap, glass ceiling, rape statistics, women in management, and all of the other things were particularly true. Rubbing his face, “Look, I don’t know anything about-.” “Where did you hear that?” Kale spoke up with a closed fist under his chin. The operatives took notice to his possible challenge and cleared the area so it could be met. Oaks rested a hand on his partner’s shoulder to make him turn, but he didn’t. Matt only held up a hand to his opposition to let him know what he was getting in to. Rarity and Applejack stared at him for a brief moment before the orange pony pointed at Fluttershy. “You?” Kale asked. She nodded anxiously, but he didn’t buy it. The pegasus sat closest to Clover, so he figured that a human female was the likely culprit to introducing this mess. He directed the following statement to said precision marksman, “Alright, I take it you’re the one who taught them to parrot these ridiculous statements. Miranda, was it?” “Ridiculous?” she narrowed her eyes. “Uh, Matt, are you sure you should be getting into arguments with a new part of our team?” Piers asked. Her concern was more realistic than his, for she believed the group splitting itself wouldn’t hold up well down the road. Truthfully, she wanted to see how this would play out, such as the others did. Spade got the full force of the ideology until it put him in mental submission to their theories. Those mares were relentless when Fluttershy explained it to them… “Sure as can be,” he claimed with a wave to the voice behind him. “What were they arguing about?” Twilight asked. Kale ignored the question to answer Clover finally, “I said it was a ridiculous claim, yes. You're of the opinion that you make seventy-seven cents on every dollar I make simply because you’re a woman, right?” Clover nodded, “Well, I don’t know if it applies to the military, but yes. In fields like business and engineering, which men dominate by the way, I think they get paid less and it’s unjust.” “What did you major in when you went to college? ‘Just curious.” “I didn’t really major in anything because I got caught up in this. I did take a women’s studies course to understand why we live in a patriar-.” “You didn’t get a business or engineering related degree?” Kale asked, keeping a smirk from forming. Clover shook her head no; unaware of how she just destroyed her own argument. “Why are the fields you mentioned male dominated do you think?” “Because our society ushers women into the social sciences." She smirked, "I know you were trying to make me do that stale-mate argument too. I’m above that.” “But you substituted it with something you can’t prove. Did it ever occur to you that women, as a whole, tend to linger towards those courses simply by their choice? Since 1990, all campuses around the US, Canada, and UK have never stopped promoting the exact opposite of what you say. All I saw when attending MSU was 'Women needed in science!', 'Women, try out auto!', 'The future of the technological field is too important to be left to men!' Ring any bells? I don't mean to generalize, but you people tend to pick the less demanding courses for that reason alone..." "Dude, you went to State?" Ingot chuckled. "Now who told you that?" Clover shot back, ignoring her friend's question. "I did. Any miniscule examination of common course selections will have you well informed. Did you know that women graduate college at a higher rate than men, even at the PhD level? Is it even a wonder why funding is cut for courses that deal with sciences and math as a result? Less and less of the people who cared about them are able to take them anymore. Mysteriously, more money is now poured into the social sciences and humanities." "What's that supposed to mean? Also, since when are men the only ones who care about science and math?" Twilight actually bumped in this time, "He's saying that you answered that question already. Again, did you take courses in that field?" "No..." "So, it only makes sense that you can't complain about other women not taking those courses. It's not even necessarily a bad thing; it just means the males run that field because it interests them on a general scale. It doesn't mean you're not allowed to get in the field," she continued, earning a surprised nod from Kale. This pony was alright... She continued after thinking on something, "Unless they aren't, I don't know, is there a law-?" "There is absolutely no law or attempt to keep women from getting into these fields. Miranda, had you joined the fields, rather than point out how many women aren't in them; you could've done something to keep them from being male-dominated as you so claim... Next up: wage gap?" Kale said while sitting down. His smugness vexed Clover, but she could maintain composure and beat this evil, privileged, whi-... African American male. He took that loving narrowed gaze as permission to continue, "Right, it's a myth. As well as that glass ceiling you people keep talking about." "I don't think it is," Ingot spoke up. He didn't think of himself as a feminist, for he actually thought they excluded men. Regardless, he knew there were legitimate criticisms they brought to the table. "The US Department of Labor actually did research for that one: they compared hourly wages of men and women in all levels of management and it came out to be that, yes, they only earn around three-quarters of what we do... Kinda sad, really." "Well, feel bad about it no longer." Kale looked back over to Clover, "What's your last name?" "Fey, but you can call me Clover until the op is over. You?" "I'm Kale." Piers shot him a glare, remembering what his naming game represented. He rolled his eyes, "Matthew or Matt, if you like. Anyways, Miss Fey, riddle me this: What is a business's primary goal?" "Uh..." "Makin' that green papery stuff," Hazel noted lazily. Pinkie poked her and she stared back to the sky. With a gasp, she pointed up, "Dude, a giraffe cloud!" It caused everyone to stare up, whether just to humor her or actually show interest. Their gazes sank back down to the possibly drugged operative when she giggled alongside the pink mare, "That's what I would totally sound like if there was a giraffe shaped cloud." "She's completely stoned, huh?" Stafford asked with a smirk. Hazel shook her head, "Nah, man, this place is just so peaceful compared to Pripyat. I'm totally relaxed, not high..." "Anyways," Kale continued, "if a business's primary concern is making money... Wait for it... Then why aren't there only women with these jobs?" "What do you mean?" Clover asked. "Wouldn't companies only hire women if they could actually get away with paying them that much less for the exact same work a man does? Or do you think there's more to this?" Bellhop took a seat by this point and just listened to them ramble so far, "How much longer do you two think you're gonna go at this? I kinda wanted to get to Canterlot soon..." "The train station starts up at seven AM, Alexander. I'm certain we have time to discuss the relationships betwixt the genders on your planet," Rarity explained. He eyed his watch just to make sure they wouldn't miss the ride... 6:56. Though they didn't have to leave, he didn't like where the argument headed. Nothing told him that it wouldn't lead to problems later on... "I think you're just going to have to show me proof here." Clover crossed her arms. "Proof?" Kale asked with outstretched arms, "W-what the-? How? Am I just supposed to carry around a sheet that shows you cited sources and statistics?" Clover rummaged through her backpack and dug out a paper folded into four quadrants. Upon unfolding, it revealed the very report that Ingot referred to previously. She held it out for him with a blank stare, "Yes." Stafford had to laugh loudly at that, "Dude, you just got wrecked!" Kale couldn't help but smile, though he covered his mouth with a palm, "Alright. Alright, I get you. But my question still stands... I want you to disregard the statistics for a second, because it didn't even compare the right things. Don't you think a company would be much more likely to hire a person at a lower wage if they can do the exact same work another can perform?" "I suppose..." Clover shrugged. "So why aren't there only women in all levels of employment? Why would any manager be dumb enough to hire a man if they knew they could hire an equally skilled woman for less? And again I ask: or do you believe there are more factors than just 'I just like having dick around my office'?" That one drew chuckles, a couple blushed at his vocabulary. Fluttershy eyed the piece of paper and her friend's expression. Clover thought a bit on that one with a chin rub, but her pegasus friend spoke for her, "B-but, the statistics prove it. You can't just deny evidence, Mr. Kale." "Don't you see, Fluttershy? He doesn't need a sheet of paper to prove his point. His reasoning has been enough for two arguments now... And Rainbow Dash, I believe you may owe me quite a sum of bits if this keeps going where I think it is..." Rainbow raised a brow at that, "What are you talkin' about?" Kale spoke up to make everyone forget her question, "To be fair here, they did prove that there's a rough 98 to 100 gap when comparing one man and one woman with exact same experience, college, and career choices. There are instances where they found that women earned more in some areas though." Clover nodded in disappointment. She didn't quite accept this, but just waving a sheet of stats around wasn't going to convince anyone clearly, "I see... But what about our society pushing women to get those types of degrees in teaching? Wouldn't that reflect how such a gap, though miniscule, came to be?" "I thought I just explained how I saw the opposite happening, but I guess it has some merit..." "If it weren't for feminists, women wouldn't have been able to enter the work force on a massive scale!" Rarity shouted out, drawing gazes from everyone... "Ehm... as Fluttershy explained, of course." She sheepishly grinned. "There's a bit of truth to that I guess," Kale shrugged. "Alright, Kale's leading with three points while Miranda’s only got one," said Hazel. Pinkie pondered the previous segments of their debate and nodded in agreement. "You... wrote a score on this?" Spade asked with a brow raised. "Well, sure! It helps us know who's gonna win. Matt has a lead, but Miranda seems to be gaining leverage. You don't even have to come to an agreement, she's just writing down who seems more confident with their answers really," Pinkie chuckled. "What? I'm completely confident with my answers!" Clover exclaimed. Pinkie Pie hopped up and stared her down fiercely, "Are you?" "Yes," Clover said with an angered glare. "Are you?" "Yes!" "Aaaaare you?" "Yes, Pinkie!" she said, about ready to maul this pony. Pinkie bounced back to Hazel with glee, "One point for Miranda!" the female guider scribbled down a tally for Clover with a giggle. "Uh, confidence isn't really how you decide if someone won a debate,” Ingot spoke up. "Yeah, I dunno. I think this argument stuff is pointless... I mean, I like the girl-power aspect of the feminism thing and such, but it just seems sketchy. Just listen to the name. Fem-in-ism... Fem... hrm... It's like only about the women. Miranda, how's it about equality if it's only about the women?" "It's about women getting equal rights par with men and getting rid of their privileges." “But what rights do we have that you don’t?” Oaks asked. All of those nights at the pub with Kale got them talking about this stuff commonly… "And what about female privilege?" Kale wondered aloud. "Why is that men disproportionately lose custody battles to women?" "Because the government seeing women as primary care-takers is mark of patriarchy! It's actually sexism against women because they're trying to force us back into our own roles, you see," Clover spat. Kale bit his tongue at that, "How cute, you don't know that it was your movement that made it this way to begin with? Before this, men received primary custody after divorce." He crossed his arms and continued, "'You know why? Because men were solely responsible for all financial support of a child. And guess what? They still are, even after all this bull shit. Even if they never get to see their kids again; they're still, for some reason, responsible for paying for the children. How is that sexism against women for the benefit of men?" "Because-!" Bellhop rubbed his face thoroughly and checked his watch, “Oh boy, look, it’s seven AM; we should get going to Canterlot.” He continued sarcastically continued, “Oh no! How will your debate on feminism ever get through to all of us. Darn, I guess we’ll just have to stop shoving irrelevant political opinions everywhere and go on about our actual task.” “But you were the one that said I could keep going,” Clover frowned. “And I’ve heard enough of it already; you look like you're about to shoot each other” the Captain noted with a head scratch. The lack of sleep already affected his ability to process either side’s argumentation, “I’m sure that your concerns about…” He yawned, “Making twenty dollars or something can be dealt with back home. Can we move things along?” “I said that women make seventy-.” “Is it relevant to this task, Lieutenant?” Bellhop questioned a firmer manner. He didn’t deny that the marksman had legitimate claims about sexism in their society; it just really had nothing to do with their mission. The ponies sure as hell weren’t going to fix any problems she pointed out… Furthermore, Kale and Twilight seemed to know about as much as she did in this area. Maybe their claims were just as legitimate, though they contradicted hers… It didn’t matter though, they needed to get to Celestia and figure this out. Afterwards, maybe, Clover could do her rants to the mares. She sighed in annoyance, “No, sir…” “And you,” he pointed to Kale, “I think next time you should just let it slide. I don’t want this arguing to cause problems down the road, get it?” Matt raised a brow, “You’re kidding. We arrived, and they started calling us woman-haters. Am I just supposed to say ‘Yeah, sorry about that’ and have all of the ponies be hostile towards us or what?” “I don’t know, but debating over this stuff isn’t gonna end well if we need to work as team now.” “Exactly,” Piers noted. “Uh, you didn’t exactly step in here and stop him, Courtney,” Oaks pointed out. She would have retorted, but Kale just sighed, “I got it. Won’t happen again, Captain.” “Thank you. Let’s get to the station… er…” he trailed off and dug through his backpack. “Will those tickets that Celestia gave us work again? I don’t want to make you spend all your money on us.” “The princess gave you passes I think,” Applejack noted. Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement, “You can take the train all day, every day!” “I think Celestia just wants you to be able to get to her whenever you need to,” Twilight explained. “Your new friends will still need tickets though… Maybe Celestia will give them passes too?” “How long do the train rides take usually?” Kale asked. “About half of one hour… Um… You’re not afraid of heights, are you? It goes over a few lakes, a forest, and through a couple of mountains,” Fluttershy said. It confused Kale since this particular mare sided with Clover only a moment ago, but he shrugged and accepted her warning. “Not an issue, Miss Shy,” Spade responded with a smile. They were Delta… Nothing scared them… “C’mon, it might leave soon,” Twilight said with a hoof pointed towards the train station. [2-3] The Grasslands-June 8, 2021 Last chapter recap for those who skipped it: Bellhop, after driving Discord away with the help of the Element Bearers and his team, remembered that Onyx hadn’t reported back to his CO’s once since they arrived in Equestria. As Bellhop, Mercury, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash head to Pripyat; Fluttershy introduces the herd to feminism. Delta operatives Piers, Kale, Oaks, and Stafford meet with the Onyx combatants and two ponies that accompanied them. Bellhop explains what the circumstances with the changelings are and the newer threat, that Celestia wasn’t yet aware of, Discord. The Delta squad merges with Onyx to provide assistance with their changeling ordeal. Twilight accidentally reveals that she had known more about The Zone than she let on. The changelings actually live in huts around a marshy area within a jungle. A hollowed-out and huge willow tree holds medical staff as well as Queen Chrysalis. The changelings had survived the harsh months, after their defeat at Canterlot, by kid napping ponies and providing them hospitality. In return, the changelings received nourishment; the civilians eventually grew fond of the creatures and their predicament. One 'Miss Light', a red earth mare, is revealed to have come to the changelings rather than being taken from her home. On the way back to Ponyville, Twilight explains that she had one day of adventuring on Earth a few years ago. With the help of a Stalker, she made it back safely and never mentioned the ordeal to any of her friends. The portal remained unfound in Equestria as well… Or maybe it wasn’t there anymore when she came back? Fluttershy had riled up Applejack and Rarity about the subject and they scorned the operatives when they returned. Kale steps up to the claims made and gets in a small debate with Clover. The two cannot finish though, as Bellhop stresses that getting to Celestia is more important than arguing over which sex gets more cookies. With four new members in the squad, special operation members no less; Onyx is confident that the changelings' will fail to negatively affect Equestria any longer. -Equestria, Eagle Pointe -7:02 AM The previous night had been a long one for Lift and his two changeling prisoners. The gryphon revealed enough about his crush to keep the shape shifters from starving, but he fell asleep within an hour of talking. Though they opened up, as promised; he hadn't learned much about what the changelings' goals were before that. Lift understood that they were stealing ponies from their homes and using them to rob them of their emotions, but was too tired to be surprised. The sister had actually taken a legitimate interest in his feelings, and offered friendly advice about confronting Mist. Of course... Randomly tackling and fiercely nuzzling the person you want to get to know better probably wasn't very good advice. Barron, trying to defend his little sister's advice, claimed that he had seen it work before, but Lift made it clear that he wasn't going to attempt that. Mist seemed like the sort of gryphon that would maul a pony over that rather than show affection in return… ...Lift certainly hadn't acted like an interrogator. Since Lift had fallen asleep, Barron's sister had tried to plot out an escape method. The duct tape wasn't even a problem; they could just wiggle their hooves until it came undone. The two needed to make it look like they it kept them bound until they figured out a plan of getting out. "How about if another one shows up, we can knock 'em unconscious and nab the keys?" she wondered out loud. A yawn quickly followed it, for the restless night took away most of their energy. She remembered that Lift had fallen asleep through the first interrogation attempt when Eos was present; he wasn't going to wake up if they spoke freely. "I don’t know, Skit’s," he questioned to receive no answer. "Sister?" Barron asked again while turning to see that she had fallen asleep on him. He shook his head in displeasure at this, for it meant they weren't getting out soon. The changeling decided he would remain awake to see if another idea popped up or if one of the gryphons showed up. Lift jittered once in his slumber and rolled over, still asleep. Barron grimaced at the sight. "Maybe talking about his crush wasn't the best thing to bring up right before he slept," he thought; now wishing the clothes of EPOW recruits covered their lower regions as well. The extra positive emotion never hurt though... Spade worked solely as an interpreter during his short amount of time in Syria. The ridiculous things some of the soldiers he met would say made him wonder why he ever bothered learning any other language than his own. But then he figured that everyone thinks the same exact thing: their country, culture, or language is the best out of any other. At least he got paid for his knowledge... -Equestria, Ponyville -Consult Celestia -7:04 AM "Last call to Canterlot!" Steamer called out from the train's window to no one in particular. The train only held six other passengers as the earlier rides never scored as much attention. He liked keeping the options open for ponies that needed them however; those who planned trips earlier deserved some sort of reward for preparation. Still, business had sulked by over the last couple of months; ponies didn't exactly pack the train to go sight-seeing at Canterlot. No major events, other than Princess Twilight's coronation, occurred at the decorated city which resulted in lack of incentive to go. Maybe he'd shut down the station for a bit when the train returned to Ponyville; then a repair pony could fix the broken windows from yesterday. Now that he thought on it; these changeling raids were probably going to make citizens think twice about boarding the train to get to Canterlot. The earth pony sighed and tucked his head back in the engine car. Steamer pulled down a handle which made a whistle go off and shoveled some coal in the furnace to get the locomotive moving. The wheels squeaked against the tracks for three or four seconds before someone yelled out, "Wait!" He looked out the side of the engine car and spotted six mares and ten of those newer creatures. Weren't there only six before? Steamer frowned as he held a hoof out to wave, "Sorry, Princess! You know that-" he fell to the floor as the train jolted to a stop. With a groan, he rubbed his head and stood up to see what just happened. Twilight had engulfed the lead car in her telekinetic grip to halt it. She continued galloping to get next to the car as Steamer and the other passengers peaked out of the windows to see what was going on. "We're not too late, are we?" Twilight grinned sheepishly at the conductor's baffled stare. He shook his head quickly to make sure he wasn't imagining this situation. With wide eyes and a glance of his surroundings, "I guess not? Do you have your tickets ready at least?" She levitated multiple passes and four newly purchased tickets for the Delta operatives now accompanying them. "Of course," she said with a smile. Since he couldn't really just back the train up; Steamer left the window and walked to the previous cart. He opened the sliding door and waved a hoof back, "Come on in then". Twilight turned to the group, several members having the same expression that Steamer did, and nodded. "Oh, that kind of magic," Stafford said with a shrug. "Twilight that was incredible! I've never seen you move something so heavy before!" Pinkie Pie bounced around with glee. The alicorn hopped up to get in the box car while speaking, “I’m pretty sure I’ve lifted heavier stuff before, Pinkie. Besides, all I did was stop it before it picked up any momentum.” “Yes, but please don’t make this a habit, Princess Sparkle,” Steamer sighed as the rest of mares climbed aboard. Bellhop stood back while the others entered first. If stopping a train, though moving slow, wasn’t difficult for her; Bellhop was glad they found the ponies first. He was also thankful Twilight decided not to maim him when they first arrived, though he had beaten down one of her friends right in front of her… Spade held a hand out for the Captain to grasp and ease his way up. With everyone on the successfully on the train, it was smooth sailing to Canterlot. Twilight nodded in apology to Steamer and moved away from the engine car to find decent seats. The conductor closed the sliding door and blew the whistle again to signal take off. Fortunately, Bellhop had yet to see that mint green pony from the previous day. Looks like the ride would be enjoyable this time around… Onyx, Delta, and the Element Bearers sat around the first car, which none of the original passengers used oddly. Bellhop scored a seat by the windo-… the thing was still broken from yesterday. Well, that explained the lack of ponies in their particular box car. The train picked up decent speed and quickly turned Ponyville to a silhouette as Bellhop watched it, the wind crazily blowing at him. “I’ve actually been practicing a long distance teleportation spell so we might not need to use this thing anymore,” Twilight noted. She had to raise her voice a bit as the heavy breeze tried to silence her. “The princess said it may take a while to figure out completely though.” “I’m sure you’ll get it,” Piers shouted, trying not to laugh at this situation. The magic was one thing, but the ponies just ignoring the wind made Piers chuckle. “’Think you could fix the windows with your current skills?” “Probably not; I’d need all the pieces!” Twilight actually shouted back, for the train’s picked up speed made the gale louder. *Just a heads up to all of ya; Twilight faked the attitude she was givin’ Alex yesterday,* Mercury said through his radio piece. He didn’t have to speak up for everyone to hear on the plus side. Clover spoke up as well, *we found out that Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo went home… Well, the orange one spent the night at Rarity’s with Sweetie. No harm done, you three.* *’Not our fault; they wanted to stay up,* Spade claimed. *Couldn’t you have just told them no?* Hazel asked. “We’re gonna have to find those three when we get back. I’ll tell them you’re taking them on an adventure or something. Then when you say no; their faces 'll break your heart,” Bellhop said with a smirk. Applejack raised a brow, “What?” “He’s referring to our sisters and Scootaloo, I’m certain,” Rarity said. “What?” the apple farmer asked again, failing to hear her over the wind. Rarity rolled her eyes and looked to the operative she sat next to. Stafford had won a window seat, but the white pony failed to find a seat near her friends. She decided to give the laid back combatant a chance, for he may have felt uncomfortable as a newer member in Equestria. The Delta member, on the other hand, eyed her suspiciously. "You seem familiar," he noted with a chin rub. She didn't expect that, "Er, how so? Captain Smith explained to us that colored ponies were an oddity in your home land.” “I’m not sure… I think I’ll have to draw it the way I remember just to see if it matches. Think you could hold still when I compare it?” “Draw me?” Rarity questioned and looked around for others' expressions to make sure she heard that correctly. When focusing back on the Delta member, "Right now?" “I said I’d compare it to you; you don’t gotta wait around for me to finish.” Confusedly, she nodded. Rainbow blurted out to the whole car, “Hey guys! Twilight told me ‘n’ the new ones that she went to their place before! Like way back then!” That scored all the passengers’ attention, for they all stared at Twilight in hopes that she would explain. “Heh, uh…” the alicorn forced a chuckle, “it’s true; I’ve been there before.” “Really? Did you get there from the portal like us?” Oaks asked. “No, I returned using it though…” There is a disadvantage to the ammo counter for Onyx’s visors. When reloading, the device assumes that a soldier is loading a fresh magazine that is completely full. If a user of the device was fond to the practice of reusing magazines that weren’t completely spent, then the feature would eventually mislead the person as to how much ammo was left in their magazine… -7:28 AM “Train’s in sight! Bog, split off with group two and search the grasslands for Barron and his sister!” the lead changeling called out. The one he spoke to broke off from the flock after nodding, several others followed him closely to search for their friends. These particular black creatures chose to work with the UMP45’s, for the shorter length and higher caliber of the guns were going to help them overpower anyone in close quarters. They didn’t come in hopes of fighting anypony; they just needed one or two new subjects for the colony’s prospering... whether they wanted to help or not. As of now, it was rolling on tracks that soared a good fifty feet above ground because it had recently passed through a mountain. That and it probably smoothed out the ride since so many hills soared around the grasslands. What originally gave Onyx trouble maneuvering before would probably come in handy as cover now… The tracks wouldn’t lower altitude from this point on, as Canterlot settled on the side of a mountain as described before. The changelings needed to act fast because there wasn’t much more time until the train arrived at the decorated city. A moment more of swift flying got them to the roof of the locomotive. They were extremely cautious of letting the firearms hit the train when landing so they would avoid making too much noise. They were lucky enough that the nopony spotted them so far. When the squad of four all successfully gathered atop the desired car, one before the engine room of course, they shifted forms. As human-morphs, they could effectively use the weapons to their advantage and threaten any of the passengers to comply with their demands. The leader of the four spoke loudly enough for only his friends to hear, “Alright, Meek, you and I are gonna grab one each. Sap and Noble, you keep others from interfering, got it?” They nodded to show they understood. He pulled out a cylindrical object with hexagonal caps on its bottom and top, the top one had an inscription that read 'M84'. A large ring wiggled as he brought it up for inspection. The changeling looked over the edge of the moving train to see which window he'd toss it through. “Five seconds. Drop in, get them, and head straight home,” he said while grabbing the primary pull ring... “He told me some farewell in that language they all spoke over there… and I never saw him since then,” Twilight explained, focusing all attention to her. She turned to her rainbow-maned friend, “to answer your question from way earlier, Dash, I don’t know how somepony never came across that thing. I thought it would be illogical to try and go back because Nicky told me he was going to destroy it. I guess he failed.” “Twilight, why wouldn’t ya tell us ‘a this little adventure you had? It would’a been somethin’ nice to talk about at get-togethers,” Applejack noted with a smile. “Well, I told Celestia first and she explained that I should keep it a secret. I’m not sure why she told me that, or why I listened,” Twilight said with a smirk forming. “It is a cool story, isn’t it? I think I just put the princess’s word above my reasoning again,” she said while hiding a chuckle. “It’s okay, Twilight! Now that all that story balled up inside of you; it probably felt great to let us all in on it,” Pinkie said with a nod. “Heh, yeah. I don’t even know why I was worried. It’s not like anything-.” Something broke through the window beside Twilight. It bounced against the floor twice, while catching everyone's attention, and released a deafening ping. A blinding flash corrupted everyone's vision and forced them to bring a forelimb to cover their eyes. They cried out in distress, the mares making a larger commotion since nothing had ever affected them this way before. “Fuck, flashbang!” Oaks called out while attempting to make out the offenders. He could barely hear his own voice over the ringing in his ears as he fell over. Stun grenades were awful things to encounter. They not only blind and deafen the targets momentarily, but it impairs the fluids in their ears which causes a loss of balance. The operatives tripped over one another as the changelings swooped in. They were well aware that they were under attack, but they couldn't risk just firing randomly in this environment. Several combatants, or more importantly one of the ponies, were bound to get hit by mistake. Sap fiddled with her sub-machine gun as she spoke shakily, “I-I think that’s-!" "I know!" he shouted hastily. He pointed at Pinkie since she had been bouncing around as Twilight explained her experience on Earth... which resulted in her being the only one out of her seat and in the middle of the hall, "New plan! Only her! Go!" Noble happened to be closest to the pink mare when they vaulted in the train. She quickly smacked Pinkie over the head once with the stock of her UMP45 to knock her unconscious. Quickly following the action, Noble morphed into her changeling form and latched her forehooves around the pony. The lead changeling nodded firmly at his friends and they switched to their original bodies to escape the locomotive. Hazel shook her head and viciously scrambled against the floor to get to the window as she regained her vision. She saw them flying away with her pink friend as she drew up her X95, "Dammit! Guys, they got Pinkie!" The other combatants recovered and scurried to get to the same side as the disheartened guide. The mares had a much harder time getting back to their hooves but still made it to the windows to see what Hazel was yelling about. They couldn't land a decent shot at this range... "Wha'd' we do?" she asked anxiously. "Yards," Clover said. "Tracking... Forty," Ingot said calmly as he peered through his binoculars. It seemed as if Clover just appeared next to the other operatives as they turned to their left to see the two. She had her SRS steadily aimed at the flying group of four. "Fifty yards," Ingot informed, warning her that they were creating a larger gap very quickly. The bullet drop would make it a far more difficult shot the distance became too great, especially since they were on a moving surface already. "Wait!" Rainbow cried, Y-you might hit Pink-!" she stopped when Mercury put a hand over her mouth. Bellhop held up an index finger to his mouth while gazing at the ponies to let them know they needed to be silent... He hoped that they could figure out what the gesture meant. Ingot found it difficult to continue his calm demeanor while continuing to pile up the distance, "Eighty yards... Ninety... One hundr-". An incredibly loud bang made the antsy ponies cover their ears. The bullet soared fifty feet above Equestria's plains until it met the unfortunate soul lugging Pinkie Pie around. It struck Noble's wing which she promptly screamed in agony at. "Nice shot!" Kale exclaimed and turned to the marksman responsible. Clover removed her facial gear and smiled back at him, which made his awarding grin immediately drop to a disappointed frown. Matthew never did figure out the roles of each Onyx member... Clover couldn't find the time to call him on that because the ponies started shouting at them. "They're falling!" Rarity yelled. The changeling, as a result of Clover's rifle permanently tearing her wing, fell at a dangerous speed. Noble dropped the pony and kept falling, her swift wings flaps kept her from dropping as hard though. The other changelings tried to swoop down after her, but weren't fast enough... Noble slammed into the ground with Pinkie Pie as an unsettling crack rang through the air. "Pinkie!" Hazel called out. Mercury prefers closer range weaponry to successfully fight off anyone he needs to when tending to someone's wounds on the field. He chose to work with the FN P90 and Kel-tec KSG, a high capacity sub-machine gun and bullpup pump-action shotgun. Regardless of the weapons' effective ranges, they were as lethal as any other weapon. It made him consider if what Onyx used was overkill or not... “Captain, are you seeing this?” Decker asked as he lowered his binoculars. He had spotted the changelings while scouting over the grasslands, particularly when they flew out of the train with Pinkie. Stride flew next to the recruit and squinted to try and see what he saw. “I think they just robbed that train, sir,” he said while turning to the worried gryphon. Stride dug out his own set of field glasses to be sure he heard that right. Gilda, Helios, and Drift caught up to the two. Stride wanted to put the new militants to work right away since Gilda and Helios had been all of his team for a week and a half. Since he had Lift and Eos watching over the changelings from a few hours ago; Decker and Drift offered to scout over Equestria with them. Gilda spoke while rubbing her eyes a bit, “What’s going on?” “They stole a pony!” Stride yelled, which shook Helios into the moment. He had been a bit groggy, as well as Gilda from the prior night watch... “Oh… What do you want us to do?” she asked showing minimum concern. She didn’t have the greatest history with the citizens of Equestria. Rather ironic, since this was a military group that specifically supported them without tossing all of Albatropolis’s air force into the complex. Her experience had more to do with Ponyville though... Half of her disconcern had to do with her lack of sleep, so it wasn't so much just disdain for the ponies. Stride shook his head, “we save her, Lieutenant. Follow me, all of you!” "Twilight, try to get Steamer to stop the train!" Bellhop shouted. He turned to his team while hopping up on the window-less window sill, "Ingot, Spade, on me; we're getting down there!" "You might need a medic too; follow me n' Captain Smith, Matt!" Piers commanded. Kale complied, "Got it!" Bellhop let his rifle sag on his back as he gripped the roof of the train from the outside. He quickly lifted himself up and threw his lower body over the metallic top. Bellhop scanned the premise to make sure the train wasn't going through a tunnel soon while he waited for the others to make their way up. The changelings paced around anxiously and tried to recover their injured friend as well as Pinkie. He spotted some other flying creatures in the distance too... Ingot had made his way up first and noticed what the Captain stared at from afar. He brought up his binoculars again to scout, "What the hell are those?" "Can't be good news; follow me!" Bellhop replied while starting a jog to the back of the locomotive. Spade, Piers, and Kale had made it up now and followed Bellhop and Ingot with their weapons drawn. "Jump off so we can rappel down! Don't miss the tracks!" He shouted, in hopes they would catch that. They had to make a few small jumps to get to the last car before that however. He took a running leap after landing on the caboose to soar off the train. Fortunately, the tracks didn't have an abundance of little nooks in between each wooden support slab, so there was little chance of them shoving their legs through on accident. When he landed, rather harshly on his legs at that, Bellhop heard the screech of the train's brakes behind him. He turned to see that the others had landed and that the train was stopping like he hoped. Bellhop sounded off new orders, "'Need'a cable going down, now!" Россия! "Ne problema," Spade said as he dragged out coiled up rope from his back. He tore apart the plastic band that wrapped the thing together neatly in an oval. Both ends had metal clips to make quick work of tying a knot. He found one of the openings in the tracks and wrapped the cord around the rail once, then clipped the rope to itself. He threw the jumbled mess off the track and stared down to confirm when it was unraveled completely. *Captain, it doesn't look like those other cats flying to Pinkie are on the changelings' side. They're freaking out now that they spotted them from down there,* Hazel spoke up while squinting at the groups. *Did you call them cats?* Piers asked quizzically. *She just referred to them like that to sound cool. My mother said the same thing about her friends, but..." Clover humored her team mate as she scouted through her magnified optic, "I think that has partial credit though. Uh, are gryphons a real thing in this world?" she asked Fluttershy. Clover and Ingot had to be the only two that weren't blatantly worried over this situation... "Gryphons?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Uh, I think that might be Equestria's joint operation force. You should probably try to steer clear of them," she informed. The thought of harming Equestria's ties with the gryphons didn't sit right with her. *Got it. Captain, they're gryphons apparently, and Rainbow Dash says that they're on board with the ponies' military.* *Copy,* Bellhop responded, *Onyx, do not engage the other group of flyers.* *What about us?* Piers asked with a smirk. *Not a good time, Lieutenant!* Kale growled. The humans didn't have time to stare in awe at such mythological creatures, for they had to rescue Pinkie. Spade roughly tugged on the cord to make sure it secured itself decently to the rail. "Rope is fine; let us move," he said while gripping it with both hands. The Russian quickly slid down the lengthy wire and tightened his grip as he neared the bottom to slow down. *You may go. Idti,* he said to inform the others they could rappel down without hitting him. Ingot went next, followed by Kale, Piers, and then Bellhop. "The next train to pass by 'll cut the rope, no worries," Bellhop noted while waving a hand towards their objective. The fields actually had a few hills scattered around randomly. Fortunately, the group rappelled down behind one of them. "On me. We don't shoot unless shot at." "'Little late for that, Cap'..." Ingot spoke up. He started moving ahead quickly with his rifle out, "Fine. Just don't shoot the pony, got it?" Piers pointed ahead of Bellhop, "I think they got some extra help!" She spotted more changelings coming to assist the first group of four. One landed and quickly went prone while switching to a more suitable form. He bipoded down his LSAT and started firing at the train in bursts, thinking it might give his friends trouble. The others crouched down and aimed their weapons around. Bellhop crouched near the top of the hill and held a fist up to tell the others to halt, "Take out the LMG." He then backed up a few feet to speak safely, *Get the train to Canterlot without us; we can't risk the others getting hurt.* *Yes, sir!* Clover replied who was ducking to avoid the changeling’s fire. He looked back over the hill to notice Ingot flipped up the magnifier for his holographic optic and pointed straight at the group of hostiles. "Ten of 'em Captain. You want me to take the first one?" "MG, hit 'm." He shot right after the confirmation and hit the laying changeling in the side of the head. The chains of bullets stopped as the black creature automatically shifted back to his true form. It was a rather ironic way to confirm a kill... Some picked up to the responsible combatants and fired back. Ingot quickly crawled behind the hill to find his team mates. "Target down." "Nice one," Piers said with a 'thumbs up'. Ingot wavered off the compliment, "Still nine left, maybe six willing to fight back though. A couple are trying to recover Pinkie and help their friend that Clover hit." Bellhop crouch walked to the right to try and start a path around the hill. "Piers and Kale, go left. Ingot, Spade, with me." The group split as he asked and made their ways to both angles of the hill. Bellhop aimed out to see that the changelings scanned the area and that the gryphons were speeding up to them. The Captain fired a burst at the kneeling ones to get another down. "Strike one." "They were attacking the train a moment ago, go!" Stride called out. Helios, Gilda, Decker, and Drift tailed him quickly to give help where anyone needed it. "Save the pony! They get in your way; you kill them!" He sounded off, this time reaching both claws into his saddle bags. Stride whipped out two knuckle blades for each claw and gave them a cosmetic twirl before gripping them fiercely. The others pulled out similarly sharp melee weapons and stretched their forelimbs out to fight the wind and fly faster. Gilda squinted at the set of doppelgangers, for the laying pink blur of a pony seemed familiar to her. Oddly, to the gryphons, another two changelings shouted in pain and fell over to switch back to their true forms. Stride was first to get to them. He hit the ground harshly with the others to draw their attention away from the train, "You're coming in to custody. Surrender the pony and follow us or you die, changeling." "Meek, we can't go with them!" Sap shouted, holding back tears over her lost friends. Stride walked forward with anger and looked very intimidating to the shape shifters, "That was your only warning..." he hissed. Meek narrowed his eyes and pointed his UMP, making the gryphons stop. They never figured out if Helios's assumptions were true after taking the weapons back. They had dropped off the two captives and let Eos and Lift interrogate them while they were away. They also had the task of figuring out what the ACR was for or what it did, but we already covered that they fell asleep. "Same goes for you," Meek said coldly. "Bleak, Sap, you need to get Noble out of here... I'll get the p-" "W-what about the Miasma!?" Bleak asked his brother worriedly. "I don't care. All of you need to head home right-." Stride cut Meek's orders short as he lunged at the changeling. It swiped his leg, creating a cruel gash on his current fleshy skin and made him growl in retaliation. Meek spun to his left and crushed the sub-machine gun against the Captain's face. He turned to his friends as Helios came for him next, "Go, now!" Meek's friends acted quickly. Bleak latched onto Noble after swapping to his regular form and immediately soared away. Sap scurried over to Pinkie Pie in hopes of making the hive a better place, but Gilda had got to her first. She hopped over Pinkie and pointed her blades at Sap, "Back off!” Sap complied and flew off in fear, giving Gilda time to see that the pink pony’s hind leg snapped. Gilda quickly spun the familiar mare over, "What the? You?" Helios swatted at Meek with his knuckle blade, but heard a loud blast when he missed. Something burned near his stomach and made him look down. Hot blood seeped down his left leg and made him open his mouth in shock when spotting the hole in it. He couldn't react further, for Meek shot him twice more, one hitting him in the stomach and the other in his neck. "Shit! Helios!" Gilda shouted. Stride got up and fully understood what the weapons were capable of. Helios fell to the grass and would continue pouring blood until he died... That or asphyxiation would get to him first. Meek threatened the others by pointing at them. His friends had abandoned him as he asked by this point. "Stop there!" Bellhop shouted at the group. He needed them to stop before they hurt Pinkie. The operatives quickly paced towards the fighters with their weapons up. Stride panicked, "More of 'em! We can't fight these guys; Decker, grab the pink one and head back!" Decker did as his Captain asked and grabbed the pony. He looked at Eos's downed brother in guilt, "What about-?" "He's dead, recruit! Let's go!" Stride yelled. Helios was a lost cause, for he already succumbed to shock... Meek didn't want to cause any more trouble with the gryphons. His goal was to defend his friends while they fled, but he didn't expect them to leave. The lone changeling turned to the humans as Bellhop looked at the escaping EPOW. "Fuck!" he cursed, knowing they had two groups to stay after. “Watch it!” Piers shouted. Bellhop quickly gazed left, only to topple over and fall to the ground to avoid a UMP smacking him in the face. Meek threw the gun, shifted to his true body, and immediately took off to head home. The changeling’s heart pounded so hard that he felt it might burst… Hopefully he could help Noble when he got back. Piers continued aiming at Meek while he created a very large gap between them in very little time, but Bellhop rested a hand atop her CM901. "There's no point..." *Guys, did you get Pinkie back? We can see the gryphons flying away,* Hazel spoke up. Bellhop sighed and looked back at the bodies that this battle produced: Three changelings and one gryphon. He turned to the tracks where he expected to see his team, but realized what he commanded them to do during the battle. The train was gone, likely already in Canterlot... *Uh... The gryphons flew off with her. They mistook us for more changelings... That one that stayed behind flew off too after he threw his SMG at us.* *Well, damn. What do we do now?* Stafford asked. *We go after her...* Bellhop sighed. *Rainbow Dash told me that they live in a city in the sky, similar to her home town." Oaks said and forced himself to disregard how weird that sounded. "Unless you guys grow wings; I think Canterlot’s your new destination. We’ll figure something out while you walk here, Captain.* This only meant the day was nowhere near over. Bellhop was hoping to get back to the observations part of their mission after they spoke to Celestia again… They had to get Pinkie Pie back though; he promised the Princess that Onyx would keep them safe. He sighed, *Canterlot’s where we go then… c'mon.* -Fun fact: The train actually needs to keep a constant speed of 32 MPH/51.5 KPH to get from Ponyville to Canterlot (26Km) in half of one hour.
[1-1] LureThis story contains depictions and descriptions of the following: Politically incorrect morals, strong language, hinted-at sex, intense violence, gore... and ponies -You, the reader, have been warned thoroughly- -June 7, 2021 -Langley, Virginia (Central Intelligence Agency) -10:05 AM Mission Briefing About one week ago, a collective intelligence group referred to as 'Golf Squad' went to explore the Chernobyl National Power Plant after combined US and RU forces had retaken the territory. They had discovered access to another world through a portal that resided in one of the warehouses. It was one that was closer to the fourth reactor, so they had to take shots when they were out of harm's way. The fire team of four searched the new place for a brief few hours before returning. We were informed of a world that wasn't quite so different from ours. The inhabitants were... odd to our standards, but nonetheless interesting, and they speak English for...whatever reason. But this is where you come in, we want your group to further investigate the place. You will be allowed 15 days to gather any additional information on the planet, the inhabitants, and their ways of life. You will do this with precision and stealth, primarily stealth. We cannot have you startling the locals and having them fear us, so make all necessary attempts not to be seen. With this being the case, there is still always the off chance that you are compromised. If this is to occur, you are not to harm them. We can't assure you that they will return the favor, but it is important that we do not disturb their environment. Your armor has the ability of active camouflage and I trust that all of you have spent the last couple of weeks learning to use it effectively. It should be enough to let you slip through any townships undetected. If you cause trouble, you deal with it. Deal with it logically as well. Keep in mind that once you enter to the world, you cannot use your radios to contact us. You can communicate amongst yourselves while you are inside though. If you need to report in and tell us something, which you will be doing every 12 hours, simply exit through the portal and the radio waves should be good to go. Captain Alex Smith, you will be commandeering this unit of 6 when exploring. I trust that you are trained in this area and can handle leading teams. You have a promising reputation and we hope to see it put in play effectively. The KGB has helped with the funding for this expedition with the exception that they have one of their own members tag along. I introduce you to Vasily Yetgarev. He will provide extra ammunition if for any reason you need it, and don't worry, he speaks English decently. He is under your command and will take orders, regardless of his priorities. Being more specific on your mission, Golf Squad was not able to find any personnel of interest. This will pretty much cover your objectives. Listen around and use promoted tactics to acquire information. Again, if you are caught, just come clean and explain why you're there. There's no reason to startle the public and have them attacking you. Oh, it didn't occur to me until now... This is a society with their own ways of doing things, their own methods of coping, and their own beliefs... You are not to incorporate any personal beliefs on them just as much as you are not going to hurt them. The weapons provided were given to you to be used only when absolutely necessary. Alright? You will get to the Ukraine by air and you should expect to arrive in a few hours. Get prepped, you're leaving now... Good luck in there, Onyx team. "For evil men to win; good men have to do nothing. Well I think the opposite is true: for good men to win; evil men have to do nothing. Think about it..." -TJ Kirk, TheAmazingAtheist (Neckbeard Uprising) -June 7, 2021 (Day One) -Pripyat, Ukraine -Get to the Chernobyl NPP and locate the portal -12:47 PM Onyx was flown directly to the checkpoint of the exclusion zone to get proper militant access into the region. Only a week prior to this event had the Russians been fighting for control over the area. Successfully, and with the help of some soldiers of the United States, they had driven roughly one thousand Stalkers out of the Zone. Some teams of scientists roamed about to gather information on radiation spikes and possibly to find some of those precious artifacts as well. The team observed said scientists searching while getting an escorted ride to the city through humvees. The Russians were many things to the United States during their joint operation in this area, but courteous was fortunately the primary one. There would always be some uneasiness between them since the Cold War, but pursuit of the unknown was enough to make them set that aside for now. The Captain requested that the team continue on foot when getting to town square. Pripyat was a ghost town that had been uninhabited since 1986 due to a nuclear disaster the city's locale power plant. Radiation levels remain high even to this day. With all who lived there now gone buildings and homes were practically corroded. Moss and broken appliances filled all buildings and homes. All grass and fauna had withered away from constant exposure to the radioactivity. But the city wasn't what the six soldiers were in the Ukraine for. Only about three-thousand meters from Pripyat rested the Chernobyl Power Plant and all its nuclear infamy. So far, they had spent about twenty minutes walking to make it to their goal. The combat medic, Bradley McCoy, tried striking a conversation. He would be referred to as Mercury for the duration of the operation. They walked in a relaxed pace while the operative spoke, "I'm just saying, this doesn't seem like the best use a’ our abilities. Feels like a waste of all this high-end gear don't ya think?" The leader of the group, now known as Bellhop, only replied with the voice of reason, "If they want us to do something, we do it. Quit complaining, this is important." The Russian of the four that walked seemed far more focused on the mission, "Power plant's in 80 meters, sir," the mission required codenames, so he chose Spade. "Good," replied Bellhop, "Clover, how’s it look from you position?" Roughly 50 meters from the group of four, rested the combatants that would be called Clover and Ingot for the rest of the mission. The two were told to sit back that far so that they could warn the team of any possible threats. Though none would ever come; everything was dead here. Ingot replied, "We can see the power plant from here; heading to your AO." "I wasn’t aware that you two swapped names," grunted Bellhop, "Get here quickly." "We're on it Cap'," Clover said. As the group made progress, a few dead bodies really backed up their thoughts on how the militants from one week ago handled Stalkers. The corpses undoubtedly belonged to those thieves who were too stubborn to leave the Zone peacefully. The only noises in the area were sounds of dead grass rustling under the boots of Onyx and occasional spikes of radiation on the meters. The lifeless terrain seemed to deem the soldiers as unwelcome, but that wouldn't stop them... It wasn't long before they had entered the proximity of Chernobyl. The further into the Plant they went; the larger the buildings became through perspective. That towering yellow crane marked the object that was closest to their destination. It worked for Onyx like the Northern Star, Polaris, would work for a lost traveler in the desert. Hazel, the only other female operative in Onyx spoke up, "It's that green one, right? The... huh, portal should be in there." She spoke with a bit of skepticism, for the whole dimensional traveling thing sounded obscure. If it were true, then hot damn, was Hazel honored to be a part of it. She didn't see much reason not to believe her commanders, but the whole thing felt very sci-fi to her... "Yeah, that's it." Bellhop felt it was necessary to do final preparations before entering, "Alright, check your supplies, weapons, make sure everything's loaded and on safety. Now check reflector." Onyx wore armor that presented a pitch black color. Pouches were there for magazine storage. Precise stitching ran up the sleeves. Wrinkleless fine cloth pants with sidearm holsters met up with utility belts around the waist, burnt black combat boots with straps for laces, and medium sized backpacks firmly packed with any additional supplies rested over the hydration pouches behind the soldiers. The helmets were made of Kevlar and stitched over with a seamless black cloth. They wore masks that only covered their mouths and wrapped around the neck and back of the head. Just above the mask rested ballistic goggles that had a dark tint to them. Normally, it would be a disadvantage in any daylight situation because anyone could spot them in a heartbeat, but the solid color helped with the clothing's far more interesting ability. As a quick test; all Onyx members started up the desired feature. In seconds, all you would be able to see was the power plant in front of them and the small patches of dead grass that surrounded the warehouse. With a subtle sound of static, they disabled the ability. It was now confirmed that the armor was working properly and they could enter to start their explorations with the help of active camouflage. Bellhop reassured his team, "Okay, we're going. Note your surroundings and use your weapon where applicable. We stick together unless it's required to do otherwise, understood?" The whole group replied, "Got it." Onyx kept their primary weapons aimed and slowly maneuvered into the warehouse. Little flashlights were set on a type of attachment rail attached to their helmets. The lights ended up being necessary, for the inside was too dark to see. It drove Clover to slight discomfort as they walked over the dusty floor. The whole area preceding this place was just as unsettling and quiet, so the addition of darkness making her worry was justified. Ingot thought his light was glowing less brightly over the walls and stopped working to illuminate the area ahead of him. The others appeared to have this problem too as he looked to them for an explanation before getting the idea to announce the issue. However, Bellhop just turned his off, which made Ingot cock his head and copy the action. The rest of the team quickly discovered that they didn't need the flashlights anymore due to the well-lit opening ahead, so they clicked them off as well. The leader of Onyx entered a sort of tactical phase as he pointed the weapon and forced out precise leg movements to lower the volume of his actions. The minors parroted his example for a second before he boarded up with the wall, making them stop. Their black weapons pointed to the open doorway while they obediently waited on the okay to move in. Hazel felt her arms straining to hold up her assault rifle as they wobbled slightly, but Bellhop spoke up, "Mercury, go." "Yeh," he mumbled while quickly turning the corner past his commander. Bellhop pushed a closed hand through the air in front of him to tell the rest of the team to go ahead as well. One by one, they crept past Bellhop to meet Mercury and kneel next to him to piece a hexagonal formation where the operatives aimed in every direction. He turned the corner finally after Clover past him up to find that none of them actually started the hex form like he intended. They all stared at the emitter of light with their weapons sagging down. "Whoa, um... I wasn't the only one that thought they were kidding about this, right?" Hazel asked while examining her allies. They either didn't hear her or were to preoccupied with staring at the impossible object in front of them, likely the latter. Bellhop shot her a scowl for expressing mistrust, though playful, in their commanders. She shrugged at the gesture and pulled up a piece of paper. Unfolding it revealed a map drawn out by one of the Golf squad's members a week ago; something that should have also diminished her skeptical thoughts beforehand. "Hmm... Okay, Golf looked in this foresty area over here yesterday. We're going to be heading to the east of that mess to check out this place which is directly north when we get through. They marked it as a village or society of some sort, but they didn't explore it because they didn't have the means to do so like we do now... Y' know, active camo and stuff. So?" she concluded, wondering how her Captain wanted to go about doing this task. Bellhop silently looked at his small group, they blankly stared back. He stated clearly, "North is where we go then. C'mon." Spade was particularly uneasy while observing as Bellhop past him. The Captain waved a hand forward in the direction of the portal to make them follow closely. He vanished into the bright sphere while they walked and scraped against dirt clumps on the floor. Clover stopped in her tracks to re-evaluate the safety of going through with this. Ingot noticed her distress and patted her shoulder from behind. She jolted and concealed a gasp as she turned to see the firm nod of a friend. It brought her some comfort and got her moving towards the objective again. The others had already gotten through and were probably waiting on the two. Thinking about the adventure they would endure in the new world, Ingot and Clover entered to regroup on their squad mates. Bellhop achieved the rank of Captain during his service in Syria. He was looked at as efficient in his work and seemed to be a clear pick for a task of higher leadership. Such skills would be required for what was to come... -Unknown -Investigate new world -1:03 PM A vast land of forestry and plains was the first thing the combatants were greeted with. It was amazing, a solid green color made up much of the terrain that soared on for miles. Hills ran though the land, making random incline spikes all over and eventually met up with large brown mountains with the peaks covered in white snow. In comparison to Pripyat, the place was flawless. However, there were no signs of the inhabitants. That was a good thing though, for the money put into their equipment would have been pointless if the creatures were there to see them right away. The team of six rested, and performed self-examinations to see if anything was affected. They were concerned that they might have been burned due to the nature of the area that the portal was in. But, everything checked out alright, so they took a knee and formed a small hexagon to watch in every direction. There was still the matter of where they actually were for the past half hour. Bellhop spoke up, "Alright, step one is done. Take an anti-rads shot to get that stuff out of your system," "Anti-what?" Ingot asked. "The zone is prone to give you radiation poisoning if you do not take the drugs to combat it, friend," Spade said while he already had the orange syringe in his arm. He grimaced subtly while pressing the medication down into his limb. "So what's in it?" Mercury eyed the capped needle, rotating his hand to look around it and check the amount of liquid inside. "Dunno," Bellhop sighed as he shivered when pushing the drug into his body, "'Long as it keeps you from dying..." Mercury rolled his eyes then flicked his thumb up to pop the cap off and expose the clean needle. He injected the radiation stopping drug in his upper arm while those who hadn't also complied. Now they wouldn't die from cancer later in life hopefully. After putting the spent syringes into their backpacks, where they wouldn't cut someone who accidentally stepped on one, Bellhop stood up and had Hazel check a compass. She pointed off in the distance which directed everyone's eyes to more hills and a blue sky. "Okay, time to move. Clover, Ingot, you'll watch over us when we get within a hundred meters of the city. You'll be weaving us through and telling us if anything is looking at what they shouldn't be," Bellhop explained. Hazel spoke up with her face hidden behind parchment, "Oh, Really quickly: it doesn't seem like they place is more than nine-hundred m's from here, 'cause this thing says the forest was about thirteen-hundred away from where we stand now." "'Place won't explore itself; let's go," Ingot said while looking ahead using the scope on his battle rifle. "Yeah, let's just go slowly for the first few hundred meters." They took care with moving forward, for they didn't want to risk piling up any attention before even getting to the town. It did exaggerate the distance a bit which caused a few minor complaints in the group. "Let's just go slowly for the first hundred meters," said Mercury while sarcastically mimicking his Captain's words from before. "This'll take forever," he continued in a pestered voice. "If you want to kill our chances with this before it even starts, then by all means go ahead. If not, then keep a steady pace and stay cool," replied Bellhop. Mercury merely sighed and kept up with the slow pace of the group. They all had their camo working while moving up. Crouch walking was a necessary maneuver when using the device, for the mirroring technology had to keep up with its surroundings. On the bright side, the destination wasn't much further away. Onyx member Hazel does not like to discuss what went on during her tours in Syria. Her brother, Andrew Giles, was designated MIA shortly after Hazel was promoted to Command Sergeant Major for her successful operations... -Find Society of Interest -1:38 PM So far, at least for Mercury, the journey had been a tedious one. Not one creature other than his team mates had come in his field of vision when clearing over four-hundred meters of grassy earth. He decided that he enjoyed going up the hills more than down them, for Onyx would crawl up them instead of scooting along the ground. It was something, anything other than crouch walking, that he enjoyed, for the other thing strained his legs to a point of agony. Currently, the team was doing the awesome part: crawling up a hill. The grass rustled against his stomach and arms as he pushed each arm ahead of he other when scooting up. Mercury savored the little time that the action lasted because as soon as it ended, they were going to do the tuckered awkwardness that was crouching and walking at the same time. He felt the incline leveling out below him and brought out disappointment. This time, Mercury was ready to just groan really loudly and suggest crawling to the town, but saw his superior ahead of him mutter, "Stop." Bellhop went back down as the others made it to his altitude to observe. There was the city in sight from the top of this hill where the group lay prone. Before the objective in the distance rested a lake at the bottom of the inclined terrain. The pure water was as blue as the sky, but must have been shallow, for ducks were abundant and swimming about on its surface. But, there was something outside of the water too. All of the animals in the lake, maybe five or six, were crowding near it, for it was tossing bread slices into the water. *Something's there,* Bellhop said while squinting, of course, the expression was hidden behind his visor. *Dormant, unarmed...* Ingot said to disengage the group's suspicions. His face backed away from the magnified optic atop his Mark 17. *Clover, Ingot, you perch up here. Onyx, on me; we're getting a closer look,* Bellhop commanded calmly. The four members slowly descended the hill to further investigate. It must have been one of the inhabitants, based on the descriptions and pictures provided by Golf Squad. But, the photos that Golf took depicted black colored creatures with paper thin wings and hole-punched limbs. This one was different... Mercury was, of course, the first to question the odd appearance. He still did it quietly, "The hell? What's with the Technicolor?" "She looks adorable," Clover cooed. "How do you know its a girl?" Hazel asked. "How would you know if gender is even a factor in this place? Maybe all of 'em are herms," Mercury suggested. "At least stupid things like feminism would've never come around then," he continued with a grumble. Clover shook her head as if to reassess what she just heard, "Wha-?" "We are not doing this shit right now. Not now. Stay focused, all of you," Bellhop groaned. The harshness was clearly directed at Mercury for being the one to bring it up, but Clover took the blunt statement a bit more to heart. She couldn't think much more of it before Spade spoke up, "Don't startle the thing, just observe. That's why we're here". This definitely wasn't the time for banter, so used the scope on her SRS to look back at the cute pony. Bellhop began his observations using radio to give the group a better idea of how they were going to take note of the species they found. *It appears to be of equine decent. Yellow coat and pink hair. Looks to be fond of animals. Are those... wings? On her side.* *She has tattoos on her ass for some reason,* Hazel raised a brow. Ingot chimed in as well, *Looks like three butterflies on each side. I don't get what it means... Well that about wraps this-* The yellow colored pony's ears stiffened up as if she heard something like a cry for help, her head shot up as well while she looked around anxiously. *Get down... carefully,* Bellhop whispered into the mic. The group complied as they went prone subtly with the cloak still running. The pink haired horse walked in their direction until a voice came out from afar, "Hey, Fluttershy!" shouted a cyan colored pony that was... flying. It had all colors of the rainbow striped into its hair. But, it was distracting enough for the curious animal loving pony to redirect her attention, so that was a plus. An expression of glee brushed over the yellow pony as she responded to a potential friend, "Hello Rainbow Dash; How are you this morning?" she softly asked. "Yeah hey, uh... Twilight wanted me to come and get you. We need to meet her at the library," the flying equine, now deemed Rainbow Dash, explained. "Oh, okay," she looked back at the animals which were quacking audibly. She tossed in her last piece of bread for them and turned back to Rainbow Dash, "Well, we should get going." Fluttershy stretched her wings and took off with Rainbow Dash. They flew north. Onyx on stand-by now disabled the active camouflage and quickly regrouped to check for any additional contact in the region. There was none present. Now relieved, Bellhop sounded off new objectives, "Alright, they're headed north, probably to the same place we're going to." Spade is the only Russian operative in Onyx team. Over the years, he had put his interpretation skills to valuable use and can speak fluently in English. He is also able to understand German, and French, but typically isn't required to put it to use... -1:53 PM It didn't take much longer for the group to enter the immediate vicinity of the town. Hills, unfortunately for Mercury, became less apparent. On the bright side; his legs had become used to the soreness, so the trip felt less frustrating this time around. From the team's point of view, They could only make out bundles of homes, and their greatly diverse structures which differed based on the area of the town they resided in. The whole place gave the color wheel a run for its money if viewed from a distance, but the looks weren't what Onyx was after. "Whad'ya think we should do first?" Hazel asked. Mercury grumbled in a mocking tone, "We're just here t' investigate nuthin' more..." It earned a giggle from Clover while Bellhop shook his head, "Clover and Ingot, find a vantage point. Notify us if we're dragging on attention. You three are coming in with me." "Easy," said Clover to reassure him. Remaining Onyx members slowly moved towards the city. Oddly enough, the houses were basic at best. Some were made of stone while others had wood frames and roofs made of... hay. Village fit as a better description if it weren't for the considerable size of the place. Colorful equine roamed all over the streets. Some were shopping at an open market. Some were running around, obviously occupied with errands. Others were just talking with friends. Bellhop, Mercury, Hazel, and Spade waited beside a house for a chance to pass through the ponies that moved by. After about 30 seconds of waiting diligently on the cute things, there was a gap in traffic, so the four moved along and avoided becoming compromised too early. They awkwardly huddled against a tree to steer clear of wandering equine while they spoke. *Alright, break off into two sub-groups... Mercury, you're pairing with Spade.* *Ah, gonna get some alone time with the misses, eh?* *Shut up, Bradley. He just knows I'm better than you,* Hazel boasted with a chuckle. *Uh, no. I'm hoping you can use your guiding skills to make a mental map of the city while we float around looking for the library. I'm guessing that blue one from before will be there, along with her friend. Maybe they've got something worth looking into. Spade, you and Britain 'll bum around near town square or somewhere a lot of people are gathering up so you can just listen in on them.* *Got it,* said Spade. Bellhop, Ingot, and Hazel swapped to channel two as a sub group to avoid confusion if multiple people spoke. Clover, Mercury, and Spade stayed on channel one. *Mercury, you will lead...* said Spade. *Gotcha, we'll head more north to get to the middle.* Onyx skillfully maneuvered through the village under the surveillance of Clover and Ingot. Ingot used binoculars while Clover saw it fit to use the magnified scope of her SR Scout, so long as the rifle was on safety. They silently observed their teammates weave through the town while paired side to side like a precision marksman and spotter should be. Roughly ten minutes in, Bellhop and Hazel were having some trouble with finding the library... They were lost. Asking for directions by exposing themselves would give them a better chance at finding it now. That was, of course, your only option if you lacked a device that shrouded your every movement. Bellhop swapped channels for a moment. *Spade, Mercury, we can't find the library,* he sighed, *any luck on your end?* *Plenty. Nothing important though... And nothing about a library. I can ghost one for you guys,* said Mercury with determined grin concealed by his facial apparel. *Bradley, there's a loner strolling by you, try him,* Clover suggested. He complied and slightly moved up his crouch walking pace to stay parallel with the pony. It was light blue with white and dark blue hair. He brought down his mask while matching the equine's speed. He was able to talk clearly without the mask covering his mouth. He spoke calmly, "Hey friend, do you know where I could find a library in this place?" "Sure!" the pony exclaimed and revealed to be female, "It's closer to the center of Ponyville, which is the place we're in right now, but you already knew that. Anyways, the library is made out of a pretty big tree, you can't miss it. Usually there's only one pony there, her name's Twilight." "Thanks mate," responded Mercury as he vanished. The pony was about to turn around and say "don't mention it", and possibly question him on his accent, but the person she talked to was no longer present. Not like he was really there to begin with. The small horse looked around puzzled and spoke her mind out loud. "Oh... Alright then?" Mercury regrouped with Spade, who had witnessed the entire event. He smirked as he spoke, *Molodtsom, well done. What'd you figure out?* *Library's in the center. Clover, check for a tree house and get it back to Bellhop,* said Mercury. *Mhmm,* she hummed as she searched for the house and swapped channels. It took all of three seconds to spot it. It was pretty easy from her point of view, but she could see why Bellhop and Hazel had trouble. Houses were randomly scattered about in this Ponyville and routes through alleys were bound to get you lost. *Captain, the library is forty meters to your Northeast.* *Copy. Ingot, break from Clover to find a new vantage point. Try to spy inside. All Onyx not spotting, regroup on me,* Bellhop commanded. He repeated it through the secondary channel on the radio and also told them to swap back to channel one. The group gradually formed back together while both marksmen watched over them from two positions now. When ready to move, they crouch walked through alley ways to ensure the avoidance of unnecessary contact with the population of Ponyville. The abundance of homes made it incredibly easy to stick to shadows. Soon enough, they made it to what appeared to be their destination. Doors, windows, even a balcony. Standard living arrangements. Bellhop scolded himself when spotting the sign with an open book in front of the house. He disregarded his ignorance when using the radio again, "Ingot, how are we doing?" *No alarms yet. Uh... Looks like three static in there, unarmed. Like you figured; the blue one from before is there too,* said Ingot as he watched through one of the house's windows. Bellhop subtly commanded the group to stack up against the tree to listen in. Abrupt shouts of panic came from someone inside, "S-she's busy!?" exclaimed one. "Uh... yeah. She said she needed to feed her animals or something. C'mon you know how Fluttershy is. She has to-" "This isn't something that can wait, Rainbow!" "Calm down, Twili-" "I'm completely calm!" "Ugh...Do you want me to get them then?" "Yes! It's urgent that we address this to Celestia as. Soon. As. Possible!" "Alright... let's go, Pinkie." "Okie-dokie-lokie!" *They're coming out, step back,* warned Clover. The door opened, causing Onyx members to move away slowly while the camouflage did its job. Rainbow Dash and, the newer one, Pinkie trailed off; probably to find their other friends. The banshee on the inside seemed to mean business. Bellhop remained confused as to what happened to Fluttershy though... Bellhop silently spoke through the radio after the group was at a safe distance from the library. Spade was looking down; he seemed to be thinking hard about something, the captain didn't want to question him on it though, *Alright. Spade, Mercury, follow them. Hazel, let's just listen in on Twilight. We good?* he asked all of Onyx. Combinations of "Yeah" and "Yes" were tossed through the radio, confirming that Bellhop had their support so far.
[1-2] BaitHyperlinks you find in this story are mostly going to be links to music tracks on Youtube. To have them play without breaking the flow of the story (whatever you make of the word 'flow', or if this story has it); simply right click on the link and left click 'open in new tab'. If you feel the song is annoying or something; I apologize in advance, and I guess you should never take my italicized advice again... -June 7, 2021 -Unknown, Ponyville -Investigate persons of interest -2:26 PM Just outside the library's vicinity, sat Bellhop, Mercury, Hazel, and Spade. They were on alert and tried their best to avoid contact with other civilians. So far, reconnaissance wasn't much of a challenge. They communicated subtly using the radios, but something was obviously out of proportion if that purple one was screaming at her friends to make haste only moments ago... *Think they know we're here, boss?* Spade asked. *Can't say,* Bellhop pondered for a second, *you two just follow these Rainbow Dash and Pinkie characters.* He wanted the ponies being looked after before the gap between them became too large. *We've got it,* reassured Mercury who was already breaking from the group. Mercury and Spade followed the two equine throughout the village. Rainbow Dash levitated with slow and even flaps of her wings while the other one playfully bounced to move, her hair flailing about as well. As expected, the pink one talked a lot. She was very energetic with not really any reason to show it. "Pinkie sense?" questioned Rainbow Dash like it was a regular occurrence. "Yeah, maybe I'll meet a new friend soon." "Whatever you say, Pinkie..." *Seriously, are they psychic too? I think they're on to us,* noted Mercury as he swapped his vision from the ponies to Spade. He wanted to make sure that Pinkie wouldn't stumble into him when he wasn't looking. *Can't be sure. Keep on them,* said Spade, trying to calm down his team mate. -2:30 PM Eventually, after minutes of slowly tracking after Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, they made it to a house of a more upbeat design. It featured purple exterior with yellow shades covering the windows. There was a second floor with a single window showing the inside at the right angle of view. The overall structure represented a party tent of some sort, with a flag on top. Surrounding the second floor depicted featureless ponies with poles running through their centers. They were mannequins made of plastic to show that the building was a boutique. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were still blissfully unaware of their stalkers. Pinkie Pie darted up to the door of the boutique and knocked on the door as Rainbow Dash continued to hover about two meters from the ground. A white unicorn with curled purple hair answered. She was happy to see the two at her door and spoke with a modest tone. It sounded formal... "Why hello Pinkie Pie, oh, and Rainbow Dash. What is the occasion?" she questioned the two's presence. Mercury and Spade sat less than three meters away from them, their camouflage still running of course. Rainbow answered, "Hey, Rarity. Twilight wanted us to come and get you for something important." She started descending to relieve stress on her wings when not moving around, but Pinkie blurted out before she landed, "YEAH, she said to get everypony and come back to the library! Normally I would be working, but this looked important and I do get to play with all of you now, so it's alright! Maybe we should grab some snacks and-" *I mean, she looks fun and all, but I really don't want to hear this all over again,* Spade protested. *They're moving your way, hide,* Ingot informed, who was watching them from beyond the city. The two just went prone on the ground and slowly crawled out of the ponies' paths. The cloaking was clearly enough to trick anybody not searching for soldiers, for the trio had no suspicions when moving by. *Keep on 'em. Also, Hazel and Bellhop are converging on your position. They're probably swapping channels too,* calmly stated Ingot. *Anything on Twilight, Captain?* Mercury asked, not waiting to make sure he was on the same feed first. Bellhop's radio clicked to the same channel just in time for him to catch the question though, *Uh, Enough to work with." The purple pony he listened to in the library wasn't doing much of anything other than making obnoxious and incoherent growls at nothing. "Let's follow them as a four-man squad,* Bellhop commanded quietly. *eh-hem,* coughed Hazel, expecting some form of acknowledgement. *Three-man-and-one-woman squad,* he corrected himself with a hopeless sigh. Bellhop could only assume that his team mates' attitudes wouldn't jeopardize anything in the near future. Mercury had pretty much already shattered this thought with his feminist comment from earlier... Mercury, before becoming part of Onyx, served as a militant in the SAS. The United States and Great Britain being the best of allies only further pointed out why he is in now. But the bond wouldn't obstruct Bradley's priority; they needed his perspective on the world for his own country... -2:38 PM Onyx stalked the trio of ponies unnoticed to an... apple farm, of all things. They had been following a dirt path that led outside of the village for the past few minutes. Trees ran all over the terrain for acres, creating an organized forest of apples. Sure enough, a sign came up stating Sweet Apple Acres. In the premise, a red barn stood out from all of the forestry. Onyx followed the three ponies closely while they continued for the farm. *Clever title for a farm,* chuckled Mercury. *Barn; one static. Unarmed,* said Ingot. He then figured that probably all of the ponies were unarmed, for they were only civilians. Even if they did have weapons; they still might be unrecognizable as such to the team. *Onyx, sit next to the barn. On stand-by, let this play out,* Bellhop whispered. An orange coated pony with blonde hair and a... cowboy hat... approached the trio as Onyx remained at a safe distance. Pinkie Pie bounced playfully ahead of Rarity and Rainbow Dash to confront the pony, "Hey Applejack!" she exclaimed. *Really?* Mercury grunted to himself, lightly turned away at the names. *I mean, that ain't creative-* *Shut it, Lieutenant,* Bellhop grunted. "Hey gals, whad'ya need?" she questioned in a Southern accent. Her head bobbed up and down to follow Pinkie's hopping in place before turning to the other ponies. Pinkie stopped bouncing suddenly and gasped loudly to take in air as she was about to speak. "Twilight needs us at her place. Is Fluttershy still at her cottage?" Rainbow Dash quickly asked to cut off Pinky Pie. She frowned after her shunning. "Probably. Ah'll go with you, RD. Rarity, you go back t' Twilight's with an' tell 'er we'll be there soon," said Applejack. "Alright dear. Come on Pinkie; Twilight sounds impatient today," Rarity sighed. *Great, new groups. Spade, come with me. We'll follow Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Mercury and Hazel, stay on Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Clover, watch over them. Ingot you're spotting us. We good?* he explained calmly. Hopefully they would get answers to the purple pony's paranoia soon. Both squads broke up into to execute their own tasks of information gathering, once again using separate radio channels to avoid confusion when communicating. Focusing on Bellhop's sub squad, they were following the two ponies to Fluttershy's cottage. As they drew near the outskirts of Ponyville, Bellhop spoke up to the rest of the group, *Stick close, we're almost there I think.* *Guys, the cottage looks to be around two-hundred meters from the village outskirts. The two that you're following may pick up the pace a bit to clear the distance. I'd Advise deactivating your camo so you can run while covert behind those hills,* suggested Ingot. *We got-... eh, actually? Can we just beat them there?* Spade asked. His legs cramped up and forced out tension to his hips. They yearned for a chance to stretch, even if the stretch nabbed more energy out of him. Another muffled grunt was all the confirmation that Bellhop needed before responding, *Sounds good. Ingot you're probably fine where you are. Just let us know if we're drawing on observers.* *I'm on it, Cap'.* -2:41 PM On the other side of town from Bellhop and Spade; Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the two operatives that followed them were taking their sweet time getting to the library. Mercury predictably let a grunt seep out whenever the stress on his legs became too much. When that happened, he knelt for a moment to rest while Hazel continued watching the ponies ahead of them. Fortunately, Pinkie Pie would jump as if something whipped her every ten seconds, which stopped their progress for a bit. It stopped her completely each time and caused Mercury to question her procedure and overall mental health. *What is it with this Pink one?* he asked. *Stay focused,* commanded Clover. *Not sure,* she responded, ignoring Clover, *maybe she's on coke or something. Speaking of which, I totally packed a Mountain Dew before we came here.* *Guys,* pestered Clover. *Wanna' see?* Hazel questioned. She was asking Mercury more or less... He sighed and figured that they should stay on Pinkie and Rarity as much as possible. Without stopping in his crouch walking pace; he turned his peripheral to the Hazel, *that could wait. Let's just keep-* Mercury stumbled over the electrified pink pony, causing a couple of grunts as his camouflage disabled itself. The ponies had stopped a few seconds prior while Pinkie Pie was shaking. Mercury recovered to a crouching position and just stared. *Smooth...* Clover sighed. "Well HI THERE! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name? You're new here, huh? Are you playing hide and seek? Can I play to? This is my good friend, Rarity! She makes all sorts of neat-" *Fuckin' A, what do I do?* hastily asked Mercury. The two ponies continued to stare him down, Rarity doing so in utter confusion. *That's on you, just talk I guess,* Clover suggested calmly. *I'm on it...* he sighed and lowered his facial apparel. "Uh... Yeah, My name's Brad..." "Brad? That's a weird name. Are you sure it's not Braid? Maybe you're good at braiding manes! Are you from out of town? Are you a monster?" She gasped heavily and puffed out her chest, "Are you a nice monster!? What's that on your back? Do you like to go and-?" Hazel remained covert behind several shrubs gawking at the pink pony's onslaught of questions with little to no breath. She also took notice to the fact that they all rested just twenty meters from the library. She sat on her knees behind the bush while Mercury listened to the pink pony babble on for a minute. With no other civilians in the premise; the stealth gimmick could still work if they thought of something quickly. *Hazel, that soda you mentioned; take it out n' toss it at that tree 5 m's to my right,* said Mercury while ignoring the pony's babbling. *What will that accomplish, you-* *Just do it. And do it soon,* he sighed. The other group, made of bellhop and Spade, moved quickly behind the hills outside of Ponyville. They started sprinting after disabling the armor's cloaking device. As predicted, Rainbow Dash and Applejack also sped up into a gallop to clear the distance faster. Ingot had poorly estimated the amount of usable hills for his team mates to slip by unnoticed with. Since this was the case; Bellhop and Spade had to slow down after the third hill to use their ability and remain undetected. The cottage was thankfully not too far away from that third or fourth hill, so they could still eavesdrop on the ponies if they kept steady. As he kept a close watch on Rainbow Dash and Applejack ahead of them; anxiety took over Bellhop's thoughts. Thinking back on that purple one back at the library and her outbursts; he spoke through the mic piece, *something's wrong, they keep going on about some urgent regrouping.* *I hear ya. If we run into any trouble, I have the Mark 17 ready to-* *Out. Of. The. Question. That shit better be on safety throughout this entire day.* *gotcha, sorry...* replied Ingot in self-disappointment for even considering having to use his SCAR-H yet. *Oh yeah, other than that; it looks like that yellow one from the lake, eh... Fluttershy? I think she's involved with these people we're tracking.* *Probably, they mentioned her earlier when we were following them near the barn. Also something about her character makes me feel that she would be their friend. All shy and timid... Maybe they felt sorry for her or something and let them into a posse just to give her some hope. Then she wouldn't turn into a psychopath and gut other ponies for a-* *What the fuck are you talking about? I meant I can see her through the window of the little cottage that Rainbow Dash and Applejack are heading to,* Ingot grimaced from afar. *Oh... yeah, never mind...* Bellhop rubbed his cloaked face. Focusing on the equine again; they made it to their friend's home. The two humans observed from a few meters away after catching up with their careful walking procedure. Rainbow must have been tired from beating the air with her wings from before, so she trotted up to the door with Applejack and knocked. Fluttershy, answering the door, confirmed Ingot's spotting, "Oh, hi Applejack...Hello again, Rainbow Dash." "Hey Fluttershy, Twilight was being pretty serious when she said something came up. We need to get back to her. Right now," said Rainbow Dash. "Oh okay... Just let me feed Angel and I'll be right out..." she replied softly while moving back inside. The door shut, allowing Rainbow to speak her mind. "Agh, we don't have time for this!" she threw her hooves up and landed on her haunches. "Calm sown, sug', she'll only be a minute," sighed Applejack. In 2015, the United States of America had gone to war with Syria to save the public from their dictatorship. The solutions to the problems were as simple as storming offices of government officials or capitols of the country, but the US didn't like simple. They spent more time and money trying to set up bases than any other sort of functioning method of taking down the leaders of Syria... Mercury considered himself lucky that no other ponies were in the area around him, despite the place being so close to the center of Ponyville. "Look... I have to be going," he said, trying to get the pink pony to stop asking questions, though he wasn't responding to any of them. She frowned and stopped bouncing around. For the past minute and a half, Pinkie was dominating the conversation while Rarity just stood stiff and judged the creature in front of her for all he was worth. There was no way she would just let Mercury leave without understanding what he was doing in Ponyville, "Where are you from?" "Well, you clearly aren't as manipulative..." Mercury groaned. Mercury really just wanted Hazel to intervene soon, so he employed stalling. He relied on subject changes and double talk to put the conversation through circles. Pinkie directed her head at each speaker successively when one spoke, Rarity asking the questions and Mercury responding. She gradually curved her lips into a smile and pointed to the speaker. Her actions quickly excelled from jump to the side of who was speaking to performing cartwheels and other little stunts. Hazel tilted her head in confusion while watching the whole bizarre thing unravel. She came back to her senses when radio static playing through the earpieces, *-S-wa-pping channels... Bravo, what's it look like over there?* asked Bellhop. *Oh, uh... We're caught...* sighed Hazel. *What!?* He nearly barked. *Quiet for a sec, please, Alex...* she asked softly. He complied by not responding as she asked. Mercury ignored one of the white pony's questions to complain at the circumstance, *Hazel, you need t' toss it now. I only need a couple seconds.* *I'll see what I can do... Just get over here, sir.* Bellhop groaned and rubbed his face again, *we need to get to them. We'll beat these three back to Ponyville; it doesn't look like they're going anywhere soon. Let's see if we can't get Bradley out of this mess.* While cloaked, Hazel peaked out from behind her bush to draw up her carbonated beverage. She thought about how the device would react to her quick arm action when throwing it, maybe a light toss was in order. Rarity must have caught on to what Mercury was pulling as her questions became more and more specific. Pinkie giggled at a couple of the responses. "How many of you are there in Ponyville?" "Just me; I can only be one person at any given time," he smirked. "Have you come here with others?" she stammered. "I came here with you two, didn't I?" She grew very annoyed at Mercury's stalling. The medic was having a great time as a matter of fact. He enjoyed pissing people off, whether they were from another realm or not. Rarity sighed, then a clanking sound made her ears twitch. The ponies redirected their attention at noise almost immediately to investigate. Mercury used the few seconds granted to quickly restart his cloak and roll next to a shrub. Pinkie Pie was the first to notice that he was no longer present. She bounced for dramatic effect and looked left and right, "Hey! Where'd he go? Are we playing hide and seek, Mister Braid?" She then tuckered down and covered her eyes with her hooves, "What should I count to? I'll start now! One, two-" "Pinkie, darling, he never left. He's on the ground right there," Rarity said while pointing a hoof to a patch of grass. Mercury felt his heart well up in his throat. Pinkie was confused, "Rarity, there's nopony there, silly." "Well not to you, but his presence is clear to yours truly." "Are you fucking serious?" he thought to himself. "The game is up, dear. Just answer my question please. Are you alone? Wait... is there another in the bush there?" asked Rarity. Mercury heard a hint of panic in the last sentence, which worried him. Now the ponies were staring right at Sherry and the white pony pointed a hoof in her direction. Thinking up something quickly, he disabled the device. One: it didn't seem to have an effect on Rarity when she was actually searching for them. Two: he didn't want them figuring everything out. When he gained their attention again; he stood up and sighed. Mercury didn't want to answer this yet, but his options were slim, "Look, just... don't tell anyone that you saw me, I need to-" The interrogator vanished into a bush suddenly, Pinkie Pie as well. He figured it was Bellhop. Mercury chuckled at the look on Rarity's face he remembered her having. He decided to go along with the new turn of events and start his cloak to hide. He went prone to rest easy beside a bush and spoke in a concerned tone, *what now?* *Keep them the bushes. The others will be passing by soon, don't let it rustle too much. I have a plan,* Bellhop whispered quickly. Hazel had a hard time trying to keep Pinkie Pie from squirming and mumbling something incoherently with wide eyes. Spade had an easier time keeping Rarity quiet, for she froze up in fear. At least it answered her question. Bellhop explained his plan and how to perform it while waiting on the ponies from Fluttershy's cottage to return. The squad confirmed that they knew what to do and waited. After another minute or so, the three mares moved past the shrubs without any suspicion and made it to the library. Rainbow Dash pushed the door open with ease and held it open for the other two while puffing out her chest. Applejack rolled her eyes and trotted on in while Fluttershy stopped momentarily to utter a timid "Thank you". Bellhop quickly perked his head around to check for any wandering towns ponies. For some odd reason; there were none that he could see in the premise. Maybe they just didn't like to read... Regardless, Onyx had to take action to keep their stealth a factor over the course of this mission, *Move up. Now.* The Captain and Mercury drew up their weapons, preparing to enter the library. They stacked on both sides of the entrance while their pony wielding team mates scratched against the shrubs coming out. Rarity took notice that there were indeed more Onyx members and she became mortified when figuring out where they were heading. She couldn't bear the thought of having such people pose a threat to her best friends; something had to be done. Mercury kicked the door in to startle those inside and enter with the Captain right behind him. Rarity's horn illuminated into a bright blue in Spade's arms. When the light caught his attention, he looked down only to feel immobile a moment later. Spade failed to control his arms as they let go of Rarity. Hazel tilted her head in confusion as Rarity grit her teeth, "A-Alex, I think-" She hurled Spade into the wall of the tree house while letting out a grunt. Hazel let go of Pinkie to try and grasp the situation and maybe help her partner, but the pony then bounced two feet into the air, "Oh my gosh! Are you alright mister!?" That one caused Bellhop to look back and feel his heart fidget an inch out of place when assessing the situation. Rarity looked about ready to do the same thing to Hazel as she had to Spade. With Rarity's back turned, Bellhop quickly jumped to her which made his camouflage undo itself. He whacked her over the head and immediately let his F2000 sag so he could grasp both of her hind legs. Pinkie Pie gasped loudly at the sight of her friend being hurt, but Hazel scooped her up and covered her quivering mouth. Spade recovered from being plastered against the wall and sulked inside the library with his A-91 drawn. Bellhop started dragging the somewhat conscious pony while Hazel scooted by him to enter. Bellhop nearly dropped her when someone burst out, "What the hell!? Rarity!" The shouting only made him speed up his actions and quickly got him in the library after Hazel. Spade shut the door while rubbing the side of his head to make some pointless effort to ease the pain from before. Mercury had his P90 aimed at the shocked group of ponies as Bellhop released Rarity's lower half carefully. She struggled to roll onto her back and stare at her friends in anxiety. The captain eyed all of the concerned faces, and the angered one... Shifting his weight, he grasped his assault rifle from behind just to prepare for any sudden attacks, "Hi there... You're friend here-" "Who are you!? Why'd you hurt Rarity!?" Applejack shouted while taking a charging stance. The five words Bellhop managed before her yelling was all she needed to know Onyx would understand her. "We're a research team made up of military personnel funded by the United States of America. We were trying to do this undetected, but one of our-" "For Celestia's sake, let her go!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She pointed at Hazel, but more likely at the pink pony with worried eyes staring back at her. "Whatever you say..." Bellhop said while gazing back over to Hazel. Hazel released her pony captive. Pinkie, still a bit shaken up by the whole ordeal, kept swapping looks between Onyx and her pastel friends. Pinkie and Rarity remained unsure of what to do. Spade sighed and knelt down to the white pony that whipped him into the tree only moments ago, "No need to be afraid; you can go to your friends now." Twilight cocked her head slightly when hearing the Russian member's accent. Rarity, though confused, nodded in return and sulked her way over to the ponies. Pinkie Pie, however, stayed on the same side of the room. Bellhop attempted to continue, "sorry for the intrusion, but we can't risk attracting more attention at the moment. We're sorry for scaring your friends too. One of our members had stumbled over Pinkie Pie here. With no-" "H-how do you know our names? You weren't near your friend when we were questioning him," Rarity worriedly asked while Fluttershy scanned her head for a wound. She also looked around at the operatives, unable to determine which was the one she was questioning only a minute ago. They all looked the same, except for their weapons which they had set aside now. "Collective intelligence, we communicate using radios. Other than that, we've noticed that your planet is surprisingly similar to ours... Just less... modern," said Bellhop with a lack of a better word for describing their observations. He shook his head left and right, "Never mind... Look, we'll answer any questions you have later, and I'm sorry I smacked you over the head Rarity..." He then diverted his attention specifically to the purple one. She was still angrily staring right back at the group, her wings flaring to show it. "We've only been here for a few hours, give or take. Upon investigation, you have a problem. We want to help you, but you need to be able to trust us," Bellhop reminded the team of his suspicions from earlier. "So, What's the issue?" "You," the purple pony hissed. "Excuse me?" asked Bellhop. "You heard me! You're the problem!" "Elaborate..." the Captain narrowed his eyes. "You need to go back to where you came from before you hurt anypony else!" "Anypony," Mercury thought to himself. "Why? I didn't mean to hurt Rarity. You have to understand though; we can't be discovered to your society quite yet. For now, she's my example. She threw my team mate into a wall before I knocked her over the head," Bellhop protested. "I would not have hurt your friend if he hadn't handled me so crudely!" "Again, I'm... sorry, Miss," Spade stared at the floor. "I... I can't trust you. We were warned of what you do long ago. You're a danger to our society and now I'm asking you to-" "I don't really think you're being fair to us, Twilight," Spade spoke up. "Who are you to interrupt!?" she roared. "One who wants to make amends, friend," he calmly responded while removing his facial gear to show his identity. "We are simply concerned about your issue and we want to help you out if at all possible. My name is Vasily... Or Vas', whatever you prefer. And you are a... eh, unicorn named Twilight, yes?" he asked, trying to sound friendly, though it would be hard for this Russian not to. "Hel-... lo... Um..." she stuttered while scratching the back of her head. Now that they had the attention of absolutely everyone; Twilight slowly cleared her throat and controlled her tone. Maybe she misjudged them, but the mystery still stood: how would they know of the humans before the humans knew of them? "Thanks, Spade. I got it from here," Bellhop spoke, "so what's your problem, Twilight?" "My last name is Sparkle; nice to meet you Vas'... So, is this your team?" Twilight asked Spade; ignoring Bellhop's question like he wasn't important enough to answer. "Eh... Miss Sparkle, we need to know what the problem you face is first. Once solved, we can talk and share stories and what not. Please, time seems to be of essence, for you were panicking earlier over this," explained Spade. "Alright. We were going to Canterlot to talk with Celestia. An old threat has come up. And I didn't really mean you guys by the way..." she assured the group, "Anyways, they're called changelings. They can take on the form of anypony for their own personal gain. I'm just worried that they might take one of your forms mostly; you couldn't have arrived at a worse time, Vas'... We're going to Canterlot now, did you want to come along?" she questioned. "Uh... Captain, I think we should help them. It's the least we could do..." suggested the Russian operative. Everyone, even the equine, stared in confusion. Spade was not the one deciding for the group which Twilight obviously didn't notice. The purple alicorn was about to question before Bellhop made an outburst. "Wait what? What's with this random shift in priorities?" he asked. "This is reconnaissance, Sergeant. We're here to investigate, explore, and acquire all information we can about this planet. And we're here to do it quietly. Also, where's this Canterlot place anyways?" "You should be more respectful to your squad leader," Twilight hummed. "Twilight..." sighed Spade. "Excuse me? Sorry, Miss Sparkle, but Vas' isn't running this Op," he scolded while making fun of their nicknames as well. "Oh..." she said in embarrassment, her wings finally receding to a resting position on her sides. Twilight remained curious as to why Spade wouldn't be in charge. Maybe she was just bias towards the Russian, and you couldn't blame her. Spade was the only one coming off as nice so far. "What exactly are y'all investigatin'?" Applejack saw fit to change the subject to something that wouldn't rile anyone up more. "Well... You, for lack of a better explanation. Your species, the terrain, basically everything here," explained Hazel. Pinkie was somehow able to completely forget everything that just happened a minute ago and went back to her cheerful bouncy attitude, "Is it fun? You should make a game out of it! First one to make ten discoveries wins! Oh there'll be prizes! I should get baking. Do you like cupcakes? Do you even have cupcakes in your world? Do you have cake? How-" "The point I'm trying to make is that we have our objectives," said Bellhop, cutting off Pinkie's ramblings. Shunned from a conversation for the third time, Hazel felt some extent of guilt for the pink pony. Bellhop only wanted to further stress the situation they were in. He understood that they needed help, but he didn't want it to require their exposure. "Captain, they may be willing to help us with our own research and breaking our presence to the public," said Spade in a calm voice, trying to change his Captain's mind. However, he would have no way of knowing if it were for better or for worse... "Breaking it to the public?" Bellhop questioned on the verge of slapping someone... He decided it would be Twilight if it came to that. "They'll find out eventually, sir. Also, a face-t'-face 'd be a bit better for our type a' task, yeah?" Mercury spoke up. He had been staring down Rainbow Dash a moment ago. He only contributed to the poll because he thought the pony was going to yell at him for daring to look in her direction. Bellhop wouldn't be doing his job if he just accepted this path. However, his radio clicked on mid-thought, *Uh... You guys okay in there?* Clover asked, *you didn't shoot them up, did you?* He raised a hand up to the ear piece, *No, we're all good here. Just a little misunderstanding. I think you guys should sneak on over here now; these ponies seem a bit more fond of us.* "Who are you talking at?" Rainbow Dash cocked a brow. "Two marksmen on stand-by. They'll be here in a minute." "There're even more of you? That's super! That's even more friends!" exclaimed Pinky Pie. Bellhop rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm; the expression blocked by his visor and mask, and then looked back over Twilight. Her expression remained a cold stare. Bellhop disliked that stare and scolded it right back from behind his Kevlar. "I don't see what the problem is; you were the one who said you wanted to-" "Yeah, maybe we would if the problem didn't require us to go to some other town. We aren't a support package for you to-" "It's not even that far away. But... Twilight, we don't really need these things' help. All they can do is some stupid disappearing act anyways. How's that gonna help with the changelings?" Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight sighed, "I guess so..." Then she caught Bellhop nodding to his team mates, "But we can't exactly have you running around spying on everypony." "Why not? We aren't going to-" "If you get caught, you think they'll just peacefully accept your presence? You tower over us you know. Do you not believe it will scare somepony and cause them to form a mob of some sort?" Rarity scoffed. "Even if you weirdos could face us, which I doubt, 'cause I'll be helping anypony kick your tails back to where you came from; I bet you'd feel awful knowing that you hurt innocent towns ponies," Rainbow Dash added. "I think you're all better off just helping us out here, we can tell ya all about our society n' stuff," Applejack chimed in. She then narrowed her eyes at Bellhop, "'summin y'all don't try n' hurt us again." "Fine... Where did you want us to go?" "Nowhere with that attitude," she said. A smile crept on to her face, now satisfied with her self-granted authority over Onyx. Bellhop buried his face in his palm while moving to the door, "Right well, Vas', you keep this going. I'm waiting outside for Clover and Ingot." Twilight's horn shimmered in a light purple and slammed the door shut after Bellhop opened it slightly. "So that isn't for show either..." he thought, now understanding that such a childish thing like magic was very real in this realm. It also let him fully understand how Spade was hurt before coming in the library. He groaned at the mare's new found aggression and confidence. She must have thought she could manipulate the soldiers for a bit. The squad leader would make sure this was not the case through examples in the future... For now though, he would play along... "Look, we'll help you." "We leave after we eat," Twilight demanded while perking her nose up like a noble would when passing by peasants. "How many tagged along with your group anyways? Will they get here soon?" "Just two... That makes us a team of six. We call ourselves Onyx, and you should consider yourselves lucky, no one's supposed to know we exist..." "Pft, right. With your stealth effort; it's really surprising all of Ponyville doesn't know your here," Rainbow Dash said while rolling her eyes. Onyx's active camouflage abilities make stealth missions a task of ease. The armor still does have its limits however. If a soldier were to collide with an object at too great a force, or moves too quickly; the camo is disoriented and disabled automatically. It is a revolutionary advancement in technological warfare... -3:07 PM A little after the turn of the hour; the ponies and soldiers were chatting together in the library. Clover and Ingot made their way inside undetected from other civilians in Ponyville. Hazel also used the resting point to recover her carbonated and artificially flavored beverage. They used the time to eat as Twilight suggested (demanded) while tossing questions back and forth. One group had a nice palette of vegetables and fruit while Onyx was nurturing themselves to packets of multi-grain powder and water. Clover secluded herself from the group mostly to speak with Fluttershy while everyone and everypony else talked to each other. The topic, focused more on technology, was ultimately one sided. The world of ponies wasn't exactly researching other planets themselves anytime soon... "You just respawn if you get killed?" asked Twilight to Ingot's statements. "Yeah, lots of programming and stuff goes into it," Ingot replied. "Do you have to power the devices manually as you play them? It must be hard to concentrate magic and play the game at the same time," Rarity asked quizzically. "It's powered using electricity" Hazel spoke to reassure the fascinated ponies "Which is kind of like magic, now that I think of it..." she said looking around "God knows how they figure this stuff out..." A pause... "God?" asked several puzzled equine. Hazel noticed her mistake while Bellhop scolded her silently. The mistake being her defiance to the briefing message which told them specifically not to incorporate any personal beliefs into this world. "N-never mind. Forget I ever said it..." she attempted to convince them. It would suffice for most of them, but Twilight intended to learn as much as she could. "Please continue, I want to know mo-" "We would prefer not to. We were told not to influence our own beliefs on your world. Over time, it has actually been the cause of some wars where we come from. It's for your own benefit, Miss Sparkle," said Spade, desperately trying to get their minds off of that subject. "Oh, alright..." she sighed. "But enough about us. Uh... How come you're the only we saw with wings and a horn?" Spade said, pointing to Twilight. "We've only been here for a little while, but I can't remember seeing others with both." "'Cause she's a princess, silly," Pinkie Pie playfully guided their wonders in the correct direction. "A princess?" asked Ingot, "like there are more given the title than just her?" "But of course! There's our beloved Celestia, goddess of the sun. Her sister Luna, manipulator of the moon. And-" Rarity trailed off before being interrupted. "Wait, are you sure her name's not Sol then? Luna is Latin for the moon, so wouldn't Celestia's name really be Sol?" Hazel asked quizzically. "What the heck is Latin?" questioned Rainbow Dash. "The root of the very language you speak now, thanks for noticing," the female guide added. "So, as Rarity was saying before we had trailed off into the abyss known as history..." Mercury said, attempting to let the white unicorn speak. He pointed a finger to her to silently gesture "You may continue". "Well, I can't entirely remember how it came to be, but through a series of challenges, our dear friend Twilight became a princess," Rarity smiled, trying her best to make Twilight look amazing. "But there was no doubt of it coming to be really, she was and still is the protégé of her majesty, Celestia." "Cool stuff, huh Cap'?" Spade asked with a beaming close-mouthed smile when looking over to his superior. Bellhop rolled his eyes; he couldn't shake the feeling of childishness out of the situation. They were ponies for peace's sake, not gods nor rulers. He didn't have room to complain however, for this was his mission for the next 15 days... "How are we arriving?" asked Bellhop. He figured they were ready since most of the dishes or food packs were empty. "Not that far a walk... Only twenty-six kilometers or so... Assuming this is equally scaled all around," suggested Hazel as she examined a map of what appeared to be the land of Equestria. Twilight gave her the map of course, for the pony wanted them informed of their destination. "Hey, you think I could keep this? It might-" "Nope," Twilight shook her head with a dopey smile. Hazel raised a brow and set the parchment aside. She pulled out her own map provided by Golf squad and used Twilight's as a reference to sketch a new one on the back. Hazel diligently worked to prove her worth as a guide while the others would wait on her. "What'sa Kilometer?" Rainbow Dash questioned and pulled attention away from the combatant. "Disregard it, it's pretty far away though," Ingot chuckled. "We're using a train," Twilight explained. "Public transport?" questioned Spade. "Yes, Vas'" she said to reassure the Russian. Bellhop sighed at the lack of organization going on, "isn't public transport a little bit risky considering we're on a stealth mission?" he reminded them rather harshly. "Ugh, all this again?" Twilight groaned. "You said we wouldn't have to be compro-!" "And if you're coming there with us; then nopony will think you're killers or a threat. We're well respected ponies I'll have you know, Smith," Twilight said while rolling her eyes. She then half-lidded her eyes and raised her brows to prompt a "Get it, dumbass?" expression, "Also, I thought you wanted to help us." "We did say that, Cap'. Also, the stealth thing doesn't sound like it'll work forever, whether we help 'em or not," Ingot said softly. "It doesn't have to work forever, just for 15 days," Bellhop protested. Mercury chimed in, "Sir, maybe it's just better that we reveal ourselves now rather than get blamed for shit later and-" "Language!" pestered Twilight, flexing a hoof at the offender. "Sorry, love." sighed Mercury in response. He was still getting used to the idea that he was going to be investigating a world clearly created out of the mind of an eight year old girl. Twilight distracted his thoughts with an outburst. "W-what!? You love me?" Twilight grimaced. "It's just an expression, calm down... Love," he chuckled. She raised a brow and looked back over to Bellhop, waiting for the banter to cease. Mercury picked up on his point from before, "Anyways, we should just reveal ourselves now to prevent getting blamed for stuff..." he nodded at Twilight, "later and they don't want to listen." "Defying orders, great plan," Bellhop replied while rolling his eyes. Clover stopped conversing with Fluttershy to speak her mind. growing a bit tired of Bellhop's reluctance towards reason, "Defying orders would be gunning down civilians who try to kill us out of confusion. It would be in our best interest to make a good impression now." Her new pony friend shyly restated to ensure the response they had hoped for, "Yes... It would be better that way... Mister Bellhop." He sighed again while swiping his hair back. There is no point in arguing when everyone is against you. Unfortunately, this always seemed to be the case based on his experiences as a leader... "Fine, as long as none of these people freak out then... Also, Fluttershy, just call me Alex... 'We going now?" "Yes. Just stick with us on the way to the station. Nopony will think you're savages this way," Twilight explained while heading towards the door.
[1-3] HookViolence inbound -June 7, 2021 -Unknown -Undetermined Objectives -3:10 PM Deep inside the jungle of willows rested a swamp. It had random inclines in the terrain leading up such as hills do, but only a murky substance rested at the bottom. The water was shallow and much of the forestation grew well past the water level, but that was something to expect from such a place. Something one wouldn't expect was a village. There were huts that rested only inches above the water and they were made of wood. Slightly organized bunches of bridges ran throughout the place as well. Poles of wood held everything up from the shallow water. The lumber was probably plentiful, considering that whoever built the structures was surrounded by it. But why would someone... or something live in such a place? "Dammit, Barron, I'm going with them; that's final! You don't need to worry about me; I've done this before you know," a voice called. The source was a darker creature, much darker than the ponies. It was all black and had a pair of wings, paper thin and see through at that. The species had some sort of a shell over its back which wrapped around its stomach as well. As for the head, it sported pupil-less eyes that looked like they would glow in a dark room. The horn was sharp and had a slight curve. The most unnatural feature had to be the randomly placed holes in its hooves. They ran only through the limbs and made it seem difficult to think the creature couldn't suffer of broken hooves commonly. But that didn't include what it was wearing... A military grade torso and leg set covered the creature's body in a digital forest green pattern. The top concealed eight fully loaded P-Mags which rested above the wearer's stomach. A helmet which poorly fit rested atop its head with the ballistic goggles perched up. On its back rested a hydration pouch covered successively by a backpack and assault rifle. On the right pant leg held a holster and sidearm tucked in it; the left held a few spare magazines for the rifle. Where had they acquired such gear and why did they need it? Surely they couldn't find a way to use such weaponry, for hooves could not grasp firearms. The one making the outburst revealed herself to be female based on the voice. The creature sighed, "Fine, Just... Come back... Okay?" Barron regretfully spoke. "You know I will. You just rest up, and be ready in case of..." She trailed off. "I know... Just get going sis', and stay safe," said a concerned Barron. The sister nodded in response and flapped her wings until they buzzed faintly. The movements were quick, much quicker than that of a pegasus pony's, but they needed to be. With the wings being as thin and fragile as they were, it was necessary to flap them at such a speed. Insect fit as a useful definition for them. Flying was only noted as one of their tricks, as they acquire their names from a far more notable ability. Of course, it had only granted them notoriety over the years. But to prosper in a world that hates you; said actions were justified. This is what nopony could understand about them. At least, that's how the species saw it... The ornery sister took to the skies above the forest to meet up with a small group of maybe nine or ten of her friends. They also had rifles hang off from slings and were equally as outfitted as the female creature. This only made up a small number of what the colony held as a population. Each one would be important though, as they were born and raised to survive by whatever means they could. So off they flew, into the rest of Equestria to purge the population of their resources. Ingot is the youngest member in the explorations group but is determined to make himself useful to the team through battle coordination. When in combat, he provides information on the whereabouts of potential leaders in enemy groups and organizes real time strategies to get the team by... -Equestria, Ponyville -Assist Citizens -3:20 PM "Time to move," Twilight said. She needed everyone out in a timely manner, for the trains stuck to a schedule, and she was determined to abide by it. Walking all the way to Canterlot was not an option; it would take around 6 hours if they went at such a pace; 26 Kilometers is quite a distance. Though Bellhop would have probably preferred that idea over revealing a special observations group, having hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into it, to the public. Yet the pony couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something... or someone. Entering Ponyville before was an adventure all on its own, but it was as if they were about to enter it a second time. Onyx remained unaware of how the denizens would react to them. Twilight tried to explain to them that all suspicions about the team would turn null when spotted with her and her friends. Bellhop wouldn't risk it though, so he kept his weapon drawn, ready to threaten anyone who opposed them. The group followed his example, except Clover, she had faith in their society... and just common sense for that matter. The only ponies (That was the other thing: they were ponies; not combatants trained to kill on sight) capable of harming them were the unicorns based on their experience so far. It didn't make sense to believe that civilians would (or could) hurt any of the soldiers. Twilight gradually opened the door and ushered the group of twelve forward. One by one they made their way out; some took more serious measures of exiting the tree house than others. Onyx walked skillfully with forced slowness in their movements while the mares carelessly trotted forward. Somehow none of the citizens were wandering around the library. Bellhop didn't understand it really since the place was practically in the center of Ponyville. Though he enjoyed the thought of Onyx and the human race itself remaining unknown to these things; it wasn't going to last. After a minute of walking, those who walked with a tense pace soon eased up. There was no reason to be on alert, for the "they couldn't hurt us even if they felt like it" retort got to them. Finally, inhabitants became noticeable. The tense motions came back in the group, causing Applejack to groan in disbelief, "Would y'all calm down? We're almost at town square. If y'er freakin' out now, then y'er gonna faint or somethin' when we get there," she growled, obviously annoyed with the groups unnecessary stiff movements. Bellhop shot her a vexed look, masked by his facial apparel. He followed it with a gesture to the group with his hand to tell them to stop being timid with their movements, for Applejack's sake. The group of twelve drew more and more curious eyes as they moved by; and why wouldn't there be? Two legged creatures, never before seen, wearing all black clothing and equipment. This inevitably caught the attention of the very promising demographic of absolutely everyone. Onyx tried to ignore it; they couldn't help but feel awkward around the mares too. Twilight and her friends just kept moving as if nothing was out of the ordinary; no species from another world here, no sir. Bellhop just assumed they were used to this kind of attention... Now they had gotten to town square, and became the center of attention of course, ponies of all varieties watched them walk by. Some showed more interest than others, as those who didn't went back to their errands. But, like the others, all it took was the knowledge that Onyx was traveling with this particular group to go back to what they were doing without suspicion. Twilight becoming a princess recently probably helped the group move by without harassment. As they continued their way towards the station, three ponies trotted right for the group. They were clearly younger due to their size with a spatial difference in their colors of fur and hair. The voices were chirpy and cute, but to Bellhop, annoying. It wasn't for this reason he stopped them though. The one with red drapes of hair called out as she ran up to the dozen. "Hey Sis'! Where-?" "Stop right there! State your name and designation!" Bellhop growled. "Oh, well howdy! Mah name's Applebloom and Ah just-" "They're just kids Alex; the hell is wrong with you?" Hazel barked at her Captain's outburst. "Sorry about that... uh, Applebloom," she added, trying to be friendly enough to remember the filly's name. "Applebloom, what'd ya' need?" asked Applejack. "Oh, well the gals and Ah just wanted t' ask mah sister what's goin' on," she innocently continued her question from before. "Where 'r ya headin'?" "Aw heck, we were just goin' t' Canterlot to see Celestia. The serious fellers ya' see here are comin' with us," she said, ensuring their victories for most authentic accents of the South. "They're on a stealth mission, which's kinda like hide and go seek! But Mr. Braidy here made the biggest mistake of moving positions while hiding and I won!" Pinkie giggled. An orange filly with purple hair spoke up, obviously more interested in the flying arrogance of the group, Rainbow Dash. She jumped once to get the floating pegasi's attention while talking. "So Rainbow Dash, do ya' wanna hang out when you get back?" the filly nervously asked, her confidential jump in vain. "Uh, we might be there all night; sorry Scoots..." Rainbow Dash responded, feeling a little less than proud of herself for saying it. It certainly didn't cheer Scoots up very much. The last filly, a white coated one with a puffy hair style rested a hoof on her orange friend. "Ah don't be upset, Scootaloo. Now we have time to work on getting our cutie marks!" She smiled, showing off teeth as white as her coat. "Sweetie Belle, where are your manners? Introduce yourself, please," Rarity said, pestering the filly to show some decency in the presence of otherworldly beings. "Oh right. Hi there, I'm Sweetie Belle! This here is-" "Scootaloo, I'm Scootaloo. This is Applebloom, "the orange filly spoke up, cutting off Sweetie Belle and presenting Applebloom. "And we're~" the red haired filly hung the last note of the sentence, getting the other three ready to sound off. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the three exclaimed. Clover giggled at their unbelievable cuteness. "Adorable," Ingot added sarcastically. Hazel tried to retort, "Lighten up, Jason. I know it's silly, but-" "I remember that we have got a train to catch or something, friends?" said Spade, trying to remind everyone of their objectives and deadlines. "He's right. Sorry girls, but we have a job to do. We'll talk some other time. C'mon, we need to get to the station to get our tickets!" Twilight explained. "Bye!" the three called out as Onyx made their way to the station with the ponies. The two groups picked up the pace a bit to get to the station in a timely manner. With more (expected) public gawking and shrugging; they eventually made it. The train, powered by coal, whistled once as the conductor peaked out of the side. Like every other horse in the town, this one stared just as blankly. Bellhop rolled his eyes behind his visor and continued examining the locomotive from his distance. Continuing; it sported seven cars, each with a more ridiculous design than the previous, including the caboose. The mares paid for twelve tickets since Onyx obviously didn't have the money to pay for them themselves. Twilight felt compelled to do so because it was her idea to bring them along and get them involved. She was also responsible for compromising Onyx's existence to the ponies of Ponyville, so it wouldn't make much sense to have the operatives sentenced to waiting around. Bellhop rolled up the sleeves on his torso piece, exposing the rubber made wrist band that showed off the USMC he always wore. He only did this because it was hot out and the use for his active camo would be null in this situation anyways. He also lowered the mask, but kept the visor set over his eyes. Bellhop noted that his comrades had removed any facial apparel hiding their identity from these ponies. Sighing, he upped his goggles too… Not like it mattered anymore. Of course, as soon as they stepped aboard; the combatants got the same stares and baffled facial expressions from before. Most were able to ignore the civilians at this point, Bellhop being the only exception. His distress made sense though, who could ignore the one with the widest open eyes in the entire car? It bugged him. He waved a hand at the mint green colored pony, who was too interested in the Captain and his team, hoping it would ease her gawking. Immediately noted as a mistake; the mare's eyes went even wider while her mouth hung open. A cream colored pony sitting next to the astounded pony poked her several times. It must have made the light green pony shift back into reality, for her eyes and mouth were no longer obnoxiously open. She then smiled while looking over to the cream colored pony again with "I told you so" etched into her face. Twilight was close to taking a seat right across from the mint green pony and her friend before Bellhop quickly called out, "Can we sit in the next car over?" "Why?" Twilight asked, barely interested in hearing his reason. Bellhop didn't say anything to explain, he simply narrowed his eyes and darted them to the ponies on his right. He was hoping the gesture would explain exactly why to her, which it did. The purple pony grinned too widely for his comfort after a brief giggle. "Nah, this car has way more ponies in it! This way you can get publicly accepted even sooner!" Twilight explained, trying to make Bellhop as uncomfortable as possible before they arrived. She was trying to manipulate the team, break their sense of control over the situation. But Bellhop wasn't going to take it. In due time, would he prove that it was a mistake to underestimate a Marine. Onyx members just appeared peripherally out of nowhere next to Bellhop as they sat down, the ponies taking all other seats. The Captain looked back, now fully realizing that he had to sit right across from his potential rapist. Though the seats lined up like any average bus back on Earth, the gawking pony remained parallel with Bellhop's row but on the other column to his left. The grin she wore, Bellhop assumed, said a lot about her personality. He sat uncomfortably, making any uneasy movements to tell the mare to stop staring at him without actually having to say it. Suddenly the train jolted with a rusty squeak and made Bellhop jitter. Mercury, sitting next to the Captain, pat his shoulder to rhetorically ask, "Ya alright?" Bellhop narrowed his eyes when returning a glare, but it did little to intimidate him. Clover is the younger of the two female combatants in the explorations group but is a higher rank than Hazel. Her CO's beforehand found her more useful in over watch roles and long distance take downs, most of which were done outside of heavy combat situations. So far, she handled them all flawlessly. She despises the term "sniper" and prefers "precision marksman"; though no one understood why... -3:37 PM Mercury took notice his superior's discomfort after a few minutes of the train's progression and wanted to help him out. Of course, the medic wouldn't simply tell the mint green pony to "Stare at her own arse for a change," for that was rude. So, he would create a conversation to at least take his captain's mind off of the mentally defective pony across from him. He turned around in the seat to bury his knees in the cushion while staring at Twilight, "So what's the issue with uh... changelings I think ya called 'em?" Twilight awoke from her own arrogant thoughts of taking full advantage of Bellhop's team. She stressed over the question, since the initial attempt at a response was an outburst, "the issue is everything!" she shouted hastily. "What's to be worried about here exactly?" Hazel questioned. "'Cause a years ago, they nearly took over all a' Canterlot by corruptin' Twilight's brother. Their queen kidnapped his bride and even shape shifted to make everypony think she was her!" exclaimed Applejack, also pressed on the question. "Nice one, Sherry," Ingot snickered. "Well I didn't know!" she retorted, trying to waver off her insulting tone from before. Ingot rose up his hands to his chest and pointed his palms towards Hazel to show defeat and possibly an apology for his pestering. It went silent again for a few moments, minus the other little conversations going around the box car, before Rainbow Dash pointed out something else that had been making her wonder about the well-being of Onyx's arrival. "So, I've been meaning to ask... You guys had like... no idea what to expect from Equestria right?" She trailed off, waiting for a response to confirm her next question. "Well, not entirely. All we had to go by was that oh, the place looked beautiful and like it was straight from a cartoon. That and these pic's of some creatures that Golf Team must've seen," said Hazel while dragging out some images. Five of the six ponies taking Onyx to Canterlot, Fluttershy being the exception, got up from their seats and gathered around Hazel to see the photos she had. Twilight's, Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as they all shouted out the same conclusion. "That's them!" "Yeesh, calm down," Hazel snapped while covering her ear that they shouted closest to. They cowered back, sheepishly grinning to pass for a silent apology. "Those are changelings, sorry for yelling," Twilight made her lip quiver down in guilt. "It's fine... Rainbow Dash, what were you getting at before?" Hazel asked. "Oh, right. So, you came here with little to no info on what we're capable of, but you came here without any sort of weaponry or anything? What if the Royal Guard found you or something? I don't think they would have reacted as nicely as we did," she asked, trying to show some concern for their possible well-being. At first, Bellhop repeated what she just said in his mind several times "As nicely as we did," because he wouldn't exactly describe their first encounter as nice. However, there was no need to touch on their behavior from earlier, as it would not do anyone or anypony any favors. "It's touching that you're concerned, but there's no need to be," he said while pulling out his F2000. The Rainbow haired pony looked at it, her expression unchanged from prior to when he dragged up the rifle. "It... doesn't look very sharp..." "It's a firearm, Rainbow," Hazel corrected her observations. "It lights your arm on fire and you can blast people that way!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Though, it sounded more of a cry for attention rather than her tossing ideas or explanations. Hazel would be the one to either humor or correct the pink pony. Bellhop raised a brow... "Uh, not quite Pinkie," she said while removing the magazine of her MTAR 21 and suppressing a smirk. She dislodged one of the NATO cartridges from the magazine to show the mares. "See, these are bullets. Pretty sharp, huh? Now imagine; these can travel at incredible-" As Hazel continued the trivial explanation; Spade subtly spoke, *Captain, move to the third radio channel please*. Bellhop turned to him to notice that he put his mask back up and slumped into his seat and facing the window beside Hazel. He wanted to privately cat apparently, so Bellhop faced the window as well to make others pay no attention to him, *What's happening?* *That purple one uh... Twilight. I believe there is more to her than we know.* *Holding back on us, Russia?* Bellhop asked bluntly. *More correctly; the KGB I'm afraid. Since that portal was in Pripyat, you can probably imagine that we were the first to find it. Well, actually with the US tag teaming with us to evacuate all the damn Stalkers; we both found it.* *Alright, so?* Spade slouched from his seat and turned over to glance at Twilight. She, like all the other mares, was listening to Hazel babble on about how much more efficient weapons on Earth were. With a sigh and awkward shuffle to sit up straight, *I think she was running around in the zone before we even knew about the access to her world.* *What? How?* "Something wrong?" Twilight's ears perked up. Bellhop turned away from the landscape he was simultaneously observing to see that everyone was paying attention to him now. Maybe he wasn't as quiet as he thought himself to be. Lowering the facial accessory, "Nothing, uh... What kinda stuff do you ponies do for fun?" Twilight raised a brow but Pinkie quickly shattered any of her ability to follow up with her suspicions, "Oh, loads of stuff! There's-!" *That's how it's done. What's up now?* *There have been rum- eh, not so much rumors. But uh... Agh, let me explain. A man in the KGB... er, Nikita I believe. He reported seeing some small horse roaming the nuclear exclusion zone about three years ago. More specifically, he noted how it was a purple one with darker hair to compliment the coat. He failed to tell us if it had a horn and wings like Twilight though, I am unsure if it was the same creature... But how many times do you see a purple pony on Earth, eh?* *Huh... I guess we'll figure this out eventually. That skank doesn't sound like she's telling us everything any-* *See? Now that is the attitude that will not get us where we need to be with these ones. Just try to play along with their little civilization; we may learn something. That is why we are here, yes?* Spade smiled... Well, none saw it, but Bellhop just figured he was doing it behind that facial gear. Bellhop sighed and looked back to the random activities that Pinkie Pie was spouting out of her mouth left and right. Though the new information and possible history of Twilight did take his mind off of the staring pony sitting right across from him, he couldn't ignore her bulging eyes of amazement that she showed as Hazel's explanation of the weapons progressed. Still, the mares and everyone in Onyx were somehow able to ignore that mint green pony. Pinkie Pie was the first runner-up to attempt at taking Bellhop's mind off of the awkward pony, "So, you just take-" "Cap', we got pass byers, your 6'," Ingot pointed past the window while squinting. It caused everyone to turn their attention away from the energetic pony yet again. Hazel could tell she didn't like everyone shunning her from the conversation, but that was far less important than what awaited outside. They spotted ten figures from the windows of the train thanks to Ingot. With a more defined examination, they could tell they were the doppelgangers that Twilight had gone so far to warn them about. With any effort put into a glimpse, one could tell the black creatures were flying, and they were intending to board the train. Twilight leapt from her seat with a slight hint of excitement; probably from the thought of getting even more payback from her last encounter with them (As mentioned before in Canterlot). "That's them! Get down and use your invisibility spell! We'll handle the changelings!" Mercury ignored her incorrect assumption that the active camouflage was a spell to speak reasonably, "Out of the question, miss. We made it our sub task to protect you, so that's what we're going-" "She means to not let them morph into your copies and wreak havoc on Equestria using y'er advanced weaponry 'n whatnot," the apple farmer sighed. "Onyx, pull reflector. It's too risky to be revealed to these guys right now," Bellhop commanded his team. They followed the order immediately while passengers on the train panicked. In moments, the soldiers fitted entirely in black became unable to find because of their armor's ability. Mercury pondered a thought out loud in the radio, *Wait, if they copy our forms, do they automatically get the weapons n' stuff too?* *I dunno, just-* Right then, the changelings burst through the train's windows, sending shards of glass over the innocent passengers. Of course, they had their heads covered by their own hooves; only a reasonable reaction to the glass. When looking up again, the civilians quickly felt outmatched and helpless due to the threat in front of them. Only six of the creatures burst into the locomotive, the other four resided on the roof, waiting to see if their friends came out okay. Inside the train however, panic still went about as one spoke up. He wore the clothing of any modern day soldier in the United States; complete with a digital forest pattern and a Remington ACR on his back. "Alright, we'll make this brief so you can go on with your lives," the changeling spoke in a modest tone, trying to calm down the ponies on board. Most on board were confused now though. They were not aware that the species could communicate like they could. "We're taking two of you hostage to help-" "You aren't taking anypony you fiends!" Twilight snapped while slamming a hoof down into the floor. One of the supporting changelings felt a bit worried now, "I-is that the princess's student?" "I-... It doesn't matter! We were given a task and we're doing it! Grab one of them and let's go!" another shouted clearly in hesitation, unsure if they should stand up to Twilight and her friends. One attempted to knock over Applejack, only to receive a buck to the face. It sent the changeling flying across the train's length and planted him against door to the next car over. Others, now intending to simply avenge their injured friend, darted at the apple farmer. Twilight and Rainbow Dash gladly greeted them with blasts of magic and a forceful smack across the face, making them unable to get up. The three left held a shaky stance, knowing they had underestimated what the mission would require of them. Bellhop lingered to his own thoughts, wondering why exactly they were wearing such apparel and why it looked familiar. The armor was one thing, but they also had the weaponry of a modern day soldier in the United States' Army. He couldn't think much of it before one of them shouted again. His eyes darted anxiously around the car before he pointed a hoof at Fluttershy, whom was cowering in the corner still. "Her! Take her and let's get the hell out of here!" "H-how though!? They're too strong!" another cried out, now understanding how badly Onyx's new friends outmatched them. The leader responded while erupting in green flames surprisingly, "Like we've been told to do." The fire that surrounded him ceased after a few seconds. Now, it wasn't a four legged creature that stood anymore. It was a man, a man equip with weapons to even oppose Onyx. The other two also performed this technique, reshaping into soldiers of their own tier. The leader pointed his ACR, hoping that the mares knew what it was capable of, "Get out of our way, now! Or we'll fucking kill you!" "Not gonna' happen, ya' varmint!" Applejack yelled as she hopped forward to attack. "Applejack, wait!" Twilight yelled in vain, but the leader's firearm made a deafening sound around the inside of the box car resulting in many screams of confusion. The apple farmer fell to the floor, bleeding from a fore hoof and wincing at the pain it created. The changeling's expression didn't change as he threatened them further. "That was your only warning! Now move!" *Clover, Ingot, let's sweep n' knock 'em* Bellhop commanded through the radio. Three operatives of Onyx team slowly moved into a position behind the three shape shifters aiming weapons at the mares. The leader kept shouting demands as Bellhop spoke again, "Call it." All three operatives used the same disarming maneuver: grab the barrel and yank upwards while positioned behind the target so that the gun smacks into their forehead. The upwards pull ensured everyone's safety by pointing out of harm's way, and the smack to the face would make them drop the weapon. Usually... Clover's target managed to fire off a couple of shots into the roof due to a panic reaction from the blow to his head. A second later, Mercury, Spade, and Hazel pointed their own weapons at the changelings while Bellhop, Clover, and Ingot restricted them. Exposed to the public once more and their new changeling acquaintances, Onyx had the enemy where they wanted them. Randomly, a grunt of pain came from above everyone in the train and a thin strip of blood ran down from the hole in the roof. Panicked conversing ran about from the terrified passengers, but Bellhop tightened his grip to draw their attention once more, "how many more of you are there!?" he shouted while not receiving a response. "Answer me, dammit!" The changelings were shocked. They all had a look of complete and utter fear on them while restrained. Rainbow Dash mocked them in their new position, "Hah! Not so tough now, are ya?" "W-what are you doing!?" Twilight questioned fiercely, for Onyx did not abide by her wishes for staying hidden. "How many more have come here with you?" Bellhop shook the changeling, ignoring Twilight's rage and trying to force an answer out of his victim at the same time. The changeling looked over to his equally as frightened friends. "Coal..." he sighed while looking at his female companion, "... get out of here." Just as he said those few words, the one identified as Coal erupted in flames along with the other captive. The green fire made Clover and Ingot released their grips, not knowing if the flames could actually harm them or not. The leader, which Bellhop only half-restricted, brought up his secondary G21 to shoot the Captain behind him in the head. Mercury shuttered at the sight, causing his finger to jump back. The medic's P90 fired a round off and hit the human-morphed changeling in the forehead. He shot once while falling due to a shock reaction and grazed Spade's shin before dying. The two that escaped Clover's and Ingot's grasps now flew out of the window to retreat. Before anyone could even comprehend what had just occurred, another shout came from behind their left, "Bleak, NO!" a downed changeling yelled while shifting into a soldier form of his own. Bellhop, desperately trying to keep the situation under control got ready to redirect the changeling's line of fire before it happened. Unfortunately, he couldn't expect what the doppelganger actually tried, which was jumping on the seat and springing into the Captain of Onyx team. The enraged shape-shifter struck down the Captain, intending to avenge his fallen ally. Clover was quick to pull up her G19 and aim at the target's head. The changeling showed no intension of ceasing to shoot Bellhop with his UMP45. Without any more hesitation, the female precision marksman pulled the trigger, ending the black creature's life swiftly. Bellhop tossed the flaming body away from his downed state to get back up. He jittered due to the green flames, but quickly discovered that they weren't lighting him on fire or causing any pain. When the flames died down, it revealed an eyes wide corpse on the floor. This made two... "C'mon, get up Specter! We've got to get out of here!" A voice, sounding similar to the one from above the car before, called out. It was a female changeling, urging her downed teammate in the back of the train car to get up and escape too. Onyx, save for Mercury, swiftly raised up arms while Bellhop got back to his feet. "Stop right there!" Ingot shouted, hoping they would comply so that they could acquire some answers as to what was going on. Mercury now tended to Applejack's hoof while she lay parallel with the floor of the locomotive. The one being helped up started a question, "w-what about-" "There's no time; we need to go now!" the female changeling shouted again, stretching her wings and quickly taking off out of the train. Bellhop raised his fist at Ingot, telling him not to shoot... He might penetrate the door and hit civvies in the next car over. The other swiftly followed her, leaving Onyx as clueless as they were when the battle started. At least it was over... Another wince made them all redirect their attention downward. "You're gonna be fine, stop y'er whinin'," Mercury said in an annoying way while wrapping some gauze around the apple farmer's bleeding hoof. It quickly blotted in red, but halted further loss of blood. "Cap', I think this one's unconscious," Hazel said slowly while removing her hand from the throat of a floored changeling. "Alright, use something to restrain him... Is there like a prison or jail or something we can take him to in Canterlot?... Twili-?" Bellhop questioned before turning to see shocked ponies all around him. It put his question on hold so that he could assess the terror and confusion of the passengers. "Y-you... killed them..?" Rarity slowly came to a realization. Fluttershy burrowed herself into a corner of the still moving train while Rainbow Dash pet her head to comfort her. The other ponies in the train all stared at Onyx team while small puddles of dark green blood formed beneath what they had achieved. Bellhop sighed... "Two of you go check the rest of the train, make sure no one stuck around..." "R-right... Sherry, with me," Ingot said softly. She complied and they went over to the next car to check for enemy stragglers. "B-but I thought...-" Pinkie Pie trailed off, unsure of what to make of the situation. "We've stepped in to dangerous grounds now, hyper one... It will not ease up anytime soon..." Spade frowned at the not-so-energetic-anymore pony. "Why did you have to kill them!?" Twilight anxiously shouted. "I don't know," Mercury replied. "B-but... w-wh-" "I dunno!" he shouted, practically shaking the car, "My finger slipped, alright!? My fuckin' bad... Jesus..." He was upset because he knew all too well that his little flaw just cost Onyx the mission. Don't kill the inhabitants. The commanders stressed it to them at least three times before they came to Equestria. Of all the rules; that seemed most important and they already blew it. "We didn't have a choice," Bellhop spoke up, trying to make it seem less severe than it already was. Twilight jittered with worried eyes and a mouth open frown, "I told you not to do anything! Y-you couldn't even handle doing nothing!? What is wrong with-?" "The fuck did you want to happen exactly!?" Bellhop shouted, not caring who was listening in at this point. "If we hadn't of done something right then, your damsel in distress there would be a hostage to who you claim to be the enemy!" A bit taken back now, Twilight knew the Captain had a point... Though the cursing didn't sit right with her... Fluttershy may have very well been missing and even more ponies could have gotten hurt if Onyx had just sat doing nothing. *Passengers, sorry for the scares on board, the train will now be entering Canterlot. Thanks for riding with us,* a voice called over a megaphone from inside the box car. Almost right after a speaker click sounded off, Hazel and Ingot returned through the door they went in before. "Train's all fine and dandy," Ingot said while sulking back. "Good," Bellhop replied. Glaring back at Twilight reminded her that she had nothing to complain about what Onyx just pulled. They saved their lives for all they knew. Clover was looking down now as well, showing off some minor depression because she thought she was also responsible for the team's failure. "I'm sorry, sir... I-I didn't mean to shoot him, h-he just-" "What are you sorry about?" Bellhop squinted, "Again, it was something that had to be done. If you hadn't of done it, I'd be dead, and you wouldn't have a leader anymore. What I'd like to know is how they got those guns and armor." "It looked like Golf Squad's don't you think?" Hazel asked. "Must've been," Spade sighed. Mercury studied his companion. "You need me to-?" "It is fine, no need to worry, friend," Spade replied, trying to just walk off his flesh wound while giving a weak smile. "Urgh, Der' mo..." "We've got to do something about this... We're going to make this right, okay everyone?" Bellhop raised his voice, asking everyone in the box car. He got worried stares and silence in return. Sighing, "Let's just go see this Celestia then..." Captain Alex Smith (Bellhop) doesn't tend to discuss what went on during his time in Syria. He holds himself responsible for deaths of many men, including soldiers of the United States. Sometimes he questions his own ability to lead a team... Back in Ponyville, a small purple and green dragon scampered to the Golden Oaks Library. Being one of the only beings in Ponyville that walked on two legs, his arms were able to carry two filled bags of groceries. He bumped open the door with his barbed tail and entered what he would call home. Immediately, when entering, he set the bags down and tried to catch his breath. He also allowed his arms to flail below him so they could regain strength from the stress they had just faced. It wasn't long before he noticed something else that was odd. "Twilight? I got the food like you asked me to," he called out. He would receive no response. Forgotten and left behind by his friends, he set down the bags with a sigh. The dragon slugged up the staircase afterwards and dropped into his bed to sleep off the aggravation...
[1-4] CaughtNever take things at face value... -June 7, 2021 -Equestria, Canterlot -Speak with the Princess -4:02 PM The train came to a rusty halt, the breaks singing against the metal tracks for twenty or so meters. A station, obviously with more money invested in it than Ponyville's, is where the train stopped completely. A large building with ornate window housing that made arcs in the wall. A second floor rested atop the structure as a balcony, judging by the gates on the roof, but must have just been for show, for no ponies were up there. The entire structure could double as a clock tower since there was a classic time tracker in the center. The truly breath-taking part had to be everything beyond that clock tower and station. Canterlot was amazing! The city's walls showed off an overall shade of white with gold trimmings. Many of the buildings sported some odd spiral figure atop of them much like the Saint Basil's Cathedral over in Moscow. A river ran through the outer edge of the town. As if trying to pertain to a child's imagination of a castle; a drawbridge presented itself to allow any to cross into or out of the city. And it rested on the side of a mountain. Your argument is invalid. Though from any of the soldiers' perspectives, it was ridiculous. The place was a disaster waiting to happen... The captain was confused however. Wouldn't there be some castle that Celestia was in if she was a princess? All of the buildings looked as posh and expensive as the others. Some had an altitude advantage sure, but it was just because the floor they sat on was inclined. Maybe the princesses were low profile or something in this world. After all, Twilight was just living in a library like any-... Okay, that's not exactly normal, but she was living as casually as any other pony in that village. Maybe this Celestia character did the same... Bellhop kept his thoughts to himself throughout the rest of the trip. He made it his own task to bind the changeling and carry him to the castle to have them arrest him or imprison him or whatever they saw fit. But he couldn't get Spade's information out of his head. That little tid-bit, assuming it to be true, meant these ponies knew more than they let on, especially Twilight. He wasn't about to go around throwing accusations though, no... The Captain wouldn't risk losing their trust, whether they really had it or not, just yet. Even if it were true, it didn't really mean anything. Had Twilight been strolling around in The Zone; it only meant just that: She had seen Earth and all its terrible features. She didn't know anything about Onyx or the military or the Russians. But he could always be wrong. "If it's some threatening ordeal; it'll unravel itself soon," Bellhop decided. The train car doors had opened which allowed all passengers on board to exit the train. Some were still a bit shaken up from what they had witnessed on board, but hopefully would be able to get on with their lives in the large and decorated city of Canterlot. The group of twelve, thirteen counting the incapacitated changeling, were the last to leave the train. The team, save for Bellhop, got off and waited at the deck next to the immobile train. The captain now carried an immobile changeling over his shoulder. The poor thing was still unconscious from the battle only minutes ago. "Again, I'm sorry for the confusion, hopefully this kind of stuff won't happen to you anymore," Bellhop said speaking to the conductor of the train. "It's quite alright, Captain. You did save everypony's life on board, I can't say I've seen a species like you before though. You're new around these parts then?" he asked, trying to get Bellhop to stop being so modest of what he did on the train. The question did make him think. He figured that only Twilight and her friends knowing that there was a whole other world that Onyx came from was in everyone's best interest. All of the other ponies were better off ignorantly assuming Onyx came from some unknown area of the world they were already in. "Yeah... Something like that..." "Well, safe travels. And hey, my name's Steamer. It was nice to meet you," the brown haired pony said with a smile. "Likewise, Steamer," Bellhop nodded, stepping off of the train and paying no eye contact to the pony. He really needed to get this damned side mission over with, and then go back to Onyx's main objective. Though he couldn't argue that this was giving the team some major insight that they probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Unless they somehow stalked them onto the train while-... He didn't want to think of what could have been... "Canterlot should bring up your attitudes!" he called out while the train's whistle sounded and the locomotive started its journey to Ponyville. Bellhop sighed again and turned to his team, the station, and more ponies staring in awe at the humans before them. How incredibly fitting. He didn't speak while walking by the group, but they understood from the silence that he wanted them to follow. He didn't know where to go, but he just wanted to move away from these crowds. Celestia's home wasn't going to just be right in front of them when they got off the train anyways. Maybe one of the buildings would stick out enough to identify which one she resided in. The group followed suit, not daring to start a conversation after what happened on the train. The same silent rules did not apply for Pinkie Pie though, "Well, this 's been a-" Ingot snapped, "The next thing you say better be-" "Stop it, stop the fighting!" Fluttershy burst out. Ingot scratched his head and covered the ear that the shy pony just wailed into. "Look, my bad alright?" he groaned. "Alright, we're done with the sulking, okay? The mission isn't over just because we killed someone. Command couldn't have really expected us to go in unopposed if they gave us this much firepower. What we did was justified, get it?" Bellhop said without hesitation. His eyes never left the path they walked on. "Um... excuse me?" a voice from behind the ponies and human operatives. Bellhop was first to turn, always determined to set an example to his team. However he cringed when making out what it was that just asked for their attention. It was the mint green mare from the train ride along with a follower of her own. The pony that Bellhop deemed stalker was awkwardly shifting left and right rather than staring at the team with bulging eyes like on the train. The cream coated pony with two colors of hair impatiently waited for her shy friend to do something so they could move on. "I... uh... er, n-never mind, l-let's go Bonbon," She said, almost squeaking at one point. The one she referred to as Bonbon simply sighed and rolled her eyes, disappointed at her friend wasting their time. And with that, they strolled back to whatever they must have originally intended to do in Canterlot. Bellhop raised a brow and shrugged. He continued walking, the squad and ponies automatically following him again. Twilight being skeptic of every single action the soldiers did asked, "Do you know where you're going?" "If it's a princess we're looking for, then she'll be in the most blatant and large structure in the city," He replied while mocking royalty at the same time. In all seriousness, he was lost... Twilight was failing to find a way to make him feel like an insignificant being at this point. Bellhop could tell his plan to prove his worth was working. He wanted to fully get it through her head that she wasn't in control of Onyx and it could very well be the other way around if they chose it to be. He looked to his left to see if his comment did any-... Why was she so smug? "Oh, is that why we're heading towards the bakery?" That brought his tedious pace to a halt and nearly caused him to drop the shape-shifter over his shoulder. The others stopped too, knowing that this would bring out an argument betwixt pony and soldier. "Where are we going then?" Twilight cocked her head at that, "No rude remarks this time?" she pondered, "If you were using your head; you-" "When we stepped off the train; we should've headed to the first structure you witnessed on the train. It was the one with the little moat-waterfall and drawbridge. By the way, do you like the city so far? I think we should visit one of the stores when we're done visiting her majesty," Rarity said with a sheepish grin. Twilight groaned at her white coated friend... "Nah, I think we're heading right back to Ponyville. Our CO's- Wha- hey, dude. 'Helmet stays on," Hazel cut herself off to scorn Ingot. Indeed, he had removed the last piece of his headgear to show his buzz-cut. He narrowed his eyes at the female guide. She sighed with little swats to the air, "You don't wear the helmet, battle comes outta nowhere, 'ya get shot in the head... Just... Wear it, 'k?" "Sure thing, Sarg'," he pat it back on his head with a sigh. "Lead the way then, Lavender," Mercury tapped the princess's horn. Before taking one step he received a light jolt on the offending forearm. He shook his shocked hand with a groan as Twilight skipped by with her smuggyness. Clover chuckled, "That's whatcha get. Mess with- Ah, hey!" she gasped after something pat her behind. She connected the action to Hazel because she walked by right as it happened. "Pants sagging, tighten your bel-" "You couldn't 've just told me!?" Clover hastily fastened her clothes. She overheard a few giggles and blushed, "Sherry, come oooonnn." "Are you people coming or what?" Twilight shouted from ahead and dragged over everyone's gaze. Bellhop had already been moving with the pony and shifted his shoulders a bit to get a hold on the knocked out changeling. Awkward shuffles quickly brought the rest of the ponies and soldiers to the two. Bellhop wasn't much of a talker... unless being spoken directly to, of course. Walking long distances to get some place annoyed him just from the thought, but he preferred keeping to his own thoughts on the journey. What Spade had told him, what was to come, when he'd confront Twilight about it. If he'd confront her at all... How would she react if it weren't true? Maybe he'd get to feel what Spade had when Rarity flung him into the library... That white pony... He had harmed one of the people they were supposed to get to know better. Why were they just okay with this? Why wasn't the immediate reaction to try and maime the team? The Russian was a friendly guy, but... This was just weird... They're being too friendly for Bellhop's comfort. Well, maybe not friendly friendly, but friendly enough not to go on a rampage when seeing bipedal creatures with weapons... Even when the creature was hurting their friend right in front of them. Bellhop would remain- A shout from afar to bring him back to reality. Before him stood a tall, bracketed gate with walls stretching across both sides to hold guards about eight meters above the ground. "Halt! In the name of Celestia!" a pony shouted out. It must have been a guard, which there were plenty of in this case, for they lined the top of both walls. They were suited up in a gold colored metal, complete with a helmet piece and blue cloth decoration. He was quick to summarize everyone in the actual group. His expression seemed to be less... angered when spotting the mares that brought Onyx to Canterlot. He called out again in a calmer manner. Some wielded spears and stuck the spikes towards the sky. Others did not have weapons of any kind, but the armor showed off their horns, implying they dealt with magic rather than weaponry. Soon, others that hovered in the air, flapping white wings arrived. Guards of all pony types ready to scold Onyx. "What do you require, Princess Twilight?" "We've come to converse with Celestia, for she requested our audience!" she shouted, making sure that the guard could hear her from their position. "All of you? What are those anyways?" He skeptically questioned. Bellhop groaned when hearing him use the term those, because it meant he just saw Onyx as things rather than people let alone beings equivalent to that of a pony's. "They're our friends, and it's urgent that they come along with us. Princess Celestia wanted us to bring them," Twilight explained, lying at the latter part. "Understood, Princess. You and your friends may enter," he concluded while hitting the butt of his spear into the ground twice. Right then, the gate split in half vertically and opened inward slowly. The group of twelve entered while still getting scolds, though directed more at Onyx team. "Who were they?" Ingot asked, a bit annoyed with the stares Onyx got. "The Royal Guard. Celestia's soldiers, if you will," Rarity answered. "Hey Twilight, isn't your brother supposed to be in the castle today?" Pinkie Pie bounced playfully while moving alongside the party of ponies and mares. "That's what the letter said, yes. And maybe he can back me up with explaining Onyx's presence," Twilight added, hinting that the group of humans was only causing them more of a hassle. Bellhop sighed, simply accepting that the alicorn was stuck up and changed the subject without insulting her back. "What's so special about your brother?" "Why he's none other than Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard!... Well, Captain of his guards back in the Arctic North." "Another Captain, huh?" Spade chimed in. Pinkie Pie bounced around the group while they purged forward, "Yeah, all this cool stuff's happening on the same day! Twilight's brother only came to Canterlot like one other time since he got married and went to live in the Crystal Empire! And we got to meet all of you! This day is crazy!" "One thing we can agree on..." Bellhop mumbled. Rainbow Dash spoke up before Pinkie could ask Bellhop to clarify his whispers, "Well, should we split up to find your brother or do ya wanna just head right to Celestia?" "For Twilight's sake, let's just look for her brother. Onyx pick a favorite, six duos," Bellhop once again subtly poked fun at the alicorn while giving an order. "I call Fluttershy ♥!" Clover hummed. The pale gold pony had no complaints. "At least they can get along well," Bellhop thought. "I'm with Mercury, or... Bradley," Rainbow Dash clarified. "Just Brad, thanks," Mercury wanted to get her on the right track. "Wanna tag up with me, Pinkie?" Hazel asked. "Sounds super!" she exclaimed while bouncing over to the female combatant. Rarity cleared her throat next to Spade to get his attention, "I do believe you were hit in the leg, I'll move slowly with you". His leg stopped bleeding on the walk to the castle but still ached a bit while he moved. The bullet hadn't lodged into the bone fortunately. He just shrugged and stood idly by the white pony. Bellhop and Twilight were quickly coming to the realization that they had only each other for partner options. They both sighed simultaneously. "Guess that leaves you and I, Alex," the alicorn rolled her eyes. "I guess so. Alright, split up and find him." Ingot was hoping that he could just use his time in the military to fund a college education but spiraled into somewhat of a clinical depression when he took courses. His grades suffered immensely as he mentally refused to do the work given to him. Without a college education, he figured he had nowhere else to go for work really in life, so he just continued working up the ranks of the USMC... -4:17 PM The skies of Equestria were probably the most breath taking features in the world. It was an unscathed light blue, complimented by the white puffy clouds that looked as if they made perfect use as mattresses. In all seriousness; they worked as building materials for this world. About 260 meters from the ground were structures that scraped the blue air. It seemed that buildings were sitting on top of a large platform of a cloud to create a city. Maybe the platform was made of multiple clouds crushed together or had some special property, for the objects on top of it didn't look light enough to just sit on top of something like a cloud. Then again, anything seemed possible on this planet so far... White columns surrounded entrances to white buildings. All of the structures rested on their own individual cloudy platforms. Harder material staircases and narrow platforms, made of stuff similar to the other cloud floors, connected all of the homes. Though, these didn't seem like homes. One in particular had smaller puffs of clouds, as soft looking as the ones that didn't make up the town, surrounding it. And, like the others, used columns as a type of entrance rather than a door of some sort. Inside, instructions sounded about to have the recipient make haste. "Hurry up, Helios," a voice called out. Around the voice and in the room were desks, chairs, some papers, weapons... and winged beings dressed in gray suits with red complimentary trims. The suit was simply a torso piece that covered only their chests, allowing the tail and hind legs to move freely. Not to say that the vest restricted the beings ability to fly, for cuts in the back let the wings to break out when needed. It featured sleeves so that the forelegs snuggly held the clothing in place too. Last was the hat... Dull gray, just like the chest piece of the outfit. It resembled that of a baker's cap (Not a chef's hat; a baker's cap). The individuals weren't planning on making pastries anytime soon though. The hat had a red circle about one inch in diameter placed directly in the center of it. The one referred to as Helios was still filling a saddle bag, both pouches also gray with a single red stripe. He stuffed in water bottles, salty crackers, some gauze, and a pair of knuckle blades. The weapon was plainly a sharp edge with three precisely put holes and an indent on the edge to grip. The blade itself extended 15 centimeters away from the handle indentations. Helios closed the pouches and strapped them around his stomach to stand on all fours efficiently while carrying supplies at the same time. "I'm good to go, Captain," he said in a vexed tone. He didn't like to be rushed... "Right. Get to-" "we're going now, sir..." Helios stretched out his wings along with his apparent friends in the room. The captain waited, expecting them gone two minutes ago. Several winged beings flew out of the open roof of the building to get to their new objective. Now soaring through the air... "Really getting tired of him," a feminine voice spoke up while the group of four flew over the city. "I know, Mist. You're almost done with the academy though, alright? Soon enough, you'll never have to hear of Stride ever again. Now just think of it this way, you'll be much better off than I am," Helios chuckled. "Why's he so stern anyways?" another called out so that everypony could hear. "Well, he's been through a lot, Decker. Obviously not a reason to go around yelling at new recruits all the time, but you know. That and he's kind of supposed to. Rookies need to be whipped up into shape I guess. And he takes it more seriously than anypony I know of." "Heh. But seriously, how cool is it that I get to graduate under your watch, bro?" "I guess it's pretty nice, but don't get too comfy, Eos. I never agreed to handing out freebies," Helios grinned. "That goes for the rest of you too... though, just between us... I think you're all gonna be accepted. Just keep up your work ethic around here. Got it?" "Sure thing, sir," said Decker. He had his head turned while speaking. And unfortunately, while waiting for a response that never came, he smacked into the column of another building. He fell to the cloud floor while Helios and the others flew down to help him. "Decker!" Eos shouted, getting to his fallen friend first. "Agh, I-I'm fine," he replied in a bit of a daze. "You sure? Anything sprained, or broken? How many-?" Helios trailed off in an overly concerned manner before Decker interrupted him by stretching his wings. He then smiled and got up to stand on all fours. "No need to worry, man. I'm all good." "Heh, always a quick healer Deck'. Let's get to the next trial then," Eos smirked. Decker rubbed his head and stared down while his companions moved into the building. "It's not really that I'm a fast healer, see I just hit my-" "You comin', dude?" Mist called from inside, making the winged being flinch into realization. He jumped and made a dash to catch up with his team. In moments, he slowed down to once again be sided by Mist. On the inside of the column surrounded cloud resided a training course. Near the center, the four spotted other friendlies. Another group of three, suspended in mid-flight, took orders from the female shouting below them. "Lift, you need to stay directly behind Swift when in line, he's the only thing on that field keeping you from going against the extra wind. Turbulence is going to throw you off if you don't stay center." "Right ma'am, sorry ma'am!" he replied, unsatisfied with his effort. "Yeah, don't stress too much, you've still got the other trials to make it up in," the squad leader replied to the anxious flyer, Lift. "Alright. Swift, Drift, Lift, finish up with a couple more laps to work out your wings a bit. Then get back to me." They boasted air born salutes by using their forelegs with determined smiles and flew off. She redirected her vision at Helios's squad in the distance. Eos cringed a bit at the instructor's gaze from afar. "Nervous?" Helios nudged his younger brother playfully. "Maybe a bit... But we flew here all the way from Albatropolis. And I'm not leaving until I'm accepted first," Eos replied with a healthy boldness in his voice. "New recruits again, Lift?" the sterner commander called out. "Yeah, Gilda, I'm sure these ones will get through though," the leading gryphon responded. Helios moved up closer to Gilda while his squad followed. "Stride's in a mood again, so be sure your guys are up and alert when you head back." "I hear ya, Heli'. In a minute, the course is all yours," Gilda said while smiling at her circling trainees. Mist also eyed them, exclusively Lift. Decker nudged her a bit with a smirk, "What're ya staring at Mist?" It caused her to flush slightly and force her gaze downward. "N-nothing... The sky's nice today..." she warmly smiled to herself. "Stay focused and remember to curve, not bank on those turns, okay?" Helios stated, snapping Mist out of her fantasy. They looked up to him with vigor. All of them were determined to pass basic training and get accepted into the EPOW, Eagle Pointe's air force. The fourth established gryphon company known as none other than Shock and Awe. Command Sergeant Major Vasily Yetgarev (Spade) and many other GRU helped out Syria. Specifically Russia had ties with the Syria's government and leaders. Their part was pretty much making sure that the rebels didn't go too far (like chemical weapon attacks on the populace). Russia had pulled out of the war about 6 months after getting involved though, for they feared an international conflict with the United States if they continued... -4:20 PM Smo' queed erreday... The duos of Onyx and ponies all searched different parts of the castle, not including the throne room where Celestia was of course. They needed, or... Twilight needed in this case, to find Shining Armor to maybe help them explain Onyx's arrival. But that didn't make much sense at all... How would he know anything of it? Maybe she was just hoping her brother would side with her if Celestia started yelling at Twilight. Bellhop lightly chuckled at the thought of the purple alicorn getting shouted at for being the arrogant pony she was over the last few hours. "Is something funny?" Twilight asked, unsatisfied with getting the Onyx Captain as a partner to search for her brother. "Nah, it's nothing. But you know what?" he responded, giving her time to mutter a 'what' before he continued. "Yes?" "You and I both know what you've been trying to do since we found you at the library. For hours now, I've humored you, diligently waiting for a just shrivel of respect, but you clearly aren't the kind of being that does that..." She didn't pay him any eye contact as they continued walking... "So know this, you don't lead this team. And I don't know if you've noticed, but we aren't gaining anything spectacular out of this little visit to your beloved princess either. This is a sub task, nothing more. And I was the one that allowed us to go through with it." He overheard her hoof scrape the ground when she mis-stepped due to what she was hearing. He continued, "We could have just said solve your own damn problems and left you to die on your train ride here. Or get captured, whatever you feel you deserved... This is taking up time we could be putting towards what we actually came here for. One of our fifteen days has already been used up because of my concern for your species.” Finally, she paid him full attention with a vexed glare which he narrowed his eyes at, "We aren't friends, and Onyx is going back to their original mission as soon as we're finished cleaning up your little changeling epidemic. Understand?" "M-may I remind you that the changelings rising up in arms was your fault?" She furrowed her brows while trotting alongside the Captain, turning away again to avoid looking at him. He gave that one a bit of thought and nodded with a shrug, "Yeah, I guess it was. But, now we’re all that more important to you," he smirked. "W-wha-" "You can't face these guys on your own power, admit it. That orange one with the Stetson; the bullet was two inches away from slicing her artery open. What would you have done if we weren't there? What if we just never showed up? These creatures," he patted that knocked out changeling twice," would still have their guns, and you, would be dead... What's done is done, and the outcome is you need us now." "Princess Sparkle, is this thing bothering you?" A female guard's voice came from behind them. "... Not at all, thank you for your concern," Twilight sighed. "Do you by chance know where my brother is? It said he was here in a letter I received." "The old Captain? He's speaking with Celestia right now. To be honest I thought you'd be in that room right about now rather than taking a stroll through the gardens," the guard responded a bit confusedly. Twilight face hoofed and groaned. The guard's heart sank, for her mind naturally amplified the princess's frustration to an audible scream. "W-would you like me to take you to her?" she nervously offered. "That's fine I suppose, but first I need to find my friends. Can we-" *Onyx, her brother 's in the throne room speaking with Celestia, we've just been wasting our time so far. Regroup at the entrance,* Bellhop said through the earpiece while interrupting Twilight at the same time. "Or... not," she rolled her eyes. "Let's get a move on then. Thank you for your help that you could have potentially provided if it weren't for his fancy gadgets," "I-... Thank you, princess?" she stuttered, not sure to make that out as a compliment or an angry sigh to her bipedal companion. She didn't much feel like asking her about it either. "Right uh. Don't mean to be rude, but why is your purple friend such a bi-?" "Finish that sentence and you're in a world'a hurt, pal," Rainbow Dash threatened, not very amused with Mercury's smart mouthing. He chuckled softly while she continued, "Twilight isn't a bad pony, she's just under a lot of stress, and you guys can't seem to see that." "I guess so. So where do you fall on this whole... epidemic... as it were?" Mercury replied, not really taking anything she said before to heart. Rainbow Dash sighed, "I just hope we can solve this changeling business like last time and get on with our lives. We aren't always doing the princess's bidding, y' know?" "I hear ya. Believe me, we're going to make the changeling thing as quick as possible, then you probably won't even remember we're here while we go researching for whatever remainder of days we have left," he smiled, pleased with his ability to calm people down easily. "Well thanks for at least taking responsibility for your own actions. That takes guts. Especially when it comes to something like this," she smirked. "I'd thank you for thanking me 'n all, but I dunno what you mean." "Well... I mean, wasn't their ability to get weapons... because of you?" She slowly expanded on her earlier claim. "I guess in a way, yes. Onyx in particular? No. We established that it was a team that came here yesterday just to get a glimpse at what this world offered. Notice how they had ACR's and UMP45's?" he answered, trying to take some negative tension off of his team. The rainbow maned pony just raised a brow in confusion. Mercury quickly realized why she was making such an expression, "ACR's and UMP's are what weapons the changelings were using. And as you could probably tell, they looked nothing like us. Don't the changelings need some sort of reference or model to base their forms off of?" "I... think so... Well then, you have a point. But still, it's good that somepony's here to-" "Somebody, kid." "Wha-" "The word you're lookin' for is somebody." "Th-that makes no sense," she curved her lip to show disgust almost. Mercury thought on it for a moment. "Not to you at least," he grinned while stopping at a large door. "Hmm, we're here then?" "First as always," she smiled, satisfied. A familiar peppy voice redirected her attention and Mercury's. "Then we found all of the elements at the same time! But I was super grumpy, and GRAY! Can you believe it!? I was totally gray! Then we split up for a bit, but Twilight found out how to make us NOT gray. She's smart like that. Then we became friends again, and- oh! Hey Rainbow Dash, and Bradley!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She must have been talking for the entire time Hazel was searching around with her, for the female combatant's expression was astonishment. Ballistic eye wear and a black mouth covered her face up of course, but Mercury could kind of tell she was amazed at the pink pony's lack of a need to breathe when speaking. "Ya don't have to really wear that stuff since we're not really being all sneaky like anymore, Sherry," Mercury chuckled. Hazel shook her head a bit to faze back into reality. "Oh, right," she said while raising up the goggles to her helmet's forehead and dragging down the mask that covered the lower half of her face. It let her curly red hair bounce a bit and Pinkie Pie gasped, to which Hazel raised brow at. "I got to see your face!" she bounced twice with a grin. "Um, alright? Why's this a good thing?" "Oh, well maybe it isn't really a good thing. I just thought you were self conscious of your face or something, so you hid it behind that head gear all day." "Well, good to know there ain't a shortage'a nuts in the group," the combat medic groaned. Hazel giggled a bit and pat Pinkie Pie on the head, "I like her. She's like a never ending fountain of joy." "Yay!" she smiled in return. "Come now, dearie, easy does it," said Rarity who was now only a couple of meters from the group and walking alongside Spade. He didn't show any sort of limp or physical struggle, but the white coated pony remained concerned. "Howdy-ho," Spade waved to his team in a less than amused mood. "And Vasily, I simply must know why it is you speak with that... eh, gurgle in your tongue. Are you trying to stand out? Public individualist perhaps?" Spade rubbed his head with the palm of his hand in stress. "It is because English was not my first language you undersized horse. Man, Hazel, can I trade ponies with you? This one is... Eh, she's so... posh," Spade rolled his eyes. Rarity didn't seem to take kindly to the way he described her just then. He wasn't trying to offend any of the ponies or anything, but whatever Rarity was talking to him about probably just didn't meet his interests. "Hmph. I may be small, mind you, but no mere equine comes even close to looking as fabulous as a pony does on a regular occasion," she explained with a bit of posture while rising up her nose at the Russian. He simply rolled his eyes again. "And that's when I found Angel and-... Oh, we're here it looks like," Fluttershy said when appearing with Clover. Clover smiled and leaned in close to the pale gold pony. "I think you're just about the cutest thing I've ever come across ♥," she whispered while rubbing the top of the pony's head. Fluttershy made crescents out of her eyes and smiled. Mercury and Rainbow Dash gagged simultaneously, then immediately noticed they copied each other's reactions. Hazel chuckled, "Maybe you two have more in common than you thought." "Heh, yeah. There was actually a cider mill close to where I lived when I was a kid. They made these cinnamon powdered donuts that were probably the best things ever," Ingot smiled. The orange earth pony following him took every word to heart. "Well it's good that ya were into farm work when ya were younger, keeps y'er strength up," Applejack grinned. The battle manager shook his head, "Nah, Michigan has farms, but I don't think I lived near any of 'em." "Oh, didn't mean t' just throw-" "You're fine, I can't honestly remember doing anything special as a kid though. I kind of just wound up doing this right after high school, and I've never really looked back," he trailed off starting to linger to old memories of home, "I guess I got into this because I felt sympathy for those civies in Syria. 'Whole thing started 'cause our they told us their government was killing them." "W-what!? That's awful! Why would they do th-?" "Pretty much the civies didn't like the current law system, so they rebelled. Protests come around, police are told to beat the protesters, rebels start riots in the streets, and they suppress media outlets so no other countries find out about it. That kinda stuff." He looked at Applejack with her dumbfounded expression, "Unfortunately, like my friends and I predicted, it's turning out to be another Afghanistan..." "Whad'ya mean?" Applejack asked with great concern. "The war is a never ending loop basically. Remember I said that there was a rebellion and they are against the government? As it would turn out, a lot of those rebels are cooperating with a terrorist faction from the last war we were in. So, we have a handful of militias trying to kill us there, and we have the Syrian military trying to kill us there." "But... How can ya help them if they don't even want it?" Applejack asked. "Well, that's what I mean. 'S funny: we actually supplied those rebellion factions in early 2013. Everyone thought 'Murica was just insane. The civilians do need our help, but supplying the rebels was stupid... I still, to this day, can't believe we all sat there wondering how Al Qaeda worked its way to a threat again. The US has no business in the Middle East if ya ask me. Those people can't get it together..." "Doesn't mean they aren't worth defending, Sergeant," Bellhop said a meter away from him while catching up alongside Twilight. "HeyJasonWhoIsGodAndWhatDoesHeOrSheDo?" Twilight quickly muttered in an almost unintelligible way followed by a cough. Bellhop face palmed and shook his head left and right in frustration. Again, someone was endangering the good meaning of the mission. He felt like he was the only one who bothered reading the damned log before they stepped off the Huey in Pripyat... "He's a spiritual being widely credited in the US... and Ireland or something as being the creator of the universe. He belongs to the religion of Christianity and is said to be a miracle worker of sorts." "Oh... that's ne-" "But, there's no proof of his existence other than a book written a couple thousand years ago," Bellhop sighed. "Interesting, does everypony in your world believe that?" said Twilight. "Again with that stupid word" he thought, "I said widely, not factually. Besides, there are far more religions than just Christianity. This one just so happens to be more popular than most." "Do... you believe in it?" Applejack asked a bit shyly. "I've been... iffy over the past couple of years on it. The more I move on in life, the more I find reason not to believe someone's watching over me at all times," Bellhop said with his head turned towards the sun set. Ingot curved his lip to show disapproval, "Well, what do you-" "'S enough, we can talk about this some other time. I'm sure everyone's waiting at the door as we speak," Bellhop explained while walking in the direction of the rest of his team. "Now c'mon." First Lieutenant Bradley McCoy (Mercury) tries to keep a lighter mood running in his operations to help everyone remember that being happy isn't the worst thing to be in a situation. He has a degree in psychiatry and has helped many soldiers with their PTSD and injuries on the field... -4:24 PM "You totally copied me, admit it!" Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. Mercury shook his head at the childish pony in disapproval, "Amazing what little things it takes to rile you up. Fortunately, it's just as easy to calm you down." "Brad, why do you have to make 'em all mad right away?" Hazel sighed. "Making her-? I'm not making her mad. If she's actually getting pissed off then she's taking things way too seriously. You're not actually mad, are you?" he cocked his head. "No way, I'm just saying you're trying to-" "Oh right, the point. Well, this was what you call a coincidence you ignorant, ignorant pony. I could have just as easily rolled my eyes, or as likely not have reacted at all." "Whatever, ya better get ready t' have your jaw drop in awe when you see my stunts in the air. Just you wait; you'll never sit again when you stand up from-" "Pestering them again, Brad?" Ingot called out. "I'm not- you know what? Fuck it, yeah I am. Look how pissed off she is. Look at the pure hatred and rage flowing from her angry blue face," he said while pinching Rainbow Dash's cheek. She flinched back and stuck her tongue out at Mercury. "What'd I tell you about swearing!?" Twilight shot a hoof at Mercury. "I can't fuckin' quite fuckin' remember what the fuck you're fuckin'-" "That's it; you're done making fun of everypony!" Rainbow Dash shouted while gaining altitude. Her wings flapped more quickly as she darted towards the unimpressed combat medic. He simply stepped to the left and she zipped past him and into the wall next to the large door in front of Onyx and the ponies. Mercury slowly stepped towards her and kneeled to lift her head up. The pony's magenta eyes were making circles while he spoke. "Hey Rainbow Dash... Y' alright? How many fingers 'm I holding up?" She didn't respond in her dazed state. He chuckled slightly before getting a scornful response. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Twilight yelled. "Hope it was worth it, 'cause now you're going to apologize and carry her. Now," Bellhop commanded. He sighed, "Sorry that you lost your temper and pointlessly threw yourself into a wall. And due to this action that you did, I have to unjustly carry you for the rest of the trip." Bellhop rubbed his right palm in his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, facials off. We're not keeping this disrespectful tone anymore, alright? We need to make a decent impression-" "Which you've failed miserably at so far," Twilight corrected him. He groaned, "Fine whatever, we're sorry that you don't like us and whatnot. But the last thing we want is to make you all rise up in arms. So we're fixing this changeling issue, and we're fixing it as soon as possible. All good, Sparkle?" None of the mares responded while any Onyx members who hadn't lifted their facial apparel off did so. "Let's go then," Bellhop said while pushing the door open. He was disappointed because he actually expected the throne room to be right on the other side. He scolded himself tacitly while the others moved by. In moments, they were through the lengthy hall way. The corridor had other smaller doors on either side, but the one that everyone desired was obviously standing out. They stood behind yet another large door, possibly bigger than the one to enter the hallway to begin with, and heard voices on the other side. Rainbow Dash squirmed a bit in Mercury's arms, "Let me down, I can walk..." The combat medic complied and set her on the floor. She immediately swept his legs off of the tiles by using her own and sent him to the ground with a thud and grunt. "And kick," she chuckled. He planted a palm on the floor and used a bit of momentum to horizontally swing his legs behind him and then in front, also taking down the rainbow haired pony. Bellhop walked at Mercury while he was still on the floor, making him inch back more and more to avoid being stepped on. "Will you quit it!? Where do you get off Bradley, huh!? If she wants to act like a fuckin' child, then-!" Rainbow Dash started laughing obnoxiously while getting back up. "You really thought I was being serious? Puh-lease, banter is my game, and this guy knows how t' dish it out well enough. Good to know I can use this as a new form of it though. I get him mad at you even if I'm the one who started it!" She started laughing again before Applejack smacked her over the back of the head, immediately causing her to stop and groan. "Guess that goes for both of us," Bradley smirked. "Ya done? Are we done with this?... Good, how 'bout we do what we came here for. Can you hold off acting like idiots until then? Please?" Bellhop asked impatiently. All of them shaped up their attitudes to the situation appropriately and stood straight. Bellhop traded looks with the mares and his squad and patted the unconscious changeling on his shoulder. "If she asks you a question, just answer it in a decent and sophisticated manner. Can you at least give me that Alex?" Bellhop nodded to confirm that she had nothing to worry about. With one last sigh, he shoved open the door with his shoulder as the mares scampered by him to get in first, followed by Onyx, and lastly Bellhop. As expected, he entered in receiving stares and silence for a greeting. Whatever the well decorated guard with blue hair was saying before, Onyx and the mares had cut the conversation short. He spoke to a pony that was much larger in stature and had a white coat. Her double colored mane flowed as if there was a draft right next to her head but never showed any signs of ceasing. "Twili'?" the red coated and blue maned pony called in a (not often around these parts) masculine voice. Twilight reacted excitedly at the sight of the one asking her name. "Shining Armor! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed while galloping up to wrap him in hooves. He hugged right back while the large white pony stared in discomfort. Clover giggled to herself, "Heh, Twili ♥" she cooed. "Clover..." "I know," she smiled softly. "Princess Twilight?" the larger white pony called out. "Y-yes your majesty?" she stuttered while jumping away from her embrace with her brother. Bellhop figured that this pony had to be Celestia... Well, Twilight referred to her as her majesty anyways, so it could be her. She lacked any expression on her face while she continuing, "I requested that you and your friends come here as soon as possible." "Of course, and here they-... Oh... Right," she sighed when realizing again that she brought along six more guests. It made Bellhop feel very uneasy about being here again, and it only made him wish they never failed the stealth portion to begin with. Fortunately, it was allowing them to get a better idea of who was in charge and how things worked. They had been exposed to more of the land in one hour moving around than when they were sneaking around in Ponyville. It seems that Spade was right in this aspect... but only this one... "It is alright, my faithful student. Who are they? Can they speak our native tongue?" she asked, showing a bit more interest in Onyx now. Twilight's ears perked back up, knowing she hadn't disappointed her mentor after all. "They can, your highness." "Soldiers of the United States, please state your names and designations," Celestia asked. Bellhop thought on her words for a moment. How would she know they were from the US? He stopped thinking when meeting her soul devouring stare again. He shook his head a bit to break the mesmerizing gaze. "Alex Smith, Onyx Squad Captain." "Bradley McCoy, team medic," said Mercury. "Uh, Sherry Giles, I work with maps and navigation," Hazel credited herself. "Jason Macombs, battle management and designated marksman," Ingot said. "M-Miranda Fey, team sn- no, uh... precision marksman," Clover stated shyly. "Vasily Yetgarev, I give out-" "You're from Russia?" Celestia asked. "Eh, yes ma'am. I work to supply the team with any extra ammo they require." "What... is that on your shoulder, Captain Smith?" she raised an eyebrow. "It's a changeling. There was an attack on the train ride here, but we were able to fend them off," Bellhop sighed. "Why have you brought it here though? And what happened on the locomotive?" "Uh... I assumed you had a prison or something and again, we were attacked." "Was anypony on board harmed?" she asked in a very stern manner. "Not to our knowledge, no," Bellhop replied, "Uh, Vasily here was grazed on the shin. He should be alright though. We... had to kill two of these things, the rest fled when they saw themselves as outmatched." "You... killed th-" Multiple ponies called out in Onyx's defense, particularly Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight. Audible bursts of "They had no choice!" and "It wasn't their fault!" went about as Celestia tried to make peace of the scenario. "Enough! Captain, you're certain that none were harmed on the ride here?" "Yes, ah... wait, no Applejack was shot in the leg too, but Mercury patched her up." "A-Ah can walk just fine, y'er majesty," the apple farmer added. "Listen though; we came here to understand what this world is all about and what it's like... If you have a problem, we can he-" "Alex!" Twilight blurted out, for she thought Bellhop's tone was indecent. She looked back to Celestia, who was staring in a bit of concentration. "Perhaps you can assist us in this matter." "Whatever you need. Keep in mind that we only have fifteen days here. Fourteen since today's almost over. Our expertise is limited in some areas such as air travel and transport, but we have the weapons required to combat the changelings. And there's something else. They have access to these weapons too." "What are you implying, Alexander?" He once again had to waver off how she knew full versions of names or what country each of them were from to answer, "I mean they used their abilities to transform into soldiers. But not us, mind you. The changelings must have copied the forms of members in Golf Squad, the team that came here a week ago." "I understand," she smiled. Shining Armor, the only sort of guard in the room, chimed in with suspicion, "Princess, are you sure that we can trust them? They just-" "Oh c'mon, Shinin', they're professionals!" Applejack boasted Onyx's skills. "Darling, it would have been easy to tell if they meant harm when arriving," Rarity chimed in, adding to Applejack's praising of Onyx. She forced herself not to bring up how Onyx actually introduced themselves... "I think you can trust them! I trust them! They're trust worthy ponies!" Pinkie Pie blurted out ecstatically. Everypony in Equestria should-" "You mean everybody. Everybody in Equestria, Pinkie," Hazel attempted to correct her energetic friend. "Huh?" she raised a brow. "Well, not everyone is a pony, therefore- agh, never mind, Sorry Celestia..." "'Tis quite alright. Back on the subject, we would be happy to accept your services Onyx team. Could I ask of you to defend the Elements of Harmony back in Ponyville? I would also ask if you could simply defend the Element Bearers themselves? They are of upmost importance to our society and it is crucial that the changelings do not harm them, especially when they are unable to defend themselves to such tiers of weaponry," she trailed off, subtly silencing herself to give a sense of uncertainty. Just as she had hoped, it affected Bellhop's sympathy. Not before Mercury interrupted his thought of course, "Elements a' Harmony?" "You know, Laughter!" Pinkie Pie bounced. "Honesty," Applejack hummed. "Radicaln- Er... I mean, Loyalty!" Rainbow Dash declared. "Generosity," Rarity smiled softly. "Kindness and affection," Fluttershy heartily spoke. "And Magic," Twilight boasted. "Right. So, we'll need like a photo ID or a description of some-" Bellhop began. "No you don't," Twilight corrected him. "You've been doing this task throughout your entire stay in Equestria so far, Captain," Celestia noted while hinting at what Bellhop wanted to know. "Understood. Onyx, hope ya like who you paired up with, 'cause they might be the only thing you see for the next couple of days." "Thank you in advance for your help, I wish nothing but good fortune for you and your team Alexander. Have a safe journey back to Ponyville." "Good bye, Princess. Shining, it was good to see you again," said Twilight. "Yeah, but it looks like you have to get go-" Shining Armor was unable to finish before being embraced in his sister's telekinesis grip and dragged to her for a farewell hug. They went on for around five seconds before letting go of each other. Twilight turned to face Onyx again. "Alex?" the decorated pony asked. He looked up to him, waiting for Shining to continue. "Take care of my sister please." "I'll do whatever I can, Captain," he replied while giving a warmer smile. Shining also found it fitting to smile back. "Really, can we switch, Sherry?" Spade asked silently as Rarity scolded him... ... And so their fate was sealed...
[1-5] The Night WatchYou know what I hate in a story? People who have the god damned nerve to put an irrelevant romance between two characters in their story just to make it seem like they're relevant to the situation and not just side characters that aren't really important at all... Fuckin' punks, all of 'em! -June 7, 2021 (Day One) -Langley, Virginia (Central Intelligence Agency) -Wait on Onyx -7:23 PM A well lit room full of computers and monitors all lined up neatly in rows. CIA member Jeffrey Hues worked alongside David Royecwitz in monitoring Onyx team's expedition. David, however, wasn't anywhere to be found. Jeff tiredly watched the screen while just waving off any ideas that whatever his co-worker was doing was important, or at least important enough for him to be gone this long. So far, it seemed as if Jeff's skills weren't quite needed at all since Onyx could only really report if they exited the unknown land. But he was starting to worry; they had a little less than two hours to report in successfully and on time. He thought that maybe something could be endangering them... But then he looked at the pictures that Golf Squad had taken the previous day. Hills, the greenest grass, lakes, some cartoony looking towns in distance shots; this didn't look like a place that could pose a threat to much anyone... Then he looked at a picture of those creatures. Black body, sharp fangs, menacing stare; it made confused him as to why such a dastardly looking thing made up the population of such a peaceful looking world. If only he were aware of the situation; no one had come back to inform him yet. A hard pat on the back shattered his thoughts, "Any word yet, man?" Dave asked his watchful companion. That question was starting to drive Jeffrey insane... "No. When we started this about seven hours ago, it was no. Two hours later, still no. At the mid-day mark, no. Eleven minutes ago, no. And when you ask me, SIX MINUTES from now, the answer will still be NO!" he barked. "... A simple no would've sufficed, but... agh- anyways, good news, they had Dr. Pepper and I got you one," he said with a smile while setting it on the space next to Jeff's monitor. This shift of monitoring nothing was becoming exhausting. Dave weakly chuckled, "So, any-?" The CIA member, whom had been waiting diligently, threw up his arms to represent flipping over the table and his screen with a sound effect to boot. "Good to know I'm the only one taking this seriously. Why won't you!?" he questioned, probably louder than he should have. Dave broke into a self-contained laugh, "dude, you need ‘a calm down. Onyx 'll be fine, alright? I bet they'll come up in the next hour or so; Captain Smith can handle a team pretty well you know." "Yeah, I'll bet... I just wish you could show a bit of concern about this task rather than going to get food and stuff every 10 minutes," Jeff sighed to which Dave rolled his eyes at. "Okay, if it'll make ya happy, I'll sit and watch this other screen just to be able to tell you what you'll already know when they show up. See how that works, eh?" Jeff merely groaned while sticking his forehead to the desk to rest until further notice. Dave slowly reached for the can of carbonated cola and pushed it inch by inch to his co-worker's head. The icy can touched Jeffrey's black hair and pressed against his cranium. He let out a prolonged and unnecessary sigh, for it was going to be a long day... Staff Sergeant Jason Macombs (Ingot) remains neutral on determining if the US should be involved with Syria. He, like many others males, joined the military as a form of work, one that he expected to get paid decently for. As far as he was concerned, the Marines just liked to bust down doors of houses that were on the other side of the planet from him... -Equestria, Canterlot -Go back to Ponyville -7:26 PM Darkness had washed over Canterlot while Onyx and the supposed Element Bearers were talking to Celestia. It left a beautiful moon to behold though. By now, they had exited the castle after more proper farewells and were on their way back to the train station. Getting back to Ponyville was easily possible because Celestia had provided train tickets to everyone, including Onyx. Since the civilians that the soldiers passed up the first time were still the ones that remained outside on their way back, they seemed more accepting of their presence. Crowds that scowled the group, whether in confusion or disgust, weren't existent anymore. The lack of public shunning probably helped towards the humans' acceptance in this world. Rarity insisted that the group explore Canterlot for just a teeny bit longer than Bellhop hoped for. Observing the gardens soon turned into meeting platoons of guards, one of which scorned Bellhop thoroughly... Some darker furred female one with purple armor named Make, or Quake, or something. She determined quickly that Bellhop was leading Onyx and demanded his respect. Fortunately, some of her minors came out and (figuratively) dragged her away before the Captain said something he'd regret. After that, Rarity promised the Captain that they were returning to Ponyville... Which sidetracked into the mares exploring local vendors. He was annoyed that the team so easily bought into the whole experience and aimlessly wandered about the city with the mares. Any time he would bring up that getting back to Ponyville would be wise; they waved it off with "lighten up; it's important that we understand their culture". After wasting a good three hours; the ponies finally decided getting back home was a nice idea... only because they were exhausted from walking around. Of course, when arriving at the station, Steamer seemed to welcome them again to his express. Something Bellhop couldn't actually understand, for he was more focused on the trouble he had brought to Equestria so far. He didn't actually save any of the passengers on board, regardless of what he said to Twilight, the changelings would have done little more than kidnap one of the passengers. You couldn't convince this train conductor however... "I can't thank you enough for helping the defenseless on board. The uh, the fallen in the box car were taken care of. I had some guards come to deal with that..." Steamer said a bit carefully, as if trying to show sympathy for the changelings. “Right, if that’s what you make of it, I guess…” Bellhop said calmly, not trying to express his thoughts through his actual voice. He wanted to get this ride back over with quickly and preferred not to talk much while on it. Twilight levitated the twelve tickets to the conductor and he allowed them on board. To Bellhop’s delight, the gawking pony that sat across from him on the last ride wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Actually, there weren't any other passengers on board... He just plopped down on a seat closer to the edge of the car. When all had taken seats accordingly, meaning in little separated groups of equine and human, the train took off. Next destination: Ponyville. -7:33 PM The box car was a bit quieter than Bellhop originally planned for it to be. He expected his team to be conversing a little bit, for they seemed so interested in them before. He scanned the bunch surrounding him for their faces. Most were looking down; probably thinking back on the incident only hours ago. To his dismay, he saw Clover in her more morbid state of mind. She sat next to Fluttershy, but seemed unwilling to grant her attention of any sort. The first kills, one of which she was responsible for, could have jeopardized their ability to stay longer than the first day. Bellhop wasn’t sure if she was more worried about leaving before getting to know a friend better, or that she was partly responsible for making everyone else have to leave as well. He didn’t like seeing any of them in this light, it wasn’t right for anyone to think it was all over just yet. “Miranda,” Bellhop spoke up, just wanting her to lift her head up. “Y-yeah?” “Everything’s gonna work out just fine, okay?” “I… I hear ya,” she frowned while looking back down again. “Miranda, please… I know this is corny n' shit, but if it doesn’t end well… then it isn’t the end yet, don’t forget that. That goes for all of you, yeah? We aren’t done here yet. Command knew something stupid was gonna happen if they gave us this much equipment, got it?” he said while looking around to make sure everyone heard. He saw the slightly relieved faces of most, even the element bearers that Onyx group was entrusted to defend were a bit more comfortable. Other than the lightly disoriented Clover, most of the squad either smirked or nodded to their commanding officer. Clover was granted a hug by her pony counterpart, which she snuggled against. Second Lieutenant Miranda Fey (Clover) joined the USMC at the age of 19 because she felt compelled to help the poor civilians of Syria in their time of need overseas. She found it difficult to muster courage in closer combat scenarios but was a professional distance marksman and worked her way up that way... -Unknown -7:37 PM During the night, moonlight could at least assist inhabitants with seeing past their own faces. The same didn’t apply to the Everfree Forest however… The swamp remained the same at night as it were in the day: damp and gloomy. At night, it was impossible to see anything, but not for the changelings. Whether it was an environmental adaptation or a lucky mutation; their eyes had allowed them to see clearly in the darkness. As presented as a possibility before, their eyes actually did glow in the dark. It probably wasn’t a very useful effect, but a bystander would probably have a nice time looking at them. In one of the wooden huts rested the hero of the train ride and her brother, “Sis’, c’mon you can’t get him back… It’s too late,” Barron said to his younger sister. She was staring into the abyss of black that was the forest at night. Her glowing eyes turned into narrow rectangles, showing a scorn. “It’s never too late… Chip may still be okay, I have to be sure, Barron!” she shouted. She took responsibility for what happened to her friends a few hours ago. She thought they might be able to save Chip; the one whom Applejack knocked unconscious on the ride to Canterlot. Barron let out a low groan, “Alright… But I’m coming with you.” She nodded a bit satisfied that he was more accepting of her aggressive nature. Taking on problems immediately would be a useful tactic, for it worked so well all the other times. Barron had copied a Golf member that used an LSAT light machine gun. The weapon was heavier than basic rifles, but he got used to lugging it around while flying... sort of. They left a note on the entrance of their hut “gone hunting” so that none of the others in their colony would worry too much. With a little more preparation, motivationally based, the two flew off into the night. They would hope to see their friend again soon. A notable ability of Onyx's apparel is the ballistic goggles they wear. They represent snowboarding goggles, having one large lens that connects narrowly above the bridge of one's nose, with a dark tint. The notable part is its HUD system. On Earth, where satellites are abundant, the soldier’s HUD would inform a soldier of their latitude and longitude. In Equestria; the ability is useless... -Equestria, Eagle Pointe -7:42 PM The night sky complimented Eagle Pointe with a nice, ambient, and dark blue. One of the cloud-made buildings was brightly lit from the inside and illuminated a bit of the platform it rested on outside. Inside were a few long tables that stretched across the walls and many, many folded up chairs underneath them. Towards the center of the room were seven neatly placed chairs. Ahead of the chairs were some podiums with a few documents on each. It was livelier by the tables however, for ice cream and beverages presented themselves. Six: six had graduated from the academy that day and couldn’t be more pleased. There was one problem with The Force though… The six that had graduated made up six of only nine members in the entire company… Now why was this? They could hardly call themselves a squad, let alone company, so where was everyone else? The recruits were all on their own in the little party room while Gilda and Helios left so that they could talk to Captain Stride a little. “So I say ‘What? I don’t even know you’ and she’s all ‘Well I don’t know you either!’ Heh, kids are always funny,” Decker said with a grin. “Did you ever get her name though? I think I know who you’re talkin’ about, Deck’,” Eos asked, still smiling at his story. Decker shook his head no, “nah, I think she said she heard her mother calling… Excuses, maybe she didn’t like her name or something.” “I dunno, what do you think, Mist? …Mist?” Drift asked the only female gryphon in The Force besides Gilda. Though she was the only one among the recruits; she had gotten along greatly with the others in her team. Mist never had an issue with comfort around the other sex and they didn't seem to have a problem either... Except with him... She jolted out of her light daze when Drift tapped her shoulder. "Huh?" "Any particular reason you're always gawkin' at my cousin? Not saying that he doesn't fit the stitches nicely, but you're always doing that," he questioned with a comedic tone, hoping to not press on her feelings. She had been passively staring at Lift yet again... He was talking to his brother, Swift, on the other side of the room. It must have been about something private enough... "'S nothing... I just... meh," she shied away from the question. Her awkward response seemed to catch the attention of the other two gryphons closest to her now, for they huddled around Drift to listen in. "Meh?" "Yeah, mhmm," Mist smiled robotically and chuckled afterwards. One thing the small amount of peers in The Force did allow them was to create a series of inside jokes... or a little humorous styling that teetered on just random and unrealistic responses to questions they didn't want to answer truthfully. She sighed happily and smirked while rolling her eyes, "I dunno, he just... yeah?" "What?" Eos grinned. "You should talk to him, Mist," Decker suggested, followed by a sing-song tone, "If you don't; you'll never knooow." "Psh stooop, It's not like that, Deck'," she waved off his smart-mouthing with another eye roll. Now that he mentioned it; the others seemed to draw to the conclusion that Decker did. "And I've talked with him before, just like I do with all 'a you boys," she scoffed again with a playful smile. "hmm, I disagree. I distinctly remember you avoiding such conversations," Eos pointed out. "You always seem to shy away from him too." "So? That doesn't really mean anything." They all gave her a grin of some sort which actually did draw some discomfort of her situation. "What? Please don't tell me you all think-" "Yeah, man... er, girl; Lift's a cool kid. And it's kinda obvious whatcha think of him... so?" Drift continued his grin. She tried to compose her expression for a brief moment... Only for it to turn into a happy sigh, "Okay... I may... kind-of-maybe-not-really-sort-of like him... More than I should... More than you fags at least." It drew chuckles as intended; friendly banter is friendly banter. "But... I don't know... Agh, he's kind of... up there. And I'm all... meh," she lowered her foreleg down to gesture "down here". "Up there?" Decker asked while raising a brow. Eos started chuckling and making crescents out of his eyes, "Damn, 'you think Lift's up there; then I probably make you 'gasm when you're-" He was forced to dodge a punch while bursting into laughter. The other two began chuckling as Mist regained composure... and smiled at the good time they've created despite the topic's discomfort. "I think you'll be in for a bit of a treat if you just speak to him a little," Drift offered with a wink. Maybe there was more to Lift than Mist assumed. Drift probably knew what he was talking about since he was the guy's cousin... But what if he was just comforting her into doing it? What if Lift didn't have the same feelings for her? What if she ended up looking stupid in front of everyone!? WHAT IF- "Geez Mist, he isn't gonna stab you or anything. The worst he can do is turn you down," Decker said concernedly with a frown. He must've noticed her expression taking a worried turn without her even realizing. Upon realization, she changed it from a teeth-bearing-eyes-wide frown back to a mouth-closed-eyes-worried frown. When giving his advice thought; it got rid of her light anxiety over the whole thing and even raised her hopes a bit... for now. "If ya go up to him, we won't watch or anything. We'll even call Swift over here so you can chat with Lift in private if you'd like, sound good?" Eos offered with a smile. She looked over her shoulder behind her to see that Lift was still conversing with Swift. It looked like he was a bit worried about something as well... He turned to catch a glimpse of Mist before she immediately forced her head back towards the closer gryphons. She sighed... "Okay..." Peer pressure claims another soul... For shame, EPOW! They all formed smiles which reduced her anxious frown into an angered one. "Don't say anything to Swift and you better not lie and listen in, got it? Don't even look in our direction," the recruit spat. They all nodded and lowered their expressions from grins to basic smiles. Drift gazed over to his two cousins and called out, "Yo, Swift! I need 'a ask ya somethin'. 'S personal, can you come away from the group for a bit?" The gryphon in question stared blankly back at Drift then to his brother again. Lift nodded at Swift and received a pat on the shoulder from him which drew a smile from the timid lion-eagle hybrid. As Swift walked towards the group of four; Lift went back to his frozen dairy treat on the table. Eos elbowed Decker which resulted in an unintended "Agh, what-", but he quickly understood what it meant. Hastily, he brought up a conversation about the miniscule amount of members in the EPOW. It wasn't to actually dwell on the reason, for most of them already knew why; it was intended as a distraction. While Drift pulled his cousin away from the small crowd, Eos had joined in on the forced conversation. Mist felt a small well-up in her throat as she finally understood "Oh, this is happening right now; not in the distant, distant future..." It only took another nudge from Decker, who tried very hard not to look at her while he did it, to make her start towards Lift. The shy gryphon's heart started to beat a bit harder. She scolded her chest with a smack on the left side using her fist in an attempt to calm the organ, which didn't help much at all. She got the pleasure of only seeing the back of his head for the agonizingly slow journey across the room so far. She had the odd assumption that seeing his face would make her feel that much more awkward. Mist failed to realize that it was inevitable that he would soon- Lift's eyes went a bit wide with surprise when he turned to see Mist inching her way to him. He ducked his head down and frantically swallowed the delectable contents in his mouth. With a quick throat clearing, he brought up his head to see that the gryphon was much closer...closer than he hoped at least... He stuttered, "H-hi, Mist..." "Heh, hey there, I was um... Just walking around a-and thought you would... maybe wanna talk... a-about stuff...?" she asked nervously. Lift coughed up a chuckle, "Sure, uh... What kind of stuff?" She blinked... "Fuck," Mist thought before coming to a quick-save question, "Actually, what were you two talking about a second ago?" "Oh, um... Nothing really... Just... the ice cream..." he looked down. Though he was a bit taller than the female gryphon; he certainly didn’t want to show it. When perking his head up again and meeting her confused eyes, "It's good, yeah? You should try it- I mean, not assuming you haven't- I'm just... saying... stuff." He shrugged and forced his eyes to look anywhere except in her direction. "Is he trying not to look at me?" she thought whilst being possibly annoyed at the assumption she came to. Her anxiety slowly worked down to a calm state and she raised a brow. "Could I talk to you about something... a bit more...personal?" His head never rose again to meet her eyes. Mist frowned now and her eyes squinted in light anger, "Ignoring me doesn't make me leave". He scratched his foreleg against the floor slowly. He peaked up at the gryphon quickly before coughing and randomly turning back to the table to get a mouth full of ice cream... "What are you doing?" Mist said while furrowing her brows. He stooped away from the treat on the table and forced himself to stare down again after swallowing, "I... I'm sorry, I just...-" Mist cupped her claw under his chin and applied pressure upwards. She forced his wide-open eyes to meet her not-so-welcoming ones. His pupils dilated when he heard his clothing behind him rustle slightly. He blushed lightly, "O-oh geez, I-". "Listen, I don't want you to-" "Recruits!” a voice broke all of their conversing, “Front and center!" Mist let go of Lift's chin and heard a lengthy exhale of relief... Why was he holding his breath? Regardless, they all turned to see Captain Stride, Lieutenant Gilda, and Staff Sergeant Helios. A moment later, they all lined up in front of him side-to-side. "As a test of your initial acceptance, we came to the conclusion that you all stay up for a night watch over the skies of Equestria." "What?" Helios frowned at his Captain. "We agreed that you only needed two to come along with you Stride, and we said we’d do it, don't be like this," Gilda said as her face dropped to disappointment. He sighed, "Fine, fine. I guess you’ll all be on your own for-" "I'll come!" Lift shot a claw up hastily. Stride turned to him and formed a smirk, "See? That's the one who's going to excel". Mist raised a brow while Lift awkwardly shuffled towards his superiors. Stride spoke on Lift's behalf again, "he's already got his wings unfurled; ready for anything". That one made the recruit blush and stare at the floor. "You sure you want to, Lift? We're going to be out like all night; you'll need to wake up an hour after going to bed when we're done," Gilda said concernedly. "Yeah nah, ’s fine," he replied with a forced smile. It earned another nod of approval from Captain Stride. Eos felt the subtle guilt trip reach him while he stared at Helios. The gryphon's returning stare seemed to spell out "You shouldn't let your friend do this alone, bro". Eos groaned and slowly went over to the small squad of four. He hoped his simple presence would be able to inform them he was coming along. Lift didn't quite understand, "What are you-". "I feel that I need the experience..." "Eos..." he heard from the other side of the room. He turned to see Mist with a vexed glare. She put a finger up to her lips and squinted more intensely which he supposed meant "Tell him how I feel and your wings won't let you do night watch again anytime soon." He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Time to go?" "Yep, I'll lead. To everyone staying; behave yourselves please. Get to bed soon as well, for we won't be here to tell you," Stride firmly stated. They all murmured something incoherent to themselves which possibly protested his order, but they nodded while doing so. With another quick inspection, Stride turned towards the exit and moved to it. The others in the group followed him suit without him having to ask. The night breeze calmed down Lift's wings as they stepped to the edge of Eagle Pointe. With a calmed exhale, Stride dived off of the edge and spread his wings to begin a brief flying exercise. The others did the same and stuck close behind him. When they had enough stretching; they flew off into the night sky, ready to defend the grasslands of Equestria from threats. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Romance. It's a plot device. Second Lieutenant Gilda joined the Eagle Pointe Over-Watch about two years ago. She had militant experience three years prior to that, but joined the EPOW afterwards. The gryphon earned her current rank after one and a half years of service to her new group... -Equestria, Grasslands (Near Canterlot) -Rescue Chip -7:56 PM Though Barron was used to hefting around his LSAT while flying around; the endurance required to do so for such a time was wearing him down. His sister groaned at the strained changeling that accompanied her. She stopped moving forward and lowered her altitude to float a few meters from the ground level. Barron also soared down to her level...then fell down with an audible thump on the grassy floor. The sister groaned and swooped down to land next to him. "Sorry, just tired..." "From doing what? You were-" "I was worried about you! Everypony else and I were waiting diligently on your return; preparing to give help where it was needed. When you got back we were appalled, but you saw us; why do I have to point this out?" he frowned worriedly. With a sigh, he shifted to his human counterpart with green flames covering him. He let the LSAT sag on the grass beneath him after unhooking it from the 3-point sling, convenient now that he had thumbs. "I guess I'm just too worried about you... Also, this thing's really heavy, you have no idea..." Barron snickered. "Then why'd you choose that one to begin with?" She raised a brow then sighed, "C'mon, we're almost there. The castle's in our vision, Barron!" "Yeah, about that... How exactly are the two of us supposed to take on the entire Royal Guard?" Barron asked skeptically. The sister readied herself to retort in a belittling tone... only to realize that she had no answer, for they hadn't actually discussed a plan. They were about to waltz right on in to the most heavily guarded city in Equestria without any strategy... She scratched a hole-punched hoof on the side of her head. "Um... We could take one of the guards as a hostage after we demonstrate what the weapons are capable of?" "Okay, but how do we find the cell after that, and how do we know that he's-" "Don't you dare finish that sentence!" she roared which made him sit down in sorrow. "He is alive, and we're getting him back tonight! I'm ready to do whatever it takes for the safety of our own, but you...you just complicate things like this... I think it's because you never even liked Chip." He took the dangling helmet off his head and narrowed his eyes, "What?" "You heard me, brother. You dislike him, therefore you feel as if he doesn't deserve your assistance when he needs it the-" "This is just absurd! Sis', just because I never really talked to him doesn't mean I hate him. And stop this-... Agh, guilt trip! It's no good for either of us," he spat. "Then fly with me or go home. If holding the damned thing is so hard; I'll do it for you, alright? You need to hold mine though, 'cause I'm not doing both." He sighed and stared at the light machine gun on the ground. Sighing, "Fine, I just wish you were a bit more patient with these things. If I hadn't have stopped here; we'd die due to a lack of preparation." With a quick groan, he hefted his LSAT back up and clipped it to both sling hooks. After he confirmed that it firmly stuck to him, or it at least wouldn't fall off during a flight, he morphed back to his changeling self. It earned a smile from his sister... "I know you mean well, Barron, I just want what's best for everypony." "Yeah, it's fine Ski-" Something dark and roughly his size drove him into the ground rather harshly. Before the sister could react, she had met the same fate and had the luxury of a mouthful of grass while the rifle knocked the wind out of her. Oh, how perfectly it had been placed as it hit the ground before she did when being pummeled down. Gasping for breath as soreness washed over her stomach, she saw that Barron was looking up to what struck him down. It pinned him as he stared in fear at it. In another second, it hit him over the head and rendered him unconscious... But what was in store for poor Ski-? The same exact thing... she felt cold as darkness took over her vision... "You get 'em, Gil'?" Captain Stride asked calmly as he sternly examined his prey. "I told you not to call me that, Cap', and yes..." Gilda replied scornfully. Lift, Eos, and Helios had landed subtly behind them waiting for further orders. Gilda got off of the female changeling and turned to her recruits and fellow CO. Helios stepped forward to see that one of them had started to bleed slightly. A crack in her left foreleg started seeping out a dark green, yet oddly neon against the night, liquid. Lift seemed a bit disgusted at the appearance... maybe he was squeamish... Eos kept glancing over their equipment, "What’s that stuff they're wearing? I don't recall them having uniforms." "Uh... I dunno, whad'ya think, Serg'?" "Some kinda armor...maybe," Helios squinted. Stride seemed unimpressed with any new motives or adaptations the threat was developing. He was certain that it would be in vain if the changelings attempted any other assault. But that only left one more matter, for they were a bit too close to Canterlot for his liking. "Alright, finish it. Can't have 'em coming back. Lift, you want to do the honors?" "M-me? Finish what?" "Them," he raised a brow, "with a blade or something, c'mon there might be more around here or some coming to check on them." "You want me to kill them?" his pupils dilated in anxiety, "W-why?" Stride sighed, "Look to your left, what do you see?" The recruit turned his gaze over his shoulder while seeing the other curious eyes of his squad mates. His vision met the castle of Canterlot... He then turned back to the team, all eyes fixated to him as he felt his heart sink a little. "I-I... No..." "No?" Stride questioned in disbelief. Gilda rubbed her temple, feeling that sticking up for the recruits would only benefit her later on, "Why do we need to kill them, huh?" "Why? Why not?" he asked with his eyes closed and an even more calmed tone. It looked like he was scoffing the downed changelings by refusing to pay them any eye contact. "Well... they didn't actually do anything..." Lift mumbled. "Can't we just take that stuff they're wearing away... or maybe even throw them in prison back at the Pointe?" Eos shrugged. Stride sighed, "I suppose... You recruits tend to know better than I do anyhow. Everybody always calls me on my moral standings with these things... I guess I should start to believe them". He started to stare off into the night sky, appearing to wait for a response. Understanding that one would never come, "Regardless, you're the ones carrying them, that is, of course, after you bandage the bleeding one." Lift heard him say the words but didn't quite comprehend it until they were all staring at him again. "What, me?" "Yes, patch her up. I need you both to get some type of experience out of this," he chuckled while tossing a small roll of white gauze to Lift. The roll of bandage fumbled through Lift's claws and ended up making him dive to catch it. He sighed as he worked his way to the unconscious changeling. Gilda stepped back slightly to give him some working space. A minute in... "Okay, what the hell! The thing's skin is made of glass or something, i-it won't stay, I swear I'm trying," Lift angrily undid the wrap of medical cloth. His claws fidgeted slightly as he brought them to eye level, they were soaked in that repulsive green substance... He felt his stomach tumble a bit... Eos took notice to his friend’s uneasiness, "Uh... Li-?" Lift forced his head to the right and vomited into the grass. Gilda face-clawed while Eos and his brother turned away in disgust... Stride just raised a brow, "Son, are you not good with seeing this sort of stuff?" It was in an officer-to-recruit way, not in a father-to-actual-son way... Because clarification. After a couple seconds of recovering from the episode he had, Lift turned back and shook his head "no" with a dumbfounded frown, "What makes ya say that, Cap'?" Stride worked his way over to the injured changeling and snatched the gauze roll off of Lift. He sighed, "Just don't stare at your hands while you wipe them off..." He bent down towards the changeling before Gilda called out, "Uh, I could do-" "Relax; I'm not going to hurt it," Stride squinted, "Quite the contrary, yes?" The officer wasn't going to wait on her permission to save a bleeding changeling... After maybe 10 seconds, he had the wound patched up to the best of his ability... Really he just knotted the ends together after wrapping one around multiple times which ensured the gauze would stay in place. As for the wound itself, he didn't know...or care for that matter... "Alright, pick a favorite Eos and Lift," Stride ordered. Lift flipped over the feminine changeling and raised a brow. He picked up a tan colored... whatever it was and held it by a grip. "What's this thing?" he asked while setting it down gently and away from the doppelganger. "Maybe a weapon... It doesn't seem like something that somepony with hooves can hold though," Helios chimed in. "That other one had some strange form before you tackled him, Stride." "Yeah. Hey yeah, you're right... I need you two to take the possible weapons along with us while we go back to base. We good?" They nodded eagerly, hoping to obtain as much information as soon as possible... In 2016, the Selective Service System expanded to include women ages 19 to 23, as opposed to the men being 18 to 25. Unfortunately, Syria required said act to go into effect for the fourth time in the history of the United States. However, the draft was only in effect for 3 months, from mid-April to early July... -Equestria, Ponyville -7:57 PM Much of the time passed had been spent through conversations of sports and leisure activities, specifically the ones on Earth. Rainbow Dash seemed the most interested, of course, and the others just enjoyed hearing about a planet that was similar to theirs in more ways than they could imagine. Mercury described the Olympic Games and its routine occurrence every four years. Since Rainbow Dash was indeed Rainbow Dash; she claimed that she would win any event. Spade shot down her theory by explaining how most of the competitors spend around half their lives training for only one event. He also suggested that wings would give her some sort of unfair advantage... This quickly led to the mares, primarily Applejack, gushing about Dash's athletic abilities. Mercury only had to mutter a "ya don't say?" before the pegasus got all up in his face about daring to question her amazing skills. Push came to shove and the medic found himself offering to race the pony… Fortunately, the banter, insults, and slanders came to a halt when they shook on it. Mercury cringed at the pony spitting on her hoof before the initial shaking part, but it did seal the deal. “When are you two going through with that?” Ingot asked with a smirk. “Some other time,” Bellhop said in a calming tone, for he wanted this to settle down rather quickly. “Right now we decide whose staying up for nightly rounds of the town.” “Hm, why do you need to do that? You should probably go to bed or something. Won’t you need rest for your exploring and helping us with the changelings?” Twilight asked in a, for-once, concerned tone. Then again, she might have just been concerned about their ability to do something in her interest, much like a slave owner’s interest in the well-being of the slave… “That’s why we’re doing a night watch; what if the changelings suddenly decide those damn ponies got our friends killed, let’s get them when they sleep, huh?” Ingot said to back up his commander. “And it’s not like staying up all night is hard; we do that all the time in danger zones… it just takes will power.” “And for explaining, you’re one of three that gets to go to bed tonight. Tomorrow you’ll be up though. I’ll stay up tonight, so whose doing that with me?” the Captain asked. The others gave him antsy looks, even Ingot. “I don’t really have to go to bed toni-.” “You should spend the night at my house, Sherry!” the pink pony jumped. "Huh? Wha- I mean, are you sure Pinkie? We’ve only known you guys for like two hours,” Hazel replied in an uncomfortable manner while understating their actual time spent with them. “I’d hate to impo-.” “Nonsense!” she exclaimed, “Would it make ya feel better if I said I wanted you to?” “A…little… Thank you,” she replied a bit shyly. She never did like accepting gifts or hospitality because she felt she owed the person something afterwards. Nonetheless, it meant she wasn’t staying up that night. “Miranda, would you like to come by my house? You can rest up there… You know, if it’s alright with you…” Fluttershy reduced to a whisper and hid an eye behind her bangs. “Alright with me?" Clover asked in a confusedly. The pale gold pony was offering hospitality and asking if it was okay with the person she offered it to... Then she saw that Fluttershy was starting to buckle down in her seat, for the pony thought she was imposing on...the only possible imposer... “I’d love to, ‘Shy. ‘Much appreciated,” Clover accepted, making her another resting soldier for this night. Ingot was unconfirmed, but Bellhop still needed two to actually stay up. Applejack smiled at Ingot to which he let out an unsure, “Uh, I-”. “Jason, would ya want t’ sleep in the barn back at the orchard?” she asked. Then she thought about how the day had gone so far. Ingot probably knew where the barn was already, for Onyx had been spying on them only hours ago. She looked back to the combatant again; expecting an answer. Ingot had the same problem that Sherry did with kindness, except maybe twice as bad… “I, uh… I’ve got a sleeping bag n’ everything; I’ll be fine.” “Fine? Fine where? Outside?” she raised a brow. He sighed calmly, “Yes.” “Then ah’m asking ya to stay in the barn tonight. Ah won’t take no fer’n answer, friend,” said Applejack while patting a hoof on the seat for emphasis. He exhaled slowly again, failing to make eye contact with her, "'Kay.” “Al-…right… Well, that leaves you two and I then,” Bellhop declared. “Thank you for providing shelter and such, we’ll try our best to hold up to our word with protecting you.” "I think you'll do fine. Vasily sounds like an excellent combatant, so I can trust that six of you will be six times more efficient I'm sure," Twilight said with closed eyes, little smile, and a slow nod. "I...guess so?" Mercury agreed with her, unsure to take that as a compliment. "Shouldn't be any trouble, Miss Sparkle," Spade smiled. Right as she felt comforted and a bit more accepting of their presence; they felt and heard the squeaky breaks being deployed for the train. A speaker clicked and allowed Steamer to talk to everyone on board. *Attention passengers, the train has arrived in Ponyville. Time is 8 o' clock, thank you for riding with us.* Bellhop sighed, "Alright, pleasant dreams you three. Mercury, Spade, let's move." -8:17 PM Mercury sat against one of the many poorly placed houses in Ponyville as his helmet light kept illuminating whatever he paid attention to. He turned the stupid thing off, not like he'd need to see anything anyways. Maybe Bellhop would just forget he was part of their pointless three-man night patrol and he could sleep against this house. No such luck prevailed when he heard grass rustles from in front of him. With his eyes closed, he slumped further down into the pavement until he was laying and sighed, "Whatcha nee-?" "Changeling!" one yelled. "YOUR DAYS OF TYRANNY ARE OVER!" another shrieked. "Tyranny? What's that mean, Sweets?" a third chirpy voice asked. "Ain't the likes a' you three supposed to be in bed by now?" Mercury sighed. He was wishing now that it was his commanding officer that showed up rather than these three kiddies. With a groan, Mercury stood up and began walking away from the trio, unwilling to explain anything to them. He felt no need to, for he assumed that they could at least remember their encounter several hours ago. The crusaders quickly swapped glances of anxiety amongst themselves. Without need of much more motivation, Scootaloo sprang up in pursuit of the British combat medic... Hearing her scampering towards him; Mercury ducked to nearly avoid the orange filly trying to tackle him. The victory was short lived as the other two also pounced at his legs and forced him to the ground. He groaned, "Fuckin’ hell, go n’ bug Rainbow Dash or somethin'!" "Twilight told you not to curse anymore. Also, they're just kids. C'mon now," Spade chuckled while coming towards the group. The fillies bunched together in fear and stiffened up when seeing him. Mercury got up and patted the dirt off of his clothes while walking over to the Russian. "They attacked me, so they get cursed at. Nothin' personal. And seriously, don't act like they've never heard such language before. 'Specially since that orange one's always around 'Dash," he squinted his eyes. It drew a gasp from Scootaloo, "You're the ones from earlier?" Mercury rolled his eyes, "No shi-" "Isn't it time you gave someone a break, Bradley?" Bellhop came from around the house that the medic was resting on moments ago. The captain was met with a light scold all the way from England. He ignored it and figured that Mercury was just tired or something. They had been moving around for most of the day. "Ain't it time you gave all of us a break?" he raised a brow at the unmoved Captain. Shaking his head, "Look, 'm sorry. It's just... Doesn't this all seem just a little silly? I mean, a world full 'a ponies that talk and fly and do magic 'n whatnot," he squinted. The operative thought the last notification of their abilities would take the cake to support his explanation: Magic. "What's wrong with us?" Applebloom frowned. "No, nothin's wrong with you per say, but little horsies don't speak... or create societies on their own for that matter where we come from if ya know what I'm sayin'. And all the other stuff I listed..." "There's no flying on your planet?" Scootaloo stood dumbfounded. "Or magic?" Sweetie questioned. "Well, actually we can fly with the help of machinery. I have not heard of a horse born with wings yet. I do not know. You crazy Americans are always cross breeding and such; have you done something like that yet?" Spade asked. "Okay, One: we don't do that kind of stuff just 'cause we're Americans. Two: Pegasus… Pegasi?... and unicorns are impossible creatures, they don't exist unless it's part of a story or mythology," Bellhop groaned. Then he took notice to two of the three fillies staring sadly at his remark. Regardless of attempting to make an adult argument, he had to remember that children were still up and about. He sighed, "I'm simply talking about our world. In our world, there is no such thing as childish as magic." "No magic? Well how do you do anything?" Scootaloo questioned." "Science, orange one," Spade smiled. "Science?" Applebloom frowned, "Ain't that a tad bit borin'?" 'S funny you say that, because science is magic," said Mercury. Bellhop raised a brow, "Um, no, science is the systematic knowledge of the physical or material world based on observa-". "But look at what it's accomplished," the medic waved a hand and shook his head "no". "Only 100 years ago would we call what we have available now in the medical field witchcraft. We can fly above the clouds, ride over oceans in hours, and go to other planets for..." he was about to boast a "fuck's sake" to further drive his point, but remembered there were young ears among their conversation, "Peat's sake." "Science is the best thing to happen to humanity," Spade chimed in. "I... guess... But whenever you say magic, it always gives me the impression you think God did it or some other stuff," Bellhop finally spilled what bugged him about that statement. He noticed the fillies perk their ears at that word as he said it. He sighed, "Alright, why is it so easy to get the interest of these people? You saw that green eye-fuck on the train right? She couldn't stop staring at me. And why is it that the word God makes all of your heads auto-target the offending voice?" "Well, wad'ya mean god?" Sweetie Belle asked quizzically, "Does Celestia know about your world too?" Bellhop would have retorted, but then forced himself to come to terms with what he was about to express... So he didn't, "Just forget it, please, I'm getting ahead of myself..." "Maybe you're tired or something. Wanna take a nap? Oh wait, silly me, we gotta do a night watch for a threat that'll never come," Mercury smirked. "Also, how come you're the only one that gets to break the rules?" he further inquired, calling Bellhop on swearing a couple of statements ago. It earned an annoyed glare from Bellhop before Spade chuckled, "I'm starting to wonder just how it came to be that someone like you got in the SAS. You keep boasting your laziness when something does not come in your favor, friend." "And that's where medical skills come in, mate. I can excel in that and they see fit to put me in spec ops 'n whatnot." "Mate?" Scootaloo cocked a brow. Mercury rolled his eyes while Bellhop took on, "The changelings seem to be a threat, the only possible one, and you would risk them coming in here and raising hell?" This earned a scold from the combat medic, "And you're gonna try 'n shame me into doing this?" "Sha-?" "Y'know what? Don't bother. I'll do this lil' patrol thing or whatever, but I can see right through your persona, Cap'n. Be open to criticism every now and again, mkay? I'll see you around," Mercury finished for him. He then walked off into the darkness that was Ponyville during night. Spade stood a bit awkwardly next to a still Bellhop. "He'll come around... So, uh... How did you three know of the changelings? You accused Bradley of being one." "Hm? Oh, we heard about wut happened on the train ride. Ponies that got back from Canterlot spread news like wildfire 'round here," Applebloom answered. "Hope we can prevent any more of these mishaps... What are you three doing out this late anyways? It would be pitch black if it weren't for our lights," Spade asked. "Well, we heard about the changelings on the train..." Scootaloo noted. "The town ponies seemed awful worried," Applebloom added. "And we haven't figured out our special talents yet, so..." Sweetie Belle smiled. "You want to see if you're good at looking after the town during night?" Bellhop asked. They smiled blankly to answer his question... He caught a glimpse of Spade chuckling before sighing, "Can I ask why it is you keep going on about talents and stuff? Are your parents hell-bent on figuring out your major for college?" "Oh no, mister, ya got it all wrong," Applebloom giggled, "We're tryin' t' get our cutie marks!" "Didn't you notice the little mark on Rainbow's flanks?" Scootaloo asked. "I... didn't spend much time ogling pony butt, so no," Bellhop said sarcastically. "The mark represents a ponies’ special talent... Most ponies get theirs when they're young. All 'a the school kids got theirs already..." Applebloom said while her ears drooped to the sides of her face. The other two mimicked her action and lowered their heads when reminded of their sluggish step forward in life. Bellhop sighed, "So you're trying to see if there's some talent in patrolling or night watching over a town? That sounds like something the Royal Guard would do." Sweetie perked her head up and gave puppy eyes, "Can't be sure until we check." The look didn't affect Bellhop's sympathy, but did make him realize what they were passively asking of him... "If you'd like to stay up and guard this place with us; I guess that's fine. Just get to bed at a reasonable time, yeah?" They all chirped a vexing, "YAAYYY!" Bellhop sighed while turning to Spade, "Let's find Bradley…"
[2-1] The TiesIt didn't really occur to me how often the anti-feminist rhetoric comes up this chapter. Hopefully the part with the Delta members on the helicopter will make up for it (though it's pretty much just her defending herself from exaggerated problems that someone brings up)... Hopefully, if you find yourself disagreeing with any of it, you'll notice that I *try to make the characters avoid a one-sided debate... Also, sorry in advance for the lengthiest of chapters.* -June 8, 2021 -Equestria, Ponyville A Pinkie Pie Perspective Today was LOADS of fun! Well, not all of it, but I did meet a handful of new friends! These friends were super special, because they aren’t even from our planet and stuff. I guess they just like clothing on at all times and whatnot, I think they’re shy of their bodies… But it confused me why it was all black… hrm… Anyways, we met when Mister Brai- er… Bradley had bumped into me when using his invisibility powers. It’s neat-o because they can all do that, even Sherry. Then they were all a bit of sore losers, so they swept me and Rarity away and hid us in some bushes for a little while. Before I could really understand what was going on, I was being dragged towards Twilight’s library. They must’ve known I didn’t like reading… Fortunately, Twilight was there along with all of my other pony friends. …Well, Twilight didn’t seem very happy with seeing them, but I was! Especially with Sherry, she seemed so nice. Miranda got along amazingly with Fluttershy while their leader… um, Captain Balance or something struggled to get to know anypony. He felt really uneasy on the train ride… Oh yeah! We went on a train ride to meet Celestia and introduce Onyx team… Well, actually we were supposed to go as a pony-only party to address the changelings, but then you know what happened. Celestia was a bit happy to see them from what I could tell. She even said they could stay in Ponyville to have fun with us over their 15-day expedition. After that, we got back on the train to Ponyville and had a rousing conversation about sports and stuff! Mister Bradley even challenged Rainbow Dash to a hoof-race… or a… leg-race… whatever. After we got close to home, I invited Sherry to spend the night at my place, and I totally convinced her to come over! She seemed a bit shy at first, but we baked some muffins together, and it made her a teeny-bit more comfortable. She thanked me at least a thousand times for letting her stay over before we went to bed in my room upstairs. I kept telling her it wasn’t a problem and ended up hugging her after what felt like the 437th time she said thank you. She giggled after that and I knew she’d be fine staying over for the night. Maybe we could do that a few more times over her exploring in Equestria. Either way, I know the next 14 days are gonna be awesome! The F2000 was created by FN Herstal (Fabrique d' Nationale) in Herstal, Belgium. It sports a bullpup design, meaning the entire mechanism is behind the trigger of the rifle. It also features an ejection port on the foremost point on the rifle, making it fully ambidextrous. -Langley, Virginia -3:18 AM “Dude, where the fuck are they?” David questioned before Jeff barked at him. “Why do you keep swearing? Seriously, you need to act more professional if you wanna keep this job,” Jeffrey groaned in frustration. He was a bit tense as well, except there were three things bugging him. One was Onyx not showing up in a timely manner, for something may have happened to them. The second was how he had stayed up for the past 20 hours waiting on them and he was tired… Third being the mentally defective co-worker breathing down his neck as he worked… “Sorry, I’m as worried as you are though…” he sighed and set down another can of Dr. Pepper for his partner in crime. It sat nicely next to the seven other empty ones, exposing a long night for what it was worth. David was worried about losing his job as well for not being able to monitor Onyx… even though they really had no control over that. They just had to hope that the team showed up on time… Regardless, Onyx was over 8 hours late… And that couldn’t possibly mean good fortune came to them. “I gotta send in someone after them, to see what happened,” Jeff stated calmly. “Who?” Dave asked with interest after opening a snack-size bag of pretzels. “Most likely a Delta squad. These guys have been doin’ ops for us longer than I can remember. Just lemme mail the boss an’ tell him what’s up.” -Hues here, Onyx hasn’t come to tell us of their exploring in that new world. We think something’s wrong, for they are 8 hours late. Could we have permission to scrape together a small Delta force and see what’s going on? Sent. Jeff twiddled his thumbs for a few moments while staring blankly at the mailbox tab on his monitor. David frantically chomped on pretzels while staring attentively at the screen too. Why, oh why, did they have to share the computer station? There was no time for his companion to annoy him further, for a reply appeared in his in-box. Hues quickly double clicked it. -Yes, by all means. I’ll arrange the team for you soon. Within maybe a half-hour, you should receive some activity. If not from me, then from the four going there. Everything should work out fine, I’ll be dragging in professionals now, so don’t hesitate when they contact you. They need precise directions on what they’re going to be doing, alright? I need you two to be responsible using this team, Delta have too much trust in the CIA for you to tarnish it. And Jeffrey? If you wake me up in the middle of the night again, you’re fired… “Well that wasn’t very nice,” Dave said while scolding the text. “Who cares? At least we didn’t completely fuck up.” “I thought you said swearing was unprofessional a second ago…” Jeffrey rubbed his temples while staring at the desk… Mist, A new recruit of the EPOW, had no military career prior to her acceptance. She really just needed a form of income to maybe live independently someday. She couldn’t quite recall a day where her mother didn't tell her to get a job and move on with her life… -Omaha, Nebraska -3:22 AM Two occupants of a house were sound asleep together in one king-size bed, one male, the other a female. The woman teetered in her slumber however, for a heat flash washed all over her. She threw the covers off with a sigh which woke her partner up. He lazily sat up and looked around, “Whaz’zat? Who’s-? Oh, can’t sleep?” She curled up and wrapped her arms around her knees to form a cannon ball to stay somewhat cool, “Yeah… When’s that AC supposed to get here?” Her friend got out from under the uncomfortable covers as well, “’Not sure, it said in eight or ten ‘business days’, so like three days from… today today… Like, it’s three AM today.” He leaned over and pecked her cheek, "We can stay above the covers to keep cool. Or maybe other activities might be enough to tire us out 'til we don't care about the heat." She cuddled against him with a warm smile, "hmm, I'm afraid I don't follow; could you show me what you had in-?" A text message forced her phone to ring blatantly and ruin their moment… She sighed and reached over the night stand to retrieve it. “Please don’t be work, please don’t be work, please don’t be-”… She growled at the phone when reading that the message was from Virginia. That’s all she really needed to know to know it was work… The male put a worried glance on, he didn’t like seeing her upset, not one bit. But he kind of figured he knew what the message was, “Didn’t you just get back?” “Literally two weeks ago,” she sighed… “Listen, hun’, it’s from straight from the Agency, I’ve got to go ASAP,” she sighed. Then got up from the bed and walked over to gather an outfit from the closet. He hit the lamp next to the bed so she could see better while navigating. He smirked when an idea popped in his head. What once began as a serious lecturing turned into a playful test. He wanted to see if she'd fumble with her duties in the CIA “So, where are you heading?” She smiled, knowing that she surpassed him in the ranks of the military. “Sorry, babe, it’s against the rules to tell ya. ‘N besides; all of this is above your pay grade,” she finished with a little spin. “But! I know what we can do before I leave to remember each other!” she excitedly hopped next to her partner in the bed. Lift, like his other friends in the EPOW, currently remains rank-less. And like his other comrades, he had no experience prior to the acceptance of this group. His timid nature only elaborated this to his superior in any exercise that involved fighting… -Equestria, Eagle Pointe -3:25 AM Lift snored in a corner of the cell… Barron and his aggravated sister sat still on wooden chairs with their hooves duct taped to the table in front of them. Eos stared coldly at them, either for indirectly depriving him of sleep or refusing to talk over the past few hours… likely both. “Why were you so close to Canterlot, eh?” he said while his baggy eyes betrayed him and drooped shut for a second. Gilda, Stride, and Helios left it up to these two to interrogate the changelings they captured. So far, they accomplished nothing, for the two had no more information than when they started. The two black creatures stared back at him blankly, just as they did so many hours ago. Eos sighed, “Lift, you’re taking on, I need to sleep… Lift?” he turned to see that his friend had been asleep the whole time. Not that it should have surprised him, but his sense of hearing was growing worse as the minutes stretched on, so he couldn’t hear Lift’s snoring. He groaned and made for the metal door. Upon opening it and walking out, Eos made sure to piss of at least one person indirectly before all of this ended, “Mist loves you, good night.” The out cold gryphon woke suddenly in time to hear the door close and lock… ... Lock? Lock!? He forced his eyes open after rubbing them hastily. With the door closed, Lift was locked in and alone. “Oh shit, Eos! Wait! I’m awake, I won’t fall…” he sat on his haunches and stared down, “asleep…” Sighing, he knew he’d have to get comfortable with the hard and cold floor… and the changelings… The thought directed his gaze behind him to see the changelings from earlier. Lift stared at them with uncertainty. He opened his mouth to speak- “The room is soundproof as your friend mentioned before you fell asleep and he locked you in here,” the sister said in a less than amused tone… “Just, thought I should remind you of, y’ know, why he couldn’t hear you…” He took note of their magical suppressors weaved onto their horns which would prevent them from shifting to any form that they could use to threaten others. “Y-yeah? Well, you’re stuck here too!” he boasted, unable to really think of a comeback… an effective one at least… It failed to phase her even slightly. “Really? I thought we were doing bondage and we were your subs,” she rolled her pupil less eyes as the remark made him blush. “Of course, if you’d like, we could actually do that; we’re rather hungry at the moment, and you seem like a decent fellow. Tell me, who is it you have feelings for? I bet I can mimic them and do even better,” she said with a seductive twist at the end. “W-what?” Lift nearly gagged. “Oh, come on now, surely you know of-" “Just knowing it was you would be enough to make me throw up during intercourse!” he shouted, proving he was fully awake now. The three hours of sleep was enough to get the new recruit up and about for the moment. Her expression remained that of nothing as he set his claws on the table with a slam. “And I’d be careful if I were you! My captain won’t be too happy when he hears of your disgusting sex drive being blatantly tossed about. I can’t believe this; can’t you just be happy he fixed your hoof? You would've died if he hadn't done anything! And what the hell were you doing near the castle!?” “Waiting for you to make a move on me, baby,” she said with her mouth open and tongue hanging down while fluttering her neon eyes. Lift backed off from the table with a frown of disgust. Barron sighed, “Skits', would you just drop it? There will be time to eat later…” Almost instantly, her believable seduction changed to a scolding of her brother, “And when will this be? How do you intend to break from this prison before we die of hunger, brother? And I almost had him; his heart is still pounding heavily.” “Is not!” he yelled while punching his chest to try and calm his BPM… “Fine, we’ll pretend I can’t sense your lust for a few minutes. Will you just tell us about one you deem special? Brag about her… or him if that’s your true preference, perhaps both?” she asked which drove Lift into confusion. Maybe they would be willing to open up in exchange for some food. The gryphon took off his saddle bag and placed it on the ground. He then opened up the top while reaching inside, "Listen, I can give you some bread or something if you-". “No, imbecile! We require love. That is our nourishment, our source of life. That is our, how you say, bread and butter,” she said harshly, making Lift stop digging through his bag… She then fidgeted like something crawled on her, “Seriously, can you just sit there and masturbate or something? We won’t judge y-” “Thaaaaat won’t be necessary…” he shook his head with his eyes closed, hoping to stop the conversation where it was. Lift sighed, “Just talking about her will make you feel better?” “Aaah, getting somewhere now, are we?” she smirked. “Tell me, what is she like? Does she have a larger behind? Powerful wingspan? Perhaps a sweet smelling cu-.” “No, no, no, we’re doing this my way," he cut her off. "I’ll tell you all about Mist after you tell me why you were near the castle, what that stuff you were wearing was, and if your queen intends on doing any assaults soon. We have a Deal?" Barron nodded at his sister and made her sigh, “Very well…” I bet no one saw that coming! Bellhop doesn't favor the outcomes of most of his missions, specifically the ones he leads. Though all of them were deemed successful, he never shakes the death tolls of his own men. It hardened him to an extent, but he just figured that was all part of the job and pushed himself to move on… -Equestria, Ponyville -3:29 AM It didn't take long for Bellhop and Spade to find Mercury again a little less than three hours ago. The fillies had tagged along gleefully. After a quick chat about Mercury’s remarks, they continued their night watch by aimlessly floating around the town. About an hour in, Sweetie Belle fell asleep from exhaustion. Bellhop was skeptical on allowing the still awake ones to continue going, but they convinced (begged) him to let them do so… And fifteen minutes later, Scootaloo and Applebloom were out cold. Spade held Sweetie Belle, Bellhop held Applebloom, and Mercury needed persuasion to carry Scootaloo around. Two Hours and forty minutes later is the present time… Mercury dragged his feet along the grass which made it rustle excessively. He fell backwards suddenly and lay in the grass with scoots on his stomach. “I can’t do this. Why the fuck do we need t’ be walkin’ around and all this othe’ non-sense? Wouldn’t it’a been better if we just set up posts or somethin’?” he questioned. Bellhop sighed and rubbed his face while sitting down as well. He gently placed Applebloom onto the ground. Spade did the same with Sweetie Belle. … What? They didn’t know where the young ones lived, so they dragged them around for the past few hours, nothing wrong with that. They were sure the parents weren’t too worried. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) They've got this, don't worry.~ Bellhop sighed, “I don’t know, you’re probably right… I’m sorry, okay?” Mercury shook his head while staring at the night sky. The sleeping orange Pegasus rose up and down due to the medic’s breathing. “Fightin’s not gonna get us nowhere, so your forgiven I guess, Cap’.” They heard a light chuckle. “Hey guys, watch this,” Spade said with a smile. Watch they did as he wiggled his gloved index finger on Sweetie’s cartoonish and plump stomach. It made the white filly squirm while she grinned in her slumber. Her hooves made feeble attempts to bat away the offending digit. Bellhop immediately shuddered, “Can you not do that?” Spade stopped and looked up in confusion, “How come? Do you not like chil-?” “Mate, ya best be happy feminism never got to this place or your arse ‘d be jailed for pedophilia in a moment’s notice. Ya gotta keep in mind these are lives that are as valuable as any other human child,” Mercury said while narrowing his eyes. “I get the value to life thing, but you are mistaken. You two see my action as pedophilia because society sees it that way, not just the... eh, feminists," Spade said while cringing. "Let us be honest here, if you saw Miranda or Sherry tickling one of them, you would find it adorable, not dangerous. Furthermore, pedophilia is a mentality. One cannot be imprisoned for a thought process, unless they act on those thoughts. Molesting a child is a crime, not the thought of doing it... Follow?” “True… All true,” the medic sighed. “I just though it was always funny: women are the most likely people to attempt infanticide, yet the man is always the one who needs supervision at daycare centers. ‘Explained it to the cunts a thousand times, but stereotypes prevailed as always…” “That was your line of work before this?” Bellhop questioned calmly. “Yeh, got fired for using said argument when they kept breathin' down my neck. Eh, kids weren’t that nice to be around after a while, ‘specially if all the nurses are on yer arse for no reason.” Bellhop sighed and finally lay down to let his back release tension after a day of walking around. “Y’ know I don’t mean to discourage you two, and this’ll inevitably be used against me at some point, but I don’t think command picked the right guy to lead this op…” “Why not?” Spade asked with concern. It wasn’t a good sign of leadership if the leader questioned his or her leading abilities. Obviously. The question received another sigh, “I’ve, uh… made a few mistakes before this... I dunno if you were being serious Bradley, but it’s stunted my confidence in all of this stuff lately. Not what you said, just... the mistakes part...” Mercury chuckled at that statement, “Nah, if you had the attitude of who I was thinking of, you wouldn’t ‘a gone n’ apologized, let alone admit to makin’ mistakes…” No one granted it a response as they all looked up to the stars and really bright moon complimenting it. Bellhop stood up randomly, “You can watch them while I’m gone?” “What?” Spade asked while sitting up to see his commander walking off. “Where are ya headin’?” “Just set up a camp and go to sleep or something, I need to be alone for a little,” he answered as he disappeared into the night. Spade sighed and took off his backpack to dig something out of it. Mercury took a second to carefully lift Scootaloo off his stomach and set her aside. A moment later, the Russian was next to him with an unfolded sleeping bag, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom in his arms. He carried the bundle like a crate and used the bag to hold the two fillies like a small trampoline. He set them down, “they can rest on top of this for the night. It will probably be better for their backs and such… I am still confused as to how they never woke up with all of our fidgeting and moving,” said Spade while rubbing his head tiredly. Mercury chuckled while setting Scootaloo on the sleeping bag next to Applebloom. The Russian spoke up, "So what lead you to that bit of information you brought up? The thing about infanticide being-?" "Don't dwell on it. I know what you're askin' of me Vas', okay? I don't deny that men make things unfair for women sometimes too. My experiences just seemed rather one sided in the crazy scheme known as gender expectations..." Mercury sighed. Spade nodded while his eyes drifted back to the sleeping ponies. The medic chuckled, "I'd say we should take feminine advice from them though. Sun's comin' up in a few hours..." Hazel enjoys the company of others, but feels... afraid when alone. Sometimes it results in her talking to herself to give herself the false sense of someone being near her. As a child, she played with split personalities and found it entertaining to mimic people on television and other media sources… -Knoxville, Tennessee -3:34 AM The pub was as dim as it always was, even at two in the morning… Fortunately, for a few, the place stayed open a bit too late… or early in this case. Only about eight people had been pulling an all-nighter while drinking, two of which did not consume much of anything over the last three hours except water. These two just wanted to spend time somewhere together and think… Both were male, and both had gotten to know each other well over the last year due to their dedication to higher authority… The darker-skinned one was downing some crispy French fries while his lighter friend was focusing on his phone. An obnoxious giggle forced the one eating fries to stop and stare up in frustration. That was the eighth time he heard the feminine drunk cackling very, very loudly across from her partner. The two were sitting at a table maybe four feet behind the table he and his buddy sat at, and the woman in particular had been giving shit to the other people in the bar for the past hour... Whenever someone told the woman to quiet down, her damn boyfriend or something would get up and yell right back. It happened twice so far, and two times, they made the person leave in the interest of other patrons. They did not want to be the ones to start a fight, but it sure looked like these two were ready... “Just let it go, Matt,” the white male said without looking up from his device. Mathew rolled his eyes and turned to see what the hell that lady was giggling at every five seconds. Her face was beet red from the alcohol and he could nearly smell it from his seat. She got up suddenly and sulked over to the counter to clank her glass against the polished wood. “’Nother round, deary,” she said while using any leg strength she had to post herself against the counter. Matt raised a brow while watching the generic scene play out just like in all the movies. “I think you’ve had enough, deary,” the tender said as if on cue. The woman, instead of somehow escalating the situation into a brawl, sighed audibly and turned around. She caught Mathew staring at her and shot a scowl at him. “What are you looking at?” she spat. “Yes, excuse me; you’ve been very rude over the past few hours. Can you tone down your laughter a bit, or better yet, leave?” he responded quickly. Her eyes narrowed as Matt took notice to the gentleman that was at her table a moment ago. As expected, that man got up and began to make way towards the two. “What’d you say to her?” he asked, clearly not as drunk as his possible wife was. The man had a slightly larger build than Mathew, and he was willing to bet that he was taller as well. “I asked her to leave. It’d be nice if you could take her somewhere where she doesn’t have to bug everyone else while they think to themselves, ‘kay, friend?” he said without much of an expression. Matt noticed the bar tender bring out a cell phone while he eyed the other man. “You best watch your mouth, son,” he said which also revealed a southern drawl. “Maybe you should tell your wife to-.” “Kale, enough… Just ignore him or something,” Matt’s friend sighed. “I’ve been ignoring them for the past three hours, I think it’s time they went and ignored me by leaving,” Mathew Kale said sternly. “Kick ‘is ass, Johnny,” the woman said while tipping left and right… “Here’s a better option, Johnny: Take your wife and get the fuck out of here. Or, have her fight me, not you. You aren’t the one giggling like a psychotic bitch…” The man standing right over Matt clenched his hands and started a swipe. “I’ll show you, ni-,” was all he could mutter before Kale backhanded his fist out of harm’s way. He followed with a rather cruel punch to the man’s jaw and made him fall over on the tabletop and into his plate of fries. Matt was about to knock him unconscious with a quick blow to his target’s temple, but had his fist blocked by his friend’s outstretched arm. His hand was open with his phone facing Kale and had a text message opened up. “We gotta go,” said Matt’s bar mate while staring at him with an annoyed glance. -Dale, I know the break has been short-lived, but I need you for another assignment… You have a new fire team leader since your last mission for reasons I don’t need to get into right now. Do make haste; your new team leader, Lt. Piers, seemed unhappy about waking up for work so early. Get to the Agency for briefing. You should be meeting Stafford as well. Kale sighed and started to feel the vibration of his own phone against his lap, which would tell him the same thing inevitably. He let go off the man’s arm and let the somewhat conscious buffoon fall to the floor. Mathew and Dale got up from their seats. The lighter of the two went up to the bar tender, who had already called the police… Dale put a twenty-fold on the counter, “They started it,” he winked. Then he caught up with Kale. The path to the exit of the pub would cut through the woman who pretty much did start the whole thing. Sure, the husband failed to try and stop it, but... As Matt walked by her and her tipsiness, he shoved her on the shoulders lightly to make her fall crudely to the floor. Dale chuckled lightly before a voice of distaste called out. It was not the idiot that Kale beat down, but another bar dweller, "Hey, what the hell'd you do that for? You don't hit wo-." "But it's okay for women to hit men? Is it okay that this skank got her man to attack me because she got offended? Huh? Wake the fuck up, blue-piller," Kale said, not wanting to hear this. It at least made the man he directed it to sit back down, only in mild confusion... Dale sighed, "You take this shit way too seriously, brother," he said with a smirk. Mathew gave no reply as they headed outside into the dark. In 2016, the Selective Service System expanded to include women ages 19 to 23, as opposed to the men being 18 to 25. Unfortunately, Syria required said act to go into effect for the fourth time in the history of the United States. However, the draft was only in effect for 3 months, from mid-April to early July… -Equestria, Ponyville -3:37 AM "sixty-seven... sixty-eight... sixty-nine... seventy... seventy-one..." Bellhop counted mentally as he strained his arms to heft his body weight up from the grass and drop it back down parallel to it. He did push-ups all the time... but now? Training did not seem like something he should have set his mind to. Not during an operation, even if it did scale over the course of two weeks. His arms gave out suddenly and prompted him to roll on his back after absorbing the earth face-first. The soldier panted lightly, for he spent the last half an hour doing such activities. Other than push-ups, he practiced kicks, punches, cover swaps, and basic melee swipes with his firearms... Safety feature on, of course. The captain forced himself to get up again. He swatted the air quickly with a clenched hand and followed up with the other. Bellhop attempted to focus on inhaling and exhaling properly while delivering punches. After four attempts at the same maneuver, he quickly buckled down and sprang to do a roll to the right. After hitting prone, the determined soldier shifted the weight of his F2000 over his right side and grasped it. In another swift moment, he had it pointed. It was a fine trick if you were ever stripped of cover... Only he forgot to breathe since he landed the aerial twist. He let out a prolonged sigh to get said respiratory cycle in motion again. He scolded his hands that gripped the bullpup rifle... He had to get it right; he had to try harder... Bellhop let the three-point sling hold the rifle on his back as he crouched. Getting ready for the move again, he thought back on the day. He flashed a thought of the train ride... that instant where he was at that thing's mercy... The captain pictured himself sweeping the changeling in his vision. Clover would have never had to shoot it, and he could have successfully disarmed it when it fell over. Maybe he could have just smacked down the first martyr and kept Mercury from killing that one... If only he could have seen it coming in time. Bellhop finally noticed that he was mimicking the scenarios he played out in his mind and paused. The mind was a powerful thing, no doubt. Imagination becomes reality in some extreme cases, cases like these at least. It can make you talk at nothing, jump at nothing, behave in front of nothing, argue with nothing, and even see nothing... Bellhop did not think of himself as extreme; he just liked practicing for his next encounters, whenever they may come around. He did feel bad about forcing his squad mates to do an unnecessary night watch. Whether Bellhop was aware of it or not, his conscious was forcing himself to do the activities to keep him awake. The Captain passively felt it as a form of punishment for his wrongful decision. He didn't let his team sleep, so neither could he. He forced a night watch, so he had to finish it; alone if required. Not like it mattered; Bellhop couldn't sleep anyways. The time he had spent practicing alone constantly made him rethink scenarios he could've done something better in. The problem was that it also made the man think on his failures that weren't relevant to the mission or Equestria... Those... eight he got-... He shook his head left and right rapidly for a moment to avoid the thought again. The Onyx leader tried to focus again on his methods of apprehension and applied thought into situations like the one on the train ride. Occasionally, he'd stop due to the thoughts on his journey this far... But he shrugged them of... At the end of the day; all he could do was shrug it off... Spade is able to efficiently give people spare magazines and cartridges individually if they need to be loaded into the magazine manually. He must carry a black cloth-wrapped box on his back that sits next to his regular backpack. Would it ever come to them needing the extra rounds, he did not know... -Delta, Colorado -3:43 AM Thread. Lots of it was scattered about through a narrow hall. The stuff varied in color, but kept an overall melancholy scheme going as it wrapped around the walls and ceiling. Fortunately, he had a flashlight to dimly illuminate the area ahead of him. He walked, to what he assumed was forwards, slowly after checking behind him to see complete darkness. The same pattern of cloth was somehow weaving through the wall. A murky green color on top, some stained red on the left wall, and a dark purple on the right. The floor was tiled white, which he couldn't understand. The thread looked like it was soaked in water before being stitched up, making much of the material sag against the wall. He walked forward for several minutes and started to think that maybe he went the wrong way... He turned around, and to his surprise, found a door there. He didn't think much on how it might have gotten there as he turned the-... There was no knob... The man pushed on it in and witnessed it creak open. He stepped back a bit while it continued squeaking to reveal the other side slowly. It ceased its squeaking and actually stopped at about a 45 degree angle with the wall. Raising a brow, he attempted to angle the flashlight from where he was standing; hoping to be able to see past the cheap panel without touching it again. The man took notice to some purple curly thing through the crease. He was starting to think that the room was a source for the thread, before the door slammed shut and startled him. It forced him to take a step back, thinking that something would jump at him, but he was halted again. He turned around to see that a wall had caught up with him and kept him from moving back at all... He was now in a closet rather than a hallway. Without any other option, except the abyss that was the ceiling now, he slowly reached for the door. He pushed it quickly and dragged his arm back to prepare a fighting stance, or a defensive one, whatever would help him more against what rested on the other side. Instead of the shady room with the thing he saw, it was replaced with a bright light and a grassy earth. The door opened completely also to reveal a walkway leading up to a tree... with windows, a balcony, and a door... The door had a depiction of an old style candle on it. The adult, stepping out of the closet like room, looked to his left and right to check for any aggressive beings that would hurt him. He figured it was safe enough to move forward to the door, for there wasn't really anywhere else he could go to. He continued observing the bright and repetitive terrain around him. The plains of grass stretched on until his vision ark met with a blue and cloudless sky. The man wasn't able to see beyond the tree house anymore because it had covered his vision entirely now that he was in front of the door. Slowly, and with an exhale, he reached for the-... again there was no knob. He didn't get it, but he began to stretch his arm out to push it open like the previous- The door shattered apart to reveal a Blood covered white equine with purple curly hair. His heart stopped for a moment as his spine rattled while the frowning monstrosity with pupil-less eyes stared blankly at him. He couldn't comprehend anything beyond that because the creature started to wail at him in a frustrated female scream while reaching a hoof out. It shocked him awake to the motel he slept in over the past few hours... The man noticed his heart rate skyrocketing as his frantic panting went on. He rubbed his face and obnoxiously groaned. "Fuckin' jump scares, agh..." he sighed while shaking his head left and right in his palms. He heard a rumble on the nightstand next to a portrait of... people he once cared for, one of which he was no longer allowed to care for... Still a bit dazed, he patted his hand around on the surface until he gripped the slim rectangle of a phone. He looked at the screen which blinded him slightly before his eyes adjusted. -Langley, Virginia 4:36 AM Michael, I know it's early, but something important has come up. We need you at the Agency as soon as possible, briefing for your new task will be there. The objective at hand shouldn't require too much of your time, do not worry. I understand you have just returned from Syria, but this is urgent. Kale and Oaks will also be present, along with your new fire team leader, Miss Courtney Piers. As far as your personal problems with your family go, I assure you this will not interfere with them. You will go in and go out in a fast manner I promise. You know how to get here from where you are I'm certain, do make haste, Stafford. That last paragraph, if you call three sentences a paragraph, made Michael sigh and look over to the portrait. It was a photo of three people: Mike to the right, a younger girl, and a woman to the left. That made his makeshift family up until about two weeks ago... "I'll see you soon..." he sighed at the portrait. Michael hoped the mission wouldn't stretch on for too long, for he had a trial to attend in August. The right to see his own child was on the line, and he'd be damned if he didn't show up... With a sigh, he tipped the portrait so it lay face down. The man got up, determined to approach the task with vigor. He would need it so that he could finish it quickly and come back to have a successful trial. You should probably close out that Cry of Fear video if it's still playing, it was meant to just give more pizzazz to the feminine scream. Unless you enjoy hearing this guy shoot water monsters with a Glock 19 and sucking at a puzzle map... Ingot was hoping that he could just use his time in the military to fund a college education but spiraled into somewhat of a clinical depression when he took courses. His grades suffered immensely as his mind refused to do the work given to him. Without a college education, he had nowhere else to go for work really in life, so he just continued working up the ranks of the USMC... -Equestria, Ponyville -5:50 AM Miranda stood anxiously with the lengthy board attached to her winter boots. She looked back to her friend in a very worried way, unsure about being atop a snowy mountain. The friend to her right and also had a snowboard engulfing her boots so it would stay on during the ride down... the inevitable ride down... "I, uh... I don't think this was such a great idea, Anna... C-could we maybe go-" Her screaming cut off her question. Her friend, Anna, had pushed her and gravity took over to pull her down the mountain. The friend smirked and hopped towards the slope to get some extra thrust when starting downwards. In mere moments she caught up to Miranda, who was holding her mouth with both hands in utter terror. Her eyes were peeled open widely while she watched the terrain in front of her shoot by at dangerous speeds. Her friend chuckled while moving parallel with her, "!" she shouted... Wait, what? Miranda looked to her friend who appeared to be yelling at her to do something, but no voice came out. Was Anna messing with her, or did Miranda's fear cancel out her ability to hear? Miranda could hear the wind harshly scrape against her face and the sound of her board sledding along the snowy ground, so she wasn't going deaf... But- Anna's eyes widened and something made her point ahead of Miranda while she watched her speechless friend. Miranda glanced back to her front only to get a glimpse of a tree before she could comprehend it would be her fate. Clover's body decided to spasm fiercely to wake her up. She gasped loudly while sitting up to recover from the shock. "Fucking jump scares..." she moaned and rubbed her eyes to see around in a clearer way. A couch in Fluttershy's living room provided as a sufficient bed during her stay. The shy pony offered her own bed several times, but Miranda declined to try and bat away the feeling of imposing she had already built up. The human felt more welcome and less like she was a burden when they started conversing about fun stuff they enjoyed doing in their spare time. Activities they enjoyed turned into stories about their friends. Stories about their friends turned into Clover's military service. Clover's military service turned into politics. Politics turned into something Clover shouldn't have brought up...at all. The timid pony was shocked to hear some of the things her new human friend spoke of. Soon enough, the topic broke apart as the marksman realized she should probably avoid the discussion due to the rules her CO's placed. Though the pegasus was both appalled and fascinated with the claims made by the Onyx member; they both decided it was best to get some sleep for the following day. Speaking of timid ponies, the pale gold pony poked her head up from the other side of the couch with concerned eyes. Clover cocked her head thinking her mind was playing tricks on her, but Fluttershy smiled warmly to prove otherwise. She then drifted back to her worried gaze, "Did you have a bad dream, Miranda?" "Uh... no," which earned her more of the pony's stare, "Sort of. See, I was snowboarding down a mountain with my friend, and I jittered awake when I thought I slammed into a tree". Then the marksman thought about whom she was talking to, "Oh yeah, snowboarding is taking a board that straps to your feet-... or hooves and you ride it down a snowy incline…mountain in my case". The pegasus continued studying her, but she had shifted from worried to absolute neutral in emotion. The look made Clover fidget to sit upright on the couch instead of having her whole body on and lying parallel with it. "You're alright though, right?" the worried pony asked. Fluttershy then stretched her cheeks to grin, "I always wake up this early to feed my forest friends; you just seemed troubled when I was walking by". A white rabbit hopped up on her back then atop her head successively. It was enough to get Clover to smile. Reassured that she was in a pretty nice place to be now, she stood up to stretch and do little hops to get her body in the moment and fully wake up. "Thank you. And thank you again for letting me sleep here, I'll do my best to keep you from getting hurt by those changelings," she smiled. "Did you need some help with the-?" she continued, but paused to squint at something beyond Fluttershy. The pony turned to note that her new human friend was looking out the window. The Goddesses of day and night kept the sun and moon on a transferring schedule of 6PM and 6AM, but that was based on what Onyx presumed when examining how the time shifted yesterday... and what the ponies had explained to them about the deities doing it manually. However, the sun had failed to rise on time so far and the atmosphere remained as dark as it was when the sun was replaced by the moon hours ago. With these factors in place; what Clover spotted was merely a silhouette... an outline of some large serpent-looking thing that had to be at least forty meters from the cottage. The creature slithered right for Ponyville. "'The heck is that thing?" the Onyx member questioned. "I'm not sure; it's too dark to make out. It didn't look like something that Ponyville would normally have around," Fluttershy replied nervously. "Do you think your friends will be able to handle it if it's something dangerous?" "I guess I'm gonna find out. You can stay here and feed your animals; I need to give help where it's needed," Clover said as she kneeled to recover her SRS from the side of the couch... along with her vest, boots, backpack, G19, pants, holster, and sleeved shirt. She had stripped down to her socks, undergarments, and bra to sleep more comfortably overnight. I'm telling you; they've got this! Don't worry! It would not have been an issue if she didn't have to put it all back on in such short notice... The unarmored marksman fumbled with several items clumped up in her arms while others dropped to the furniture. After ten seconds of wiggling; her pants dangled loosely, her shirt clouded her vision, and her sniper rifle strapped itself over her bare skin with the sling in a poor fashion. The black sleeved top muffled her sigh. The pegasus giggled, "Did you want some help?" "Um, actually, do you see that little metallic curvy thing on the cushion? That's my radio piece. Could you hoof it to me? My arms are a bit wedged here," said Clover who was passively smiling at her predicament. She seemed to really buy into the whole pony society she was in right now, despite only having known it existed for a day. Fluttershy wasn't complaining and would have enjoyed giving her props for being so accepting, but there was a problem at hand...hoof...forelimb, whatever. The Element of Kindness scraped the earpiece off of the couch and clenched it easily with her teeth. Next, she dropped it out into Clover's hand with a subtle "pleh". Fluttershy got to laugh quietly to herself while the human fiddled and worked the gadget on properly, her shirt sinking over her chest finally; easy enough after she removed the rifle from her body. "Alright, *Captain?*" the marksman asked over her radio while pulling up her pants. She didn't really find her exposure to the pegasus embarrassing, for she figured that Fluttershy was used to seeing every creature naked anyways... Then she thought that maybe ponies operated in the exact opposite way about clothing. Maybe they thought clothes were arousing since they never wore them. But that was too simple a thought for her; societies are never just vice-versa like that. She forced the thoughts on pony sexuality out of her mind when getting a response, *Yes Clover, you sleep alright?* It was Bellhop, no doubt. He had been awake for twenty seven hours straight (three spent on a helicopter to Pripyat; woke up one hour before boarding. Twenty three spent in the mission so far), but still managed the firm voice of a leader. *Um, well enough. 'Shy and I spotted some serpent looking thing and it seemed to be heading for Ponyville. We're not sure what it was and the night made it a bit difficult to make out. I'm coming to you to see what it is, 'kay?* *I hear ya; I'll keep a look out and try to get the others up. 'S about time everyone woke up anyway,* Bellhop said. Moments later, he muttered some lines over and over a few times to get responses (some more ornery than others) from other team mates and rouse them from slumber. Clover pulled her pants up all the way, tucked her shirt in, and took the rifle with its sling off her back. She wasn't quite sure why she put the sling on before her other equipment first. As Clover continued getting dressed appropriately; Fluttershy observed with concern, "I could come with you, if you'd like." "That'd be fine," the marksman smiled while weaving her left arm through the backpack. "It might be something that could hurt you though. ‘Sure you don't wanna stay here and tend to your furry critters?" "It's okay; they're used to waiting a bit," she said while ignoring the white bunny stomping on her head now. "Also, I've got to help you with your argumentation when you approach Mister Smith, right?" "Argu- what?" Clover asked before coming to the slow realization. "About Fe-" "Um... I really don't think we need to talk to my friends about it. They don't seem like people who would want to have an open mind towards it... Also, Alex is trying really hard to keep things rolling here. I don't need to put more weight on his back with social issues back where we're from." "But if you don't stand your ground, nothing will get done, right?" Fluttershy put on her worried glare again. It twisted the Onyx member's heart; you simply could not say no to such a face. In all honesty; Fluttershy only wanted to help. "I suppose we could... discuss it with him when we all get together," she sighed. "Great! Let's find out what that thing was then," the pony grinned while heading for the door. Clover grimaced, knowing that she'd try everything she could to avoid the topic Fluttershy wanted to get into with her team. She quickly equipped the rest of her gear and made for her new pony friend. Another feature of the HUD visor that Onyx members use (and abuse to a lesser extent) is its ammo counter. The visor displays the number of bullets left in an individual magazine by registering distinct sounds of the weapon fired. When a magazine release button is hit, the visor resets the counter… -Ukraine, Pripyat -Investigate whereabouts of Onyx Team -5:57 AM The blades flicked the air surrounding the UH-1 loudly outside, but the four soldiers and two pilots inside weren't bothered by noise. It was relatively quiet inside the vehicle which allowed one of the operatives to sleep... Actually, ever since Matt, Michael, and Dale stepped aboard an hour ago; their fire team leader had been asleep. Matthew Kale was growing bored of examining his KSV45 and stared up in disbelief of the person leading his squad. "Is he still sleeping?" the squad medic asked. The others in the team gazed up to observe the fellow Delta member. Dale was looking at his phone for just about the entire trip so far while Mike had just been silently thinking to himself. The less up-beat of the two was first to speak though. "I think so. Aren't we gonna be landing in like half an hour?" Stafford questioned. *ETA fifteen Mikes, Delta, the walk through the Power Plant should get some blood flowing through ya,* the co-pilot informed using radio. *You're probably going to want to have her up and about now so you don't have any hassle when you're getting off, Out.* *Wait, what? What do you mean her?* Kale questioned skeptically. He then turned to his sleeping superior to examine closely. Dale Oaks had gotten up from his seat and shakily made his way towards the leader. *Yes, her. Miss Piers will be guiding you through this operation; I thought you were all well aware of that,* the co-pilot shot back. Oaks shook the sleeping soldier several times until she woke up while Stafford questioned, "Not really anything wrong with a female leader, Kale." "Nothing wrong? When we all get back; she'll accuse us of trying to rape her or something stupid to get a free discharge. And Delta ain't no place for women," Mathew spat with a scowl. Piers yawned after becoming aware of her location and rubbed her eyes. "Who raped what now?" she asked. The skeptical medic rubbed his face in frustration while Oaks replied, "Dude how many women do you even know that have done that in the army?" "Three," he stated bluntly. "Two of which actually accused me because I'm the big scary black guy that fits the picture of a sex offender flawlessly," Mathew finished with an eye roll. Stafford got a chuckle out of it while Oaks sighed and shook his head. Piers didn't find it very entertaining either, "I wouldn't do that to any of you. We're just here to find Captain Smith and his team, right?” She was willing to be lenient to her minors. Maybe they had been discussing controversial before she woke up, so there might have still been some tension going through them. "Of course you wouldn't. We're only gonna be there for a couple of hours, so you won't be able to pass that off as sufficient time for us abusing you when you take it to a marshal." Then she furrowed her brows, "Okay, you're being absurd. I woke up at two in the morning to come and do this task. I'm not going to taint my trust with the CIA and the US military as a whole just to get some extra leave time. I like this job too much... uh...-" she paused when realizing that she had no idea what their names were. The text message she received didn't explain who Piers was leading or if she knew any of them. Dale caught on to her ignorance, "I'm Sergeant Major Mike Wuzouski. This man, dis guy, is none other than Rodrigo Sanchez. He goes by the code name Jorge. Finally, dis man, mah main nigga, be none other than Black Sunshine." She stood dumbfounded while Stafford laughed, "... Really?" "No, of course not really!" Kale said while stretching his arms out to silently voice a "What the actual fuck". "He's Staff Sergeant Michael Stafford. He's Dale Oaks, an actual Sergeant Major. I'm your medic, Mathew Kale, Second Lieutenant. Follow, Ma'am?" "Yes, I follow, and you're gonna smack the smart ass out of yourself if you want me to take you seriously, Lieutenant. Keep talking the way you are and I just might go ahead and say you fondled my boobs in my sleep," Piers narrowed her eyes while crossing her arms over her chest. *Everything alright back there, you four?* the pilot asked. Though he had heard the entire discussion that went on; he wanted to stop it right here. Nothing good would come from a team that had issues within it. *Yes, we're fine," Oaks sighed back into the microphone. He then scolded the two for their childish banter. Piers grimaced and looked down, "I'm sorry, I just don't want you to think that me being a woman means that I'm gonna do all this stupid stuff you've claimed. I'd really appreciate it if you'd shove the generalizations aside for now; I am still the one leading your team, whether you like it or not. We all good now?" Matt swiped a hand over the top of his helmet and let the limb fall to his lap afterwards to show forced out dissatisfaction, "Fair enough, I suppose..." "Great. My name's Courtney, but surnames are what we'll be going by throughout this op, so call me Piers. Is there anything important I should know about you three before we get there? If not, I still need to know your roles so we can perform more efficiently in combat if it’s required at some point." They swapped glances briefly and Michael shrugged. He described his role as a designated marksman while showing off his M417. The others would do the same as they waited to draw near the nuclear fallout zone. Hazel spent most of her time in Syria leading fire teams quickly through objectives as a leader. She always seemed to have some odd sixth sense and situational awareness when in combat. Flanking routes and areas that were least prone to being lit up were easy for her to spot and direct her team to… -Equestria, Ponyville -Investigate unknown specimen -6:03 AM The sun had still failed to rise to what most Equestrians would consider on time. Bellhop rubbed his eyes thoroughly to try and cope with the fact that he kept himself awake for the past twenty seven hours, and he was going to keep himself awake for another fourteen at least as of now. The second day shift seemed like an odd one to the Onyx leader, for his internal clock was telling him it was time for bed. It would probably continue to say that relentlessly as the hours stretched on. For now, eye rubbings would suffice. He made sure to squeeze in a final one before putting down his ballistic goggles to ensure complete head protection. He shook his head left and right quickly to get his focus and situational awareness up, for something was crawling about that he didn't like the sound of...at least how Clover described it. Some... snake thing was bound to be trouble. Only moments ago had Bellhop successfully woken up his team. Some were more ornery than others... Mercury in particular, while Ingot and Hazel sounded just fine with their amount of slumber overnight. However, several of the mares would be left out of the know, and would come to finding out what was going on when they woke up on their own schedule. With a sigh the Captain sat down and waited for his team to regroup on him to help with the possible threat. He leaned his back against the side of a residence for some level of comfort. Without much else really to do, except maybe keep an eye out for the thing he was supposed to look for, Bellhop looked up to the sky and watched the glimmering stars... along with that painfully brilliant moon. He had to squint at the damned thing because, while it may not be half a bright as the sun, he wouldn't deny it if a local proposed you'd go blind staring at it. Then there was that odd engraving on it. Yes, the moon appeared to have a picture etched into its surface. Something that the Onyx member made out to be a wad of cotton candy that someone smashed into the inside of a bowl while it was attached to the paper stick, and that image was the result. Okay, he didn't actually think that. He knew it was a depiction of a pony with a horn right away, but his mind wanted to experiment. One thing was certain though: he couldn't keep looking. It made his eyes sore, so he stared back down, ready for anything and ready to look for threats to Ponyville. What he got was a face full of purple that clearly wasn't amused. "That was-" "Jesus fuck!" Bellhop yelled while tumbling to his left and out of the alicorn's face. "Don't do that!" he groaned after recovering from the shock and standing up. She merely closed her eyes and perked her nose up, "I was trying to give you a little information about why the moon had that picture in it, but you seem to be more ornery than I thought. I suppose I should have rejected the night watch." With a groan Bellhop retorted, "Sorry, I guess. My team mate spotted some creature that she didn't think looked safe for this town, so I've got them coming here now. The moon thing caught my attention for a second, and then you appeared out of nowhere, so it spooked me a bit." Twilight nodded in response with a neutral facial expression. He continued, "Listen, I don't like this negativity going between us. I really don't, especially if I have to protect you and your friends now. That makes me feel like I have to babysit some bratty child and might make me end up doing a worse job because I had little motive to abide by. That fair? Can we make up?" With an eye roll and a sigh, Twilight stuck a hoof out, "Oh, I suppose". The Captain assumed she meant it to be a hand-hoof-shake or something along those lines. The alicorn still paid him no attention by keeping her head turned away. He gently clenched the limb and gradually moved it up and down. A giggle... He raised a brow as she dragged it away, “I wanted to see if you’d actually kiss it, but then I lost it.” “What…” “I don’t usually act the way I’ve been acting in case you didn’t understand. I wanted to see how much farther I could push the façade.” “Act…?” he twitched. “Well, sure. I was going to stop at the library, but I wanted to see if I could out-do yours,” she smiled. “It was fun, but I guess you won after-.” “Really?” He rubbed his face with his palm for a moment not expecting an answer. Sighing, “Really!? I come here with equipment that costs more money than I can make in three life times along with five other militants, we screw up the whole point of its use within an hour, we agree to help you solve a crisis that you cannot defeat on your own power, and now you’re telling me that you were being a dick just for fun!? Is that what you’re saying!?” “I, uh…” “My attitude is not an act, Miss! I did not fake my emotions on the train! Do you even care about the sanity of my team right now, or how about your friends? Did they know that you were doing this?” “…Yes.” Bellhop was about to tell her off further, but just grit his teeth and sighed heavily. The alicorn sat on her haunches as the Captain sagged to the grassy floor. Keeping his hands covering his face entirely, “You’re all insane. You have to be. Are you even a princess, or do people around here just pass around the title occasionally to make everyone feel special for a short term?” “Actually, only a princess can have wings and a horn, so the title is-," she shook her head with a sigh, "Listen. I’m sorry I deceived your team about my trust in you. I know you mean well. I was just...kind of hoping that making you fight for my trust would insure your compliance… Which… It did somewhat. I needed to make sure you weren’t going to be something evil now…” Bellhop kept staring daggers at her, hoping to make her feel as low as possible before the conversation ended. She forced herself to look away and chuckle, “But, ha-he-hey, look at that: we actually ended up needing your help after all! Y-you said it yourself; the changelings can only be overcome by your militant experience.” It caused him to groan loudly again, “No one is going to believe any of this when I go back to-… Oh, shit.” He then planted his face into the ground and shook. “What’s wrong?” “We were supposed to report back to my commanding officers about this place. We’re late... very late,” he grunted while standing up. “You have to leave already?” Twilight frowned. “No, smart one, we already explained to you and your friends why Onyx came here. They wanted us to come back and report what we learned about every twelve hours ‘cause the radios won’t reach them when we’re here. As you can imagine; they’re probably worried sick since we came here around one o’ clock yesterday.” He only got a blank stare and silence in return. Was that so much to comprehend? “Maybe I’ll just rename you short bus… Did you understand anything I-?” She shook “no” and stretched a hoof to point behind him. “I see you two are getting along fabulously.” “Discord?” Twilight muttered. Bellhop turned and backed up a bit to widen the very small space between him and the smug being. He eyed the smirking creature up and down: dragon-like head, bear’s right arm, some weird bird hybrid’s left arm, and a bunch of other animals clustered into one being which shaped entirely into a serpent. “Well, you look like the thing my friend was describing. Do you live here or-?” “Aren’t you supposed to be in Canterlot and helping the Princess?” Twilight interrupted. “I’m sure Celestia will be fine without my magic. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I simply adore your new friends. Tell me, sir, do you fall into the category of human where you’re from?” he snickered. “Uh… yeah? Twilight, who is this?” Bellhop turned to her. She smiled and pointed a hoof, “This is our recent friend, Discord. He’s the God of Chaos who used his powers once to cause imbalance and discourse throughout Equestria. But now he’s-“ “Oh yes, here’s the part where I tell you that I’m not helping Celestia anymore and I wanted to go back to doing my own thing,” he smirked. Twilight widened her eyes and opened her mouth only to be stopped short again, “And this is where you question my desires and begin to panic because you cannot defeat me on the spot.” “What? T-then what are you doing!? Why are you-?" “I'm just going to do what I do best now: Cause chaos. And your mean old Princess isn’t going to stop me this time," Discord stated with vigor and snapped his fingers. He vanished quickly after a puff of smoke took his place. "What's the deal, Twilight? ‘He on your side or not?" Bellhop frowned while he drew his F2000 and scanned the area. The magic thing was still new to the Captain and he assumed it was just some trick that the odd ball figured out by watching Naruto or something... Then he remembered how full off ridiculousness his childhood leisure activities were. Twilight snatched him away from those evil thoughts, "I... I don't know. He's supposed to be helping us with his magic since Flutter-..." she looked down. "Wait, that's it! Fluttershy!" she beamed then put a determined smile on her face while scanning around like Bellhop was. "Discord, where are you!?" The Onyx operative shivered when feeling a head next to his own. Bellhop stumbled back while aiming at Discord. The creature, smug. Alex, annoyed. "I was about to strike up a rousing conversation with your new supposed friend, but I guess he's shy today." The Captain narrowed his eyes at that one. "But do go on and be a rude pony, what is it that you need to talk over Alex fo-?" "How do you know me?" he stepped closer to the multi-hybrid and tightened his grip on the rifle. Twilight stepped ahead of him and pointed a hoof, "I'm certain that Fluttershy wouldn't like what you've been up to if what you say is true! Are you sure you want to lose the one true friend you-?" She gasped and tilted her head back when Discord popped in front of her and bopped her nose to emphasize punctuation with a neutral glare, "You don't what it is you are talking about. Think of this: I got to know some random pony for a day who only became my friend because she had to; six days if you count the ones where I messed with the day and night scheme of this world. You know, before you turned me to stone for another six months. It was for your prospering as a nation, whatever that garbage means these days." Twilight's widened eyes turned into angered ones as she prepped a magic shot and lunged forward to hit him. Easily dodging it with another teleportation; Discord sat on her back and rubbed her hair into a scrunched up mess. "You think I care about what one pony's friendship. I am a God I'll have you know. You said it yourself. What would the likes of a God want with a common pony, let alone her friendship? It was an act. I knew you'd fall for it; just like you bought into my quote before I went back off to Canterlot." He vanished and reappeared behind Bellhop, only to spin him around and smirk into his angry face, "Rate this on a scale of one to ten, Alex." He zapped a near-by hedge so it transformed into the shape of Fluttershy. It oddly jiggled against the grass and talked with an unmistakable copy of her voice. "C'mooon. Say it," the hedge pestered while pointing a hoof at Discord. "Oh... alright." He sighed and held a hand up over his head pretending to be a damsel in distress, "Friendship is magic." Discord snapped his fingers again and the hedge turned into a copy of him. The dragon-morph offered a hand which the bush grasped with glee it seemed. The two started to tango as he continued, "See, I think the hardest part of that was faking the gag as I said the line. But why do I need to explain this to you? Alex tells me you're an expert in the acting fields. Just look how you handled his arrival so far." "How does he know my name, Sparkle?" Bellhop frowned. "I don't know, okay? I'm as lost as you are! I don't get the sudden change of heart... Agh, did she really mean nothing to you?" she asked nothing, for he vanished again. "What the-," again, Discord startled the pony by appearing behind her. She grit her teeth in frustration and lit her horn to prep an attack if he kept at it. He laughed uncontrollably while pointing at her and clutching his stomach, "What do you plan to do exactly? Overwhelm my power and save the day just like the other time? You don’t have the elements on you; not like they would help this time. And don't think that you becoming an alicorn will make your skills par with mine. Your pathetic little parlor tricks will-." Bellhop silenced the pest by smacking him over the head with his rifle. When Discord thumped down to the ground, Twilight gasped and prepped an outburst before only gasping louder. The Captain stomped the hybrid's face into the earth before she could mutter another word. Someone screamed it for her from afar though, “Discord!” Fluttershy yelled after she witnessed Bellhop crush her friend's head into the dirt. The pony zipped through the offending operative, nearly knocking him over, to examine Discord's injury. The blow fractured his skull and blood soaked his chin; that was a fatality… Clover caught up with her SRS pointed down while looking over to Alex. The pony sniffled while staring up at the Captain, “W-why would you d-do this?” “N-now, Fluttershy, listen! He said he was going to start causing chaos again!” Twilight interjected before her friend’s emotions destroyed her heart. “H-he said he made the whole thing up about wanting to be your friend… He just didn’t want to be a statue anym-.” “Well now he’s DEAD!” she whined. Followed up with more hacking and sniffs, “Did he even do anything to hurt you two?” Bellhop shook his head while letting his F2000 sag against his back, “He was prepping a fight with Twilight. If it kept up; someone was going to get-.” “Somepony DID get hurt, you-… you-!” She failed to find an insult, so she went back to sobbing over the corpse… a corpse that didn’t exist anymore. With her eyes closed, someone handed her a tissue. She accepted the thin paper and wiped her eyes with it, “…Thank you.” “Don’t mention it, you gullible pony, you,” Discord smirked. Fluttershy’s ears perked up as she gasped and turned to him, “You’re okay!” “Fluttershy, who is this guy?” Clover asked as she took note of Bellhop drawing his weapon again. Twilight’s vexed expression made it seem like a brawl was imminent. “This is Discord, the master of all things in disharmony. And he’s my close friend,” she said while hugging the draconeequs. She angrily stared at Bellhop and Twilight, “My close friend that you shouldn’t go and attack! Twilight, how could you!?” “Me? He said he was going to cause chaos, so I took it at face value! Just like Alex here! I’d say his actions were somewhat in the wrong... I mean, killing him was a little extreme… But-.” “Excuse me, but I do believe this is where I clarify my ambitions,” Discord rolled his eyes. He snapped his fingers and reappeared behind Fluttershy. She scanned around in confusion before something pushed her to the ground. “We aren’t friends, Fluttershy. We never were.” The timid pony scrambled to get to her hooves, "What?" "Cap' what's this one's deal?" Ingot called from afar. Looking around, Bellhop noticed that all other operatives made their way over. Ponies accompanied them too, but the only no-show was Rarity… Yeesh, how come no one likes Rarity? "I don't know. Weapons ready," he said, keeping the rifle pointed at Discord. Besides Clover and Ingot, the others drew up their firearms to threaten the beast before them. "I'm asking you once: how do you know my name?" "It's funny, because you already asked me that. Your new pony friends kept interrupting you though. Such nuisances, aren't-?" "D-Discord, what do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, verging on tears again. He groaned, "How many times must I elaborate?" He slithered over to her and tapped her head a few times, "We. Are. Not. Friends. Un-der-stand?" "No! I-I-". Clover narrowed her eyes, "You think you're tough picking on her or something?" "Sure, why not? This reminds me. I actually came here because I wanted to become your friends. You see; I-" "How the fuck do you know my name!? Who else do you know!?" Bellhop growled. "Canterlot, imbeci- ah. Nearly blundered there, hah. For a stealth team with undisclosed information; you sure aren't a stealth team with undisclosed information. Did you simply forget that you gave out your real names to Celestia? I take it you forgot that I came here from Canterlot as well. I just listened." Bellhop continued aiming at him, his expression unchanged. Discord sighed, "I wanted your help to-". "Not happening, pal..." Hazel joined in. Applejack frowned, "I think you'd best leave before something bad happens." "You're outnumbered, and you've done enough as it is," Rainbow spat. "You forgot to say "But we're outmatched" somewhere in there, but fine. I know when I'm not wanted." The draconeequs yawned then vanished suddenly. Bellhop dropped his F2000 to allow the sling to take over holding it. He spun while quickly drawing up his sidearm to immediately point at Discord's head... After the second time it happened, he sort of just figured. Discord chuckled with an evil grin, "Not to worry, Alex. You'll be doing my work for me sooner than you believe." The gun in his face didn't affect him in the least bit as he flicked it and walked off. He started a trail northwards while the team kept their weapons pointed to his back. Another sniffle caught their attention... Fluttershy cried softly as Clover sat next to her and stroked her mane. They've got this... Don't worry...
[2-2] The New TeamYou can *skip this chapter** if you don't care much about Delta's introduction, Twilight's history with The Zone, a tid-bit about the changeling’s side of the situation, or debunking Feminism. Information in the next chapter will be provided to catch you up.* -June 8, 2021 -Equestria, Grasslands (Near Ponyville) -6:08 AM When Bellhop thought he killed Discord; that was the first time he saw a pony cry. When that particular God of Chaos refused to be the pony’s friend any longer; it was the first time he saw one bawl. Rarity got to the group a minute after Fluttershy started crying in Clover’s arms. Applejack explained to her what happened with the draconeequs and she seemed appalled. As disheartening as the whole scene was; Bellhop remembered that he needed to get back to Pripyat to tell his Commanding officers what was going on. “Alright, listen. I forgot to go back tell command what’s up. I can go myself or if one of you needs to just get away from the group a bit, I understand. Anyone coming?” “I’ll tag along, I guess,” Mercury spoke up. “Kay, that it?” “Could I go?” Twilight asked and shakily raised a hoof. “You? Wh-? “Oh, me too! I’m going,” Rainbow Dash smiled. Bellhop rolled his eyes and thought for a second. A grin crept upon his face, “You know what? Yeah, you can come. This way Twilight can explain why we exposed ourselves to your entirety of citizens after only a few hours of using equipment made precisely to prevent that from happening. Very, very expensive equipment which I’m sure everyone’s happy went to waste.” “Don’t ya think there’s any other good use of goin’ invisible?” Applejack asked. “Yeah, think of all the neat pranks you could pull on ponies!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I was thinkin’ more along the lines a’ sneaking around and knockin’ some changelings up without ‘em knowing ‘til it’s too late.” “Makes sense, Cap’, you shouldn’t be so quick to demean these guys… Gals,” Ingot smiled. Twilight grinned too, knowing she wasn’t responsible for getting anyone in major trouble. Bellhop assumed that, like all the others had; Ingot grew fond of the ponies and was willing to defend them from any and all scrutiny… maybe not all of his team, but Clover and Ingot definitely would. “I guess… Anyways, yes you can tag along. Just don’t die, there’s a lot of radiation that ‘ll poison you.” “Pft, we’ll only be there for five minutes or something, right? What’s the worst that can happen?” Rainbow asked. “Again: You can die.” “I think we’ll manage, Alex,” Twilight nodded. Bellhop glanced once more at Clover. She still held the yellow pony and rocked slightly to comfort her. Rolling his eyes, Bellhop spoke, “We’ll be back in a few.” -Ukraine, Pripyat -6:19 AM “Yes. The operatives that came here yesterday haven’t given feedback. We need to see what’s going on,” Piers spoke to one of the Russians defending the entrance to the power plant. The translator nodded weakly and sulked over to another individual eyeing the Delta members, for his shift ended soon and he had worked the overnight to keep trespassers from entering, "Ser, oni zdes', chtoby-" "Any idea what he's saying?" Stafford asked subtly. Oaks wondered aloud, "He and his Russian buddies 'll let us pass and when we think it's all safe, they gun us down. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya." "He's asking if we can pass. The sergeant replied 'yes'," Piers sighed. Right as she finished, everyone took notice to the Russian stopping in his tracks to the team. He overheard what Piers said and shrugged, "Correct, you are all fine to move on. Udachi vam." He walked by them like a bear longing for rest. "Vam tashye," she smiled back. It fell on deaf ears as the man just worked to getting back to base or home or somewhere he could sleep. Piers felt the blank faces glued to her and turned. “You understood what he said?” Michael asked. “Well, sure,” Courtney nodded. “I learned a bit before I came a few weeks ago. I was one of the only soldiers from the US that helped evacuate the Stalkers here. It was helpful to pick up on-.” Kale rolled his eyes and moved ahead of the group, “I don’t think waiting here and telling stories is gonna help Captain Smith or his team if they’re in danger.” Oaks shrugged and waved a hand forwards to get everyone after Kale. Piers raised a brow and walked to catch up like the others. The Russian guarding the gate made a quick salute, though he didn’t really know any of the Delta operators or work in the United States’ military. Not to say they didn’t welcome it. 'Better than getting shot because of stigma from the Cold War… Stafford caught up to the medic and put out his thoughts with a chuckle, “Jeez, you really don’t like her, huh, Matt?” “Who, Courtney?” “Piers, thank you…” she chimed in. “Are we really doing the last name thing?” Courtney nodded, “Yes. If not for the sake of doing what the log asked; can you just do it for me?” It made Kale turn his head to her while they continued their journey to the desired warehouse. “Okay, one: You’re not my mother. 'Doing it for you' doesn’t mean anything to me. Two: you failed to see how we refer to friends by their first names. Keep it classy, Miss Piers.” He smirked before he fumbled over something and kneeled to keep balance. “The hell?” Kale groaned while pointing his KSV45 at it. “Karma, man,” Stafford chuckled. “Also, doing it for her just means 'I’m your boss, do it'.” “No such thing as karma, man,” Oaks snickered while kneeling to see what his friend tripped on. “Ohp, dead guy. Well, I guess the radiation ‘ll get em in a few years… Onward to Oxford team or whatever they called themselves.” “Onyx team, Dale,” said Piers, “Also, the-" “See? There ya go,” Michael said while he gave a ‘thumbs up’ with his left hand. “The group ‘ll probably work better if we work as friends.” Kale shot him a scowl, “How was it karma if I was the one who suggested that?” “The way you said it, dude,” Stafford smiled back. He squinted at the buildings around him, “When do ya think we’ll get there anyways?” Piers pointed ahead of the group, “It’s that yellow crane. There’s a green warehouse near it that we’re going into. Somewhere in the place should be the portal; I’m certain that it ‘ll emit enough light for us to locate it quickly.” “You sure know a lot about this place, Courtney,” Stafford noted while observing his M417. “This thing’s so cool, heh… Anyways, er. You wanna tell a story about the zone before ‘Murica went all freedom, fuck yeah on it? It Might help make the trip shorter.” “Sure thing; if Matthew is alright with it.” “Why would I not be?” he raised a brow. “’Cause you don’t like her, remember?” Oaks asked smugly. He shook his head left and right, “When did I say I didn’t like her? I just said there’s a possibility of her accusing us of trying to rape or assault her. But she claims that this job is more important to her than scoring extra leave time, so that’s that…” Kale turned back to see if his words had any affect. They still stared blankly at him, Piers included. “What? I don’t think she’s going to accuse us of that stuff anymore, okay?” Piers frowned, “But you also said Delta isn’t a place for-" "So you prove me wrong then, ma’am…” She swapped glances between Stafford and Oaks, each shrugging at her. “He’s always been like this by the way; it’s not really anything new to us,” Oaks sighed. “Will he at least follow my orders if we get in a tough situation?” “Sure,” Kale said without emotion or eye contact. Piers rolled her eyes while the group continued to the warehouse. The journey would remain storyless, for she just wanted to think to herself now… “I don’t need to prove anything to him; my rank should be enough.” -6:25 AM The group had jogged to cross the fields quickly and get back to Earth. Well… the soldiers had jogged while Twilight and Rainbow just floated over the land and kept within range of the operatives by flying. As of now, they slowed to walking speed and the ponies descended to accompany their pace. Of course, the rough kilometer of a trip to Pripyat included nothing but Rainbow Dash asking the same thing over and over again. Rainbow smirked, “Race me there?” Mercury groaned, “No.” “’Chicken?” “No, I’m tired.” “You’re too afraid you’ll lose, aren’t y-" “Oh my Goddess, Rainbow! Please stop asking that! He isn’t going to race you, alright!?” Twilight blurted out in frustration. “Thank you,” Mercury sighed. Then he raised a brow, "now you're stickin' up for me? Captain, what'd you do to her while we were sleepin'?" Bellhop turned to Mercury, unsure of what he meant, "What?" "Like five hours ago, you two looked about ready to tear out each other's throats." he pointed to Twilight, "She kept goin' on about how bad we were and yellin' at me for swearing. Now she's defending me from the person I cursed at?" "Oh, I thought you were joking around, but I actually remembered something... Turns out she faked the whole stuck-up-bitch attitude so we'd try and fight for her trust. She wanted-" "You told them? Lame, Twilight," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I couldn't help but laugh," she smiled, "I'm not the snobbish type." "It's really not funny," Bellhop said while his eyes narrowed. "I guess you've just forgotten what's going on and figured that fucking with my team for a few hours was more worth your time than saving your town from a very real threat." "I already said I was sorry..." Twilight frowned. "Actually, no. No you didn't. You just shrugged and tried to pass a fake laugh off as a way to avoid admitting a mistake on your part," Bellhop said scornfully. "Does that mean Dash isn't actually an arrogant, ill-tempered-?" "You better stop there..." Rainbow growled. Mercury shrugged as the blue pony angrily stared at him. Bellhop spoke up again, "I think we should get to Celestia again after this... unless you know how to defeat Discord too?" "Normally we use the Elements of Harmony, but he claimed that they wouldn't help... Also, they're with Celestia right now anyways, so it looks like heading to Canterlot again would be wise," Twilight offered. "I like this one better now," the medic smiled. "Between her 'n those kiddies from last night, this place ain't so bad. Ya gotta admit-" "Wait, wait, woah. What do you mean from last night?" Dash cut him off. Bellhop sighed, "Those three fillies from yesterday found us during the night watch and kept using puppy eyes to get me to let them stay up and help..." "So you let them?" Twilight worriedly questioned. "Mate, you wouldn't be able to say no to those faces... Oh right... Alex, Vas' and I woke up and they weren't there..." “What?” “I mean we woke up and they were gone. I think they-" “Why didn’t you search for them or something!?” Twilight shouted. “I’ll leave Alex up to answering that one,” Mercury said with a shrug. “Me?” Bellhop asked; a little shocked at the accusation. “Yes, you. You wanted everyone up and comin’ to you right away. Vasily and I didn’t think much of it, and just went to you. Cap’, I’m sure they’re fine.” “I’m thinking this is why you might’ve been fired from your old job,” he scorned. “Oh… You didn’t just take it there,” the medic replied; shaking his head. “What was his old job?” Rainbow asked. Something bright forced her to squint and turn to the source. She noticed that the others stared ahead as well; trying to make out what caused such brilliance. She gasped when seeing a large sphere-like ball of energy. “How did somepony not find this yet? It’s so noticeable…” “I don’t know, Rainbow… You’re sure this is safe, Alex?” Twilight asked. Bellhop rubbed his face with a sigh, “I asked you twice if you were sure you wanted to come along. Are you still trying to screw with me?” “There’s a ton of energy flowing through this thing. It looks like it could easily vaporize a pony if it weren’t a portal,” she replied anxiously. Twilight walked closer to it to reach a hoof and feel its heat. “I suppose it’s safe though… I mean, not like you got here some other way… at least not to my knowledge.” “This is how, yes…” the Captain sighed. “Alright, if we take more than five minutes explaining anything; I want you to guide them back to this place, Bradley. The radiation will harm you permanently if you’re exposed to it too long, and I don’t know if the drugs we have to combat its effects will work on you.” “You have medicine for that kind of stuff?” Dash asked. “Sort of. It works like some set of really buffed up white blood cell I think,” Mercury pondered. He, like other operatives didn’t know much about the drug or its contents. There was probably Iodide somewhere in it, but that had limited use when the pharmaceutical industry made it public. “We ready to move then?” “Uh… combatants first?” Twilight sheepishly grinned. Rainbow nodded as well. Bellhop rolled his eyes, “I’d laugh if that weren’t so true…” -6:28 AM “Stacey was all about this band and that Dahvie Vanity kid, so I looked him up. First thing I found was a youtube video that explained to me how he was a sex offender and pretty much a pedophile. Crazy shit, heh. I showed her the video and she was heartbroken,” Piers explained. “And that’s why video game sound tracks are where it’s at,” she continued with a shrug. “What about actual songs within a video game?” Stafford asked, intrigued with this conversation. Anything that got his mind off of work was something he liked to talk about. He took notice to her scornful eyes before realizing what he asked, “Not saying that original scores aren’t actual songs, but uh…” Oaks chipped in, “He meant like songs made by outside artists, but are put into vidya games.” Putting his unfunny word twist aside, Piers replied, “I knew what he meant, but I wanted to see if he’d correct himself.” “Correct by proxy. Perpetrator: Dale Oaks,” Stafford chuckled. The group paused behind Kale when he held up a closed fist, "'That the one, Piers?" "Uh..." she cocked her head while walking in front of Kale, "Yeah. Alright, weapons up." They clicked off the safety features on their weapons and made sure the magazines were loaded by detaching them. Stafford turned the twenty-round transparent box to examine it thoroughly. The HK M417 was his favorite weapon ever... It was just such a nice looking firearm. Seriously, look at this thing. He spoke up to take his mind off it, "So what's this all about? Are they stuck in the warehouse or something?" "Dude, really?" Oaks sighed. "You had all that time to read the briefing on the heli'," Piers frowned. Kale pat the extended clip back into his KSV45 "I don't think we have enough time to explain it; Captain Smith might be hurt... Uh, we're going to another planet apparently though. That much you should know..." "...What?" Stafford raised an unconvinced brow. Kale rubbed his face, "Just... never mind. Piers, should I take point?" "Uh, sure. I'll stick-" "I think our journey’s been cut short," said Oaks as he pointed ahead and lowered his P416. "'The hell are those?" Mercury looked up, "What the-? Those your lads, Cap'?" "Delta, looks like. Uh... Sorry we're late, but I forgot when they wanted us reporting every so often. A lot went on yesterday," said Bellhop. "Captain Smith?" Piers called out. "Yes, ma'am." "Where's the rest of your team... And what... what are those?" she cringed. "They're ponies," Stafford nodded. "They befriended them and decided to rob them from their home world to domesticate and cuddle with them forever," he smiled. "Can I have-?" "I ain't nopony's play toy, ya creep," Rainbow Dash said while extending a hoof. "'The fuck? They talk?" Kale looked back to his squad mates. “Dude, this’s crazy,” Stafford laughed. Bellhop shook his head ‘no’, “Listen, the rest of Onyx is in there right now. We found out the place is called Equestria. These ponies make up the inhabitants there… And why am I telling you this?” he face-palmed, *Command?* Jeff stuttered, *What the- C-Captain?* *One and only.* *What happened? Are the others with you too? I need to-*. *Slow down. Everyone in Onyx is fine… just listen,* he sighed. Bellhop looked over to both curious ponies and rubbed his chin to think of what to say, *Uh… We… were discovered within a couple of hours. It turns out that the images were of another species. The main inhabitants of the village are these colorful ponies… That talk and do magic and-*. *What…?* David raised a brow, though he was on the other side of the planet from the operatives. *I think you’ll have to clarify this stuff, Captain Smith. Did you take any pictures of the creatures?* Jeffrey asked. *Also, was Delta correct a second ago noting that you brought some of them here?* *We didn’t take pics, no. Uh…* He kneeled and dug through his backpack. “Something I should’ve done, I guess. Yes, two tagged along with us. One happens to be a government official or something.” “I’m a princess,” Twilight frowned. “Wings and a horn: not that hard to remember.” “You want our pictures?” Rainbow asked. “Can I be in one?” Stafford asked with a smile. “Mike,” Kale sighed. “What? They’re cool looking. That one has a rainbow in its hair, dude.” “Wait, I’m not tripping right now then?” Piers questioned with a raised brow. “Doesn’t look like-" “Alright, alright. I know it’s weird, okay?” Bellhop groaned, *Command, I’ll… I think we should just do a little recap. I brought McCoy back with me too. I’d prefer you not question any antics that seem abnormal, one being magic. I’m still skeptical, but I swear these guys figured out some supernatural abilities.* Dave nodded, *Understood. Continue.* Bellhop exhaled slowly, *the place is peaceful like in the picture. We got caught right away because Bradley and Sherry were screwing around while following two of the ponies in the village. We had no choice but to reveal ourselves to their friends as well… Upon talking to them, we found out they have a big problem.* *So… The camo went to good use…* Jeff sighed while typing what he heard into an MS Word 2020 document. *I know we fucked up, but listen: those black creatures with the weird limbs are actually a threat to their society. They can do some shape shifting ability. What’s worse? They actually copied the forms of Golf Squad from a week ago and started using them to bully the ponies,* he said quickly while snapping a photo of Twilight. *You’re receiving a pic of one of the inhabitants. Her name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m not making this up: she’s a princess in their world. They call her an alicorn because she has both wings and a horn.* “Thank you,” Twilight smiled. “Can they really do magic?” Oaks asked skeptically. “Like what kind of magic?” “All sorts back home. But I can’t do any here…” She sighed, then her eyes widened. Bellhop caught that right away and stared her down. “I-I didn’t say-" “Have you been here before?” Mercury asked confusedly. “Look, we’ll talk about it later. I think I already knew she was here before,” said Bellhop. Spade was right… “What? How?” Piers questioned and swapped glances with her team mates, “I’m freaking out here, man. This is so weird…” “Just let me continue and I’ll tell you all about it…” Bellhop explained. -6:32 AM Ponyville no longer remained pitch black, for the sun started peaking over the horizon. Rarity presumed that it had been Celestia’s doing and that she may have been a bit late waking up. Clover fortunately got Fluttershy to calm down, though she remained heartbroken that a close friend betrayed her all of a sudden. The group decided it would be best if they remained in the same spot so that those who traveled to Pripyat would have no trouble finding them when returning. “When do you think they’ll return?” Rarity asked no one in particular. She figured keeping Fluttershy from thinking about Discord was in everyone’s interest. “’S only been like twenty minutes. They had to walk a kilometer you know,” said Ingot. He noticed Rarity pointing to the sad Pegasus which made him realize why she asked such a question. He thought of something else to take fluttershy’s mind off of that weird hybrid thing, “Oh, uh… Anyone else have a crappy night of sleep?” “I thought you said the hay stack would be fine!” Applejack grimaced with an outstretched hoof. Ingot chuckled, “No, I meant my dreams made it impossible to rest for more than an hour at a time. I thought I was doing hard core parkour on the roofs of my college campus. Short story even shorter: I failed a jump and died.” He noticed Applejack scratched her head and stared down. Ingot nodded to let her subtly know her outburst was forgiven. “Parkour? Isn’t that the thing where you jump off buildings and not break your legs somehow?” Hazel questioned; now amused with Jason’s history. “Yep, he did a few stunts when we were in a team together over in Syria,” Clover smiled. “Speaking of dreams: I had one where I was snowboarding… I smacked into a tree and woke up from shock. ‘Shy was there to make sure I was alright though,” she patted the yellow pegasus on the shoulder. Fluttershy sniffed one last time, a smile finally crept to her face, and she looked up to Clover. Hazel slowly raised a hand, “Mine was about being on the moon…” Pinkie bounced and scored major hang time, “The moon? Did you jump like forty hooves and slowly come back down?” She asked with a hint of excitement as she flopped down on the grass. “I couldn’t breathe,” she weakly chuckled; making Pinkie sulk down further into the land. “How do you all even remember what happened in your dreams?” Spade asked. He smiled soon after, “your minds seem to not like you if they keep portraying your imminent death.” “I don’t think it works that way,” Applejack frowned at the Russian. “He’s just kidding, Applejack. I find it weird that they all had to do with some previous interest of ours though. Uh, assuming Sherry was into astronomy or something,” said Clover. Hazel put a clenched hand over her mouth to think that over, “I didn’t really like school at all growing up, so I’m not sure if sciency stuff like space interested me.” “I loved school; what made you dislike it?” Clover cocked her head. Spade spoke up, “Could we talk about something less educational? How about-" “Clothing!” Rarity shouted. “He was going to say clothing. What are the nicest fashions on your planet?” “Or we could talk about baking!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a hop over Rarity. “Or feminism,” Fluttershy smiled next to Clover. The operatives blinked and turned to the precision marksman with blank expressions. It was like a child cursing out loud and then everyone turning to the parent, for everyone knew that was the only place they would have learned such a word. She sheepishly grinned at her team mates’ stares for a moment before Hazel spoke up with a smile, “What’s feminism? I heard about it on facebook a couple of times.” “Miranda, why would you tell them about- wait, what? How do you not know what a feminist is?” Ingot asked Hazel, surprised as this had to be the first woman he ever met that wasn’t aware of the movement, let alone a part of it. Hazel just shrugged as they looked back to Clover for an explanation. “I uh…” Spade intervened, "I am not sure what the problem is. Bradley, Alex and myself were talking about this last night as well. It brought itself up when those fillies were trying to help us with the-" "Wait, what fillies?" Rarity asked worriedly as her eyes widened. "Eh, I believe your sister and her friends, Applebloom and Scoo-" "W-where were they when you woke up?” "Uh, Captain sulked off somewhere and they were gone when we woke up. Alex left us before we fell asleep though. I really do not know where they could have gone," Spade said while scratching his head. "I am sure they are fine; they were roaming around hours before we had found them. Maybe your sisters went back to their appropriate homes to rest... As for Scootaloo, I do not know." Rarity and Applejack groaned but only the white pony spoke her mind, "I suppose I should go back the boutique. I just hope she isn't making breakfast again if she happens to be there. And you aren't off the hook yet, sir," she grumbled while trotting towards her home. "Ah'll be right back, Jason... I'm thinkin' Applebloom is just sleepin' in 'er room," Applejack sighed while making her way to said destination. That left four operatives and two ponies in the group. Hazel broke up the brief silence with a chuckle, "So much for getting your views across to them. I guess you could convince Pinkie and I about the femi-thingy." Ingot winced, "I would seriously reconsider going-" "No, no, no, Miranda said you'd all try to do this!" Fluttershy pointed a hoof accusingly. "Help a woman climb the ledge; stop and check your pri-vi-lege, Mister Macombs," she smiled softly. Clover buried her face in her sleeves and stared down. Ingot laughed uncontrollably, "Dude, did you make that up just now, or did she teach you that?" "What have I done?" Clover sighed to herself... Spade patted her on the shoulder, making her look up, “It is only fair to look into both sides of a story, friend. Perhaps we will all learn something.” He looked over to the pegasus and nodded, "Please continue, Miss 'Shy". -6:37 AM Bellhop finished his explanations within a few minutes. By the end of it, the Delta members stood in awe as Onyx’s commanding officers thought of what to do next. The group had two major issues and unfortunately, one of those they promised the praised goddess of their lands to deal with. The other one was going to require consulting Celestia a second time. At the end of the day, the humans were at fault for the changelings’ rise in power. It only made sense that a team of humans came to fix the problem; especially since the ponies couldn’t combat it effectively. Defending the Element Bearers was the least they could do. However, Discord was to be another matter altogether… Bellhop remained unsure about handling the self-proclaimed deity, for it felt like something that Twilight and her friends would have less trouble doing. Especially if invincibility was a factor... “How many changelings are there? Or at least how many of them are willing to face you?” Piers asked. “Maybe a few... hundred... And most likely all of them are willing to face you. They’re born to be fighters, I believe…” Twilight trailed off, knowing that this information only pushed the team further away from helping them. “I-I really don’t know how many there are. They’re relatable to insects, so I’d guess quite a few. They have a Queen who tells them what to do as well.” “Do they talk too?” Stafford asked quizzically. “Actually we found out that they did yesterday. Nopony ever heard one speak before,” Rainbow said with a shrug. She continued after a quick chin rub, “Well, except for Chrysalis, the Queen that Twilight mentioned.” *I think it’s noble that you guys want to take on their problems that they can’t solve themselves, but… How are you going to deal with that? Those creatures you mention don’t sound like reasonable things. They just seem like thugs the way you worded it. Also, Captain Smith, you nearly died yesterday. Are you sure using just Onyx will work?* Jeffrey asked over the mic. *Sure as I can be… We can’t wait another day for extras to show up. We’re going to Canterlot again to speak to Celestia. If Twilight can brag this much about her, I’m hoping she actually knows how we can solve this,* Bellhop replied. “I didn’t brag about her; I only acknowledged that she has superior wisdom and power over us,” Twilight shot back with a frown. “Bragging,” Mercury said flatly with his arms crossed. *Alright, I guess. Just be-*. Piers spoke up, *Command, request that Delta assist Onyx in combating the changelings?* “What?” Kale grimaced. “Dude, we get to see a whole ‘nother planet if we go with them,” Stafford said with excitement. Twilight cringed at hearing that phrase, but let it slide. “This could be like the coolest thing ever, and you wanna pass it up? I think it ‘ll be like a vacation to some summer resort if it’s anything like Smith described.” “Yeah? Well I prefer my vacations without the hassle of killing shape shifting bugs,” Oaks said while shaking his head 'nope'. “Guys, c’mon. They aren’t gonna come out okay if it’s just six people defending them,” Piers noted. “Granite, they’re incredibly experienced and the changelings don’t sound like they know what they’re doing, but still. Won’t it be less likely that someone dies if we tag along? We can leave when the threat’s dealt with so they can go back to their explorations and stuff.” “Sounds like good enough reasoning to-” Stafford paused during mid-agreement, for Dale pulled him aside to speak in privacy. The designated marksman's smile quickly turned into a frown of possible offense when Oaks brought something specific up... *It's your call, Delta,* David chipped in. "... I know. I can handle my own problems outside of work, 'kay, Dale?" Stafford sighed. Oaks looked down; thinking he struck a nerve with his question. Michael set his mood back in order with a shoulder pat, "I know you're just lookin' out for me, man. These guys could use our help though." "I guess so... You make up your mind, Matt?" "I'm not sure... I'd give in to majority rules, but-" Rainbow shook her head, "Wait, hold on. Who are these guys anyways? Can we trust them, Alex?" Bellhop scowled at that, "In case the conversation from earlier already flew over your head; I know you’re throwing out the skepticism just to mess with them too." "She means they kind of just popped out of nowhere..." Twilight noted. "So did you, kind of," Stafford chuckled. "I think Dash has got the right idea in a sense; can't trust everyone you meet," Mercury shrugged. "Exactly," she nodded. "So you don't want their help if we're met with a swarm at some point?" Bellhop asked. “I meant others. I agree that Dash should lay off on the tough guy act too, but skepticism is healthy,” he finished, earning a hooves-crossed pout from the Rainbow pony. "Curiosity's got me; I'm in," Kale spoke up with a smirk. It earned a smile from Twilight at least. He rolled his eyes at that, "If nothing else, it' ll keep me in shape." *You're all going then?* Jeff asked while quickly inputting more information to his document. This was quite a story so far and was glad he could be a part of it. How often do you get to hear about someone traveling to another planet with magical ponies? Okay, it didn't really sound cool on paper, but soldiers going in to investigate the place made it at least seem serious… Bellhop answered, *looks like. We'll try to keep everyone safe while moving around. And I won't be late coming back this time either. Hopefully the others can head over here too to give their perspectives when we return...* Something occurred to Mercury, *did you guys jus' sit there 'n wait on us to return last night?* *All day, every day,* David responded with a smile. Jeff rolled his eyes, *we get sleep as required, Lieutenant McCoy.* *Brad, thank you.* Dash smirked as she guessed why he responded in that grumble. Twilight happily spoke up, "Are we going back now?" "Yeah, and on the way back, you can explain to everyone why you were running around in The Zone a while back. Spade told me there were reports of a creature such as yourself wandering about. Your little outburst confirmed his assumptions I guess..." Bellhop said. The purple pony anxiously frowned at that, "But, I already came to the conclusion that you couldn't have done anything dangerous while here, so?" She brushed a hoof through the dirt while the operatives directed all attention to her, "It... was an accident I suppose. See, I-". "On the way back," the Captain emphasized his point. A story would help shorten the shy kilometer of a trip back to Ponyville... -Unknown -6:44 PM The sun finally rose high enough over Equestria to help the ponies mark a new day in their lives. Things weren’t as bright where the changelings resided within the forest, for dead trees towered over everything. Light only seeped through in random mats and shimmered against the shallow water. The spirit-broken changelings wandering the area only pushed to further darken the area, not literally of course. The defeat at Canterlot a while ago forced them to seek refuge in this horrible place for about one year now. Since the creatures lived off the emotions of others; the environment was actually a risk to their health just because of its gloominess. So how did they survive this long? Towards the northern end of the village they created; a tree, much larger than any of the other willows, stood out proudly. This one, unlike the others, was actually alive too, for the leaves remained intact and show no signs of withering. But it was hollow, because the changelings lived in the tree as well as the huts stationed outside. Somehow they managed to keep the tree a living thing though they carved a dungeon inside of it… Within said wooden marvel; sticky little lines of liquid stretched throughout the corners and ceilings of rooms. They lit up a bright green to allow someone to see how to navigate through the naturally dark innards of the tree. Perhaps it doubled as the willow’s live support in some unrealistic way. Given how hectic the last thirty hours were, it only made sense that things in the fortress were too. The dark creatures ran around in collective panic, trying to organize parties and figure out how to handle Onyx’s arrival. The outcome of the train ride spread throughout the hive maybe twice as fast as it had in Ponyville. Not only had two died; one’s status remained unknown, for the returning scouts didn’t specify. Then, in the light of the morning, two more just disappeared with no clue other than 'gone hunting' on their hut… They would have returned by now. Things weren’t as panicky in a few rooms though. 'Nursing rooms' were what the species collectively referred to them as, for they nursed in two ways. They helped the changelings harness energy and power. The pony captives received hospitality for expressing affection towards the black creatures. No wrong doings here. No, Siree. A changeling lightly stroked the mane of a red mare while she slept calmly. Really, there was no harm in this set-up. Sure it drained the giving pony of his or her emotions, but Queen Chrysalis made sure to set up regulations on consumption. They couldn’t just make the poor things all depressed; lest they wanted to go and kid nap more ponies… This particular mare didn’t get pony-napped though, she came to them as a matter of fact. A changeling armored in Golf Squad equipment called from the room’s entrance and ruined the pleasant ambience from within, “Coal, the second squad’s prepped and-“ “Shh,” she hissed at his loudness, “She’s asleep, Meek.” His name made this predicament rather ironic... The female changeling, Coal, got up from the makeshift bed and nuzzled the sleeping red pony before returning to Meek. Coal whispered while nearing the changeling, "What's up?" "Barron and Skittles haven't yet returned..." Meek trailed off. Worriedly, he continued, "We believe something may have captured them, quite possibly the Miasma. Chrysalis has instructed us to band a quick search party together." The mare's ears perked up which made Coal smile warmly. She turned back to the less than amused Meek, "What are you planning to do?" "She told us that the... energies are rather lacking as of now. The Queen wants us to hit the train on the way to Canterlot, have half of the team will guide two or three ponies here, and the other half will explore the grasslands to attempt to locate the two if possible. If not, we may at least gain some clues to their whereabouts." He scraped a hole-filled hoof against the floor in uncertainty. "You're bringing more friends for us?" a perky voice called out. Meek leaned to his left to look past Coal and spot the source of such a happy voice. He found that it belonged to the mare that was sleeping only moments ago. “Er… Yes?” the changeling spoke up. The earth pony seemed familiar, but he couldn’t put a hoof on it, “Coal, who is this one?” “She’s lived here for months, Meek!” Coal shot back, upset that he failed to realize this. Thinking she caused distress between her close friends; the red mare apologized quietly, hoping to resolve the conflict quickly. “It’s quite alright. Meek, this is Miss Light, and she’s probably the only reason things have been lighter around here.” Ignoring how she referred to the mare as 'Miss' when her pitchy voice made her sound like a foal, Meek nodded, “I see. Sorry for failing to realize your involvement here, but you must understand that I work outside of this structure typically.” “All fine, Meek,” Light chirped. “I’m very happy that you’ve kept me company all this time though. I’ve tried to get to know everypony here, but there are so many of you,” she chuckled. “Right, well. You can explain to her what’s going on if you’d like, Coal, but I have to get going. We’ll try to get you some more company, Miss Light. We may soon become strong enough to raise our living standards for the better.” He finished with a smile and trotted down the hallway. Light turned back to her care taker, “He seems nice. Do you think Chrysalis will smile for once when we get Ponyville to understand your intensions?” Coal giggled at that, “I don’t know; she’s been awful grumpy over the last month. I think if you do that little dance in front of her, the Queen’s greater nature will reveal itself. Wanna practice?” “You bet!” she hopped with glee. “An earth pony OC? ‘The fuck is wrong with this writer?” Don’t worry; I thought what you were thinking for you… -6:52 AM Had enough ideology for one story? HAHA, me neither! If you want to skip this part due to its length and *partial** irrelevance; I'll word the starting of the next chapter so it fills you in on what's happening~* "I cannot, for the life of me, remember what I was experimenting with," Twilight looked to the sky in confusion. "But I couldn't finish it because everything turned white and I ended up in that place." "Man, Twilight, you do the craziest stuff when we're not watching you," Rainbow chuckled. That meant that Twilight never told them apparently… "How'd you end up getting back?" Mercury questioned. "I just... found it, I guess." Bellhop looked up from his scribble filled journal, "You're sure you didn't receive any help?" He had written down the entire conversation; though walking while doing so had made that task quite difficult. The purple pony turned to meet a very unhappy stare emitting off of the Captain. He used her gasp as an answer, "Spade mentioned a Russian that went by 'Nikita', that sound familiar?" Twilight sighed, "...Correct again, Alex. He found me not too long after I arrived. Nicky got me back safely-" "Pfft, Nicky?" Stafford chuckled. He always considered Russians to be the coldest and most unforgiving people on the planet... coldest could also describe them in a literal sense. The nick-name that Twilight awarded to one just seemed silly. "Yes, I called him Nicky. He preferred that I call him that, Michael. Anyways, he figured that heading to the Power Plant might've led us somewhere, for strange things happened there. He told me that Stalkers made rumors about some sort of wish granter or miracle creator... We searched a couple of the warehouses and found that portal." She looked down, possibly saddened at remembering what occurred afterwards, "He... said his farewells, and I never saw him again..." "'That it?" Bellhop asked while finishing his writings. Twilight nodded weakly in response. Though he didn't enjoy the pony's dishonesty, sass, manipulative nature, or overall attitude towards Onyx's operation thus far; the Captain enjoyed seeing the sad version even less. Fluttershy made him figure that out less than an hour ago. He dragged his backpack up and stuffed the college-ruled notebook back inside, "I guess it's nothing that troublesome then... You, uh... You learn anything neat when roaming throughout The Zone?" "Neat?" Twilight cocked a brow, confused at the random shift in his outlook towards her. "I suppose it was curious to see the random energy spikes scattered around that place..." "Uhuh... Well, I'll leave it up to you to inform your friends or not about your adventures," Bellhop assured her. He pointed ahead to note that their team was around thirty meters from them. "Just stop acting that way to my team, please. I'm certain you'll make a friend or two by the end of this." "I get it... Again, I wanted to be sure you wouldn't hurt anypony." "Why would anyone hurt you? You're too cute to maul," Stafford chuckled. "I ain't cute, bud'," Dash grumbled. "Correct, you're pretty," Piers noted with a smirk. Rainbow would have retorted, but her energetic friend put the thought on hold, “They’re back and they brought even more friends!” Pinkie jumped up with glee, sank back down, bounced to the shyer pony and giggled. In. Her. FACE! “And you thought they were going to be mean to us because we’re mares.” “More friends?” Ingot asked while turning, “Oh, damn, Delta?” “Your eyes don’t deceive, dude,” Stafford smiled. He always took pride in knowing he was part of a spec ops unit. Mercury explained, “They sent these ones over ‘cause Alex forgot to report to HQ on time. We’re all good now, and they tagged along because they felt we needed the help.” “Well that’s nice, but I think Miranda wanted to talk to you guys about something,” Ingot said while holding out a hand to drag attention to Clover. Bellhop studied over their expressions, excluding the precision marksman’s. Ingot had his arms crossed while looking down uneasily. Spade looked like he rubbed his face dry by burying it in his palm from frustration. Hazel and Pinkie seemed to be out of the moment compared to the others, for they laid back and watched clouds float by with smiles. Clover and her new pony friend stared blankly back at him. He finally got over to the mares that shot scowls at him. Applejack and Rarity had returned while Fluttershy helped Clover explain the score of womyn’s rights in the Western World. Rarity shouted at him, “You think you’re tough treating ladies the way you do?” “What?” Kale raised a brow. Bellhop sighed, “I take it Clover got you talking about feminism?” Ingot spoke up so this wouldn’t get any worse, “Cap’, she didn’t do anything wrong, we’re just tossing ideas back and forth.” “I… didn’t say anything was wrong with that. Spade, Mercury, and I were talking about this stuff last night,” he replied. Clover’s expression rose lightly knowing she didn’t upset anyone or the mission. “However, we didn’t express our views to any of the people here… so, minus one.” Her expression sank back down… “How can you pay females less for the same work?” Applejack asked in disgust. The Captain wasn’t in the mood (or awake enough) to argue points he couldn’t retort. He remembered how common a woman on his campus explained to him how the world operated. It felt like a mantra with these people, and now the ponies were catching onto it. Bellhop honestly didn’t know if the findings of the wage gap, glass ceiling, rape statistics, women in management, and all of the other things were particularly true. Rubbing his face, “Look, I don’t know anything about-.” “Where did you hear that?” Kale spoke up with a closed fist under his chin. The operatives took notice to his possible challenge and cleared the area so it could be met. Oaks rested a hand on his partner’s shoulder to make him turn, but he didn’t. Matt only held up a hand to his opposition to let him know what he was getting in to. Rarity and Applejack stared at him for a brief moment before the orange pony pointed at Fluttershy. “You?” Kale asked. She nodded anxiously, but he didn’t buy it. The pegasus sat closest to Clover, so he figured that a human female was the likely culprit to introducing this mess. He directed the following statement to said precision marksman, “Alright, I take it you’re the one who taught them to parrot these ridiculous statements. Miranda, was it?” “Ridiculous?” she narrowed her eyes. “Uh, Matt, are you sure you should be getting into arguments with a new part of our team?” Piers asked. Her concern was more realistic than his, for she believed the group splitting itself wouldn’t hold up well down the road. Truthfully, she wanted to see how this would play out, such as the others did. Spade got the full force of the ideology until it put him in mental submission to their theories. Those mares were relentless when Fluttershy explained it to them… “Sure as can be,” he claimed with a wave to the voice behind him. “What were they arguing about?” Twilight asked. Kale ignored the question to answer Clover finally, “I said it was a ridiculous claim, yes. You're of the opinion that you make seventy-seven cents on every dollar I make simply because you’re a woman, right?” Clover nodded, “Well, I don’t know if it applies to the military, but yes. In fields like business and engineering, which men dominate by the way, I think they get paid less and it’s unjust.” “What did you major in when you went to college? ‘Just curious.” “I didn’t really major in anything because I got caught up in this. I did take a women’s studies course to understand why we live in a patriar-.” “You didn’t get a business or engineering related degree?” Kale asked, keeping a smirk from forming. Clover shook her head no; unaware of how she just destroyed her own argument. “Why are the fields you mentioned male dominated do you think?” “Because our society ushers women into the social sciences." She smirked, "I know you were trying to make me do that stale-mate argument too. I’m above that.” “But you substituted it with something you can’t prove. Did it ever occur to you that women, as a whole, tend to linger towards those courses simply by their choice? Since 1990, all campuses around the US, Canada, and UK have never stopped promoting the exact opposite of what you say. All I saw when attending MSU was 'Women needed in science!', 'Women, try out auto!', 'The future of the technological field is too important to be left to men!' Ring any bells? I don't mean to generalize, but you people tend to pick the less demanding courses for that reason alone..." "Dude, you went to State?" Ingot chuckled. "Now who told you that?" Clover shot back, ignoring her friend's question. "I did. Any miniscule examination of common course selections will have you well informed. Did you know that women graduate college at a higher rate than men, even at the PhD level? Is it even a wonder why funding is cut for courses that deal with sciences and math as a result? Less and less of the people who cared about them are able to take them anymore. Mysteriously, more money is now poured into the social sciences and humanities." "What's that supposed to mean? Also, since when are men the only ones who care about science and math?" Twilight actually bumped in this time, "He's saying that you answered that question already. Again, did you take courses in that field?" "No..." "So, it only makes sense that you can't complain about other women not taking those courses. It's not even necessarily a bad thing; it just means the males run that field because it interests them on a general scale. It doesn't mean you're not allowed to get in the field," she continued, earning a surprised nod from Kale. This pony was alright... She continued after thinking on something, "Unless they aren't, I don't know, is there a law-?" "There is absolutely no law or attempt to keep women from getting into these fields. Miranda, had you joined the fields, rather than point out how many women aren't in them; you could've done something to keep them from being male-dominated as you so claim... Next up: wage gap?" Kale said while sitting down. His smugness vexed Clover, but she could maintain composure and beat this evil, privileged, whi-... African American male. He took that loving narrowed gaze as permission to continue, "Right, it's a myth. As well as that glass ceiling you people keep talking about." "I don't think it is," Ingot spoke up. He didn't think of himself as a feminist, for he actually thought they excluded men. Regardless, he knew there were legitimate criticisms they brought to the table. "The US Department of Labor actually did research for that one: they compared hourly wages of men and women in all levels of management and it came out to be that, yes, they only earn around three-quarters of what we do... Kinda sad, really." "Well, feel bad about it no longer." Kale looked back over to Clover, "What's your last name?" "Fey, but you can call me Clover until the op is over. You?" "I'm Kale." Piers shot him a glare, remembering what his naming game represented. He rolled his eyes, "Matthew or Matt, if you like. Anyways, Miss Fey, riddle me this: What is a business's primary goal?" "Uh..." "Makin' that green papery stuff," Hazel noted lazily. Pinkie poked her and she stared back to the sky. With a gasp, she pointed up, "Dude, a giraffe cloud!" It caused everyone to stare up, whether just to humor her or actually show interest. Their gazes sank back down to the possibly drugged operative when she giggled alongside the pink mare, "That's what I would totally sound like if there was a giraffe shaped cloud." "She's completely stoned, huh?" Stafford asked with a smirk. Hazel shook her head, "Nah, man, this place is just so peaceful compared to Pripyat. I'm totally relaxed, not high..." "Anyways," Kale continued, "if a business's primary concern is making money... Wait for it... Then why aren't there only women with these jobs?" "What do you mean?" Clover asked. "Wouldn't companies only hire women if they could actually get away with paying them that much less for the exact same work a man does? Or do you think there's more to this?" Bellhop took a seat by this point and just listened to them ramble so far, "How much longer do you two think you're gonna go at this? I kinda wanted to get to Canterlot soon..." "The train station starts up at seven AM, Alexander. I'm certain we have time to discuss the relationships betwixt the genders on your planet," Rarity explained. He eyed his watch just to make sure they wouldn't miss the ride... 6:56. Though they didn't have to leave, he didn't like where the argument headed. Nothing told him that it wouldn't lead to problems later on... "I think you're just going to have to show me proof here." Clover crossed her arms. "Proof?" Kale asked with outstretched arms, "W-what the-? How? Am I just supposed to carry around a sheet that shows you cited sources and statistics?" Clover rummaged through her backpack and dug out a paper folded into four quadrants. Upon unfolding, it revealed the very report that Ingot referred to previously. She held it out for him with a blank stare, "Yes." Stafford had to laugh loudly at that, "Dude, you just got wrecked!" Kale couldn't help but smile, though he covered his mouth with a palm, "Alright. Alright, I get you. But my question still stands... I want you to disregard the statistics for a second, because it didn't even compare the right things. Don't you think a company would be much more likely to hire a person at a lower wage if they can do the exact same work another can perform?" "I suppose..." Clover shrugged. "So why aren't there only women in all levels of employment? Why would any manager be dumb enough to hire a man if they knew they could hire an equally skilled woman for less? And again I ask: or do you believe there are more factors than just 'I just like having dick around my office'?" That one drew chuckles, a couple blushed at his vocabulary. Fluttershy eyed the piece of paper and her friend's expression. Clover thought a bit on that one with a chin rub, but her pegasus friend spoke for her, "B-but, the statistics prove it. You can't just deny evidence, Mr. Kale." "Don't you see, Fluttershy? He doesn't need a sheet of paper to prove his point. His reasoning has been enough for two arguments now... And Rainbow Dash, I believe you may owe me quite a sum of bits if this keeps going where I think it is..." Rainbow raised a brow at that, "What are you talkin' about?" Kale spoke up to make everyone forget her question, "To be fair here, they did prove that there's a rough 98 to 100 gap when comparing one man and one woman with exact same experience, college, and career choices. There are instances where they found that women earned more in some areas though." Clover nodded in disappointment. She didn't quite accept this, but just waving a sheet of stats around wasn't going to convince anyone clearly, "I see... But what about our society pushing women to get those types of degrees in teaching? Wouldn't that reflect how such a gap, though miniscule, came to be?" "I thought I just explained how I saw the opposite happening, but I guess it has some merit..." "If it weren't for feminists, women wouldn't have been able to enter the work force on a massive scale!" Rarity shouted out, drawing gazes from everyone... "Ehm... as Fluttershy explained, of course." She sheepishly grinned. "There's a bit of truth to that I guess," Kale shrugged. "Alright, Kale's leading with three points while Miranda’s only got one," said Hazel. Pinkie pondered the previous segments of their debate and nodded in agreement. "You... wrote a score on this?" Spade asked with a brow raised. "Well, sure! It helps us know who's gonna win. Matt has a lead, but Miranda seems to be gaining leverage. You don't even have to come to an agreement, she's just writing down who seems more confident with their answers really," Pinkie chuckled. "What? I'm completely confident with my answers!" Clover exclaimed. Pinkie Pie hopped up and stared her down fiercely, "Are you?" "Yes," Clover said with an angered glare. "Are you?" "Yes!" "Aaaaare you?" "Yes, Pinkie!" she said, about ready to maul this pony. Pinkie bounced back to Hazel with glee, "One point for Miranda!" the female guider scribbled down a tally for Clover with a giggle. "Uh, confidence isn't really how you decide if someone won a debate,” Ingot spoke up. "Yeah, I dunno. I think this argument stuff is pointless... I mean, I like the girl-power aspect of the feminism thing and such, but it just seems sketchy. Just listen to the name. Fem-in-ism... Fem... hrm... It's like only about the women. Miranda, how's it about equality if it's only about the women?" "It's about women getting equal rights par with men and getting rid of their privileges." “But what rights do we have that you don’t?” Oaks asked. All of those nights at the pub with Kale got them talking about this stuff commonly… "And what about female privilege?" Kale wondered aloud. "Why is that men disproportionately lose custody battles to women?" "Because the government seeing women as primary care-takers is mark of patriarchy! It's actually sexism against women because they're trying to force us back into our own roles, you see," Clover spat. Kale bit his tongue at that, "How cute, you don't know that it was your movement that made it this way to begin with? Before this, men received primary custody after divorce." He crossed his arms and continued, "'You know why? Because men were solely responsible for all financial support of a child. And guess what? They still are, even after all this bull shit. Even if they never get to see their kids again; they're still, for some reason, responsible for paying for the children. How is that sexism against women for the benefit of men?" "Because-!" Bellhop rubbed his face thoroughly and checked his watch, “Oh boy, look, it’s seven AM; we should get going to Canterlot.” He continued sarcastically continued, “Oh no! How will your debate on feminism ever get through to all of us. Darn, I guess we’ll just have to stop shoving irrelevant political opinions everywhere and go on about our actual task.” “But you were the one that said I could keep going,” Clover frowned. “And I’ve heard enough of it already; you look like you're about to shoot each other” the Captain noted with a head scratch. The lack of sleep already affected his ability to process either side’s argumentation, “I’m sure that your concerns about…” He yawned, “Making twenty dollars or something can be dealt with back home. Can we move things along?” “I said that women make seventy-.” “Is it relevant to this task, Lieutenant?” Bellhop questioned a firmer manner. He didn’t deny that the marksman had legitimate claims about sexism in their society; it just really had nothing to do with their mission. The ponies sure as hell weren’t going to fix any problems she pointed out… Furthermore, Kale and Twilight seemed to know about as much as she did in this area. Maybe their claims were just as legitimate, though they contradicted hers… It didn’t matter though, they needed to get to Celestia and figure this out. Afterwards, maybe, Clover could do her rants to the mares. She sighed in annoyance, “No, sir…” “And you,” he pointed to Kale, “I think next time you should just let it slide. I don’t want this arguing to cause problems down the road, get it?” Matt raised a brow, “You’re kidding. We arrived, and they started calling us woman-haters. Am I just supposed to say ‘Yeah, sorry about that’ and have all of the ponies be hostile towards us or what?” “I don’t know, but debating over this stuff isn’t gonna end well if we need to work as team now.” “Exactly,” Piers noted. “Uh, you didn’t exactly step in here and stop him, Courtney,” Oaks pointed out. She would have retorted, but Kale just sighed, “I got it. Won’t happen again, Captain.” “Thank you. Let’s get to the station… er…” he trailed off and dug through his backpack. “Will those tickets that Celestia gave us work again? I don’t want to make you spend all your money on us.” “The princess gave you passes I think,” Applejack noted. Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement, “You can take the train all day, every day!” “I think Celestia just wants you to be able to get to her whenever you need to,” Twilight explained. “Your new friends will still need tickets though… Maybe Celestia will give them passes too?” “How long do the train rides take usually?” Kale asked. “About half of one hour… Um… You’re not afraid of heights, are you? It goes over a few lakes, a forest, and through a couple of mountains,” Fluttershy said. It confused Kale since this particular mare sided with Clover only a moment ago, but he shrugged and accepted her warning. “Not an issue, Miss Shy,” Spade responded with a smile. They were Delta… Nothing scared them… “C’mon, it might leave soon,” Twilight said with a hoof pointed towards the train station.
[2-3] The Grasslands-June 8, 2021 Last chapter recap for those who skipped it: Bellhop, after driving Discord away with the help of the Element Bearers and his team, remembered that Onyx hadn’t reported back to his CO’s once since they arrived in Equestria. As Bellhop, Mercury, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash head to Pripyat; Fluttershy introduces the herd to feminism. Delta operatives Piers, Kale, Oaks, and Stafford meet with the Onyx combatants and two ponies that accompanied them. Bellhop explains what the circumstances with the changelings are and the newer threat, that Celestia wasn’t yet aware of, Discord. The Delta squad merges with Onyx to provide assistance with their changeling ordeal. Twilight accidentally reveals that she had known more about The Zone than she let on. The changelings actually live in huts around a marshy area within a jungle. A hollowed-out and huge willow tree holds medical staff as well as Queen Chrysalis. The changelings had survived the harsh months, after their defeat at Canterlot, by kid napping ponies and providing them hospitality. In return, the changelings received nourishment; the civilians eventually grew fond of the creatures and their predicament. One 'Miss Light', a red earth mare, is revealed to have come to the changelings rather than being taken from her home. On the way back to Ponyville, Twilight explains that she had one day of adventuring on Earth a few years ago. With the help of a Stalker, she made it back safely and never mentioned the ordeal to any of her friends. The portal remained unfound in Equestria as well… Or maybe it wasn’t there anymore when she came back? Fluttershy had riled up Applejack and Rarity about the subject and they scorned the operatives when they returned. Kale steps up to the claims made and gets in a small debate with Clover. The two cannot finish though, as Bellhop stresses that getting to Celestia is more important than arguing over which sex gets more cookies. With four new members in the squad, special operation members no less; Onyx is confident that the changelings' will fail to negatively affect Equestria any longer. -Equestria, Eagle Pointe -7:02 AM The previous night had been a long one for Lift and his two changeling prisoners. The gryphon revealed enough about his crush to keep the shape shifters from starving, but he fell asleep within an hour of talking. Though they opened up, as promised; he hadn't learned much about what the changelings' goals were before that. Lift understood that they were stealing ponies from their homes and using them to rob them of their emotions, but was too tired to be surprised. The sister had actually taken a legitimate interest in his feelings, and offered friendly advice about confronting Mist. Of course... Randomly tackling and fiercely nuzzling the person you want to get to know better probably wasn't very good advice. Barron, trying to defend his little sister's advice, claimed that he had seen it work before, but Lift made it clear that he wasn't going to attempt that. Mist seemed like the sort of gryphon that would maul a pony over that rather than show affection in return… ...Lift certainly hadn't acted like an interrogator. Since Lift had fallen asleep, Barron's sister had tried to plot out an escape method. The duct tape wasn't even a problem; they could just wiggle their hooves until it came undone. The two needed to make it look like they it kept them bound until they figured out a plan of getting out. "How about if another one shows up, we can knock 'em unconscious and nab the keys?" she wondered out loud. A yawn quickly followed it, for the restless night took away most of their energy. She remembered that Lift had fallen asleep through the first interrogation attempt when Eos was present; he wasn't going to wake up if they spoke freely. "I don’t know, Skit’s," he questioned to receive no answer. "Sister?" Barron asked again while turning to see that she had fallen asleep on him. He shook his head in displeasure at this, for it meant they weren't getting out soon. The changeling decided he would remain awake to see if another idea popped up or if one of the gryphons showed up. Lift jittered once in his slumber and rolled over, still asleep. Barron grimaced at the sight. "Maybe talking about his crush wasn't the best thing to bring up right before he slept," he thought; now wishing the clothes of EPOW recruits covered their lower regions as well. The extra positive emotion never hurt though... Spade worked solely as an interpreter during his short amount of time in Syria. The ridiculous things some of the soldiers he met would say made him wonder why he ever bothered learning any other language than his own. But then he figured that everyone thinks the same exact thing: their country, culture, or language is the best out of any other. At least he got paid for his knowledge... -Equestria, Ponyville -Consult Celestia -7:04 AM "Last call to Canterlot!" Steamer called out from the train's window to no one in particular. The train only held six other passengers as the earlier rides never scored as much attention. He liked keeping the options open for ponies that needed them however; those who planned trips earlier deserved some sort of reward for preparation. Still, business had sulked by over the last couple of months; ponies didn't exactly pack the train to go sight-seeing at Canterlot. No major events, other than Princess Twilight's coronation, occurred at the decorated city which resulted in lack of incentive to go. Maybe he'd shut down the station for a bit when the train returned to Ponyville; then a repair pony could fix the broken windows from yesterday. Now that he thought on it; these changeling raids were probably going to make citizens think twice about boarding the train to get to Canterlot. The earth pony sighed and tucked his head back in the engine car. Steamer pulled down a handle which made a whistle go off and shoveled some coal in the furnace to get the locomotive moving. The wheels squeaked against the tracks for three or four seconds before someone yelled out, "Wait!" He looked out the side of the engine car and spotted six mares and ten of those newer creatures. Weren't there only six before? Steamer frowned as he held a hoof out to wave, "Sorry, Princess! You know that-" he fell to the floor as the train jolted to a stop. With a groan, he rubbed his head and stood up to see what just happened. Twilight had engulfed the lead car in her telekinetic grip to halt it. She continued galloping to get next to the car as Steamer and the other passengers peaked out of the windows to see what was going on. "We're not too late, are we?" Twilight grinned sheepishly at the conductor's baffled stare. He shook his head quickly to make sure he wasn't imagining this situation. With wide eyes and a glance of his surroundings, "I guess not? Do you have your tickets ready at least?" She levitated multiple passes and four newly purchased tickets for the Delta operatives now accompanying them. "Of course," she said with a smile. Since he couldn't really just back the train up; Steamer left the window and walked to the previous cart. He opened the sliding door and waved a hoof back, "Come on in then". Twilight turned to the group, several members having the same expression that Steamer did, and nodded. "Oh, that kind of magic," Stafford said with a shrug. "Twilight that was incredible! I've never seen you move something so heavy before!" Pinkie Pie bounced around with glee. The alicorn hopped up to get in the box car while speaking, “I’m pretty sure I’ve lifted heavier stuff before, Pinkie. Besides, all I did was stop it before it picked up any momentum.” “Yes, but please don’t make this a habit, Princess Sparkle,” Steamer sighed as the rest of mares climbed aboard. Bellhop stood back while the others entered first. If stopping a train, though moving slow, wasn’t difficult for her; Bellhop was glad they found the ponies first. He was also thankful Twilight decided not to maim him when they first arrived, though he had beaten down one of her friends right in front of her… Spade held a hand out for the Captain to grasp and ease his way up. With everyone on the successfully on the train, it was smooth sailing to Canterlot. Twilight nodded in apology to Steamer and moved away from the engine car to find decent seats. The conductor closed the sliding door and blew the whistle again to signal take off. Fortunately, Bellhop had yet to see that mint green pony from the previous day. Looks like the ride would be enjoyable this time around… Onyx, Delta, and the Element Bearers sat around the first car, which none of the original passengers used oddly. Bellhop scored a seat by the windo-… the thing was still broken from yesterday. Well, that explained the lack of ponies in their particular box car. The train picked up decent speed and quickly turned Ponyville to a silhouette as Bellhop watched it, the wind crazily blowing at him. “I’ve actually been practicing a long distance teleportation spell so we might not need to use this thing anymore,” Twilight noted. She had to raise her voice a bit as the heavy breeze tried to silence her. “The princess said it may take a while to figure out completely though.” “I’m sure you’ll get it,” Piers shouted, trying not to laugh at this situation. The magic was one thing, but the ponies just ignoring the wind made Piers chuckle. “’Think you could fix the windows with your current skills?” “Probably not; I’d need all the pieces!” Twilight actually shouted back, for the train’s picked up speed made the gale louder. *Just a heads up to all of ya; Twilight faked the attitude she was givin’ Alex yesterday,* Mercury said through his radio piece. He didn’t have to speak up for everyone to hear on the plus side. Clover spoke up as well, *we found out that Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo went home… Well, the orange one spent the night at Rarity’s with Sweetie. No harm done, you three.* *’Not our fault; they wanted to stay up,* Spade claimed. *Couldn’t you have just told them no?* Hazel asked. “We’re gonna have to find those three when we get back. I’ll tell them you’re taking them on an adventure or something. Then when you say no; their faces 'll break your heart,” Bellhop said with a smirk. Applejack raised a brow, “What?” “He’s referring to our sisters and Scootaloo, I’m certain,” Rarity said. “What?” the apple farmer asked again, failing to hear her over the wind. Rarity rolled her eyes and looked to the operative she sat next to. Stafford had won a window seat, but the white pony failed to find a seat near her friends. She decided to give the laid back combatant a chance, for he may have felt uncomfortable as a newer member in Equestria. The Delta member, on the other hand, eyed her suspiciously. "You seem familiar," he noted with a chin rub. She didn't expect that, "Er, how so? Captain Smith explained to us that colored ponies were an oddity in your home land.” “I’m not sure… I think I’ll have to draw it the way I remember just to see if it matches. Think you could hold still when I compare it?” “Draw me?” Rarity questioned and looked around for others' expressions to make sure she heard that correctly. When focusing back on the Delta member, "Right now?" “I said I’d compare it to you; you don’t gotta wait around for me to finish.” Confusedly, she nodded. Rainbow blurted out to the whole car, “Hey guys! Twilight told me ‘n’ the new ones that she went to their place before! Like way back then!” That scored all the passengers’ attention, for they all stared at Twilight in hopes that she would explain. “Heh, uh…” the alicorn forced a chuckle, “it’s true; I’ve been there before.” “Really? Did you get there from the portal like us?” Oaks asked. “No, I returned using it though…” There is a disadvantage to the ammo counter for Onyx’s visors. When reloading, the device assumes that a soldier is loading a fresh magazine that is completely full. If a user of the device was fond to the practice of reusing magazines that weren’t completely spent, then the feature would eventually mislead the person as to how much ammo was left in their magazine… -7:28 AM “Train’s in sight! Bog, split off with group two and search the grasslands for Barron and his sister!” the lead changeling called out. The one he spoke to broke off from the flock after nodding, several others followed him closely to search for their friends. These particular black creatures chose to work with the UMP45’s, for the shorter length and higher caliber of the guns were going to help them overpower anyone in close quarters. They didn’t come in hopes of fighting anypony; they just needed one or two new subjects for the colony’s prospering... whether they wanted to help or not. As of now, it was rolling on tracks that soared a good fifty feet above ground because it had recently passed through a mountain. That and it probably smoothed out the ride since so many hills soared around the grasslands. What originally gave Onyx trouble maneuvering before would probably come in handy as cover now… The tracks wouldn’t lower altitude from this point on, as Canterlot settled on the side of a mountain as described before. The changelings needed to act fast because there wasn’t much more time until the train arrived at the decorated city. A moment more of swift flying got them to the roof of the locomotive. They were extremely cautious of letting the firearms hit the train when landing so they would avoid making too much noise. They were lucky enough that the nopony spotted them so far. When the squad of four all successfully gathered atop the desired car, one before the engine room of course, they shifted forms. As human-morphs, they could effectively use the weapons to their advantage and threaten any of the passengers to comply with their demands. The leader of the four spoke loudly enough for only his friends to hear, “Alright, Meek, you and I are gonna grab one each. Sap and Noble, you keep others from interfering, got it?” They nodded to show they understood. He pulled out a cylindrical object with hexagonal caps on its bottom and top, the top one had an inscription that read 'M84'. A large ring wiggled as he brought it up for inspection. The changeling looked over the edge of the moving train to see which window he'd toss it through. “Five seconds. Drop in, get them, and head straight home,” he said while grabbing the primary pull ring... “He told me some farewell in that language they all spoke over there… and I never saw him since then,” Twilight explained, focusing all attention to her. She turned to her rainbow-maned friend, “to answer your question from way earlier, Dash, I don’t know how somepony never came across that thing. I thought it would be illogical to try and go back because Nicky told me he was going to destroy it. I guess he failed.” “Twilight, why wouldn’t ya tell us ‘a this little adventure you had? It would’a been somethin’ nice to talk about at get-togethers,” Applejack noted with a smile. “Well, I told Celestia first and she explained that I should keep it a secret. I’m not sure why she told me that, or why I listened,” Twilight said with a smirk forming. “It is a cool story, isn’t it? I think I just put the princess’s word above my reasoning again,” she said while hiding a chuckle. “It’s okay, Twilight! Now that all that story balled up inside of you; it probably felt great to let us all in on it,” Pinkie said with a nod. “Heh, yeah. I don’t even know why I was worried. It’s not like anything-.” Something broke through the window beside Twilight. It bounced against the floor twice, while catching everyone's attention, and released a deafening ping. A blinding flash corrupted everyone's vision and forced them to bring a forelimb to cover their eyes. They cried out in distress, the mares making a larger commotion since nothing had ever affected them this way before. “Fuck, flashbang!” Oaks called out while attempting to make out the offenders. He could barely hear his own voice over the ringing in his ears as he fell over. Stun grenades were awful things to encounter. They not only blind and deafen the targets momentarily, but it impairs the fluids in their ears which causes a loss of balance. The operatives tripped over one another as the changelings swooped in. They were well aware that they were under attack, but they couldn't risk just firing randomly in this environment. Several combatants, or more importantly one of the ponies, were bound to get hit by mistake. Sap fiddled with her sub-machine gun as she spoke shakily, “I-I think that’s-!" "I know!" he shouted hastily. He pointed at Pinkie since she had been bouncing around as Twilight explained her experience on Earth... which resulted in her being the only one out of her seat and in the middle of the hall, "New plan! Only her! Go!" Noble happened to be closest to the pink mare when they vaulted in the train. She quickly smacked Pinkie over the head once with the stock of her UMP45 to knock her unconscious. Quickly following the action, Noble morphed into her changeling form and latched her forehooves around the pony. The lead changeling nodded firmly at his friends and they switched to their original bodies to escape the locomotive. Hazel shook her head and viciously scrambled against the floor to get to the window as she regained her vision. She saw them flying away with her pink friend as she drew up her X95, "Dammit! Guys, they got Pinkie!" The other combatants recovered and scurried to get to the same side as the disheartened guide. The mares had a much harder time getting back to their hooves but still made it to the windows to see what Hazel was yelling about. They couldn't land a decent shot at this range... "Wha'd' we do?" she asked anxiously. "Yards," Clover said. "Tracking... Forty," Ingot said calmly as he peered through his binoculars. It seemed as if Clover just appeared next to the other operatives as they turned to their left to see the two. She had her SRS steadily aimed at the flying group of four. "Fifty yards," Ingot informed, warning her that they were creating a larger gap very quickly. The bullet drop would make it a far more difficult shot the distance became too great, especially since they were on a moving surface already. "Wait!" Rainbow cried, Y-you might hit Pink-!" she stopped when Mercury put a hand over her mouth. Bellhop held up an index finger to his mouth while gazing at the ponies to let them know they needed to be silent... He hoped that they could figure out what the gesture meant. Ingot found it difficult to continue his calm demeanor while continuing to pile up the distance, "Eighty yards... Ninety... One hundr-". An incredibly loud bang made the antsy ponies cover their ears. The bullet soared fifty feet above Equestria's plains until it met the unfortunate soul lugging Pinkie Pie around. It struck Noble's wing which she promptly screamed in agony at. "Nice shot!" Kale exclaimed and turned to the marksman responsible. Clover removed her facial gear and smiled back at him, which made his awarding grin immediately drop to a disappointed frown. Matthew never did figure out the roles of each Onyx member... Clover couldn't find the time to call him on that because the ponies started shouting at them. "They're falling!" Rarity yelled. The changeling, as a result of Clover's rifle permanently tearing her wing, fell at a dangerous speed. Noble dropped the pony and kept falling, her swift wings flaps kept her from dropping as hard though. The other changelings tried to swoop down after her, but weren't fast enough... Noble slammed into the ground with Pinkie Pie as an unsettling crack rang through the air. "Pinkie!" Hazel called out. Mercury prefers closer range weaponry to successfully fight off anyone he needs to when tending to someone's wounds on the field. He chose to work with the FN P90 and Kel-tec KSG, a high capacity sub-machine gun and bullpup pump-action shotgun. Regardless of the weapons' effective ranges, they were as lethal as any other weapon. It made him consider if what Onyx used was overkill or not... “Captain, are you seeing this?” Decker asked as he lowered his binoculars. He had spotted the changelings while scouting over the grasslands, particularly when they flew out of the train with Pinkie. Stride flew next to the recruit and squinted to try and see what he saw. “I think they just robbed that train, sir,” he said while turning to the worried gryphon. Stride dug out his own set of field glasses to be sure he heard that right. Gilda, Helios, and Drift caught up to the two. Stride wanted to put the new militants to work right away since Gilda and Helios had been all of his team for a week and a half. Since he had Lift and Eos watching over the changelings from a few hours ago; Decker and Drift offered to scout over Equestria with them. Gilda spoke while rubbing her eyes a bit, “What’s going on?” “They stole a pony!” Stride yelled, which shook Helios into the moment. He had been a bit groggy, as well as Gilda from the prior night watch... “Oh… What do you want us to do?” she asked showing minimum concern. She didn’t have the greatest history with the citizens of Equestria. Rather ironic, since this was a military group that specifically supported them without tossing all of Albatropolis’s air force into the complex. Her experience had more to do with Ponyville though... Half of her disconcern had to do with her lack of sleep, so it wasn't so much just disdain for the ponies. Stride shook his head, “we save her, Lieutenant. Follow me, all of you!” "Twilight, try to get Steamer to stop the train!" Bellhop shouted. He turned to his team while hopping up on the window-less window sill, "Ingot, Spade, on me; we're getting down there!" "You might need a medic too; follow me n' Captain Smith, Matt!" Piers commanded. Kale complied, "Got it!" Bellhop let his rifle sag on his back as he gripped the roof of the train from the outside. He quickly lifted himself up and threw his lower body over the metallic top. Bellhop scanned the premise to make sure the train wasn't going through a tunnel soon while he waited for the others to make their way up. The changelings paced around anxiously and tried to recover their injured friend as well as Pinkie. He spotted some other flying creatures in the distance too... Ingot had made his way up first and noticed what the Captain stared at from afar. He brought up his binoculars again to scout, "What the hell are those?" "Can't be good news; follow me!" Bellhop replied while starting a jog to the back of the locomotive. Spade, Piers, and Kale had made it up now and followed Bellhop and Ingot with their weapons drawn. "Jump off so we can rappel down! Don't miss the tracks!" He shouted, in hopes they would catch that. They had to make a few small jumps to get to the last car before that however. He took a running leap after landing on the caboose to soar off the train. Fortunately, the tracks didn't have an abundance of little nooks in between each wooden support slab, so there was little chance of them shoving their legs through on accident. When he landed, rather harshly on his legs at that, Bellhop heard the screech of the train's brakes behind him. He turned to see that the others had landed and that the train was stopping like he hoped. Bellhop sounded off new orders, "'Need'a cable going down, now!" Россия! "Ne problema," Spade said as he dragged out coiled up rope from his back. He tore apart the plastic band that wrapped the thing together neatly in an oval. Both ends had metal clips to make quick work of tying a knot. He found one of the openings in the tracks and wrapped the cord around the rail once, then clipped the rope to itself. He threw the jumbled mess off the track and stared down to confirm when it was unraveled completely. *Captain, it doesn't look like those other cats flying to Pinkie are on the changelings' side. They're freaking out now that they spotted them from down there,* Hazel spoke up while squinting at the groups. *Did you call them cats?* Piers asked quizzically. *She just referred to them like that to sound cool. My mother said the same thing about her friends, but..." Clover humored her team mate as she scouted through her magnified optic, "I think that has partial credit though. Uh, are gryphons a real thing in this world?" she asked Fluttershy. Clover and Ingot had to be the only two that weren't blatantly worried over this situation... "Gryphons?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Uh, I think that might be Equestria's joint operation force. You should probably try to steer clear of them," she informed. The thought of harming Equestria's ties with the gryphons didn't sit right with her. *Got it. Captain, they're gryphons apparently, and Rainbow Dash says that they're on board with the ponies' military.* *Copy,* Bellhop responded, *Onyx, do not engage the other group of flyers.* *What about us?* Piers asked with a smirk. *Not a good time, Lieutenant!* Kale growled. The humans didn't have time to stare in awe at such mythological creatures, for they had to rescue Pinkie. Spade roughly tugged on the cord to make sure it secured itself decently to the rail. "Rope is fine; let us move," he said while gripping it with both hands. The Russian quickly slid down the lengthy wire and tightened his grip as he neared the bottom to slow down. *You may go. Idti,* he said to inform the others they could rappel down without hitting him. Ingot went next, followed by Kale, Piers, and then Bellhop. "The next train to pass by 'll cut the rope, no worries," Bellhop noted while waving a hand towards their objective. The fields actually had a few hills scattered around randomly. Fortunately, the group rappelled down behind one of them. "On me. We don't shoot unless shot at." "'Little late for that, Cap'..." Ingot spoke up. He started moving ahead quickly with his rifle out, "Fine. Just don't shoot the pony, got it?" Piers pointed ahead of Bellhop, "I think they got some extra help!" She spotted more changelings coming to assist the first group of four. One landed and quickly went prone while switching to a more suitable form. He bipoded down his LSAT and started firing at the train in bursts, thinking it might give his friends trouble. The others crouched down and aimed their weapons around. Bellhop crouched near the top of the hill and held a fist up to tell the others to halt, "Take out the LMG." He then backed up a few feet to speak safely, *Get the train to Canterlot without us; we can't risk the others getting hurt.* *Yes, sir!* Clover replied who was ducking to avoid the changeling’s fire. He looked back over the hill to notice Ingot flipped up the magnifier for his holographic optic and pointed straight at the group of hostiles. "Ten of 'em Captain. You want me to take the first one?" "MG, hit 'm." He shot right after the confirmation and hit the laying changeling in the side of the head. The chains of bullets stopped as the black creature automatically shifted back to his true form. It was a rather ironic way to confirm a kill... Some picked up to the responsible combatants and fired back. Ingot quickly crawled behind the hill to find his team mates. "Target down." "Nice one," Piers said with a 'thumbs up'. Ingot wavered off the compliment, "Still nine left, maybe six willing to fight back though. A couple are trying to recover Pinkie and help their friend that Clover hit." Bellhop crouch walked to the right to try and start a path around the hill. "Piers and Kale, go left. Ingot, Spade, with me." The group split as he asked and made their ways to both angles of the hill. Bellhop aimed out to see that the changelings scanned the area and that the gryphons were speeding up to them. The Captain fired a burst at the kneeling ones to get another down. "Strike one." "They were attacking the train a moment ago, go!" Stride called out. Helios, Gilda, Decker, and Drift tailed him quickly to give help where anyone needed it. "Save the pony! They get in your way; you kill them!" He sounded off, this time reaching both claws into his saddle bags. Stride whipped out two knuckle blades for each claw and gave them a cosmetic twirl before gripping them fiercely. The others pulled out similarly sharp melee weapons and stretched their forelimbs out to fight the wind and fly faster. Gilda squinted at the set of doppelgangers, for the laying pink blur of a pony seemed familiar to her. Oddly, to the gryphons, another two changelings shouted in pain and fell over to switch back to their true forms. Stride was first to get to them. He hit the ground harshly with the others to draw their attention away from the train, "You're coming in to custody. Surrender the pony and follow us or you die, changeling." "Meek, we can't go with them!" Sap shouted, holding back tears over her lost friends. Stride walked forward with anger and looked very intimidating to the shape shifters, "That was your only warning..." he hissed. Meek narrowed his eyes and pointed his UMP, making the gryphons stop. They never figured out if Helios's assumptions were true after taking the weapons back. They had dropped off the two captives and let Eos and Lift interrogate them while they were away. They also had the task of figuring out what the ACR was for or what it did, but we already covered that they fell asleep. "Same goes for you," Meek said coldly. "Bleak, Sap, you need to get Noble out of here... I'll get the p-" "W-what about the Miasma!?" Bleak asked his brother worriedly. "I don't care. All of you need to head home right-." Stride cut Meek's orders short as he lunged at the changeling. It swiped his leg, creating a cruel gash on his current fleshy skin and made him growl in retaliation. Meek spun to his left and crushed the sub-machine gun against the Captain's face. He turned to his friends as Helios came for him next, "Go, now!" Meek's friends acted quickly. Bleak latched onto Noble after swapping to his regular form and immediately soared away. Sap scurried over to Pinkie Pie in hopes of making the hive a better place, but Gilda had got to her first. She hopped over Pinkie and pointed her blades at Sap, "Back off!” Sap complied and flew off in fear, giving Gilda time to see that the pink pony’s hind leg snapped. Gilda quickly spun the familiar mare over, "What the? You?" Helios swatted at Meek with his knuckle blade, but heard a loud blast when he missed. Something burned near his stomach and made him look down. Hot blood seeped down his left leg and made him open his mouth in shock when spotting the hole in it. He couldn't react further, for Meek shot him twice more, one hitting him in the stomach and the other in his neck. "Shit! Helios!" Gilda shouted. Stride got up and fully understood what the weapons were capable of. Helios fell to the grass and would continue pouring blood until he died... That or asphyxiation would get to him first. Meek threatened the others by pointing at them. His friends had abandoned him as he asked by this point. "Stop there!" Bellhop shouted at the group. He needed them to stop before they hurt Pinkie. The operatives quickly paced towards the fighters with their weapons up. Stride panicked, "More of 'em! We can't fight these guys; Decker, grab the pink one and head back!" Decker did as his Captain asked and grabbed the pony. He looked at Eos's downed brother in guilt, "What about-?" "He's dead, recruit! Let's go!" Stride yelled. Helios was a lost cause, for he already succumbed to shock... Meek didn't want to cause any more trouble with the gryphons. His goal was to defend his friends while they fled, but he didn't expect them to leave. The lone changeling turned to the humans as Bellhop looked at the escaping EPOW. "Fuck!" he cursed, knowing they had two groups to stay after. “Watch it!” Piers shouted. Bellhop quickly gazed left, only to topple over and fall to the ground to avoid a UMP smacking him in the face. Meek threw the gun, shifted to his true body, and immediately took off to head home. The changeling’s heart pounded so hard that he felt it might burst… Hopefully he could help Noble when he got back. Piers continued aiming at Meek while he created a very large gap between them in very little time, but Bellhop rested a hand atop her CM901. "There's no point..." *Guys, did you get Pinkie back? We can see the gryphons flying away,* Hazel spoke up. Bellhop sighed and looked back at the bodies that this battle produced: Three changelings and one gryphon. He turned to the tracks where he expected to see his team, but realized what he commanded them to do during the battle. The train was gone, likely already in Canterlot... *Uh... The gryphons flew off with her. They mistook us for more changelings... That one that stayed behind flew off too after he threw his SMG at us.* *Well, damn. What do we do now?* Stafford asked. *We go after her...* Bellhop sighed. *Rainbow Dash told me that they live in a city in the sky, similar to her home town." Oaks said and forced himself to disregard how weird that sounded. "Unless you guys grow wings; I think Canterlot’s your new destination. We’ll figure something out while you walk here, Captain.* This only meant the day was nowhere near over. Bellhop was hoping to get back to the observations part of their mission after they spoke to Celestia again… They had to get Pinkie Pie back though; he promised the Princess that Onyx would keep them safe. He sighed, *Canterlot’s where we go then… c'mon.* -Fun fact: The train actually needs to keep a constant speed of 32 MPH/51.5 KPH to get from Ponyville to Canterlot (26Km) in half of one hour.
