WAR

by AlphaOmega

Rating: teen
Tags: Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure, Shining Armor, Spitfire, Alternate Universe
Length: 15799

In a world of turmoil, there are all kinds of heroes that will answer the call to duty. But, war is far from a clean fight. What secrets of the Great Pony War have yet to be revealed?

It all began with her death. The Sky Kingdom and Cloudsdale split. The Griffin Kingdom began their attack. The experiments began. All in the name of the common good.

The war is in full swing. The Sky Kingdom, Griffin Kingdom, and Reignissia have formed an alliance to defend against Britmane, Prance, Zebrica, and Equestria.

Follow the story of an unlikely band of ponies as they attempt to find a way to cripple the power house nation of the Griffin Kingdom. It will take all their combined strengths to overcome the challenges ahead...and the secrets of the true origin of the war and how it ended.

Set in an alternate reality where friendship is not as it is, but rather comraderie and loyalty to your fellow soldier, this story will show the hidden story of one of pony history's bloodiest war.

Published 2013-09-29 01:20:04 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-29 01:20:04 UTC

WAR

WAR

The Great War

An alternate steampunk reality of a World War Ponified

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all began with a bullet. A crown fell. A body burned. A nation divided. You could go to any of the divided nation, and you would get a different reaction.

"She was taking a stroll and was on her way to meet the Ambassador from the Griffin Kingdom. An assassin was sent to kill the Ambassador, but the bullet hit the wrong target. Poor Celestia."

"What does it matter? She was never a fair ruler anyway. I think we are a lot better off without her. And her sister does nothing. If you ask me, SHE sent the assassin to kill her sister. Yeah, that’s right. Jealousy. Nightmare Moon's vengeance."

"It's all Equestria's fault. They should have signed the treaty."

You probably can't guess who started it. But as with all stories, we must start at the beginning.

This is the true line of events.

Or, at least, what the history books say.

~~~~~~~~~

Celestia, reigning Monarch of Equestria, was making her way to the Griffin Ambassador's house. With her, she was carrying a treaty that the Griffin King had sent a few months earlier.

"I, King Rawzor, Of the Family Line of Lorze, King of the Griffin Kingdom, announce the expansion of my Empire. We are experiencing a time of great wealth and we believe that spreading our culture and influence will help the world...I ask for you, Princess of Equestria, Sister to Luna, Monarch Celestia, that you join me in this new era..."

Anypony with even the lowest degree in ambassadorship knew exactly what this "treaty" meant. War.

It did not take much convincing from the Council to deny this "treaty". Thus, Celestia was to go back, on a sign of good faith, and respectfully deny the request. No one would ever suspect that her trip would go awry.

A bullet was all it took to start the bloodiest war of that era.

Said bullet was, at this moment, in the barrel of the pistol of a pony named Clyde. He was on his way to kill the Griffin King. While the Griffins were experiencing a great era of wealth in their country, some did not like that they "kissed flank" to other countries. Most ponies, including the military, believed that Griffins should be majestic, to be seen in awe. And thus, Colonel Clyde McKener was sent, on that fateful day, to execute the Monarch of Griffins and start a revolution, putting the military in charge.

The bullet, along with its owner, had made it to the Ambassador building. The Princess of Equestria had just arrived. He turned his direction to the Griffin King as he was leaving his building to greet the Princess. It all happened too fast.

BANG!

NO!

ARREST THAT MAN!

THE PRINCESS HAS BEEN KILLED!

The bullet had hit Celestia in the eye. Death was painful, but nearly instant. King Rawzor was escorted back to the Embassy. At the same time, the Embassy exploded. Orange flames leapt from the burning tower. The King was nearly killed by falling debris. But he survived...only to see his castle raise a new flag. The revolution had begun.

The King, still having some diplomatic ties, asked its Allies for help. He believed that Equestria had staged a coup and was using the military to take control of the Griffin Kingdom. But, what he failed to recognize, was that Celestia was killed by the bullet, thus her motive had dissipated.

Back in Equestria, the news spread like wildfire. It had reached Pegasus Nation, Canterlot, and the small villages surrounding. At the funeral of their Monarch, a speech was given.

"The perpetrators of this crime will not go unpunished! We will appeal to the Council and take our vengeance on the Griffins!"

Cries such as these reached the Head Council. They were, however, reluctant to start a war. They did not have nearly as many allies that were strong enough to fight the Griffins. Their allies were Zebrica, Prance, and Britmane.

All around the world, the news spread. Naturally, the allies of the Griffin Kingdom, The Sky Kingdom (which had dominion over the skies), and Reignessia came to its aid. Together, they were a near unstoppable force.

Then it happened. Approximately 1 month later, the Griffin Kingdom began its invasion. Prance was the first to suffer. They nearly surrounded the country and burned it to the ground. But before they could launch a final, decisive attack, Equestria came to its aid, bombing Reignessia. In return, the Sky Kingdom rained hell on the inhabitants of Equestria. Fortunately, the Unicorns used their magic to create a forcefield, but were quickly being drained.

Eventually, Prance fell. The Griffins took control of them and used their resources to aid them in their next full blown attack on Britmane. But they remained strong and held off the Griffins.

Finally, Britmane, a few Prance refugees, and Equestria decided to find a way to cripple the Griffins and push them out of Prance. Thus it was agreed; an elite force would drop down behind enemy lines and try and find a way to stop the Griffins. The team was comprised of four members:

Captain Shining Armor, head of the 4th legion. A dedicated fighter, he had fought in several battles prior to his mission. He lost a hoof in a battle in Prance and it was cut off. It was replaced by a mechanical leg. He was well versed in spells.

Sergeant Twilight Sparkle was the assistant of the Captain of the 3rd legion. A skilled magician, she combined her love of studies with magic and weaponization to create several weapons that aided the Army.

1st Lieutenant Applejack. She was a dedicated foot soldier who had helped save several refugees. For her bravery and tactical contribution, she was awarded with a promotion.

The last member was a rather...interesting...addition. Pinkemena Diane Pie. She was a farmer in Prance up until the invasion. She was a refugee. She claimed to know the way to the main source of the Griffin's resources. She would lead the team to an even bigger discovery.

The 4 set off. They landed in Britmane and were getting ready for a drop behind enemy line in the Capital of Prance.

~~~~~~~~~

From there, the story varies. Some say they were successful and this assured Equestria's safety. Others say that there was no real mission. But by now, you should know that nothing is ever as it seems. This is the real story. No blanks. No bleeps. Nothing barred.

How it really ended. And the mystery it brought for years to come.

~~~~~~~~

Shining Armor was prepping. He had his standard pistol on his belt and a bandolier of rifle round. A shotgun was slung across his soldier. He was currently lubricating his brass hoof. It sometimes squeaked and would stop moving unless he did so.

He had to use a magic solvent, however. It was not easy to lubricate. If he hit the wrong parts, the entire thing could fall apart. It was faulty magic, but the best the medics could do. As he continued to prep, Twilight walked in.

"Permission to speak freely sir!" She demanded. Shining just laughed. "Of course sister. You know, just because we are in war doesn't mean we have to address each other so properly." He paused and smiled. "Now how about a hug for your bro?" Twilight leapt into his hooves.

When they had separated, Shining spoke. "What is it?"

"You know about the new recruit right?"

"I know she is a REFUGEE, NOT a soldier. What of it?"

Twilight pawed the ground. "Well...she had an odd request..."

"Out with it."

Twilight mustered up her courage and spoke. "She wants to take a cannon with her." A cannon weapon was a massive, brass cylinder that shot explosive rounds that one could carry around...if you were a well trained, strong, and big pony. Shining nearly laughed.

"She wants a CANNON?! HAHA!" Twilight did no such merriment.

When Shining concluded she was not messing around, he cleared his throat. "She gets a pistol. Standard issue. 3 mags. That is all a civilian is allowed. Let's not forget she somehow knows the enemy territory. She could be in cahoots."

Before she could speak, another voice entered the room. "I think not." The two soldiers saluted the General. She used to be an acrobat for the late Princess, but her ability to command and train proved useful for war.

"General Spitfire sir!" The siblings said together.

"At ease." They dropped their salute. "May I speak to you Shining?"

"Yes ma'm." The two walked over to a corner while Twilight continued preparing. She was sure she had put it somewhere...ah. There it was.

She was amazing at using her magic to modify weapons. She had created a saddle that could act as a shield, a cannon, and storage. This was only one of her several creations. She had also helped in the creation of The Barrier.

Along with her saddle, she also carried a small locket. Inside was a picture of her first time at the beach. It was a sunny day. The birds were singing. The siblings were taking a swim. Their parents were at the shore, enjoying the company of their lover.

A tear welled up in Twilight's eye. It was as if it was just yesterday; the moment captured in a single photo. Now it was her only remembrance. A relic from a world long gone.

Spitfire and Shining returned. "Alright Lieutenant. Everything is clear here. Both of you; be ready to fly in 45 minutes. As for our "guide"." Pinkemena chose that moment to walk in.

"HI EVERYBODY!" She yelled as she came in. The other ponies just stared. "OOOOH! Why is no pony saying hi?" Besides the complete randomness of her intrusion and lack of formal salutations, she was wearing some old rags and smelled something close to rotting bananas. Her hair was poufy and full of random clutter.

Shining was the first to snap out of the shock. "Uhh....yes, hello Pinkemena."

"Oh please! That’s my sis' name! Call me Mega-destructor Overlord the VI." When the other ponies just started, she laughed. "Awww c’mon everypony! I was kidding. I am only the V." When no pony responded (again), she just quieted down.

"Is Pinkie alright?" Twilight offered.

"That work's great! So what are we doing? Where are we going? Do we know who we will fight? Where is my cannon?!" Pinkie said the last part somewhat strangely. Her voice seemed deeper, as if another ego had momentarily taken over. No one noticed.

Spitfire shook her head. "You are going behind enemy lines. You must-" When it was clear that the civilian pony was not understanding what was going on, the General just sighed. "Alright let’s drop the formalities. Let's grab some grub and we will go over the mission." The two soldiers were shocked at the General's laid back approach. They knew the mission was important, so why was there no formal debriefing?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mess Hall was massive. The acoustics were amazing so that no one could whisper; not that it one should even have to whisper in an eating area. Massive columns held up the ceiling. On one end of the room, there was a statue, in gold plating, of Celestia. On the other pedestal at the, appropriately, darker end of the room, was a silver statue of Luna.

Twilight and her companions entered the room. Naturally, Captain Shining got everyone's attention for a salute. "General enter-".

"SHHH!" Spitfire cutoff. Now Twilight was truly confused. Why would the General not be saluted? It was the simplest rule in military law. When a higher ranking officer entered the room, everyone showed respect.

Spitfire explained. "No one must know I am here. We must discuss something." It was truly disturbing to have the General in such a mood. The four ponies walked to the lunch line. The grub was decent. It was usually wheat with hay fries or oats. They each grabbed a plate and an apple dessert.

They headed for a relatively quieter area on the darker side of the room, as if to reflect the dynamic of what was to ensue. The statue of Luna seemed to vigil over their meeting.

"This is a secret debriefing-"

Pinkie started talking instantly. "OOOOOH secret?! I love secrets! But I'm not the best at keeping them. But I will try-"

Spitfire had stuffed an apple in her mouth. "I'm serious." However, Shining had a bad feeling about the briefing. "This isn't sanctioned...is it?"

Spite fire just sighed. "They don't want to expend the soldiers. Council wants the homeland well defended. I tried to get them to sanction it but they won't take the chance." She paused to pick her next words carefully. "That's why I brought you three here."

Twilight's light clicked in. "To be sure no pony could record our conversation."

"Also so no pony could spy." Pinkie added seriously. The other ponies just stared. "I am serious when it matters...Oh and I ate the apple. Want it back?" Pinkie started to cough it up.

Spitfire gagged. "No! I mean, I'm good. Anyway, I am here to give you a choice." She pulled out a dossier. "What I have here is a written up mission statement. If you take it, you will be considered traitors and abandoners. You will receive no support from the military. But if you take the mission, you may very well change the course of this battle." She paused to take a sip of her water. "Or you can burn it. Should you burn it, we never spoke. This conversation never happened. We may lose the fight, but we can find another solution."

She proceeded to pull out a lighter. She pulled out a cigarette, a rarity during the times and lit it. "So what'll it be?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Let us move to the other side of the battlefield. In now-griffin-occupied Prance, a medic and a foot soldier of the Sky Kingdom argue over an experiment.

"This is disgusting." The Pegasus foot soldier said. The other Pegasus merely nodded. "Yes it may be disgusting and deplorable, but we must continue. There are many that can benefit from this path. Okay. I think it's ready."

The medic pulled out a small radio. "Stand up, please." The pony that was being operated on stood up. "Walk to the door." The pony took a step and fell. As it rose, smoke came from its ear, as if working overtime to process the request. "To the door please." the medic repeated.

Something happened in the pony's mind. As if the pony had heard it wrong, it began to walk towards the soldier. It began to moan.

"Doctor! Get this carrion off me!" The soldier said as the animated dead body began to groan and attack the Pegasus.

"Stop please!" The medic said into the radio. It was too late. The pony attacked the Pegasus. The medic could not do anything. She must follow protocol. Fighting tears back from the screaming of the Pegasus foot soldier as he was eaten alive, she proceeded to leave the room and lock the door. The rest of the stuff was replaceable, even the corpse. But, for safety, the room must be burned. She pulled the lever with a sign near it that read "cleanse".

She returned to her office. The medic pulled out a small recorder.

"Subject 16. Log date: Tuesday the 4th of April. Recorder: Dr. Fluttershy. Document for future research: The project is going well. Putting the Mind Device in at least four hours after death allowed us momentarily control of the pony. However, it turned hostile such as Subject 3 and 9...I don't think I can do this much longer." Almost without thinking about it, she took the tape and smashed it. Nothing emotional. She sighed as she tried again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight, Shining and Pinkie had returned to the prep room. They each had their job. They remembered what Spitfire had said.

"You will be dropped behind enemy lines in Prance. Pinkie will show you the route to the main base of a doctor known as Fluttershy. She is last known to be working on a project that could pull total victory for Griffin Kingdom. You will capture her, take all relevant documents, and burn the lab down."

Then the warning.

"You will receive no help. There is no reward. If you are caught, you will be killed. As of now, you are already traitors and deserters. For this crime, you will be executed or put in prison. You cannot fail. Should you succeed, I still cannot guarantee you full pardon. However, you will undoubtedly change the tide of war."

The choice was weighed heavily. Spitfire put the lighter away and slid over the dossier. "Find her and burn the factory." She left the table, her left over meal being finished by a famished pink pony.

Now they were preparing for the mission. Pinkie promised that most parts of Prance were relatively safe, her more stable side taking over. There were a few watched routes they would need to get past, but once they were near the base, security would intensify. Oh and one more thing...

"There is a sentry that stalks the nearby field of the base. She is fast as lightning. She can catch you in ten seconds flat. No one ever sees her, but the ponies back home called her "The Seeker". She stalks the area like a hound and never lets a prey go..."

Nevertheless, the mission was accepted and it was time to prepare. As they were packing their belonging, they had gone over the contents of the dossier.

"So what do we know of the 'Dr. Fluttershy?'" Shining asked. "She seems harmless enough."

Pinkemena just sighed. "Looks are deceiving, Shiny. She is the head surgeon of the Sky Kingdom. Her medical abilities were legendary. She was said to be able to fix anyone, good as new."

"Even better than Zecora?" Shining asked. "Much better. She is claimed to be the only one to know how to truly mix machine and pony. Her most recent work has not gone unnoticed either."

Twilight took over. "Reports from Spy Division say that many dead corpses are not found on the battlefield. Their bodies have disappeared to the location that we must now investigate. One spy, Rarity, claims to have seen a dead carrion ALIVE. She has no evidence, however." Twilight paused to think. "She could be helpful."

Shining shrugged. "If we find her. I have heard reports that certain spies sent on a mission near the base have either gone mad or are dead. We will see if she is either. Should she be alive, we may be able to get proof..." The reason for his sudden lack of enthusiasm was set upon by the notion that they needed evidence to back their alibi that they were on a mission for the homeland, not deserting or turning traitorous.

"How are we going to deal with the problem?" The group turned around to see yet another pony enter the room. Her clothing meant she was nothing more than a mere foot soldier. To walk into a room with superiors unannounced was a big mistake.

Nonetheless, she walked in there with no show of remorse. "I hear y'all are on a top secret mission." The orange pony said from under her ten gallon.

"Yup!" said Pinkie. When the others just glared at her she added, "Oops. I forgot. IT'S A SECRET" she whispered loudly to the orange pony.

Shining took the helm. "Private, what is the meaning of this?" He faltered at the last words. He noticed her hoof. There was a brass replacement where a hoof should be. He was at a loss for words for a moment, feeling rude being so mean to someone with the same problem as him.

The pony laughed. "Private Applejack sir. Permission to speak?" The captain nodded. "I am here to help you."

"No. Dismissed."

"I'll tell The Council." Ouch.

Shining thought it over. While it would not matter, it would hurt a lot of people if this got out. The General, the pilot who would drop them. Too many people could be injured. But at the same time, the Private was also another liability. Another problem.

"You keep your mouth shut." Shining tried to bravado her. "If you speak, I will make sure you get so much work that you will have no time to talk to council."

To this, the pony just laughed. "Pssh. Do you think I'm new to this? You’re not my commanding officer when giving orders. My captains orders are priority. You want to take this up with him? You'll need to fill out papers...and at the same time you will reveal some intention of wanting to keep somepony out of your business. Suspicious?"

She had him in a web. The captain merely sighed. "Fine. But I will not stop this mission for you, understand? If you get caught, I will not be held accountable." He continued to pack. When the orange pony didn't leave, he asked, "Anything else?"

"Oh I'm already packed. I am just trying to think of how to disappear quietly."

"That's not that hard for you." Shining said with a smirk. "After all, you are just a foot soldier. The captain knows how to handle his resource." He instantly regret his words. His spite had gotten the better of him.

"Just a foot soldier?" Applejack questioned. "I'll have you know that I've fought my share of battles. I am proud of my position. At least I fight to the death rather than sending other ponies to fight my battles."

"You listen here private-"

"Enough!" Twilight commanded. The two ponies stopped arguing. "Applejack, come if you like, but don't expect and special help because your skills can't match the mission. We are veterans. There's a reason why each of us where picked."

"Including the civy?" She pointed a hoof at Pinkie.

"You know what I mean! You know what forget it. We leave in 5. Shining, you ready?" Captain Armor was finishing cleaning out his locker and checking his equipment. "Let's roll." He said when he had finished final prep.

"I'm ready too!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I brought food, water, my pistol, grenades, knives, a cannon-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" cried Applejack. "I don't think you can-"

"She can. Apparently." Shining commented. Pinkemena was apparently trained in explosives. Why and for what purpose she never said, but she did have the papers to prove it.

"The knives!?" AJ inquired.

"Civilians are allowed a pistol, 3 mags, and a knife. Singular. However, she may need them. We get shotguns and rifles. All she has is a pistol and knife."

"And a FREAKIN' CANNON!" AJ retorted. Shining just laughed. "If you don't like it, take a hike. Otherwise, let's move out."

Thus the 4 ponies made their way to the plane. During the times of this war, there was only one type of model plane. It had a brass hull and rather primitive wings. It had a steam engine and could fly for a good 2 days, only taking about 1 and a half a day to reach Prance, which was impressive by standards. They could have taken a hot air balloon, but it would have take at least 3 days. Not to mention the obvious size of it. The Model A38 edition, which they would be taking, was of a newer design. The basic components were there but this also contained a chute for bombs and a holder for a crank minigun.

Pilot Thunderlane met them halfway. "Let's get this over with alright? I do have a family and it would be REALLY bad if I get caught with you four." The others nodded and got ready to board the plane.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where is she?" Fluttershy thought. "She usually isn't so late with the bodies. I hope she didn't trip a mine..." Then she quickly re-thought that, realizing that most Pegasi have something called wings that allowed them to hover over a field. And her "assistant" was the best at that.

She returned inside to do some thinking. When she had made it to her room, she decided she needed to clean house. She put her sample bottles back in their containers. All documents that were unimportant were burned. Her tape recordings were filed away for when the next Collector came to take the reports.

On a mantle was a rather dusty picture. On days like these, she liked to look at it. Fluttershy had always been in love with animals. Taking care of them and studying them as well. The picture showed a bunch of small bunnies that she had taken care of after her personal pet, Angel, had passed away giving birth. They were all so cute and wonderful; such a distinct contrast to the world around her today. So full of life compared to this world of death.

She decided to clean it but was soon interrupted. "Hey there boss!" said a lithe pony that walked it. She had a black suit that covered almost her entire body. Her face was covered in a mask. However, her mane flowed freely. She dumped a few bodies she had brought from outside. "I got some samples. How are you holding up?" She looked for the yellow pony in the mess of a room.

"Oh Rainbow Dash. Your back." Fluttershy said weakly. While she was technically the boss, Fluttershy had always been rather jealous and fearful of Rainbow Dash. She was agile and quick, strong to boot. From Flight Academy in Cloudsdale, she was perhaps the number one flyer. She was also well trained in sky-fight, an old Pegasi fighting style that used air and balance to defeat a foe. To top it off, she was the protector and keeper of Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash watched her and judged her as she did her work, making sure she was not pulling any shenanigans.

Fluttershy's jealousy toward Rainbow Dash is not as complicated as their relationship. Fluttershy could not really leave the laboratory (not that she wanted to) and see the world. She had been cooped up in the laboratory for about 2 years now, experimenting on the dead ponies.

As Rainbow Dash continued to bring in the bodies, Fluttershy put the picture away. "How many corpses did you find?"

"About 5 good ones. Not really fresh. Mostly spies." She checked the body count. "Nope that's 6." Fluttershy inspected the bodies.

No Pulse. No pulse. No-

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" Yelled a corpse. Fluttershy fainted as Rainbow Dash pulled out a pistol. "Hands in the air!" But even she was caught off guard by the dirt-stained marshmallow colored unicorn.

"How dare you! One minute I was taking a stroll then I am hit over the head!" The pony retorted. "I'll have you put in an insane asylum for crazy ponies!" As she continued to rant, Fluttershy took the opportunity to regain her wits. "What did I miss?"

"Apparently, one of the corpses I found WASN'T a corpse." Replied the black suit pony. "Then let her go!" Yelled the doctor.

"Well I can't just-" WHAM! Rainbow Dash was cutoff as the unicorn attacked her and took her weapon. While RD had been trained in the Art of the Pegasi, she was only an average fighter on land. The white pony overpowered her with magic.

"Hah! That's what you get." She turned to Fluttershy. "My name is Rarity. In the name of the Late Monarch Celestia, with the consent of The Council, I arrest-" WHACK! Rarity fell down in a lump as Rainbow Dash lowered the metal piece she had used to subdue the attacker. As the scene faded to darkness in Rarity's view, she wondered if it was worth the sacrifice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"To your left you can see the-"

"Enough! Please! We are trying to concentrate on a strategy!" Yelled Shining. The four ponies were on their way to Prance. The pilot said they would land in approximately 20 minutes.

The view outside was not pretty. Most of Prance was burnt. A cloud sentry was watching from the skies. On the ground, several Griffin camps were scattered, but ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

They would land outside the enemy lines. Once across, Pinkie would show them the way to get to the main road and to the base.

The plan was easy enough, except for the part that Shining hadn't said any of this.

"Please Pinkie. Join us. This pertains to you too." Shining also yelled to Applejack. "AND YOU PRIVATE!" The orange pony looked up. "Ya?"

"Help us out! Being a foot soldier means you may know some sort of combat strategy we don't know!" Twilight added. Pinkie and AJ came over to the conference table.

AJ contributed what she knew. "The Griffins usually move in patrols of 8 over an area. A sergeant is in every patrol. They usually carry a crank gun, but sometimes they'll have a cannon. We have to take them out first. But once we fire, watch out for snipers. They can see in the dark-"

"THEY CAN SEE IN THE DARK?!" Pinkie interrupted. "Yes! Now be quiet! You will have your turn." Shining replied. "Private?"

"Is there a need to use proper military language?"

"With you, yes."

Applejack just rolled her eyes. "As I was saying. Once we defeat them, we can go for their equipment. I recommend taking their flares. We can set them off and alert other patrols to their location, in which case we can sneak by."

Shining just laughed. "And what is so funny?" Applejack retorted.

"That's a rookie tactic. You aren't thinking it through. There is one thing they will know. They have been bamboozled, they will know something has gone wrong, and they will attempt to up the patrol groups in the area." Shining responded wisely.

"Then what is your bright idea?"

Twilight brought out a map of the area. "From our spies, we know that the lab is at the center of this area." She pointed to a clearing in a forest area.

Pinkie decided it was her turn. "But we have to watch out! The Seeker could be anywhere. We can't out run it."

Twilight nodded. "Perhaps we don't need to. Let's just sneak around. I can create an invisible shield with my magic and we can sneak through. But we have to stay close. If somepony goes out to far, my magic will fail, revealing us all."

Shining sighed. "Alright. Let's go over the full plan. We touch down here (he pointed at a place several kilometers from the site) and we continue to (he moved a hoof to a small hut area) Pinkie's house near the base-"

"Hey that's my house!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I have a lot of equipment we can use as cover. I have some supplies, first aid, pistols, rifles, shotguns, explosive-"

"How the hell did you get all that stuff?!" AJ exclaimed. Pinkie just shrugged. "I got a license and my Pinkie senses told me there would be a fight soon where I would need it. I thought I might need it for my neighbor." She said darkly. When everypony just stare, again, she laughed. "I was kidding! Jeez guys. I-"

Shining covered her mouth. "That's enough. Yes, we can arm up at her house. Now let's move to what we have to do once we get on the main road." He unblocked Pinkie. "Now you can talk."

The pink pony let out a snarl. "About time. I was wondering when that fool would be silent." They turned to see a shocking sight. Her hair had deflated. Her face was no longer a smile. It was as if an alternate ego had taken over. Her eyes had a darkness to them. Twilight noticed first.

"Pinkie-"

"Don't call me that! My proper name is Pinkemena. Not Pinkie. Not whatever nonsense SHE says."

Shining waved away his shock. "Uh...yes. Well. In any case, we do need someone serious." He was still reeling from the sudden change in attitude.

Pinkemena smiled smugly. "Thank you! Now on to business. Before I let her back in here, for I do not care for the likes of such ignorant cretins, allow me to impart some REAL wisdom."

She pointed at several locations. "These are places that patrols vision and area do not reach to. We can sneak anywhere through those areas. The main road is here." She pointed to a long winding road. "That road is almost always constantly watched, but there are certain places we can sneak from spot to spot. If we need to, we can handle a fight. Reinforcements do not come often, but there is enough guns and griffins out there for a battle. We cannot take them all. Even with my cannon."

Shining nodded. "We can use the night to some advantage. While the Griffins are able to see at night, it is not the best vision. It is still fuzzy. We can use this to our advantage." The plane began to descend.

"It's time." The 4 ponies made their way to the trapdoor entrance. They all had grim determination in their eyes. The final few moments until the mission began was agonizing. They would receive no help for anyone. It was just themselves they could trust.

"We have arrived."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the same time, the military in Canterlot were gathered for a speech. Spitfire had called for a meeting of all legions. Nearly 200,000 dedicated ponies attended.

"These are truly dark times. With the death of our beloved Princess, we have sought revenge on the creatures who have taken her away from us." Spitfire pointed to a poster with a Griffin in army regalia. "These horrible maniacs will not escape without some justice! I ask you all to give 100% on the battlefield!" The cheering rose. "Let us face our enemy!" The cheering turned into a frenzy. "And let us show them that the LIGHT OF EQUESTRIA SHALL NOT FALL!" Everypony went nuts. Salutes went to Spitfire for her speech.

While the whole speech is not transcribed here, it does it enough justice to say these were the main points. The rest was just filler.

After the speech, Spitfire had to meet with the Council. They knew nothing of the unsanctioned mission. The 4th legion captain was placed under Spitfire's personal legion. The missing foot soldier was, unfortunately, just a foot soldier. She was forgotten, as was many ponies who held no high ranking and had died on a battlefield. There were no questions.

Spitfire was making her way to the Council Room. It consisted of 8 different heads of state of affairs. There was agriculture, war, peace, etc. Each head were really just spokes pony for the ponies or job they were in charge off. They almost never fully agreed. But fate would change that.

She arrived at the room. A rather buff pony greeted her. "General!" He saluted.

"At ease. I am going in." The buff pony opened the door for his commanding officer. As she strode inside, the other Council members stopped talking and welcomed the newcomer.

"Ah! General Spitfire." Said the Head of War. He had a gray coat and mane, with a scar under his right eye. He almost seemed to radiate authority. "Your report?"

"Yes sir." The yellow pony pulled out a report. "The war has shifted 10% since the success at Hergota. We have yet to get a firm foothold in Prance."

"And our allies in Britmane?"

Spitfire sighed but gave a steely look. "We are not sure. We lost communication with them last week and have not been able to re-establish communication. We are sending spies in to see what has happened."

The Head of War nodded his approval. "Very well. Let us get to the main point of the meeting."

The Head of War stood. "Mares and Gentle stallions. Heads and Ambassadors. I have come here today to talk the possibility of a bombing raid." Silence fell upon the Council and the Ambassadors present.

"We have heard this proposal before!" Responded the Ambassador of Prance. "I will not allow this!"

"We are running out of options. Unless we can take back Prance, we may very well lose this war. Without another plan, we cannot continue to make progression into the Griffin Kingdom." The Head of War stated.

"I do have another plan." Said Spitfire. All eyes turned on her.

"Well?" Said the Ambassador from Britmane.

Spitfire cleared her throat. "I propose we send an elite team-"

"No." Said the Head of War. "I will not sanction that insane mission."

Spitfire lost her composure. "Sir! With all due respect, we can easily-"

"No. Final answer. I will not waste and ponies or resources on a possibly fruitless effort. Not to mention that it was a spy who THOUGHT they saw something. Such flimsy evidence does not condone my approval."

"But-"

The Head of War glared at her. "General. You are under my jurisdiction. You may control soldiers, but I control the military. If I must find somepony else to do your job, I can find somepony."

Spitfire was in a corner. She could do nothing. Speaking again would get her thrown out and de-ranked. "Yes. Sir." She saluted.

"You are dismissed." The Head of War concluded. Spitfire left the room, tripping accidentally. After regaining her composure, she left the room.

"As I was saying. The airstrike will be done by 5 planes across Prance-"

"I do not condone this!" The Ambassador of Prance said. "We cannot just bomb our own country! That is an extreme! There innocents still there as POWs." He fought fiercely.

The Zebrica Ambassador agreed. "This is a very heinous plan. There are other possible missions. I liked what the General had to say..."

The Head of War sighed. "Doing something that the General suggested requires heavy data to support it. We cannot afford to just waste resources. There may be nothing in Prance that will aid us. I will not allow the military to take such a risk. Imagine if they were caught and the Griffins got information on our whereabouts. It would be a disaster!"

The other Council Heads murmured agreement. Zebrica and Prance did not enjoy their vote being revoked. They had so little power in a court that should be equal.

The meeting, later known as the Operation: Rain Fire, is the only specific known reason for the change in the tide of the war. The reason why it really happened has a truly darker motive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After touching down and unloading the equipment, Shining gave the final plan.

"Let us review the plan. We will follow Pinkie to the main road to the base of a Dr. Fluttershy. We will attempt to get info and do as much possible damage to the facility as possible. Once we have what we need, we burn the place down. Any questions?"

Pinkie raised her hand. "Yes?"

"I do need to pick something up from my house near the base. Can we stop by?" She asked.

Applejack was not convinced. "What do you need?! This is a mission! We can't just go willy-nilly all over the place!"

"I know! But I remember leaving a map of the area I made when I was studying geography!" The four stared at her again. "What? I had SOME form of schooling..."

Shining whistled for attention. "Fine. We go there first. Everyone get ready to move in 5." Everypony dissipated from the group circle.

Thunderlane was prepping the plane. "Hey Thunder. Got a minute?" Thunderlane went over to the captain. "How do you plan on getting us out?"

"I'll meet you here in 3 days. If you aren't back, I'm out." Thunderlane sighed. "The world isn’t want it used to be. I appreciate the risk y'all are taking though. But as far as I'm concerned." He pointed a hoof at the captain. "Your traitors. When I get back, I cannot guarantee I will return. And when I bring you back, you will be considered deserters and be tried. I may be as well. Are you sure you still want to do this?"

Captain Armor sighed. "It's a risk. But we could be taking a risk that will win us a war. I know the consequences."

"Any regrets?"

"I'm not dead yet. And I plan on returning."

"We will see." Thunder smirked. "Good luck Shining Armor."

Shining said nothing in return. "Good-bye" seemed to come out of his eyes, as if to say he knew they would not return. He remembered Spitfire's warning.

"Don't let emotions drive you over the edge. I know taking your sister with you can complicate things. But don't lose sight of the mission. Get it done and bring everypony back. But for Celestia's sake, do not let your emotions cloud your judgment."

He steeled his nerves. He had a mission.

As the plane took off, a whizzing sound was heard. A small projectile came from seemingly nowhere. It all happened so fast.

An orange ball of flame replaced an aircraft. The team said nothing. Their shock did not allow them to speak. They just bowed their heads for a fallen soldier.

In each of their minds, they knew somepony nearby had shot down the plane. They would find him and-

"We cannot mourn his loss." Shining said, as if reading his comrades thoughts. "We can best honor him by finishing this mission...and getting home safe." The others merely nodded their head. "Let's move."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A patrol of Griffins nearby cheered. The shot was a direct hit.

The patrol was camping in a nearby area that night and saw the plane land. They decided to shoot it on its way out. That way, they could find what the plane dropped off, capture it, torture it, and eventually possibly ransom what was dropped off. It was likely soldiers.

The patrol captain, Razor Claw, checked the nearby area. "I see no soldiers." The soldiers held their breath. "Which means...They may have dropped supplies." The other patrol members cheered. Supplies were sometimes dropped instead of reinforcements near locations where a friendly base was. However, many campaigns in Prances had failed. However, back home, they did not know such information, surprisingly.

"Yolta and Pigeon. You flank right and we will go straight. You have your rifles ready?" The pair nodded. "Let's move.

As they neared the location of the drop off near a wooded area, the duo spoke of the recent going on of the Griffin Kingdom.

"So how long do they say the war will go on?" Yolta asked. The other, Pigeon, appropriately named as he was quite small in stature, responded with a whisper. "Around 2 more months."

Yolta sneered. "That’s what they said last year." Pigeon agreed with a sigh. "I would bet my pension that this war will be done in 3 months, even with the project underway."

"How is that coming along?"

"They say that a pony spy was caught a few days ago. The doctor is interrogating her."

The duo had reached their assigned location. Both had to be ready for anything. They would be the only back up the patrol had. And they were good.

"Alright. Let's-"

Shank shank. A muffled scream came from Pigeon.

"Pigeon? Pigeon?! Where are-ACH!" His circulation of air was being constricted. He fought for control but could not seem to grasp any hooves, talons, or rope. His vision began to darken. Suddenly, he could breath.

"AA-" his cries were muffled.

"No talking. No screaming. Calm down." Came a voice from his attacker behind him. He had to act fast. There was a pill he could eat to commit suicide before they could interrogate him. All he had to do was-

"We have taken the pill. You will answer questions or we make this painful." The voice said, seeming to read the mind of the griffin. Yolta calmed down. "Good. Now where are the-"

"I'LL NEVER-" Snap. The dead griffin fell to the floor. The attacker turned. "Bury the body. Wildcard, you’re on me."

The two made their way back to the landing zone. The rest of the group buried the body and took a survey of the surrounding area. They took up positions to surround the entire area.

Razor Claw took his troop to the landing zone of the plane. They would inspect the landing zone first, then the crash site. As he stepped through to the clearing, he growled. He had been tricked. There were no supplies. Nothing was there.

He sniffed the air. "Somepony was here. I can smell 'em." He pointed at a tree. The troopers reacted fast and shot up the tree until their mags were dry. Nobody fell out. Razor Claw was still not convinced this was it. "Why would an aircraft-AGH!"

He clutched his chest as the other patrol members ran to him. The other soldiers took a position around their commanding officer as one griffin checked on the dying leader. His chest had a bloody hole in it. The bullet hit the center of his chest perfectly. Death was near instant.

Second in command, Gilwake, started up the soldier. "Retreat! We must-" SHUNK. He fell to the ground, a knife in his back. The other griffins lost it. They turned and flew away...but not before they were caught in a forcefield. As they hit barrier, they were electrocuted by the shield, like a moth coming to close to a light. They fell to the ground, paralyzed.

"Area clear!" Came a yell. A purple pony came out from behind a tree. She shut off the barrier to conserve power. "AJ go call down the other 2. I'll work on these young griffs." Applejack signaled for the other 2 using a flare. It was, fortunately, a rather small flare, the light not being big enough to alert other patrols. From the hill, Shining and Pinkie made their way down.

Twilight met them. "Nice shot captain." Shining blushed. "Let's work on the interrogations. How long until they come to?"

"I can wake them up." Her horn glowed and get eyes turned dark. "Nightmare."

The griffin's bodies began to contort in agony, their black out invaded by scenes of horror. Their personal fears crept into their mind and began to haunt them. One griffs pissed himself.

"Oh jeez." Applejack said. Suddenly, they began to wake up one by one screaming.

"Silence." The griffin’s mouths closed instantly, Twilight's magic silencing them. Shining inspected them. "Who wants to cooperate?"

None of the griffins spoke. It was high treason to speak at all to the enemy. Shining sighed. "Sparkle. Give these fine griffins a wakeup call." Twilight smiled and prepared her magic.

"No please!" A soldier yelled. "I will talk! Just don't...please..." He regained his composure. Shining smiled. "There, there. It will all be fine. We just want to know where the other patrol groups are on this map." He used his best diplomatic voice. The well trained captain poured charm into his voice. His voice calmed the scared griff.

"I..I can't. They'll kill me..." the griff stuttered. Shining's voice changed. "Perhaps, then, that your greatest fear is worse than death!" His eyes changed black.

"NOOO!! Please! I'll show you." He sobbed as he drew where other patrols in the area would be. Shining handed the map to Twilight. "Thanks. Now sleep." The griffin patrol group fell into a deep slumber. "Nighty night."

Twilight looked over the map. "Captain, we got a problem." Shining took the map. There were several patrols near the main path. It was nearly impossible to get through. It would take too much magic, beyond Twilight and Shining's capacities, to keep a going invisible field.

Well, at least there was plan B.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Never in her life did she ever expect to get caught. She was the top agent. She had the looks, the charms, the attitude. It was all there. In her experience, this may have been one of the worst captures in spy history!

It had all started a few days earlier. Her contact was to meet her at the end of an alley way. Naturally, she always had to assume there was some sort of catch. She wasn't sure whether or not it was an ally or a false lead with a one way ticket to the guillotine. But she had no other info to gain without this one source. Thus, she followed it.

What she got was the latter. A squad of Pegasi Brutes in armor pointed their guns. Rarity tried to get out of it, but not even her charm magic was enough. She was caught and tried. She could save her life if she talked. Instead, she faked her death, just as she was taught in spy academy.

With nothing but a useless corpse, they tossed it into a pile and sent it the good doctor. Perhaps she could make the unicorn come back and do something productive rather than abuse the guards on their rudeness. As she was wheeled into the main laboratory at a location she could not recognize, she began to get to work. She had to meet this "doctor" and find such experiments that could change a ponies mind. With that, she would be the greatest spy in Equestrian history. Unfortunately, it would not be so.

"How dare you! One minute I was taking a stroll then I am hit over the head!" The pony retorted. "I'll have you put in an insane asylum for crazy ponies!" As she continued to rant, Fluttershy took the opportunity to regain her wits. "What did I miss?"

"Apparently, one of the corpses I found WASN'T a corpse." Replied the black suit pony. "Then let her go!" Yelled the doctor.

"Well I can't just-" WHAM! Rainbow Dash was cutoff as the unicorn attacked her and took her weapon. While RD had been trained in the Art of the Pegasi, she was only an average fighter on land. The white pony overpowered her with magic.

"Hah! That's what you get." She turned to Fluttershy. "My name is Rarity. In the name of the Late Monarch Celestia, with the consent of The Council, I arrest-" WHACK! Rarity fell down in a lump as Rainbow Dash lowered the metal piece she had used to subdue the attacker. As the scene faded to darkness in Rarity's view. Or so the other Pegasi thought. In her spy academy, she had been taught to fake many things. One of them was fainting.

"Take her to the holding cell." One pony said with a soft voice. "We can keep her there until we know what to do."

A rough voice spoke up. "We need to get rid of her! I could just put a bullet-"

The other one argued. "Maybe we can use her for interrogation! I know you enjoy scaring ponies. Just interrogate her. She may be of use."

The hardy pony just sighed. "Fine. I guess I may as well have some fun."

And that was how Rarity ended up the way she was. Tied to a chair, trying to recollect her memories. A black suited pony with a rather horrifying mask was drilling her for answers.

"I want to know who sent you!" The black suited pony said with a menacing voice. "Tell me or I swear I will choke you-"

Rarity laughed. "I told you! I was a citizen in Prance! All of a sudden, you ruffians think I am a SPY!? Do not be so absurd!" Her acting skills were in full gear, and the interrogator knew it just as well.

"Very well then." The black suited pony took a sharp razor blade. "If you are so sure you are honest. Let's put it to the test."

"You stay away from me with that!"

The black suite pony seemed to smile. "Not so much bravado in front of a blade?"

Rarity just huffed. "What I MEANT was that it is absolutely rusty and horrid and-"

"Enough!" The pony slapped her across the face with the flat of the blade. "I will cut off your horn if you do not tell me. Doesn't that scare you?"

"Not in the slightest."

The black suited pony just stared. "We-well I....I can-"

"I can take it from here." Said a yellow pony as she entered the room. "Rainbow, do please take off the mask. Let us be civil." The cyan pony took off her mask but refused to at least smile.

"Make it quick Doc. I wanna get some time with her for that little stunt she pulled earlier on me."

The doctor nodded. "How are you Miss?" The doctor asked.

"I am well. Dr. Fluttershy." Rarity said but sneered at the name. Fluttershy, for some reason, saw this as interesting. Here she was, tied up, in a dark room, someplace she had no idea was. Or did she?

"Do you know where you are Miss?"

"To be honest. Yes." Rarity gave a smug smile. The doctor was shocked. No pony, even some Pegasi, knew about this lab. Anyone who may have known was killed almost instantly.

Fluttershy smiled. "You could at least tell me your name?"

The pony seemed to think this was amusing and began to smile. Fluttershy took this as a gesture of kindness. The Seeker did not.

Rainbow Dash went up to Rarity and slapped her. "Who do you think you are?! We asked for a name! Not tell us or the good doctor will not be able to stop ME from dealing some damage."

Rarity continued to enjoy this. "Slapping? Really? I would expect more from "The Seeker". Rarity knew she had struck a nerve. No pony was supposed to know the true face of The Seeker. If people found out it was a cyan pony with multi-color mane...

Rainbow showed a look of shock but quickly buried it. "Then you have heard of what I am capable of?" The threat sent a clear message. I will torture you.

Rarity laughed. "Oh please. Stop the bravado." She turned to the doctor. "I am Rarity."

"Are you a spy?"

"No doctor. I am a mere foot soldier."

"I don't know many foot soldiers could pull that technique you did on Rai-" Fluttershy caught herself. "On The Seeker." But Rarity caught the mistake. Time for exploit.

"I would think you don't know how a foot soldier operate." Rarity theorized. "After all, The Seeker does all the dirty work." Rainbow growled. "She takes the dead bodies to you."

"Your point?" Fluttershy said as she tried to control her growing anger. She was clearly agitated at the idea that she had to deal with dead bodies. Rarity noted it in her mind.

"My point is that you don't know the atrocities the world has right now. All you do is sit in here and-"

"I know more than you think!" Fluttershy yelled, tears in her eyes. "Do you know what it is like to have to experiment on bodies every day? To be a prisoner of your own nations? Do you think I am such a monster that I...I.." She couldn't finish. Rainbow Dash came to her defense.

"Hey you alright?" She asked the doctor. She turned to Rarity angrily, murder in her eyes. "Do you think-"

Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder. "It's okay. I'm fine." She straightened herself. "Why are you here Rarity. Are you here for me?"

Rarity was too shocked to speak. The sudden outburst was rather intriguing, however. She didn't think such a calm pony, even a Pegasus, would react to emotionally.

"Ummm...Yes. I have come here to arrest you. Though I don't know if that will be necessary." Rarity began to put a plan in motion.

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Why is that?"

Rarity blinked and nodded her head wisely, as if she could see the whole thing turning in her favor. "You don't like it here, do you?" Fluttershy's face fell. "Surrounded by walls all the time. No freedom. Just work on dead ponies bodies. Even I could not handle the stress." Fluttershy's face was turning red with shame. Rarity had her on the ropes.

"If you come back with me, I can give you pardon. Help us defeat the enemy." Rarity said in her kindest voice, not the slightest adding any charm magic. The doctor would leave and take any chance she could. Rarity was sure of that.

"I..I-"

"No. She is not leaving." Rainbow had spoken up. Rarity feared this. The defensive pony would not just simply let her boss just leave. "I have a duty to MY nation. The Sky Kingdom is my home! I will not let anypony," She paused. "a friend, to turn to treachery."

Rarity had, however, planned for this. "Please. Your only job here is picking up bodies of the dead. Friend or foe. Does that not affect you?"

Rainbow Dash just smirked. "Hah! So what? I pick 'em up so the good doctor can dispose of them and do some medical things. Why would I be shocked." The unicorn and other Pegasus just stared at her. She had no idea.

Rarity smiled. "You don’t know?" She laughed. "You think that she just "checks" them? Makes sure they are alive and dead?"

"Of course! She is a doctor! What else is her job?" She stared at Fluttershy, who could not muster up the energy to explain herself. Rainbow could see it in her eyes.

"What...have you been doing?" Rainbow never truly questioned Fluttershy's motives. She did not need to. She had one job. Watch Fluttershy. Make sure she does not attempt to escape or do anything out of line. Bring her bodies when she needs them. The job was easy enough.

Rarity spoke before Fluttershy. "She has been using the bodies of both dead enemies and friends. She has been working on using magic with technology to program a brain back to life. Essentially, to make a loyal zompony." Fluttershy's mood just seemed to darken.

Rainbow Dash just laughed. "Are you crazy?! There's no such things as a "zompony"! Or the headless pony, or Nightmare Moon! You believe that foal story?!" She was cracking up. But when she looked at Fluttershy, she began to realize the truth.

There was more to this job than just keeping watch. They were creating nightmares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, and Shining had surrounded the nearby base of the griffins who had shot down the plane. The base was more like a group of tents. There was a fire roaring in the middle.

The ponies were trying to find a compromise on a way to attack the base. They were positioned on a small hill in a wooded area. They were complaining on when to attack.

"We should attack them now!" Twilight said. She had her pistol at the ready and her horn was helping to provide a little light. "They may start searching for the griffins who went missing."

Shining shook his head. "That is better for us! We can pick them off."

Pinkie decided to add her own comment. "I say I sneak in there, grab a cannon, and-"

"Stop." Applejack cut her off. "You will not get a cannon and we will not storm the base. We need to think. Its 4 vs. 4 and they have better guns and equipment."

Shining nodded. "We have to use surprise to our advantage." He turned to Twilight. "That's why we should wait for the other patrol members to go out and look for the other griffins."

"Fine." Twilight agreed. "You know best. How long you think before they leave?"

Shining smiled. "I have an idea." He took a pistol and went back to the clearing. He fired several shots and yelled. "The damn griffin got me!"

Back near the base, the griffins panicked. The rest of the group could hear the orders being given. "You 2 go check up on leader. Peck and I will stay here." Two griffins took flight right above Twilight and Applejack.

"Fire."

Two loud bangs followed by yells of two downed griffins. The griffin at the base retreated inside. "Peck! Go turn on the alarm!" He ordered to the griffin who had taken cover. As he stood up, another rifle shot went off and nearly hit the griff. He quickly hit the deck to avoid a shot. The commanding griff sighed. His rifle was on the wall a few feet away.

Twilight had already planned on that. As the griff made a dive, she poured some magic in her shot and fired. The shot was perfect. It hit the griff right on the head.

"Move up!" Shining yelled as he returned. "Aww. I missed the fun." He surveyed the area. Twilight gave a report. "We got the ones going by air and I got a nice little headshot on one that was going for a rifle. There should be 1 left."

Shining nodded his approval. "Good job. Now we get some info. Pinkie?"

"Yes sir!" She saluted. She was armed with her pistol. "I am ready for action!"

"No need for that civilian." Shining waved away the pistol. "I want you to stick close and don't get lost alright?"

"AWW I wanted to shoot some badies!" She pretended to shoot invisible targets.

"Hopefully you won't have to."

They made their way towards the base, making sure that the griffin was still hiding. When they arrived at the base, they were pretty tired. They searched the base thoroughly and finally found the poor griff. He had eaten a suicide pill, wanting death over capture.

Shining was flustered. He should have known better. The griff would have committed suicide to avoid questioning. Now he had nothing to go on.

"Alright troopers. Let's camp the night here. Then we can move in the morning." Shining instructed. "Find some provisions for dinner if you can." He pointed to Pinkie. "Check around for for anything we can use for the road ahead. Maps, compasses, anything." Pinkie saluted.

"And what will you do?" Applejack inquired.

"I will look for weapons we can use. I thought I saw a machine gun around here." He made his way towards the main tent, assuming from the flag of the Griffin Kingdom that it was the head tent.

As he walked in, he noticed that were several notes and papers with pictures strung across the tent. A small mat for sleeping was on the floor. I could use that he thought. He moved across the room where he found some rifle rounds. He then turned his attention the treasure trove of information.

On a table with a large map, there was gold mine of info. It displayed where every possible patrol was, even the routes they took on patrols. There were several notes and tactics that the griffins would use. Shining quickly deduced from the position of this base and the notes and transmissions lying around that they had captured a lead patrol unit.

He quickly took as many things as he could and stuffed them into his saddle. The information could be valuable as both proof (of their non-treachery) and help in the coming fights. He also noticed a radio transmitter which also had dials to intercept incoming transmissions. He smiled. The griffins and Pegasi thought they were the rulers of the air. Now he had one of the reasons why they did.

He returned to the others who had created a camp and were getting ready for bed. "I found something we can use." Shining said.

They gathered near as Twilight used her magic to bring a table over. "I have a bunch of transmission and tactics that patrols use. We can use this to our advantage." The others just nodded their agreement. They were too tired.

"Alright then." Shining concluded. "We move at dawn. Get rest everyone. I'll take first watch."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As day broke the cold night, the four ponies packed their equipment and got ready to go. They left everything as clean as possible, so as to give the impression that the patrol was still alive and in order.

As they were packing, a radio transmission came over.

"Attention! Attention! All allies in the area of Prance and near the border of Britmane! Code Black is now in effect. Code Black-"

Shining shut off the radio. He faced the others. A Code Black was not just any ordinary warning. It was a warning for a massive bombing. But it wasn't just anything like a tactical bombing run, it was a concentrated magical blast that often left a harmful magic residue that affected anything within 30 kilometers of the blast area. You couldn't out run it either; it moved at the speed of light.

"What's your call?" Twilight said to break the silence that had befallen them all. If they continued, the strike could come at any time.

Shining pondered this. It would take at least 24 hours to get the bomb ready, another 12-14 hours to deliver. They were half a day's walk to the base/laboratory. If they hurried, only 7 hours.

"I leave it up to all of you." Applejack was about to object, but Shining cut her off. "We are a team. I cannot make all the decisions. I am not even a captain at this point..." His voice trailed off.

Pinkie could not stand the mood. "I say we keep going!" She said encouragingly. "We've come this far we may as well go all the way. What's life without a risk? I'll tell you what it is. It is working on a rock farm!" The ponies just looked at her again.

"She has a point." Agreed Twilight.

"I've got nothing better to do." Replied AJ. She stared at Shining and so did Twilight. "How 'bout you 'Captain'?" She smiled assumingly to their leader.

Shining just smiled. "Let's go team."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The journey to the base was rather tedious but mostly a bore. There were only 2 real instances of battle with an enemy force, and it would suffice to say they survived and got back to the mission each time.

At the time, something far more important was developing at the meeting room of the Council. They had just completed their preparations for the strike and the bomb was about to be transported to Prance. The Head of War was on radio in a soundproof room. All the other Heads had left already. He was totally alone.

"How are things on your side of the field?" He spoke into the radio.

"All good and well. I am waiting for the strike." Said a voice from the other side.

"The bomb is ready. It will be delivered soon."

There was a pause between the two. The voice spoke. "The project is coming along nicely."

Another pause. "Not from the last report. But all well and good." He responded. "Once we bomb Prance, your soldiers can move in and take more ground. Magical residue will wipe out any survivors. It will also destroy the lab."

"Very good." The voice responded. "Keep me updated and we can bring this war to an end." Pause. "To the New Alliance."

After another silence "To the New Alliance."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a separate room, the General smiled. She knew that such a plan could only hold dark intentions. Her bug that she had dropped as she left the room was working well. She stopped the recorder and put it all away. She only hoped her soldiers were okay. If something happened to them, it would not necessarily be on her head, in public. It was on her conscience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had arrived at the lab. They were checking the nearby area which was, according to the map, being patrolled. And they didn't seem to leave.

"What should we do? We have somewhat of an element of surprise on them." Applejack inquired. "We could just sharp shoot 'em. Play a friendly game."

Shining just frowned. "This is not a game! Not to mention, are a considerable distance away." He turned to his second in command. "Any ideas?"

She pondered a strategy. "Well-"

"I say we go down there and shove a gun in their faces." Pinkemena said. They turned to her. "They have no long range weaponry. Their pistols are an old model, crappy and easy to break. We can take them hand to hand. Or at least I can." Her attitude had returned and took immediate command. "Applejack, stay here and shoot any people who try to take cover. Twilight and Shining on me." She took out a cannon. "Let's do this."

The other ponies jaws dropped. Shining was the first to come out of it. "Well? You heard the chief. Let's get to work."

Applejack prepped her rifle as the others prepared to attack. Twilight took a machine gun while Shining decided on a little heavier weaponry with a crank machine gun. Applejack felt the need to comment on his massive firearm. "Compensating for something?" She said with a smirk.

"Yes. I am compensating for your horrible accuracy."

"Hey!" She complained. "I'll have you know I can hit a but from 100 feet away without missing a beat. About 10 targets by the time you guys get down there? I can take 'em."

Shining returned a smile. "Guess that's it then. Ready Pinki-" Pinkemena glared. "Pinkemena?" She nodded. "Alright. On my command."

There was a pause. "Go."

Applejack fired a shot from her rifle and hit a griff right in the head. There was yelling, but not for long. The well-oiled team was too much for the patrol team. 2 more went down from a blast from Pinkimena's cannon. Shining provided cover fire as Twilight advanced. 2 more went down from AJ's rifle and 1 from Shining's massive gun.

"Sound the ala-" His mouth was sealed shut as Twilight ran up and stabbed him in the chest followed by a swift slice to his neck. Two more griffs came over to cut her to pieces and would have succeeded had Shining not gunned them down with a machine gun. As he help her up, Twilight noticed a lone griff who had made it to the alarm.

"Crap! Shining!" He looked up just as the body of a griff fell over. A knife in his back. Pinkemena was standing behind them, having followed through on a throwing stance. She was smiling.

"Dead hit. Beautiful."

They gathered the bodies and hid them. No need for another patrol to notice their comrades were dead. Once they had finished, they began to make their way towards the laboratory.

"Hey Twi-OOF!" He was knocked off his feet.

"Shining!" Twilight and the rest of the crew ran over. However, on the way, AJ was knocked out cold from seemingly nowhere. Pinkie yelled "Get down!" She jumped on Twilight as a strong wind passed over them. As they raised their heads, they saw no one. Shining and AJ had disappeared.

"Shit!" Twilight said. "What happened to them? What was that?"

Pinkemena returned. "It's him. The Seeker."

"Got that right." They turned around to see a black Pegasus in the sky. He has a sleek body and an unnerving mask. It seemed to smile menacingly. "I don't take kindly to people on my territory uninvited."

Twilight raised her pistol to fire but it was instantly knocked away. The Seeker just laughed. "I'm as fast as the wind. Did you think you would-AHHHH!" Something pink had jumped on her back and was now fighting for control. The two struggled until the black Pegasus finally fell.

"Got her at last!" cried Pinkemena. Twilight ran over to inspect the situation. What she discovered was Pinkemena lying in a heap while the black Pegasus was coughing.

Twilight ran to Pinkemena who waved her away towards The Seeker. Twilight went over to the other downed pony and propped her up.

"Where have you taken my friends?!" Twilight cried. The Pegasus merely smiled. "I don't have to tell you anything!"

Something in Twilight snapped, and the Pegasus saw it in her eyes. "Oh really?" It was her turn to smile menacingly. The mask seemed to shrink away. Twilight used Nightmare.

"What are you-....No...N-No! NOOO! STOP! PLEASE! OMIGOSH!" The Seekers worst nightmares ran through her mind. She continued to scream until finally she revealed the location. "I TOOK THEM TO THE LABORATORY! PLEASE STOP! HAVE MERCY!"

Twilight decided she had enough and relented. The Seeker dropped to ground, exhausted, and finally fainted.

Twilight used magic shackles to restrain her. She called to Pinkemena. "Pinkemena! Where are you?" No response came. However, she did find a trail of hooves that were on the way to the lab. Twilight assumed she had gone there. She levitated the body of The Seeker and made her way to the lab.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fluttershy and Rarity had come to terms. Fluttershy would go with Rarity on her own free will. Rainbow Dash just left the room. Moments before "The Seeker" attacked the group of ponies, they had been going through the room taking as many recording and information as they could. There wasn't much. Fluttershy spoke about what she knew of the project.

"I was asked to do a very important job while I was living in Prance." She began. "Some griffins politely asked me if I would help. I decided it was better to help than possibly die. The project was to re-vitalize dead corpses so they could work for the Griffin Kingdom. I would plant a chip into their brain and use machines and magic to jumpstart the brain." She paused as she rummaged through a box.

"Some failed. Some succeeded but where always killed nearly right after they re-awakened. The process never worked fully. Also, every time one needed to be killed, I had to burn the room I was working in, costing me valuable information every time. Just recently subject 16-AH!"

Rarity turned to look at her. "What?"

"I found a few old tapes I never sent." She thought to herself. Instead, she said. "These were...flawed. I held too many emotions in them. Scientists are not to show emotion in their studies."

As they continued to clean out the office, Rainbow Dash brought some bodies in. "I think we have trouble." She lugged in a few bodies of soldiers she had knocked out. "They don't seem to have a link to the military but to be safe, we need to question them." She was clearly still mad that Fluttershy was leaving.

Rarity was, to say the least, not used to seeing so many fallen bodies. "EWW! Get those out of here Ms. Dash! I do not wish to be surrounded by dead-"

One of the bodies groaned.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" Rarity screamed. "I THOUGHT YOU KILLED THEM!" She hid her eyes from the sight.

"I'll be right back." RD said, not taking particular notice to the unicorn that was freaking out over a few bodies.

Fluttershy sighed. "Alright, let's wake them up."

Rarity and Fluttershy began to wake the two ponies. Fluttershy made some tea in a nearby kitchen as Rarity and the 2 ponies talked.

"Hello. I am Rarity." The spy said politely. "May I know your business in the field?

The white colored unicorn refused to speak. The orange one just mimicked him. Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright. I see." She pulled out a small passport. "I am Lady Rarity. Senior Spy agent of the Military Intelligence Branch. As a senior field agent, and higher ranking officer in the affairs of enemy intelligence, I ask you again. WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE?"

The unicorn was the first to speak. "We were sent to retrieve Fluttershy and burn the entire building."

Rarity laughed. "That's minotaur dung. That is MY job. I was commanded by the Head himself."

The orange pony frowned. "Oh really? We were commanded by General Spitfire."

"I out rank you in this. You will leave at once. Or else." Rarity threatened, horn glowing.

"Try us. We have been through hell to get here and we aren't going back without her." The unicorn said.

Rarity glared...and laughed. "Alright, fair enough. We both want her alive, just for different masters. I saw we take her back together. Do you have an exit?"

The two ponies just stared at each other. "Our 'out' was shot down." Rarity's smile faded. They had no way to get out of Prance. "Okay. We can wait-"

"A Code Black is on the way." The orange pony interrupted. "We don't have time."

Rarity was shocked. Why would they order a strike if they had troops here? Ahhh....

"This is not a sanctioned mission is it?"

The two ponies mood darkened. "Now you know why we will not speak on this too much. We only want Fluttershy and to destroy the building." The white unicorn said.

"Well I-"

The doors flew open as Fluttershy carried a black pony in, followed by Twilight and Pinkie. "Out of the way!" Fluttershy yelled. "She isn't breathing!" They cleared a table as Fluttershy set down the Pegasus. She checked her pulse but found none.

"What happened?!" The yellow Pegasus inquired.

Twilight's head fell down in shame. "I-I'm sorry! I was just trying to find out where by brother was and I accidentally showed her too many nightmares!" She turned to her brother. "Shining! Are you alright?"

He nodded his head. "A little heat up from the Pegasus that you took out but I'm fine. Applejack?"

She merely nodded her head. The message was clear. Tired, but ready to move anytime. Twilight went over to the doctor. "Fluttershy?"

She smiled as she turned towards her. "Why yes. Are you here for me too?"

"Yes I am." She informed her. "I am Twilight. These are my companions Pinkemena, Shining Armor, and Applejack."

"SO THAT IS YOUR NAME YOU RUFFIANS!" yelled Rarity. The other ponies just looked at her. "Oh. Sorry. I suppose that was un-lady like. I am Rarity."

Fluttershy turned. "I need somepony who knows magical treatment!" Twilight quickly raised a hoof. "Okay come here and help me."

Rainbow's heart had stopped beating. She was, for a lack of better words, in a magical coma. She was surviving through a magic backfire; it occurs when magic is forced on somepony. The magic residue keeps the body alive for a few minutes past the initial shutting down of the bodies system. It dissipates in approximately 20 minutes. They were on minute 15.

Twilight was trained to revive unicorns and earth ponies, but not Pegasi. Reviving them with magic could have weird affects on their wings and other bone structures. But she tried anyway. Lighting up her horn with magic, she hovered her horn around the heart.

"That's good." Said Fluttershy. She began to apply CPR. The chest rose and fell as she gave breaths. Nothing.

Fluttershy began to cry. There was no hope. The heart was way past expiration. The magic residue was deflecting the healing magic. For all her medic prowess, how could she not save a single life? Especially a friend!

The room was silent. Neither party talked. Then Shining moved over. "Miss Fluttershy, allow me." Fluttershy had a look of shock but moved over. He applied magic to the upper and lower parts of the body. The magic engulfed her. Shining's face was contorted with pain. He was giving too much magic, so much that it may permanently shut down his magic. But he believed it was worth it.

He gave a final burst of magic medical doses. Nothing. Shining fell over. "Shining!" yelled Twilight. She began to check his pulse and fortunately, found one. He would be fine. However, his horn was smoking and black. The magic was nearly exhausted.

From nowhere, a cough suddenly emerged. Applejack went over to the body. "Oh my-"

She received a kick to her face. "OW!" The Pegasus shot up. "Who are you? Why are you here? I'll-"

Fluttershy tackled her. "Oh Rainbow Dash! I thought you had died!" She was smiling radiantly. Her best friend was okay.

"Fluttershy! What's wrong? What happened?!" She was startled to see her friend so alive and affectionate. Then she turned to the group of foreign ponies. "Hey I remember you!" She yelled and pointed a hoof at Twilight. "She-"

"Saved your life." Fluttershy finished. "She saved your life! Your heart was not beating at all and she and Shining gave their magic to save you."

Rainbow didn't talk for a few moments. A silence fell over the group. Finally, somepony spoke. It was the multicolor mane pony. "Why?"

Shining and Twilight couldn't respond. They didn't understand why they had either. It just felt right. They had killed before, but never felt sorry. So why did they bother to save her?

Pinkie, both surprisingly and unsurprisingly spoke up. "Because it would be wrong." They turned to her. "We are all one race. It hurts to see anyone in pain or dead when they have almost all the same things that make you a race. Even the Griffins share similarities with us. They may not be the same race, but we are all one." Her words of wisdom rolled over the other ponies. It was true.

Shining decided to comment. "I agree. This war has always been pointless in my mind. So much death for vengeance. A division between Pegasi of the Sky Kingdom and the ones in Cloudsdale. A division among its own race." He shook his head. "Celestia would not have wanted this." He offered a hoof to Rainbow. "That is why we want to help you."

Rainbow seemed reluctant. They were the enemy! To consort with them was death. But they had saved her life. She could not deny that. She raised a hoof.

"Thank you." She smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, back in Equestria, the bomb is ready to be delivered. The pilot will drop the bomb and will come back through Britmane. It was all ready.

One pony, however, was against the idea for she knew the true intentions of the bomb. Only she knew the truth. As the bomb was loaded into the plane, she made her way to the Head of Wars office. It was a rather small, soundproof room. Any listening device would be instantly destroyed from a magical field inside.

General Spitfire entered the Head of War's office as he was putting down the phone. Without looking up, he addressed his visitor.

"Yes General? I am quite busy so please be quick."

Spitfire closed the door behind her...and locked it. The Head looked up. "This is private, I presume?"

She gave off a feeling of malice from behind her sunglasses. She trotted up to her superior. "I know everything, Hale."

The Head turned his head immediately. "General. You know bet-"

"You sold us out." She interrupted. "I know about your project and the deal. I know-"

"Nothing." He snarled. "You know nothing." He made a motion. Spitfire quickly whipped out a pistol. "What? Are you going to shoot me?" He pulled out a pen. "Oh dear. A pen." He smirked. He was toying with her. And she knew it.

"Why," she asked, her voice rising in anger. "Why would you do this? And this project, to create dead soldier into loyal followers?"

"I was giving them another chance." He said meekly.

"It is necromancy!" She yelled. "How dare you disgrace our soldiers!"

The Head of War stood up and trotted over. "General. You have no idea what is going on. You think you know everything, but you don't know the most basic information on this matter. The experiment was...an experiment. It was never meant to be brought to light. If the public found out, it would cause considerable panic."

He moved closer to Spitfire. She felt uncomfortable. A fly must have bit her around the neck. "All I have done is for the bennnnneeeefffffffffffffffffffffiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttttttttt oooooooooooooofffffffffffff-"

She dropped to the floor. She could not even make out the words of the Head. He stood over her as the light faded from her eyes. "Do not worry, my little general. I did not kill you, but you will never remember what I said...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The group of 7 ponies had finally put aside their differences. They decided they would use an abandoned plane at the back of the laboratory to get away. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would go by regular flight while the other 5 none-flying ponies would take the plane. They had finally gathered all documents pertaining to the experiment.

As they were packing things away in haste, a knock came on the door at the front. "OPEN UP! It is the griffin patrol. We wish to see the latest experiment findings!" They pounded on the door.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had rehearsed their part. "Just a moment!" Fluttershy said. The others disappeared to their positions. Rainbow answered the door.

"Hello gentlegriffs!" She said happily. "How can I help you?"

He stuck out a talon and choked her. "You! What happened? Our other patrol is-" BANG! He dropped Rainbow and feel over in a pool of blood, a bullet in his forehead. Another shot came and a griffin shut the door. From the outside he yelled commands to surround the area.

Rainbow blocked the door. He turned to AJ. "30 seconds." Aj nodded and ran to her next position. Rainbow went back to Fluttershy. "They're gone." The two moved to the back of the laboratory near an exit.

As they emerged outside with the evidence, Shining and Twilight were prepping the plane. Pinkie was setting up a perimeter.

"They are on their way." Fluttershy said. Shining merely nodded and continued work on the plane. Preparation was almost complete.

"Around the back!" Came a yell from the side of the lab. A few griffins ran around the corner...only to be blasted by a cannon.

"AGHH!" Yelled the griffins who survived the blast. "Over there!"

They began to surround the makeshift perimeter. Shining picked up a crank gun. "Twili! keep working on the plane!" He turned to Fluttershy and Rainbow. "GO! I will hold them off!" The 2 Pegasi nodded and took flight.

Shining turned to the attackers. Cranking the gun, he blasted and took the front lines, accompanied by Pinkemena who was taking out soldiers with a rifle. The two worked together to take out a few more griffins.

"Twilight!" Shining said from a cover. "How are the repairs going?!"

"I am almost done!" She yelled over the gunfire. She cranked a few more pieces. "Alright, let’s go!"

"Look!" Pinkemena yelled. In the sky, a plane was coming over the base. It was a bombing plane. "Everypony on the plane!"

Everyone ran for the plane, except Shining who continued to fire rounds into the enemy. At last, his gun over heated and he made his way to the plane. As he jumped aboard, a griffin fired a shot in his direction. It missed.

"Hah!" He laughed. He turned to his sister. She was shocked. Her mouth agape, she fell over. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The plane took off. The griffins ran for cover. Something fell. A light emerged. Alarms.

Darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The strike was successful. It gained the ponies major ground in Prance and eventually won the war. There was great celebrating and much reparation to finish. The streets filled with ponies as they celebrated the victory.

Of the 4 rogue soldiers, there was no more memory. They were pronounced dead and dishonorably discharged. If they were to return, they would be shunned and tried for their treason.

Spitfire returned to her career as the head of Flight School and as Captain of the Wonderbolts. She retired a few years later. Her location is unknown.

The Head of War was proclaimed a hero for his work and was given glory. He is now the president of the New Alliance.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were never found. However, in certain parts of the Sky Kingdom, there were rumors of a traveling doctor who could heal anyone. Her partner was more infamous as she was the common face seen when associating with the doctor. Their whereabouts vary.

Perhaps one of the most tantalizing mysteries of the Great War was the disappearance of a Pinkemena Pie. She had suffered from PTSD and had a split personality. After she was taken to a hospital in Prance after being discovered near a plane wreck site, she disappeared. No trace whatsoever.

The world was never supposed to know of these events, and they almost did not. But I have finally recovered from an incident several years ago. And now, the New Alliance world will understand the basis of its foundation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The author finished typing. It was finally complete. Over 3 months of work, and it was finally done. She was exhausted. But she had one final mission to complete, and she would no forsake it due to fatigue.

She carefully gathered the papers together and 3-hole punched them. She then put them in bindings. Finally, she added a cover. She went back to her desk. It would take some time before the mail mare arrived.

She had not thought of a name yet. It was always a rather difficult task. Then she smiled and typed the title page.

The Great War: Origins of The New Alliance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, the mail mare took the package and made her way to to post office to deliver the package. Unfortunately, on the way there, she had stopped by cafe a for some coffee. Some person in a black shirt (still believed to be on the run) had taken the package. Flustered, she went to complain to the authorities. They said they could keep an eye out for it, but made no promises.

The black shirt pony, unfortunately, fell victim to duo of Pegasi ruffians. They stole the package and brought it to Canterlot. From there, the package's trail ended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Do you know why you are here?" A gray pony said.

The light of the room was blinding. "Who are you?" The captive civilian asked.

"None of your business. Do you understand why I brought you here?" When the civilian did not respond, the pony attempted to slap her...only to have the hoof caught.

"I'll take it from here, sheriff." Said a pony who entered the room. He watched as the sheriff left. "How are you my dear? It's been a while."

The civilian looked at her new interrogator. "It's been a while, Mr. President. Or should I say, Head of War, Ha-"

A harsh crack smacked the civilian in the face. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Said the pony, losing all sense of composure. "How dare you reveal military secrets!" The civilian said nothing. "Do you have any idea the panic this will cause?!"

The yellow pony merely laughed. "So the people have no right to know?"

"They need not know the sacrifices I made to keep them safe!" He sneered.

The author spit at her interrogator, earning another harsh slap. Then he smiled. "I know now. I know why your are so mad. It was the team wasn't it? Your little band of rogue soldiers who abandoned the military? Well they are history!" He laughed. "You need not worry about them anymore. I would worry about yourself. Those soldiers were expendable. All of them are! All that matters is that the world is united."

"So you admit those things occurred?" She worded carefully. He sneered. "What the hay? Sure, it's all true. The world will never believe this garbage!" He laughed as he threw away the authors book.

"But they will believe the leader of a free world." He turned to her.

"What do you mean?"

For the first time in many years, Spitfire smiled. "Look on the wall behind you." The president turned around and gasped.

At the single window in the interrogation room, there was a crowd outside, listening in on the conversation. It was not loud enough for them to hear everything, but it was enough that they looked at their world leader, shocked.

"YOU!" He trotted over to the former General. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Spitfire smiled. "I am merely letting the people see the truth of the "sacrifice" you so claim to have given. The true heroes of this New Alliance."

The president was at a loss of words. First, how did the media even get in the room? Second, how did the book get out when he had sent the thief to get it? Even the backup thieves should have killed the single thief and burned the package. AND YET THE BOOK WAS IN PRINT!

"I can tell you are confused." Spitfire said calmly. "Chief Pinkimena? Do you mind helping me?" The president turned as a pink pony came in. "Hale, I introduce you to your final undoing." Pinkimena walked it and handcuffed the president. "You are under arr-"

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" He cried out. "I am the President!"

"Not anymore." Another group of ponies walked in. They were all dressed in black. The president glared at them in shock. "You."

"Us." Said a lead pony. She took off her mask. "A pleasure General. And a dishonorable way to meet the President." The others took their masks off. The team, Fluttershy, and Rainbow along with Spitfire and Pinkie exchanged hellos.

"Well, Mr. President, it seems the curtain has been pulled back." Rainbow said. "About time."

Pinkemena took the president out. "You won't get away with this! I will bring vengeance upon you all! I will-MMMMMPH!!!" His mouth disappeared.

"Enough." Twilight said. He continued to rant as he was escorted out. The group talked about their lives with one another. Once they had finished, they turned to Spitfire.

"So what now?" asked Shining. "We have taken down the last enemy. What do we do now?"

Spitfire...had no idea. "I suppose we try to make a change. We let people know of the true horrors of the Great War, and we try to lead them."

"We?" Applejack asked. Spitfire nodded. "I have decided to attempt to run for presidency, as of late. I hope you are all with me?"

They all stared at one another. After several years, the war was truly and finally over. Now, from the ashes of an old war, they had to educate the world on the horrors of war, and keep the peace.

Shining spoke for the group. "Alright. Let's do this."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE END