Captain Twilight Sparkle. 3rd Recon Corps.

The name sounded weird, but it was what I was forced to be recognized as. I dangled the dog tags above my head with my magic, just staring for no particular reason. My bunk was shared with another captain, who was currently surveying for any signs of enemy activity. If she died, I'd get a new roommate. If she lived, she'd be useful to us. It's terrible to think like that, but it was the truth. The door was knocked open suddenly, and I stood at attention in my combat uniform. General Stomper, the oldest and gruffest old stallion in the RC, stepped into the room.

"Princess requests your presence, Captain." He was a flankhole when he needed to be, but he was pretty kind to anypony who wasn't an idiot.

"T-Room?" Throne Room. He nodded, then stepped aside to accompany me. "Any word from—"

"Terra and Overwatch report the same thing: Massive activity in Canterlot," he said, grabbing my curiosity.

"Any idea why?"

He chuckled grimly, smirking at me. "If I knew why, we'd probably head to the eastern bunkers near Manehatten, wouldn't we?"

The Canterlot bunker was compromised a while ago, dwindling our group to a couple thousand. We collapsed the caves after, making sure they could never reach us. But it was amazing how they broke through the diamond barriers like nothing. Their weapons were able to pierce them as if they were common pieces of wood. Now, we resided in a bunker between Canterlot and Ponyville, just next to home.

I glanced to Stomper. "What do you think it could be?" There wasn't any tone in my voice, I was honestly curious about his opinion.

"A bomb. A weapon to destroy our planet. Some kind of drill. Captain, I couldn't care less unless we know what's going on," he shrugged. I sighed softly, but continued on until we exited the barracks.

The narrow ‘streets’ of the settlement were always filled with ponies collecting rations and trading whatever they had for more food, blankets, or even a home. The small lamps and lanterns hanging from the merchants provided better lighting in the place, and helped us see any thieves. We pushed through the thick crowd, making our way to the largest structure in the cavern. There were guards posted at every street, but a wall of them stood before the ‘palace’ of the princesses. There have been riots over the past few years, so protection was a must.

The old, crumbling place looked as though it would collapse at the slightest scratch, and yet it had withstood eight years of use. It would be an ideal place to make a standoff, in case we get trapped. Keeping that in mind, I stepped past the guards with Stomper and went in, the archways trembling slightly as we did. Stomper knew I knew my way, and so he nodded and joined a recon group returning. I nodded to many of the guards, young colts that have yet to see a beast like I have. I walked into the only sealed room, and the door slammed shut behind me.

"Good afternoon, Twilight." There wasn't any warmth in that voice anymore. Not after what we've seen.

"I wouldn't know, Princess," I grinned. It was a huge joke around the settlements, especially if you were never let out. "What did you need me for?"

Celestia's faint grin morphed into a frown as she stood. "Luna accompanied a group of bat guards near Canterlot," she said softly, obviously concerned about her sister. "We've received word that the creatures are massing in our old capital. But not just that."

Her horn glimmered before teleporting a piece of parchment in front of me. I swiftly scanned the numbers, realizing these were mana output gauges. "Why are they so low?" I questioned.

A small bit of fear rose inside me. The only advantage over them we had was magic. They couldn't harness it, and they were powerless against it. That's why every recon squadron had a unicorn with knowledge on a barrier spell, smokescreen spell, or a concussion spell to give them time to run. But if they could control it… there went our only means of defense.

"That's what we need to find out," Celestia told me. Her voice had gone softer, which caught my attention. She only spoke like that when I was… before this all happened. "Which is why I need you to lead a squadron back into Canterlot to find out what it is."

My ears splayed back for the first time in a while, and my voice caught in my throat. "Back… to Canterlot?" I forced myself to utter. "Princess… that's suicide."

She shook her head solemnly, my guess being she expected me to say as much. "If they have a way to get this far, we need to know before it's too late," Celestia said. "We're barely surviving as is. But if they can get here without us knowing, they can end whatever is left of us. The sake of each settlement is depending on this."

I sighed outwardly and lowered my head, a little aggravated when she reminded me of our living situation. This mission could protect the other bunker-cities, but it could also end with me and my squad dead and no information being reported. She would understand if I refused… but even after all this… I didn't want to see her disappointed. She was my teacher, after all.

"I'll do it."

A small, minuscule even, smile formed on her muzzle as she nodded.

"But who will I be going with?"

That smile became present, surprising me some. "For this, you'll have to be with ponies you trust, not to mention a second unicorn, in case you're detected," she smiled. "Which is why… I chose your old friends."

My neutral expression tuned up. She was assigning my closest friends to come with me. Faust, we haven't spoken in… six years. And even before that we barely saw each other. We became sub-leaders within the settlement, and so we were each consulted or requested to accompany reconnoissance missions. But… we would all be together… just like old times.

"They'll be here any minute now," Celestia informed me. "You'll take the northern tunnels and head for the first pony-hole cover. From there you'll meet Luna's squadron at the base of the mountain, and from there you'll all be flown to the castle courtyard."

"Doesn't that seem too forward? They'll smell and see us in seconds."

Celestia shook her head. "Luna will be casting a transparency spell on each of you, and as for smell, you'll be covered in water to drain your scent." It seemed it would work, as long as we didn't bump into anything inside.

"When are we leaving?"

It wasn't long before I was packed and suited up. Recon squads usually got standard armor, but mine was made by my own brother. The helmet was very thin, but it made it very light for movement. And unlike Solar guards, the torso piece was split into two pieces, one covering most of my back and my front, the other covering my back and belly. There was a small gap between them, both on my stomach and on my back, but it wouldn't be a problem if this went well. The only leg guards were on my thigh, covering my cutie mark, and on my shins. The suit was completely black, since regular colors would stand out in the grasslands.

In my saddle bag was just a few things like rations, a map, a couple of knives, and a dagger. We traveled light, or else we would be too heavy to move fast. I'm not the fastest, but I at least have a better chance of making it.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the door to my bunk open. It was… Rarity. She looked at me incredulously, like she'd just seen a ghost. Well… we all sort of were at this point. It took us some time, but we finally smiled and bumped our hooves together. Hugging had… died off some time ago. I barely see any families doing so either. It was nice seeing her, because that's what mattered. Her coat was a tinge duller, and her mane was covered by her own armor. But I could see she still kept it in good condition. Somehow.

"It's been too long," she smiled. "You look exactly as you did when we… were all together."

I smiled softly, noticing her eyes lingering on a few strands of hair sticking out from the side of my helmet. With a small laugh, I pushed the locks back under the metal.

"You haven't changed much, at least," I mused. Rarity shrugged softly and gestured outside.

"Shall we?"

With another nod, we ventured back out into the streets. I caught up a bit with Rarity, discovering she had never been outside. She had the training, but she preferred to stay in and make the cloths for wearing under our armor. It kept it from rubbing against our coats and leaving any scratches. She wasn't informed as of yet about what we were doing, but when she heard I would be accompanying them she accepted immediately.

The northern tunnels were on the far side of the settlement, and so it took some time before we were near it. You can always tell when there's a tunnel nearby, because the number of guards always triples around them. They recognized us and let us through, leaving us to walk on to the entrance. The walk to a tunnel was always the same: Silence as the enormous rock walls seemed to close in the farther you got. The design was meant to make it impossible for an enemy to pour in, which was the only tactic ours had. Near the entrance, we could see three other ponies waiting. I picked up my pace and stood in front of Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Their faces were stern and unyielding, but it faded when they saw us up close. Rarity and I greeted them much like I did with my unicorn friend, but the air seemed to lighten just a bit more. Even old friends like us, however, didn't have much to say except for what we do now.

Fluttershy, of course, was sent up to gather intel through her animal friends. She turned the animals she had found into her own little recon army. Her stutter and shy nature was gone, as if it were never there. Pinkie Pie was in the 6th Recon Corps. They were said to be the best, and we could all see why she was in it. The stuff she pulled off was unexplainable and impossible to each of us. Applejack was in the 4th Corps. as a vanguard. Earth ponies were usually the muscle in each squad, and there were always two present. Her apple bucking skills paid off for something else, at least. She had killed ONE of the creatures, a small scout that they stumbled across. She didn't feel comfortable talking about it, and I could understand.

"There she is." I turned to look at where Fluttershy was pointing, and I saw a rainbow streak plummet quickly, and Rainbow Dash screeched to a halt in front of us.

"Late as always, Rainbow Dash," Rarity quipped. She huffed and walked over to us.

"Not like we're in a rush, now are we?" Rainbow smirked. "Good seeing you, girls."

I remembered her usual arrogance when she would land like that, head up, spirits high. Now, it was straight to business. "So what's the plan?" Pinkie questioned.

I brought out a map and showed it to them. "We take the tunnel here," I said, pointing between Canterlot and Ponyville, "then hoof it to the bottom of the mountain. Princess Luna should already be there."

"What then? We're just gonna waltz in like nothin'?" Applejack asked.

I sighed and shook my head. "Of course not, Applejack. Princess Luna will cast transparency spells to keep us hidden, and we'll get ourselves soaked to cut off any scents."

"There's a lake near the path," Fluttershy informed us. "Somewhere around here." It would take us off the desired path slightly, but it would save us time in getting wet again.

"Alright. Ready to go?" They all nodded, and I turned to lead them in.

Just hope we make it back in time.

Entry #1
July 18th, 2011

It's been a year now, and I can remember what it was like being on the surface. The sun in my eyes, the wind in my mane, and the seasons that passed. I always hated when the weather was bad, like rain or snow. But now I beg for it to just happen, no matter how impossible it seems. The princesses are recruiting the first members of the Reconnaissance Corps. They'll be the only ones to head outside. Rainbow and Applejack are joining… and so is Shining Armor. I knew he would do it, especially since it would help him and Cadence eat better. Rations are getting lower and lower, and there isn't enough artificial sunlight to grow out all of our crops. If worse comes to worse, I'll have to join to keep from starving.

Being down here has practically halted my lessons on friendship. I barely see anypony I was close with, especially the girls. My home, if you can even call it that, is barely big enough for me and Spike. He's growing up, and soon he'll have to leave the settlement entirely. But I'll never leave him, no matter what.

Curfew is just a couple minutes away, but here's what I could gather about the… monsters.

Scouts:

Skin color: Black

Average height: 1.5 meters.

Average weight: Unknown.

They resemble modern wolves or timberwolves, but they're much taller and thicker, and they lack any fur or hair. Instead of four legs like most quadrupeds, they have six. Their maws are also alien, as they separate into four. They were the first creatures to be used against us. They're used as preemptive means of attack, causing confusion and damage to give their masters an opening. However, they are also used as cannon fodder, thousands being sent in a hopeless attempt to tire and divide the guard forces.

Their jaw strength is powerful enough to snap through a beam of metal with ease, and their claws can breach most armors. Quick and agile, they're nightmares in confined spaces. The only way to kill one from a range is through magic bolts or beams. They can't manipulate it in any way, and they aren't immune in the slightest. Several hundred confirmed kills were all because of unicorns. Only a few dozen have ever been killed by hoof.

Further information to be researched.

~~Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Second chapter, WHOOO! Anyway, here we delve into the darker aspect of their situation. In case anyone is wondering, the Elements will have monotonous tones and sarcasm because of the past, which I will one day dive into. Tell me how good/bad you think it is, and remember to like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night.