Heroes and Allies

Chapters

Chapter Three: The Broken Window
Chapter Four: Through The Looking Glass
Chapter Five: Stained Glass Windows Of The Palace
Chapter Six: Into The Forest
Chapter Seven: When First We Met
Chapter Eight: Down Time
Chapter Nine: Shattered
Chapter Ten: Affairs Of Darkness. Part I
Chapter Eleven: Affairs Of Darkness. Part II
Chapter Twelve: Affairs Of Darkness. Part III
Chapter Fourteen: Affairs Of Darkness. Part V
Chapter Fifteen: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part I- A Long Time Ago.
Chapter Sixteen: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part II- Edict Of War
Chapter Eighteen: HARMony
Chapter Nineteen: More Down Time
Chapter Twenty: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part I
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part III
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part IV- Arise Fair Sun
Chapter Twenty-Four: Aliens From Planet Earth
Chapter Twenty-Five and a Half: The Great Crusade
Chapter Twenty-Six: Hanging Out
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Running and Hiding
Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Rough Night/The Cry For Dawn
Chapter Thirty-One: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part V- Descent
Chapter Thirty-Two: Collision
Chapter Thirty-Three: Dread Intrusion
Chapter Thirty-Six: Nightmares Abroad
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Banded In Blue
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Traitors Amongst Friends
Chapter One: Anomalies
Chapter Two: Mirror Or Window?
Chapter Thirteen: Affairs Of Darkness. Part IV
Chapter Seventeen: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part III- Interuptions
Chapter Twenty-One: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part II
Chapter Twenty-Five: Settling In
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Chosen Few
Personnel: A Look Into The Backgrounds Of Our Operatives
Chapter Thirty: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part IV- The End of the Beginning
Chapter Thirty-Four: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VI- Dread Intentions
Chapter Thirty-Five: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VII- Dread Invasion
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VIII- Dread Immolation

Chapter Three: The Broken Window

Chapter Three: The Broken Window

Celestia's golden orb flooded the sky with its brilliant Glow...

...and Luna's shimmering sphere rested for the day.

A disgruntled earth pony grudgingly got out of bed. The journey he'd just returned from made his hooves sore, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. A large crash rang out from the lower floor of his home, nearly scaring the pony out of his second story window. Annoyed, he quickly rolled out of bed, his green and white mane completely disheveled.

Lime Tree hated to wake up like this, so he galloped downstairs, ready to combat the evil that dare attack his home. As soon as he reached the lower floor, he froze, unable to comprehend the scene in front of him.

“What the hay are y'all doing in my house!?” he demanded.

The ponies lying before him began to wake up. Lime noticed they all seemed to be sickly.

“Waah youu wannn?” groaned one of ponies.

Lime wasn't sure if that was a groan or an actual attempt at speaking, so he answered to the best of his ability.

“What I “wannn,” is to know is why you are all sleeping on my floor!”

The sleepy ponies seemed to shake off whatever was ailing them, and stood up.

“Oh, uh, sorry dude, but your welcome back party was just awesome! Pinks can chalk up another success!”

“The party, riiiiiiight,” Lime embarrassingly mumbled.

How could he have possibly forgotten that? He didn't do any obscene medicines, and he certainly didn’t drink, sarsaparilla or salt water. So why did last night seem so blurry? Suddenly, he remembered why he came down stairs in the first place. He turned around and gasped. The lower floor had been all but leveled.

“You broke two windows!? And why is there a crocodile in my sink!?”

“Actually, I think it's an alligator,” one of the “guest” stated in a scientific tone.

Lime was furious, but he tried to contain himself. “Why did Pinkie allow this?” he thought out loud. “Come to think of it, where is Pinkie?” He looked around, but saw no sign of Ponyville's premier pink party pony.

A magenta mare with fruit for a cutie mark stood up, then rubbed her head like she had just developed a migraine.

“She said something about there being a meeting of the Elements of Harmony or something,” she stated, still rubbing her head. “So they all left.”

“Wait, the rest of the elements were here?” Lime stammered.

“Yeah, you talked to them before they left,” the magenta mare answered.

If he hadn't been worried before, Lime certainly was now. Why couldn’t he remember this?

“Where did they say they were going?” Lime asked the mare.

“I kind of don't remember myself,” she mumbled.

“Canterlot.” one of the other party goers answered. “They told you that they were going to Canterlot. You seemed really annoyed by that, probably because you just came from there, right?”

Memories slowly leaked into the green stallion's mind, along with a migraine of his own.

“I think I remember now. I asked why they were going, and they told me it was a secret,” Lime whispered, fearing that speaking up might make his new headache worse.

“Either way, that was some party!” the magenta mare yelled, sending several ponies in the room into head-clutching agony.

Lime's “guests” had clearly drank every beverage within two miles of Ponyville, and the magenta mare must have somehow escaped the consequences. But why was his memory so clouded? According to the party goers, he hadn't drunk at all. He never did. He would have kept pondering this, but he noticed he was late for work.

“Why didn't I wake up at the same time I always do?” he quietly wondered.

He quickly ushered the guests out of his home, and thankfully, they kindly cooperated. After he grabbed a few of items from his room, he was off to tackle the challenges of the day. After all, as the Mayor's assistant, he never seemed to get a break.

*****************

Mayor Mare wasn't lazy, but she did send Lime on a wide variety of tasks she could have done herself. Then again, that’s what assistants are for. Today, his mission was to check up on the crop production that sustained the town itself, so at least this task was important. He realized that this would also allow him an excuse to ask the Apple family if they knew what was going on with the elements. His curiosity piqued, Lime decided to go to Sweet Apple Acres first.

This certainly wasn't the first time Lime had been sent to check on the family, but The Apples were famously reliable, so these checkups were more of a formality then a legitimate check. Lime just liked being able to get out of doing all the abysmally boring paperwork back at city hall. He would simply waltz in as he always did, take a rough inventory, then maybe try his hooves at a little apple bucking. As he reached the farm, he immediately noticed two things: one, he couldn’t hear the methodical taps of hooves on trees, and two, that the apple trees looked suspiciously un-bucked.

The very last thing you could call the Apples was lazy. “They are always at work if they can help it, so where are they now?” Lime wondered.

He gave the door a tap, and patiently waited for an answer. When none came, he realized that at this time, the young Apple filly, (Apple Boom was her name, right?) would be at school. Granny Smith would be fast asleep, and anyone else would be out bucking apples. Knocking was useless, so he wandered into the fields.

After about ten minutes of searching the massive orchard, he spotted his old high school buddy standing over a large hole. A smirk came to Lime's face, as he remembered those days, back when work was secondary, and nopony over worked themselves like he did now. He trotted up to the larger than life stallion, and raised a hoof.

“Hiya Mac, been a little while, eh?” the green stallion casually remarked.

The now “Big” Macintosh returned the bro-hoof without turning his head, and causally ignored Lime's question in favor of staring ahead, focusing intently on something in front of him. Confused, Lime looked ahead, trying to see what was so interesting. Mac noticed this, and pointed a hoof toward a large sinkhole. “Now what do ya reckon Is that?" Mac asked.

“Uh, a hole?” Lime answered, slightly amused by Mac's question.

“Ah see the hole. Ah'm talkin' bout what's in it,” Mac rebutted, clearly annoyed.

Lime focused in on what looked like bits of an old metal cart.

“Oh, sorry Mac. Well, let's go see, we won't find out sitting up here,” Lime impatiently quipped.

The two walked down, and gave the old cart a look over.

“This ain’t no cart. It's round," Mac stated, quite a stoic look on his face. “-and what do ya suppose “oohsa” means?” Mac wondered aloud.

“Maybe it's an acronym, you know, like the letters stand for something,” Lime answered.

Mac gave up, “Honestly, ah don't know, but ah ain't seen anythin' like it 'round here. Have you?"

Lime thought it over for a second. “No, but we need to record the farm's inventory, or the Mayor won't be happy with either of us. Whatever this thing is, it'll have to wait.”

******************

A royal Guard entered the throne room of Canterlot Palace, rigid and methodical as ever.

“Your highness, the elements have arrived,” He spoke in his typically deep and serious voice.

He noticed that the Princess's horn was glowing. He also noticed a text-book “thousand-yard stare” on her face. She didn't seem to be listening.

“Princess, did you hear me? ...Princess? ...PRINCESS!?”

No answer.

The guard exchanged worried looks with the other guards at the door. They didn't seem to know what was going on either.

“Should I let them in?” the guard asked the others. “Is that against protocol?”

“I'm not sure, but what harm could come of it?” one of the chamber guards remarked.

“I'll try to snap her out of it first.” the first guard muttered as he trotted up to the throne. He wondered if this had something to do with the disturbance she was going on about to Princess Luna earlier. He then looked right into the alicorn's eyes, and waved his hooves trying to get her attention.

No response. Her eyes betrayed no emotion whatsoever.

“It's like she's asleep!” the guard stammered, dumbfounded by the sight in front of him.

Celestia's horn stopped glowing, and the guard stepped back, waiting for her to move.

“There's nothing,” Celestia mumbled to no pony in particular.

“There's nothing in what, princess?” The guard asked.

“Oh. It's nothing, really.” Celestia quietly replied.

“Princess, are you all right?” a relieved guard asked.

She put her head in her hooves for a few seconds and weakly smiled. “Yes, I'm fine. In fact, all seems to be well. Don't bother sending for the elements.”

The guard looked up at the princess, his worried look returned. “Your highness, we already sent for them, and they are waiting outside as we speak.” He gestured toward the door.

“Well then, I guess we should let them in,” Celestia decided.

The guard bowed and turned away. A few seconds later, six familiar mares entered the throne room.

Celestia looked up, “Greetings, my little ponies. You sure arrived quickly,” she remarked.

“When you sent word for us, we all got together and came as quickly as we could.” came the words of a certain lavender unicorn. She and those accompanying her bowed in respect. The princess levitated some chairs into the room.

“Please sit down, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pi-”

Celestia looked around. “Where is Pinkamena?” she asked.

Celestia turned around to see Pinkie Pie feasting on food made for a banquet that was to be held in honor of an old war hero. One slightly unamused glance from Celestia was enough to get Pinkie to quietly trot back over to the group.

“Now that you're all here, we'll be able to-”

Celestia heard a youthfully giggle from a distinctly Luna-like source.

“Anyway, now that you are all here, we can discuss a strange sickness that swept over the kingdom recently. Did any of you feel sickly the last few days, specifically at night?" Celestia asked.

“I slept comfortably as always,” spoke Rarity. "I had a large order to fill, so I was quite tired."

“Ah was out apple buckin' last night, ah didn't notice anything,” Applejack added.

The others were silent, and Celestia looked uncharacteristically nervous. “So none of you felt anything?” she asked.

Twilight looked up and put one of her hooves on her chin in thought. “I had a slight headache while I was studying,”

Celestia's hopes rose.

“But that happens a lot if I don't get enough sleep, and I'm pretty sure that session was an all-nighter,” Twilight added.

The princess's face fell.

“Umm, is it something dangerous?” Fluttershy timidly squeaked

“Well no, but-” Celestia began.

Rainbow Dash suddenly interrupted, “If ponies are getting sick, why do ya need us? Shouldn't you call the Elements of Nerdishness or a doctor or something? I mean really-”

Rainbow Dash would have kept talking, but another unamused look from Celestia made her instantly clam up.

“If I may, princess,” Twilight began. “It does seem a bit odd that you flew us up from Ponyville for something like this.”

Celestia's mood seemed to improve, then she answered Twilight’s question with a one breath word streak that even got Pinkie's attention:

“Well yes, it does seem odd now, but earlier I was worried that it was a serious epidemic, and I didn't want anything like that to happen, and calling you all up here seemed like a good idea at the time, I told them to disregard my summons, but you were already here, I'm sorry that you came here for nothing, but at the same time, it's good to see you all, you know we don't seem to meet as often as we should, maybe we should have scheduled meetings, like parliament, don't you think?"

After that blatant disregard for the rules of run-on sentences, it was clear that the princess was stressed. Twilight and her friends all stared at a bewildered Pinkie Pie, amazed that those weren't the party pony's words.

Applejack recovered from the Sun Mare's verbal assault first. “Well, ah guess we can find somethin' ta do in tha mean time, if it's okay with ya.”

The princess regained her composure and turned around to see the tail end of a dark blue alicorn dashing away with what looked like a mood altering spell book.

“Luna...” Celestia muttered. “But yes, you are free to leave. Sorry to bother you all,” she responded, a bit annoyed.

As the elements began to file out, a pony very few liked blasted his way into the throne room. The white stallion's interruption was so sudden in fact, that even the guards flinched as he entered. He was out of breath, and quivering, but tried to maintain his long gone dignity anyway.

Standing before the princess was Prince Blueblood himself. His mane was an abysmal wreck of the blonde variety, and his coat was covered in soot, like somepony had used him as a chimney sweep. Whatever the problem, it was bound to make an interesting story.

“Princess! Auntie! It-it was horrible! I was just minding my own business, telling the servants to stop being so forceful with my massage. They said that they were just making sure they got the kinks out, but I think they're up to no good. And-”

“What happened?! Tell me what happened!” Celestia almost yelled.

“M-My house exploded!” Blueblood managed to finally say. “It was calm, quiet even. Then suddenly, smoke everywhere!"

“Where were your guards!?” Celestia demanded.

“Well, they were out, umm, uh... I sent them to find better masseuse ponies actually,” Blueblood admitted. “But I think they're helping the CFD put out the fire as we speak.”

Realizing that a fire could damage surrounding houses and the city at large if left unchecked, Celestia stood up and flared her wings, preparing to fight the fire herself. However, just as she was about zoom out of the castle, a scroll materialized in front of her. It was marked urgent, and bore the unmistakable clawriting of Spike, Twilight’s faithful assistant. Celestia flew up to one of the throne room's higher windows and noticed that the fire seemed to be under control, she also noticed a streak of cloud vapor which led straight toward Blueblood's abode, and began from the distance. Confidant that the fire was taken care of, she sat back down on her throne, opened the letter, and read it aloud:

Dear Princess Celestia, (and Twilight and friends)

Something weird just happened. Something flew over Ponyville faster than anything I’ve ever seen before. It kinda looked like a shooting star, or maybe a really big fireworks thing. Either way, it started losing control and zoomed all over the place! It kind of reminded me of Pinkie Pie for some reason. Anyway, it looked like it landed somewhere near Canterlot, so I was wondering if everypony is alright. Are you okay up there?"

Your faithful student's faithful assistant,

-Spike

“I don't suppose that was a coincidence.” The princess looked down at a now hyperventilating Prince Blueblood. “What do you think, students?” she asked.

“I think Spike is lying!” Rainbow angrily yelled.

“What!?” came the collected response from all the other ponies in the room.

“I mean, nothing is faster than me!” Rainbow explained.

Even Blueblood rolled his eyes at that one. Celesta sent Spike a letter in return, assuring him that everything was under control, and that he shouldn’t worry. She then lit the paper on fire with her horn and sent it on its way.

“Ah always wondered how you did that,” Applejack remarked with a hoof on her chin. “-but what do you think all this means?” she asked.

A pink pony made her presence known: “That is the best prank EVER! Shooting fireworks into that meany Prince Blueblood's house, PRICELESS!” Pinkie rolled over on the floor in a fit of giggles.

Blueblood just stared. "I'm right here!"

“Princess," Twilight started. "I don't like the sound of this. With your permission, I would like to go to the royal library to study this. Perhaps I can find an answer before it happens again,” she humbly offered.

“W-W-What should we do, princess?” asked Fluttershy, true to her name.

“I truly don't know. But I want the rest of you to check out what was the prince's house.” Celestia looked up, “We may be looking at the first attack on Equestrian soil in decades!”

*****************

“You may be looking at the first images of an alien world ever taken by humanity!”

Commander Stuart along with the rest of NASA's Anomalous Energy Event Team, were smiling so hard it literally hurt. So they stopped smiling and began an analysis of the little video and picture footage the successful probes managed to acquire. It had now been a few days since the first successful probes entered anomalies. The most recent data was from the third successful probe, and now, new challenges awaited them.

After what was possibly the best day at work anyone had ever had, the AEE team went home, leaving the commander to dwell with his thoughts, and read over his journal.

Day 341

The DeltaScout II exploded upon entering the scheduled anomaly, but the data it recorded is the most useful yet. It seems our theory was correct. The resistance an object encounters when entering an anomaly is relative to its speed. The DeltaScout II was designed to enter at a slower speed about Mach .75. It encountered twice as much resistance as The DeltaScout I, which was traveling almost twice that speed. Theoretically, if a probe enters an anomaly at approximately Mach 3.1 or higher, the resistance should no longer be a problem. We are already building The DeltaScout III.

Day 389

We have Success! The DeltaScout III entered an anomaly and sustained contract for 21 seconds. This was just long enough to confirm that the location beyond these anomalies is NOT on our planet. The camera worked just long enough to take a single frame shot and radio it back to us. It was quite distorted, but a picture none the less. I think I made out a tree! For now, we will send in more probes, advancing their design until we get real data to work with.

Day 432

As of now, The DeltaScouts III, IV, and V have all successfully entered anomalies. However, they all seem to fail after traveling a few miles inside one. It seems maintaining radio contact through to the other side of these “portals” is difficult at best, and nonexistent at worst. They will no doubt call me a mad man when I reveal my answer to this problem, but hopefully it will all turn out well.

*****************

“You're Crazy!” 1st Lieutenant Lenard Greene yelled in shock.

“Please, just listen to me!” the commander began, “A manned mission is the only way to find out what's really in there!” he tried to explain.

“Everything we sent into that thing either exploded or is currently missing, neither of which I would like to be!” Greene argued.

“Can't we send in a few more probes first?” 2nd Lieutenant Michael Kaiser wondered aloud.

“The bottom line, is that probes depend on outside radio contact. Living people do not. If a manned aircraft and pilots could penetrate the barrier, he or she could take pictures, record data, and make observations that no probe could!” Stuart retorted.

2nd Lieutenant Gerri Reed shook her head. “The real bottom line, is that innocent people, more or less, could be killed making those observations. You have no idea what being in there would do to a person.”

“We can't send animals in a probe because we would have no way of knowing if they survived or not! And those probes would still need remote control, which we established doesn't work very well! A pilot doesn't need remote control. You could simply turn the plane around and fly back through once you're done making your observations. The probes can't do that, even if we programmed them to,” the commander explained.

Lenard was indignant “There is no way this is happening, they can't make someone do it, and who would possibly volunteer to do something like this!?”

****************

“Captain!” an airfield worker yelled. “The aircraft are ready, and the rest of your team is waiting for you in the meeting house for the final briefing.”

The now "Captain" Greene jumped down from his perch atop the wing of the fighter he made history in not too long ago. All they had done was scan a big ball of energy for a few minutes, and flown down to deliver the data they got. Yet somehow, he and his friends had all become celebrities. They promoted the then Lieutenant Greene to captain, in light of his volunteering to enter an anomaly. He would be flight leader, while his friends flew in alongside. According to the scientist, sending in three fighters as opposed to one, would somehow improve the odds that at least one of the planes would get through. He didn't want to think about what that said about their odds, but the pilot knew that if he survived this mission, he and his friends would be immortalized among the likes of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and the like. If they failed, he and his friends could be killed or stranded on some alien world for the rest of their lives.

“I’m not sure I'm ready for any of that,” Greene thought. “-but I’m not about to let that stop me now.”

He walked towards the meeting house, and put on his best “determined adventurer” face.

****************

Mike Kaiser walked down to The Contrail, a local bar that some of the pilots and other military personnel frequented. He sat down next to a burly uniformed man. The man had a slowly healing scar going down the right side of his face, and wore sunglasses in a futile effort to hide it.

"It's good to see you again, Steve," Mike stated in a failed attempt to sound cool and collected.

The large man turned to the pilot. "So, I guess this is it, huh? I might not ever see ya again, bro. You here to finally give me that twenty bucks you owe me?" the scarred man asked.

Amazed that the conversation had moved towards his debt so quickly, Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out a brand new twenty dollar bill.

"I just want to give you this before I went up, you know, just in case," Mike muttered.

"I understand, man. Good luck." The scarred man finally spoke.

The two shook hands, and the young pilot walked out towards the briefing room, for the final mission briefing.

As he left, the scarred man, Corporal Steven Mace of the United States Marines, looked down at the twenty dollar bill in front of him. It seemed that Mike had left him a note:

"I will never bet against you again, although I hope I'll get the chance. See you around, Corporal."

The marine chuckled to himself and took a sip from his drink.

******************

Dear Mother and Father,

I could call you, but I thought that this letter would be much more valuable. There's not really much to say. I'm not very good at writing letters, or explaining myself, but I love you guys. I guess that's really all I'm trying to say. Please don't get mad at me if I don't come back. I want to do this, so I hope you'll understand. I love you all.

-Love, "Gerri Berry."

Gerrianna Reed.

P.S. Don't let Bret have my old room if I don't come back.

*****************

Pilots, officers, and reporters filled into the meeting house for the final mission briefing. Some looked confident, others seemed tense, but everyone seemed ready to see what would happen.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," Commander Stuart Began. “As you know, these F-15 "Intrepid" prototypes will get you to the necessary entry speed of Mach 3.1. And because of this, they handle differently than a typical '15. You've flown them in practice flights before, but be careful, and remember to keep them steady. Your mission is to accelerate to entry speed, enter the portal as it forms over this very base, and activate the plethora of sensors and instruments that have been fitted to these planes. You will continue to scan for exactly one minute, turn around, increase speed to Mach 3.1, and return to base to a hero's welcome. We have no reason to believe that the environment will be harmful to you, for that, you have the probes to thank. Hopefully, you will all have an easy flight and be back in this room in ten minutes. You all know what to do, now get to your planes. Godspeed you three.”

With a salute from every officer and enlisted man and woman in the room, and a crowd of people gathered around the airfield fence hoping to capture piece of history with their camcorders and phones. The pilots walked silently to their planes and strapped themselves in. Scientist and mechanics alike, clapped for them as they each closed their canopies, still silent. It seemed that none of the pilots wanted to speak, in fear that the words they might utter would be, “I changed my mind!” or "Let's rethink this!" But instead, they all proceeded to ignite their heavily modified twin engines. As each hummed to life, each pilot realized that there was no turning back now. They taxied their aircraft onto the tarmac, and Lenard said a sentence he was sure he and everyone else would never forget.

…. “This is Intrepid-Sparrow Leader, requesting permission to take off.”....

…. “Intrepid-Sparrow, check all flight surfaces and controls.”.....

…. “Flight check complete, repeat, Flight check complete.”....

Lenard and his friends now heard the President of the United States' voice on the radio, as well as several other world leaders.

…. “What you do today, regardless of the outcome, will define a generation.” …..

…. “We are all very proud of you.” ….

…. “I know it's cliche, but Godspeed pilots.”....

….. “Intrepid-Sparrow, you are clear for takeoff.”...

A thunderous roar filled the area as the three Pilots throttled up their engines. Lenard was first to get airborne, closely followed by his two wingmen. Just overhead, a flash ignited the sky, and the now all too familiar sight of an anomalous energy event appeared. The pilots flew away from it to give them space to accelerate.

…. “This is Intrepid-Sparrow. We have reversed course and are lined up for a perfect run to the target.”....

…. “This is it.”....

Inside the cockpit of the leading aircraft, Lenard Greene hoped that those wouldn’t be his final words. The three fighters slowly accelerated until they were just under the target speed. As the amazing sight of an anomaly up close became larger and larger, Lenard maxed out the throttle, and the instruments confirmed that Mach 3.1 had been successfully reached. Looking ahead, Lenard made his peace with God, just the nose of his aircraft disappeared into the blue energy.

…..“Now there's definitely no turning back now.”....

There was a loud "booming" sound.

Chapter Four: Through The Looking Glass

Chapter Four: Through The Looking Glass

Lenard opened his eyes.

He saw blue.

He blinked.

He saw white.

He blinked again.

The white faded into...

... something.

Out of his cockpit, he saw a landscape not unlike what he'd seen his entire life: blue skies, green trees, white clouds, and a yellow sun. Yet, somehow, it all looked a bit...

....Different?

Lenard closed his eyes.

He saw black.

******************

"Yaahhhh!" the young pilot screamed as consciousness leaked back into him.

He was on his back, looking up at the stars.

"What- So... I dreamt that then? Or... no."

He found himself lying on some kind of really soft bed, looking up at the stars.

"Wait! where's my roof!? And why is the moon so bright?" he questioned.

He sat up and took inventory of his situation. He immediately found something wrong. One, he wasn't in a bed. Two the ground he was lying on was snow white. Three, behind him, there was some creature eying him with an almost quizzical look on its face. Its eyes were a creepy purplish color. The rest of it wasn't illuminated enough to see.

The creature continued to stare him down, so he took off his helmet and starred back, to much in shock to speak.

"Wait, I'm wearing my helmet! It wasn't a dream!" Lenard exclaimed. He also noticed that his parachute was still strapped to his back, unopened.

The strange creature jumped back, obviously surprised by both his outburst, and the removal of his helmet. Lenard stood up to address this, then immediately fell back down. The surface of the ground was strangely soft, and the creature seemed to be confused by his clumsiness.

He stood up again, this time with much more caution, and succeeded. He squinted, trying to get a better look at this... whatever it was.

The creature looked to be about four or five feet tall, but it was hard to determine in the darkness. He looked around again, and saw something that didn't make any sense whatsoever. The ground was far below him, and he appeared to be standing on some kind of plushy platform. Realizing that he was suspended several feet in the air, he yelled,

"Where in the world am I?!"

The creature looked up at him, and did something that almost made him fall off the platform.

"Uh, you're in Cloudsdale?"

It just spoke.

Trembling, and with a look of terror and confusion of his own, Lenard fumbled around for his flash light. It was where it always was, in his bottom left pocket in his flight suit. He dropped it, picked it up, turned it on, and shined it on the creature's face.

The creature cringed and looked away. "Hey, what was that for!?" the creature yelled.

"Who are you?! What are you?! And what are the exact coordinates of this "Cloudsdale" place you're talking about?!" Lenard asked, just as loudly. "What is this!?"

"You tell me what this is!" the creature shot back.

Lenard was not having any of this.

"I asked you first, now who and what are you?!" he demanded.

"Fine! My name is Rainbow Dash, and you destroyed my house, moron! Now who are you!?" the creature yelled with a much more angry look.

"You're house?! What house?! there's only...

....Clouds?"

It didn't make any sense, but it seemed that he was standing on a cloud, and so was this creature. The only logical explanation was that the mission had been a success, and he was... somewhere.

Lenard collapsed into the surface beneath him and began to hyperventilate. "I'm- *gasp* Captain *gasp* Lenard Greene of the *gasp* United States Air Force! S-Serial number *inhale* 23-762-698! I- I-I'm on a mission of e- explor- exploration! I'm *exhale* required t-t-to say that, *gasp* I th-think! Now- You- Who-"

He took a moment to try and collect himself.

"Y-Y-You said I b- b-broke your house?" he stammered, not knowing if his words meant anything to the creature in front of him.

"Yeah, see, look!" The creature answered and pointed forward with its... hooves?

It gestured towards a strange looking house that appeared to made out of, unbelievably, clouds. Part of it was sunken in and, inexplicably, appeared to be smoking.

"Well I'm sorry, M-m-miss, erm, D- Dash! I'm just a little c-confused here, you know what I mean!? What- what do you want me to do about it?!" the captain asked, not completely convinced that any of this was real.

The creature put one of its... hooves to its chin.

"Not much now, I already put out the fire! But you can explain what exactly you are, and how you did all this damage!"

Internally, Lenard was still asking himself how a cloud could be on fire, but he snapped back to reality or wherever this was, and uttered, "I- I don't want any trouble! I'm just a pilot! I didn't come here to hurt anyone! I just flew through an anomaly thing and woke up here! I mean- Just- talking horses?! This is all just- wrong!"

"I don't know what what you're talkin' about, but I'm callin' the guard if you don't tell me what's going on! And the Wonderbolts for backup!" Dash stopped. "You really don't know what I am either, do you?" Dash realized. "I'm a pegasus for cryin' out loud! You haven't ever met another pony before?! What kinda freak are you?!"

"Ponies I've met! But never one that could talk to me!" Greene answered. "This is all some sort of lie! It has to be! It's gotta be some sick psychological test they're running on me in my sleep! Ponies don't talk! Period!"

"They were probably too shy because of the way you look! No offense, but you ain't normal lookin'!" Dash spoke as if that wasn't offensive. "Wait! You said you flew here! You can fly?! But you don't have wings!"

Lenard gasped, remembering how he came to be... wherever he was.

"My god, the jet! Where is it?!" he urgently asked.

"What's a jet?" the pegasus wondered aloud.

Lenard realized just how far away from home he was. Now faced with the reality that he really was in another world, he found himself trying to explain something that just about every human child grew up knowing. How does one explain the concept of fixed wing aircraft to someone that doesn't already know?

"Think of it as a big metal machine, with wings and, engines!" he desperately tried to explain. "How could you miss that?!"

He looked around for the tell-tale smoke and flame of a wrecked aircraft, but saw none. the ground seemed to be completely clear of any wreckage.

"Okay! Gotta calm down! M- Miss Dash, have you seen any wrecks, or crashes or something falling out of the sky recently?!"

"No, Mister, uh, Greene, wasn't it? You can just call me Rainbow Dash, I never liked fancy names, they make me feel old... and slow. and I'm not either of those," she answered.

"Listen to me!!! No fiery destruction of any kind?!" the pilot asked.

"Not unless you count Rarity's reaction to seeing Prince Blueblood again," she chuckled under her breath. "So this jet machine, it lets you fly?" she queried.

"Yes! Yes! That's right!"

"And it's metal, and has wings?" she asked.

"Yes!" the pilot answered enthusiastically

"And it flies? Metal is too heavy to fly, isn't it?" asked the mare.

"Apparently not! Have. You. Seen it?!" the pilot asked yet again.

"No, unless it's that thing." she pointed to a cloud floating slightly lower than the one they were standing on.

There, inexplicably, was his F-15, comically wedged straight through one of the clouds. Without thinking, Lenard hopped off of his cloud and onto the one the jet was impaled though. While Lenard skillfully searched the plane for any damage or faults, Rainbow Dash lazily drifted down, and took in the sight before her.

"You were right, it is pretty big!" she spoke. "Wait! Are you an alien?! Or some kinda spy?! Whatever this is thing is, it's way bigger than Twilight's balloon!"

Greene ignored her. "I can't be stuck here! No, no, no!" He reached the downed aircraft. "It's a little scratched up, but it looks like it would still fly!" the pilot spoke, still trembling. "Now how do I get it down?!" he yelled to the heavens.

"Chill, dude! It's too late now, but in the morning we could go get some other pegasai and push the cloud down!" the pegasus responded.

"Push?! A cloud?! Down?!" Despite that odd suggestion, Lenard felt calm for the first time since he'd arrived in... wherever she said this place was. Then immediately his heart rate shot back up, and he began to panic as he realized that he had forgotten something very important.

"Wait! Reed! Kaiser! Where are my wingmen!?"

*********************

"Welcome to the Ponyville Inn, my name is Airy Breeze. How may I he-"

The horned receptionist stopped as she laid eyes on the new type of creature she'd never seen before.

"My, my, what do we have here?" the desk pony asked. "Forgive my manners, can I help you?"

Greene had long since abandoned his manic line of thought in place of a quiet acceptance, simply going along with whatever he saw without question. "It's quite alright. I'll explain everything in the morning. For now, I just need a good night's sleep," the tired pilot spoke.

He reached into one of his flight suit pockets, and retrieved several coins given to him by Rainbow Dash, who after a few brief explanations, suggested he check into the local hotel, sleep, and leave the problems for tomorrow. The pegasus then took her own advice, and passed out on a cloud. Unsure of anything, he snuck away to find this hotel himself.

Two hours had passed before he had found the place. In reality, it was probably about thirty minutes or so, but in his current state, even the passage of time seemed tired. He had floated down using his reserve parachute, then wandered through town, eventually finding the place.

He snapped back to reality. The receptionist pony, which Lenard now recognized was, unbelievably, a unicorn, just as the blue pegasus had described, took the money, gave some of it back, and gave Lenard a room key. It wasn't the electronic card keys he was used too, but an actual metal key. He wondered how these "ponies" could even use such a device, seeing as they lacked hands or fingers. But it was far too late to ponder such things. Had he been more awake, he would have noticed that the key had floated into his hand. Oblivious to this, he walked up to the matching room number on his key, turned the lock, and entered his room. The door was low, as it was designed for the slightly shorter creatures that typically traversed it. Inside, the lamp, the nightstand it sat on, and the bed itself, all seemed to be completely unergonomic for someone of equine form.

That didn't seem to bother them, so it didn't bother him. He inspected his bed, climbed into it still in his flight suit, and began running over his day.

"Let's see. I got into a plane, flew into an alien dimension, went to an alien hotel, and now I'm wondering just what happened to my squadron... my friends."

There were many other questions: like how did all these ponies, as well as he, stand on clouds? Why do they speak the same language we do? What are the odds that they'd call their world Earth, just like us? And what crazier things were to be found in the morning when everyone realized that there was an alien among them?

He chuckled at the thought of them seeing him as an alien, then remembered that Rainbow Dash had mentioned that one of her friends, an "egg-headed" unicorn might be able to help him figure out all these questions. Although she also mentioned that this friend of hers would probably have just as many questions for him.

He wished he could have talked with the cyan mare a little longer, there were many things he wanted to know, about ponies, the world he now found himself in, and how he might find his friends, if they were still alive.

Knowing that he'd just have to wait and see, Lenard finally allowed exhaustion to overtake him, and the intrepid pilot quietly fell asleep.

**************

"I got to get home! Gerry, Mike! Where are you!?"

***************

There was a knock at the hotel room door.

The ever so graceful captain fell out of his bed, still wearing his flight suit.

"Whoever you are, can it wait until morning?" the still exhausted pilot weakly asked.

"Uh, it is morning, and I'd like to talk with you," came a voice from the other side of the door.

The pilot opened his eyes and now saw that, to his dismay, it was indeed morning, and the strange fantasy he thought was a dream, was still in fact, very real. He lazily walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a green Equestrian male with bizarrely spiked green and white hair, err, mane he remembered. This pony was wearing a necktie. This must be an "Earth" pony, he thought, lacking wings and horns, but supposedly possessing far greater strength than the others and some kind of "ground link," or at least that's what he remembered Rainbow telling him.

The green stallion spoke, "Greetings, I am Lime Tree Hill, assistant to the Mayor, or Vice Mayor, as it were, and I have been sent to invite you to a meeting with the Mayor of this town, in order to figure certain things out, I guess."

"Alright, but how did you even know I was here?! Just about everyone was asleep when I got here!" the human answered.

"Rainbow Dash told everypony, and the news of Ponyville's visitor spread pretty quickly, until it eventually reached the Mayor herself. I can take you too her now, if you want."

"Sure, just let me get my stuff from, uh," he paused, "Cloudsdale."

***************

By the time Lenard arrived, a team of pegasai had already assembled around the plane-impaled cloud. The two pegasai that had carried him up had joined the other curious ponies eying the strange contraption. Many of them had looks of wonder and excitement. Some were touching it, trying to figure out how it worked. Even a certain rainbow-maned pegasus seemed interested. When Lenard walked over to the cloud, those looks of wonder and excitement turned to him, eying this new and amazing guest. He sheepishly waived to them as he approached, and tried his best to answer their questions.

"How does this thing work? Why is it so heavy? Is this symbol your cutie mark? Why do you walk on only two legs, dragons walk on two legs, but you're not a dragon, are you? Why is your mane so short? How can you stand on clouds? Can we please just get this plane down now?"

Admittedly, that last question was his.

"I'll explain everything to you guys later. In fact, I've been invited to talk to the mayor later on." Lenard explained. "So let's focus on getting this plane down to the ground first, alright? Then, answers for everyone!"

The pegasai smiled excitedly, then put on serious, determined expressions. They flew down to the large cloud and began to push downward. The force made small waves in the cloud, if that was possible, and knocked Lenard to his knees. He got up, and realized that the cloud, and the plane crashed trough it, hadn't moved.

Rainbow Dash spoke up, "We're going to need more pegasai."

"Or just more power," Lenard added, "I've got an idea."

He heard a yell from below. "It's not working, should I get help?"

"it's all right Lime, I got this," Lenard answered.

"Are you sure?" the green stallion asked nervously.

Lenard carefully walked over to the plane. The nose and canopy of the plane were lodged into the cloud.

"Everyone, stand back! You don't want to be on this cloud right now!" he warned.

He made sure his parachute was securely fashioned to his suit, hopping he wouldn't need it. The ponies watched as he dug into the cloud, still amazed that such a thing was possible. After a suitable hole was opened, he stood up and warned to ponies once again, telling them to stay away from the rear of the jet. He then jumped into the now exposed cockpit, which somehow still had its seat.

"I had to have ejected for some reason," he muttered, confused. "-but then how is the seat and canopy still here?" He looked around, but saw no sign of answers. The cockpit looked perfectly normal. "I'll worry about it later. Alright. Pre-flight checks... Plenty of fuel. Power looks steady..."

"What's he doing?" A pegasus spoke to another nearby,

"I think he'd examining it for ticks or something," the pegasus answered as Greene climbed out and began to carefully examine the inner and outer sections of the plane, opening panels and looking over various gauges.

After a thorough set of tests and checks, the pilot climbed back into the cockpit. "Alright I'm turning it on!" he yelled out to the spectators, hopping they headed his warnings. The young pilot watched as the Cloudsdale constables began to move the onlookers to a safe distance. He'd rather not have to tell this place's authorities that he'd killed some poor soul.

Greene toggled the power controls, and the cockpit lit up. Then he flicked the engine controls and waited.

Nothing happened.

He tapped the engine controls again.

The engine coughed but refused to spin up. He climbed out of the cockpit and made his way to the intakes, which were stuffed with.... clouds?

He finally gave up trying to comprehend the surface on which he stood, and effortlessly pulled out the stoppage. He jumped back in front of the controls, and toggled the engine switches again. This time, the engine began to groan, quietly at first, but slowly turning into the roar he knew quite well. He noticed the pegasai seemed to be having trouble holding on to their jaws. Some were talking, but the engines we're far too loud to hear anything.

The pegasai backed off, and Lenard closed the canopy, hopping his plan would work. On the ground, a small crowd of earth ponies and unicorns seemed to be watching intently, unaware of what was to happen next. Based on all he knew of the cloud, which admittedly was not much, Lenard began to formulate a plan.

The altimeter read: "200 Ft."

"That's not enough distance to get the plane going if it falls through the cloud, but it would hold, wouldn't it?" he thought to himself, unsure.

The plane itself seemed to be ready to go, so he did what came naturally: He jammed the throttle wide open, maximum thrust.

The cloud lurched forward.

Lenard could feel every shake, shutter, and vibration in his bones. But he was moving. At first, it appeared to be a slow drift, but soon the cloud picked up a bit of speed and the deafening roar of the engines echoed throughout the entire area. He couldn't tell, but he was pretty sure a few more heads turned up towards the sky. According to the heads up display, he was moving 47 mph.

Then 70.

Then 94.

Then 129.

The cloud seemed to be dropping off around the jet, and small puffs of white began to flutter behind him. With an almost audible "poof," the cloud dissipated completely, and despite Rainbow Dash's earlier assumptions, the F-15 was flying.

"Whooooo, hooooooooo!" the now exuberant pilot yelled, looking out of the canopy to get his bearings. The HUD now displayed an indicated speed of 305.

"That's one less thing to worry about," he smiled smugly, happy his harebrained scheme had worked.

He circled around and flew back towards the cloud platforms.

Some seemed greatly impressed with his close flyby, while others seemed to be scared out of their wits. In the brief glance he got of Rainbow Dash, she appeared to just be staring.

"Okay. Procedure was to contact the base. Time to find a way back," Greene thought out loud.

For the next few seconds, the F-15 spun, flew almost sideways, dived, swung, looped and zoomed above all the ponies, many sporting foal like looks of utter amazement. Its pilot pulled off high speed passes, low speed passes, jukes and rolls, but an anomaly refused to appear. He adjusted the settings of his radio.

...."Dobbins Air Command, are you reading this transmission?"....

There was no answer.

..."Great."...

He climbed to 10,000 feet, looked around to get his position, and throttled up to maximum speed run. The F-15 speed up to about 600 mph as he rocketed away from the town. Everypony looked around for the plane, wondering where it had disappeared to.

Suddenly, something moving faster than anything anypony had ever seen before, flashed by at no less than Mach 3.1.

The equine spectators looked confused at first. Why was there no sound?

A deafening boom was the last thing anypony heard for the next thirty seconds, followed by an explosion of radiant greys, whites, and fiery colors as the sound wave caught up to crowd.

"Nothing. No portal! No communications! I'm running out of options here," Greene muttered to himself.

Despite the ringing in their ears, the ponies below clapped and cheered enthusiastically.

"Are they clapping?" Greene thought from high above in the aircraft. "Hmm. Must have thought I was showing off."

Pleased with himself, the pilot throttled down to subsonic speed, and quickly realized he was in serious trouble.

It seemed that somehow the engines now read "low on fuel" despite being nearly full just seconds before. Something had completely drained the fuel tanks, and he had put no thought into where he would land.

"The tanks were full a few seconds ago!"

Out of reflex, he frantically yelled into his helmet radio.

...."This is Intrepid-Sparrow one. I am bingo fuel and need a place to land immediately! Repeat, I am bingo fuel and need a place to land!"....

He wasn't surprised when no answer came.

As the engines began to flutter, and the klaxons blared, Lenard pulled the ejector.

Nothing happened.

Realizing that without ejection, getting out safely would be almost impossible. He had no way out, other than landing the plane.

He noticed a prismatic streak of light behind him, struggling to keep up. He throttled down and braked. The streak maneuvered up to his canopy, and revealed itself to be a winded Rainbow Dash. Lenard yelled out to her, hoping that somehow, she would hear his plight.

Somehow, she did.

Rainbow forced one of her hooves against the overpowering wind pressure, and pointed down toward an open clearing that might be large enough to land a jet, but not necessarily long enough to land one safely.

He had no choice. He had no more than a few minutes of fuel, and he wasn't about to waste it looking for another clearing. Lenard looked at the cyan mare flying alongside him with a worried smile. She had and equally nervous smile, but continued to point toward the clearing. Lenard nodded, then dropped his landing gear. and silently whispered,

"I guess there really isn't any going back now."

The two flew in formation towards a very uncertain landing.

Chapter Five: Stained Glass Windows Of The Palace

Chapter Five: Stained Glass Windows Of The Palace

"So I guess this is actually happening," the pilot groaned as he popped his back into position with an audible crack. "You don't feel pain like that in a dream."

After a landing like that, all things considered, a sore back was a small price to pay. Rainbow Dash landed next to the nose of the fighter and tapped on the glass. "Are you alive!?" she yelled. "Are you dead in there?"

"Yes, I am quite dead, actually," the pilot painfully joked. It wasn't that bad of a crash, was it? he thought to himself.

He popped open the canopy and was about to leave, when he noticed a book wedged into a small space in the cockpit. The cover had the words "Worst Case Scenario" written on the cover. He put the book into one of his pockets, and jumped out of the cockpit. The plane appeared to still be intact, the landing gear and underside of the fuselage would clearly need some tender love and care, but it the plane wasn't totaled.

"You pilot people must be built like earth ponies," Dash worryingly stated.

"I don't know about that, but I do know that this plane's gonna need some work before it flies again. If, it ever flies again," Lenard said with a sigh. "it's not too bad though. By the way, we're called humans. Piloting is a job."

"Oh. Should we just leave this thing here?" Dash asked.

"I don't suppose we've got a choice. It's stuck here for now, Maybe you pony people can help me with it later," he sighed.

"Why don't we go see my friends, maybe they can help."

"Lead the way," the pilot replied.

During what was quite a long walk, the pilot and the pegasus enthralled each other with tales from their homelands. Lenard regaled Rainbow Dash with his recollections of aerial dogfights, his quirky adventures in high school and college, and how he came to be in Equestria in the first place. Dash told tales of the Elements of Harmony. Telling of their adventures regarding Nightmare Moon's bid for power, Discord's chaotic return, and the Changeling invasion.

They both seemed to have a hard time understanding each other's stories, but seemed entertained at least. Eventually, they reached the outskirts of Ponyville, where Lime Tree and the rest of the town were waiting for them.

As soon as the villagers spotted the battered pilot, they rushed him in one big group. Some showed relief of his being alive, and others celebrated just how awesome his aerial display was. All seemed to want a speech of some kind, so they pushed the pilot in front of a podium and waited expectantly. The pilot shot Lime Tree and Rainbow Dash a worried look.

"Uh, well, I guess I can say a few things. Hi there, uh, pony people. My name is Lenard Greene. My people are known as Humans. We come from a planet with the same name as yours, Earth, so I'm not sure if this is another planet or another dimension or something."

The ponies in the crowd seemed a bit confused.

"Anyway, I'm a captain in something called the Air Force, from a country called The United States of America, or USA for short."

Lime tree and Macintosh shot each other a look of pure revelation.

"There are plenty of other cool nations on Earth, err, our Earth too, but-"

"Wait!" Lime Tree shouted from the crowd. "Did you say USA? We found something that's got that on it! It looked like some kind of wreck."

"Really? Where is it?" the pilot asked.

"Ah reckon we can take y'all to it, if ya want. It's back at Sweet Apple Acres." Macintosh stated.

*******************

The sun began to set on the horizon as the whole of Ponyville traveled to Sweet Apple Acres.

The pilot and an entire village full of ponies all followed Macintosh to his farm, where they found the mysterious object embedded in the ground.

"Well I'll be!" The pilot exclaimed. "It's a probe! You guys found a probe!"

"Uh, what's a probe?" was the collective response from the crowd of ponies.

"Oh, they're devices we sent through these portal things to study whatever was beyond them, which apparently, is this place. These devices take pictures, video, and scans of the area they're in, and send it back to us."

"What's a video, and what's a scan?" asked the crowd in unison once again. It would have been creepy, if it wasn't so adorable.

Mayor Mare emerged from the crowd. She trotted over to crash site to get a better look at the probe.

"So these things are like spy devices?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

"More like mechanical explorers, that travel places too dangerous for anyone to go. Before they entered your world, we didn't know if it was even survivable," the pilot responded.

"You said "they," so are there more of them?" the mayor wondered.

The pilot nodded and spoke, "Yeah, this one seems to be... Wait... that's not possible... These look like parts of the very first probe, but it was destroyed before it even got through! I guess the explosion blew some of the pieces in anyway.

"So they aren't dangerous, are they?" The mayor asked, cocking one of her eyebrows.

"No, especially not this one, it's just scrap now. Maybe you guys can put it in a museum or something," the pilot explained. "It'd make a great display."

The mayor smiled, then gave a reassuring chuckle. "Very well then, continue."

The pilot started his speech back up again, explaining the aircraft and the probes, and asked if any of his friends had been spotted. Just as he was about to wrap up the speech, several white pegasai rushed in, all wearing gold and bronze armor. They surrounded the pilot and stared him down with glares that could topple mountains.

"Lenard Greene, you are under arrest for crimes against Equestria," one of them barked.

"Wait! For what!? And how do you know my name?" The pilot frantically questioned. "Don't I get diplomatic immunity or something?! I didn't do anything!"

"I am Captain Stonewall, and I'll answer your questions in order," the captain of the guard responded. "For attacking Canterlot, we can hear, no, and I don't care. There are your answers, now come with us."

Lenard was clearly shocked, but realized that cooperation was probably his best option. Two more guards flew in with a carriage. The guards slapped on some hoof-cuffs over his hands, which immediately fell off. Annoyed, the guards settled for just pushing him into the carriage, and locking the cell in place.

"Hey! He didn't do anything! You can't just arrest him!" a disgruntled blue pegasus whined.

"We can, and we have. You best leave us to our duty if you wish to stay free yourself," the guard warned. "As for the human, you will stand trial before the royalty. Frankly, I see no reason for any of this, but I will do my duty. Understand?"

The pilot displayed a look of understanding. Both the guard and the pilot had found themselves in situations such as this before, forced to carry out orders they really didn't want to. As they set off, Rainbow Dash, dashed up to the carriage to get a word in.

"Don't worry! I know the princess! I'll help you!" she yelled after them.

"Wait!" the guard shouted. "You're one of the Elements! You're coming with us too! The other Elements wish to see you."

*********************

The Sun finally dipped below the horizon in the skies above Canterlot.

"Rainbow! Where have you been?" Twilight began. "We've got a national crisis on our hooves!"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "You guys didn't seem to need me, so I went home. Besides, I wouldn't have met the human if I didn't. And this isn't a crisis! He just wanted to look around, and he hasn't done anything to hurt anypony," Dash retorted.

"The princess is worried, so I'm worried too," Twilight responded.

"Worried about what?"

"These so called "probes" (she actually made quotation mark gestures with her hooves) They could be weapons! One of them set fire to Canterlot after all!" Twilight argued. "I'm not sure we can trust him. None of his "technology" makes any sense!" the unicorn exclaimed.

Rarity shushed them. "Quiet Twilight! I'm trying to hear what's going on in there!"

"Are you sure we should be eavesdropping?" a small voice from a butter colored pegasus asked.

"Quiet Fluttershy!" Rarity snapped, followed by an "eep!" from that same butter colored pegasus. "I think he's been wearing the same clothes since he arrived! That simply will not do!" Rarity realized.

"Bigger problems, Rarity!" Twilight snapped back. "This "Human" could be the scout for an invasion!"

"Ah reckon ya'll been readin' too many of them "sci-fi" books, Twi. Ah think he's tellin' the truth. He doesn't seem like a liar ta' me, or an invader," Applejack explained.

Suddenly, there was pink.

"Maybe he's a really, really, really good liar, AJ! Or a dragon, what if he's a dragon! Wouldn't he have tried to breathe fire by now- ptffff!"

Applejack promptly shoved a hoof over Pinky's mouth. The small group put their ears on the throne room door. The guards, rather than stop them, did the same.

"Lenard Greene. That is your name, correct?" Celestia questioned on the other side of the door.

"A most.. odd name," Luna added.

"Y- yes, it's my name, but what is this all about?" Lenard questioned.

"I am Princess Celestia of The Sovereign Kingdom Equestria, this is my sister, Princess Luna. We are the rulers and caretakers of this land you now find yourself. Now, It has come to my attention that devices of your kind's origin have entered our borders, and struck the capital city. "

Princess Luna spoke up. "We are sorry for thy imprisonment, but we mustn't tarry in such situations. Tis unfortunate that thou must stand before us like this."

"Luna, we must make sure he is innocent before we can be sorry for anything."

Princess Luna nodded. "I Understand. What say you, human?"

Lenard was visibly sweating. "I assure you, if one of our probes is to blame for the attack you speak of, it was a complete accident. Has anyone been hurt?" the bewildered pilot asked.

"The ponies are a bit shaken, but unharmed," Celesta answered with an emotionless face.

"You saith that thy objects are called "probes." If not weapons, what be thy purpose in this world?" Luna asked.

"When strange energy readings were detected back home, my friends and I were sent to investigate them. When we showed them our findings, they figured that they were portals of some kind, and called them "anomalies." Because we didn't know what was inside them, we sent in probes, which record data and send it back to us. When we realized that there was another world on the other side, and that it was safe to travel to, the scientists decided to send people through them to explore further. My friends and I volunteered. We entered in airplanes, flying machines commonly used for travel and defense. The last thing I remember was entering the anomaly then waking up on a cloud. I still don't know where my friends or their aircraft are, and the probes must have lost control after they sent the data back. I'm truly sorry for that."

"Interesting, though I must admit I don't fully understand the nature of this incident, you seem to be telling the truth, and you do not at all seem guilty. Guards, release him." Celestia smiled, and waived the pilot over. "Glad that's out of the way."

"Pray tell kind sir, would you be willing to demonstrate this "airplane" for us. Such technology is unheard of in our domain, and we were unable to attend thy aerial demonstration before," Luna explained.

"I heard the Wonderbolts might have some competition," Celestia added.

Relieved that he wasn't going to be exiled, beaten, tortured or executed, Lenard smiled and stretched his now free arms and legs.

"I would be glad to give you guys a show, when my plane is repaired. and fueled," the pilot explained.

"Your vessel is damaged?" Luna asked.

"There was a bit of an accident," Lenard replied sheepishly.

The two sisters gave each other a worried glance.

"Art thou well?" Luna asked.

"I'm alright, my back hurts though." he answered.

"Call in the royal masseuses!" Celestia exclaimed.

From seemingly nowhere, a team of mares and stallions burst into the throne room from a door off to the sides of the thrones themselves. They swept the surprised pilot off of his feet, and threw him onto a small bed.

Despite having hooves, these ponies were surprisingly good at giving massages. After a few minutes, the pilot felt completely rejuvenated. He stood up, feeling better than he had in days. The team of emergency masseuses disappeared as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Wow. Uh, thanks. I needed that, but what should I do about my plane?" Lenard asked.

"A team of our best scientists will be there to assist you in the morning. They probably won't be much help, but they are fast learners and may be able to assist you. You may leave now, if you wish," Celestia spoke.

"Before thy exit, would you be willing to instruct me in the art of contractions?" Luna asked.

"Huh?" was the pilot's answer.

"I have endeavored to-, I mean I'm trying to learn to speak more modern language. Would thou be willing to teach me to speak as thou speaketh? Luna asked.

"Why would you want to change the way you speak? I think it's pretty cool. My people once spoke like that. It suits you. It's getting a bit late though, is there anywhere I can stay in this city?" Lenard wondered.

"As an emissary from your Earth, you are welcome to stay here in the palace guestroom suite, with a full staff of servants," Celestia explained.

"WHAT?!" came a voice from behind the throne room door. The guards opened the door, and six mares, two stallion guards, and a baby dragon fell into the throne room.

"Spike, when did you get here?" Twilight wondered.

"I, uh, I stowed away in the carriage, then wrote that letter outside. I just wanted to see what was going on, really! I locked up the Library and everything!" the young dragon explained.

"I guess you can stay then," the purple mare stated flatly.

The princesses both had confused looks on their faces. The mares and guards regained their composure. They each gave a sheepish grin, and then returned to their post.

"Blasted rookies," one of the other guards hissed.

The six mares filled into the throne room, each with a nervous look on their face.

"Twilight, seeing as you heard that entire conversation, you and your friends can help Lenard in his studies of our world, and his apparent mission," Celestia ordered.

"Yes princess. Should we all go back to Ponyville now?" Twilight asked.

Celestia stood to bid her students and the battered human pilot goodbye. "If he wants, but he is our guest, so treat him nicely. And Mr. Greene, the guestroom if available whenever you are in Canterlot. May you find your friends safe and sound."

"Thank you Princess Celestia, Thank you Princess Luna." He gave a short and awkward bow, then left with the Elements.

Lenard walked out with his new friends.

"So I've heard a lot about you guys. Rainbow Dash told me all about your adventures."

"Yeah, we heard some things about you too, Mr. Greene. If the Princesses trust you, then you're alright with us," spoke Twilight. "We can talk more in the morning, though. For now, *yawn* I'm going to sleep all the way back home."

"Sounds good, and you can just call me Lenard."

*********************

After the flight back to Ponyville, Lenard Greene stepped out of the carriage and bade all of his new friends goodbye. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, all except for Rainbow Dash.

"Why the long face?" Lenard jokingly asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dash responded, clearly annoyed.

"It's just an expression back home, it means, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why? does it look like I gotta problem?"

"Yeah, actually, you do. Is it about your house?"

"Nah, it's no big deal, I'll just rebuild it later. It's just clouds anyway."

"So why do you look so annoyed then?"

"It's you and your jet thing! I'm supposed to be the fastest flyer! Then you just show up, do a sonic Rainboom twice, and everyone loves you and forgets about me!" Rainbow Dash was quite angry now. "It's my move, and you stole it!"

"Look, I have no idea why you're so mad. Back home, we've been breaking the sound barrier for more than sixty years! How was I supposed to know you had your name on it here? Okay look, I'm sorry for stealing your thunder," He snickered "-but just because someone is better than you at something, doesn't mean you should get angry at that person. You're probably still the fastest pegasus, right? And it's not like I could even hope to beat you without the jet."

Dash's mood seemed to improve, "Yeah, I guess you're right." She gave a halfhearted smile. "Although that sounded a lot like something Twilight would put into a letter to the princess. Did she put you up to this?"

"Uh, maybe. She's a good friend, you know that?" The pilot thought for a moment. "You know what? How would you like a ride in another one of these things after the cavalry comes to pick me up? I guess that's If they come to pick me up."

"You serious?"

"Well I'd have to get a hold of an 'E' model. Hmm. I suppose that may be a while, but maybe It'd teach you a thing or two about serious speed."

"That sounds awesome! I'm sure your buddies wouldn't just leave you here, right? Well, I'll see ya later Cap, the cloud contractor is waiting back at what's left of my place to help me build an even cooler house!"

She took off into the night without even thinking to finish the conversation.

Lenard cocked one of his eyebrows, and walked back to the inn.

He walked into his room, shut the door, and pulled out the small book he'd found in his plane earlier. After reading the first few pages, he realized that the book was a survival guide based on the information the probes had returned. It even included an anomaly schedule. Lenard gasped.

"The next anomaly is tomorrow!"

****************

"Princess, Auntie! Did you really let him go!?"

Prince Blueblood seemed a bit annoyed over the events of the last few days, and the human was a perfect target for blame. His mane and coat were still heavily damaged, and the Prince's mood followed suit.

"He is innocent. He had nothing to hide. I could sense that much," Celestia spoke sternly.

"If his story is true, does that mean that there is an entire race of ponies- err people, just like him? and can we trust them?" the prince questioned.

"Not sure, but we will have to get to know them before we make any decisions," Celestia answered.

"I find his culture to be most intriguing. I would very much like to travel to his world," Luna added.

"According to him, humans and ponies are very similar in some ways quite different in others," Celestia explained.

Luna thought to herself a moment, "Let us hope that thy human acquaintances shall be friendly, and do not make the same mistake we did."

"I hope your right," The Prince responded "I will take my leave of you now, princesses. Good night to you."

"Good night, prince." the two alicorns spoke almost in unison.

After Blueblood disappeared into the upper spires of the palace, Celestia turned to a window, a puzzled look on her face. "Sister, do you sense it?" she asked.

"I do feel something, though I haven't a single guess as to what it could be," Luna answered. "Do you think it has something to do with the human?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not even sure it's something we should be worried about. More humans might arrive soon, and I can't wait to see what becomes of it. Perhaps we will travel to their world like you suggested. For now, I will get some rest. This has been a most interesting weekend."

Celestia began the ascent to her chambers.

*****************

A tired griffon messenger dashed into the great mead hall of The Griffon League.

"Praetor! Praetor!"

"Yes scribe, what do you need?"

"Praetor Phalanx, the other leaders are disusing the plans regarding the weapon! Emperor Bane of the Pandragon Empire requested your presence personally! He says there is much to discuss! Apparently, the Terrus Dragons refused to be drawn into our ranks, and will remain neutral. But the Pandragon Empire will join us!" the scribe responded.

The hall erupted into cheers.

"See, my dear Gilda? Nopony will have to die! They won't fight against an army of this size! We can bring justice without bloodshed!" the triumphant leader bellowed.

"This is just too awesome!" Gilda smiled, pecked him on the cheek, then cheered with the rest of the soldiers and patrons in the hall.

"Long live the Alliance! Long live the Alliance! Long live the Alliance!"

Chapter Six: Into The Forest

Chapter Six: Into The Forest

Though It was the early morning, the F-15 crash site (Lenard preferred not to call it that,) was buzzing with activity.

There were scientists, engineers, and construction ponies all trying to make nose or tail of the situation. Despite not knowing anything about the stricken aircraft, the more observant members of the group were able to determine that underside of the plane was the most damaged. They had been told not to lay a hoof on aircraft until its pilot arrived, but some simply couldn't contain themselves.

"What do you suppose this does?" a mare in white scientist robes asked a tough looking construction pony.

She tried to pick up the object, but it was too heavy, so she stood it up and began to roll it.

"It looks like a wheel," the grizzled stallion replied.

"They're called landing gear wheels, and I told you guys not to mess with them!" a voice rung out.

The two ponies gasped and quickly swung around.

"Mr. Greene, we we're expecting you," the scientist spoke as she regained her composure.

The pilot rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway.

"It's alright. I don't think you guys could break this old thing anymore than it already is. Besides, we can forget the plane for now, seeing as there's something much more interesting to deal with today. An anomaly is supposed to appear!"

A lavender unicorn hit her head on the underside of one of the plane's wings.

"Did you say an anomaly, like the one you entered our world through? I have been meaning to study those! If one is opening today I'll need all of my magical equipment! We may even have new guests!" Twilight trailed off as she ran away in the direction of the library.

"Okay then, let's get going," The pilot began. "I already had that little dragon guy send off a letter to the princesses with that weird fire burp thing he does. You can already see that they've got balloons up all over Equestria, ready to spot an emergence. This plane can wait. Everyone- pony, I need your help to man- er, stallion the balloons of the new Ponyville-Cloudsdale Anomaly spotting team. The Cloudsdale end has already been notified, and the balloons are on their way. With any luck, I can finally get out of here!"

The ponies looked a bit dejected at this last comment. Some even lowered their heads.

"No, no you guys, I didn't mean it like that. This place is awesome! Really! And I'd love to stay a while, but there is much work to do back home. Chin up! This could be the start of an interplanetary colaboration! So you can see why I'm so excited to get home! People are going to want to know all about this place, just like you guys want to know all about my home. You guys get to be part of that!"

The ponies started to grin again as they began to understand just what was now possible.

"A whole new world to explore!" one pony said.

"Imagine the possibilities!" another stated.

"Have Muffins?! Muffin Acquisition?"

The ponies all began to murmur at this last comment, and gave each other strange looks, as a grey pegasus raised her hooves up in excitement.

Over the last two days, the pilot had wandered all over Ponyville. He'd met this blonde pegasus before.

"Yes Ditzy, we have muffins. I'll have to send you my mother's recipe, I'm sure you'll love it," the pilot explained.

The cross-eyed pegasus grinned, and clopped her hooves together.

"Anticipation!" she cheered.

*********************

All over Equestria, spotter balloons gracefully floated through the skies. Each was filled with watchponies, who vigilantly searched the sky for anything strange. Armed with spotting scopes, each team waited to shout down confirmation of a sighting and raise the alarm first. In one of the larger balloons, five ponies and a human all waited patiently for something out of the ordinary.

"Mr. Greene, What exactly should we be watching for?" Lime Tree asked.

"Believe me, you'll know when you see it. And please, I told you you can call me Lenard," the pilot answered.

"We still won't know what to look for if you don't tell us," Twilight spoke.

"It's a big blue ball of energy with lightning shooting out of it! Does that kind of thing happen a lot around here?"

"No," Twilight began, "I guess not. Though I can say I've seen much stranger things."

"Then you'll know when you see it," Lenard explained, a mock glare upon his face.

Twilight chuckled. "While we wait, I'd like to ask you a few questions for my studies. What is your world like?"

Lenard had been asked similar questions since his arrival, but never this direct.

"Earth, I mean our Earth, is um, well, it's a lot like this world. The skies are blue, the clouds are white, and the dirt is, uh, brown. There are beaches, oceans, lakes, islands, all the usually stuff."

Twilight picked up a quill with her magic, dipped it into some ink, and began writing.

"Ok, what are humans like?" she asked.

Lenard thought for a moment. No one seemed to have asked him that one before.

He looked at the other ponies in the area. Some of them reminded him of his friends and family. The caterers, The Cakes, reminded him of his parents. Hard working, but they always seemed to take the time to enjoy themselves. He looked over to three fillies that seemed to be trying to catapult themselves with some crazy contraption, while two colts looked on and snickered as they flung themselves into a lake. The five foals reminded him of his childhood friends. The bouncy pink pony riding in the balloon with him ironically reminded him of his hyperactive younger brother. The stoic guards he had spoken to back at the palace reminded him of his friends in the military.

A smile crept onto the pilots face.

"We're a lot like you."

**********************

Several sirens rung out between the balloons. On board Twilight's balloon, Pinkie Pie giggled as she spun the hoof cranked siren. Lenard noted that the sirens sounded eerily similar to the kind used in World War II. He would have dwelt on the other similarities, if not for the large blue sphere of raw energy floating in the distance, which quickly stole his attention.

"Target spotted," a stallion yelled through a cone.

Every spotter turned their scopes toward the event. Jaws dropped at the sight of it, including Lenard Greene's. This anomaly was different. It looked stronger, more stable than any before. Twilight was trying to feed parchment into some strange contraption that looked like something that would have spawned Frankenstein. The contraption frantically spat out lines and zig-zags on the parchment, indicating... well... who knows?

"It's incredible! I'm not sure what that is! It's not like any magic I've ever encountered!" Twilight babbled.

No one noticed her talking though. Everyone had their eyes locked on the otherworldly shape hovering in the distance.

"Um, Mr. Lenard, what's about to happen?" a timid Fluttershy asked, floating just outside the balloon.

"Look for something shooting out of it! Something like my plane. They'll be moving pretty fast most likely," The pilot yelled over the sirens.

But no planes came.

*****************

"IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO MINUTES NOW! WHAT'S TAKING THEM SO LONG?" The pilot struggled to be heard.

"WHAT?" Twilight answered.

"I SAID, WHATS TAKING THEM SO LONG?"

"I DON'T KNOW! HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO ENTER?"

"About twenty seconds! They must not be coming. Tell them to turn off those sirens already! Wait a minute, what's that?!"

Just as he uttered the question, a massive rocket shaped vessel hurtled out of the anomaly and sped just past their balloon, just barely missing them.

"Is it another probe? Why is it so big?!" Lenard questioned.

"Ah don't know, but it's headed straight fer th' Everfree forest!" Applejack shouted out.

"Aww, it's headed right toward the Denselands. I don't think we're recovering that one," Lime Tree muttered, most annoyed by this outcome.

"WAIT! I see a chute! This thing must be important! I can't tell from here, but it's pretty big," the pilot spoke.

"What do ya think they left ya?" Applejack asked.

Lenard shrugged.

"Who knows, maybe it's more crazy human stuff. You think it's something cool?" Rainbow Dash wondered from outside the balloon.

"The portal thingy is closed now. Aww! I wanted to ring the sirens some more," Pinky whined.

"Can I borrow that cone real quick, Lime?" Lenard asked as he took the cone. "HEY SPIKE!"

A little dragon looked up from the ground. He took a cone from somepony else on the ground, and yelled back.

"WHAT DO YA NEED?"

"Send a letter to Canterlot. Tell them that something from my world landed in the forest, and we're going to find it. Oh, and it landed in the zone known as the "Denselands," whatever that means."

"You can't seriously be considering going in there after it, are you?" Spike asked.

The expressions from the other ballooners betrayed the same feelings.

"If it's got a parachute, it must be important, and they want me to find it!" the pilot shouted back.

"Okay, I'll send it! But I have a bad feeling about all of this!" the dragon gave in.

As they all waited for a response, Twilight lowered the balloon and the ponies and their human friend met up at the library. Spike soon joined them, and began to heave violently.

"You've got mail," he joked and choked at the same time.

A letter bearing the sun and moon of the royal seal materialized in front of him, and he read it aloud.

Dear Mr. Greene,

We just wanted to inform you of the dangers the Denselands pose. It is one of the most dense parts of the jungle, hence the name. It contains incredibly dangerous creatures that are not to be trifled with, some even by those as powerful as we. Please take a the provided royal guards with you. A small team will arouse the least amount of attention, and weapons may be needed to defend yourselves. Please, do not enter the Denselands unarmed. We would rather not have to explain to any future guest that you disappeared into the forest, never to be heard from again. May you find what you seek, and come back safe and sound.

With Regards,

HRH Princesses Celestia and Princess Luna

"Is it really that bad?" Lenard asked with a new look of uncertainty on his face.

The ponies solemnly nodded.

Lenard gulped "Well then, let's go arm ourselves."

"Wait, there's a p.s," Spike noticed.

The Elements will want to assist you on your journey. Please do not take them with you as they are not trained in dealing with situations like this. We fear they are not ready. They are to report to Mayor Mare's office to report to her directly. We will stand by with a rescue team if you require it.

"Did the princess just call us weak?" Rainbow asked, cocking her head to the side.

"No," Twilight answered. "We may be The Elements, but we aren't warriors. I doubt he'll need the services of a librarian, a vet, or a weathermare anytime soon."

"But we've been into the forest before," Rainbow started to argue.

"Not this time Rainbow, it's just too dangerous. We didn't even get anywhere near the Denselands, and the only other time I went in, I got frozen in stone."

"So what about Lenard? What makes him qualified to go in?"

Lenard smirked, "Worried Dash? Don't. I'm in the military back home. I do have some survival training. I'll be alright."

"I just think that if you're allowed to go, I should be too!" The indignant pegasus chided.

"Yeah but-"

There was a knock at the door. Twilight trotted up to it and opened the fore door, revealing two stoic Bronze and silver clad royal guards.

"Yes, can I help you?" Twilight asked.

The two soldiers, an Earth pony and pegasus, both nodded. The earth pony wore the slightly fancier armor that veterans typically wore. He saluted, then began to speak:

"Greetings, I am Sergeant Sky Blade, and this is Corporal Star Sabre. We have been sent to assist the recovery operation."

The two were the same shade of white as all the other guards, but Star Sabre, the pegasus, had a small tuft of orange hair in his mane. Twilight wondered if the Royal Guard really did dye their coats to match each other, and if these guards didn't expect to be on duty at the moment.

She let the guards in and sauntered back into the house.

"Lenard, you've got guests!" Twilight yelled into the back of the house.

Lenard quickly emerged. After a look at the two warriors in front of him, he decided to offer a Salute. The two guards seemed confused by this at first, but saluted back.

"We were told that there were similarities, but even the salute is the same, granted that it is performed with your hands rather than our hooves. Are you ready to depart, Captain?"

"Wait, I'm going with you," Lime Tree spoke out. "I've been deep into the forest before, maybe not as deep as the Denselands, but I know what I'm doing, and you could use some help. Besides, the princesses said the elements couldn't go, they didn't say anything about me."

The guard gave the green stallion a curious look and motioned the group to follow them outside. Twilight and her friends followed behind. Outside, two more guards were yoked to a chariot, filled with what appeared to be weapons.

"Do any of you have arrow-arms training?" Star Sabre asked the group.

"No," Dash spoke with her head down in defeat. "But I will next time! I Guarantee it!"

All the other Elements shook their heads, though one actually seemed rather relieved that they wouldn't be going.

"I've carried a crossbow before, but not spears, or javelins," Lime Tree spoke.

"Then you're in," Sky Blade smiled. "It's not often we meet civilians with any weapons training whatsoever, so your help is appreciated. Just try not to get in our way."

The guards tossed down a small arrow caster, which Lime Tree deftly caught in his mouth.

"A colt 54. I like it," Lime added. He strapped the small weapon to one of his forelegs and grinned confidently.

Lenard carefully looked over what appeared to be arrow launchers. They seemed to be miniaturized wooden versions of the kind of crossbows a human hunter might use, only designed to be pony friendly. They each carried five, six inch arrows in some sort of magazine and could be fastened to a pony's leg. Lenard's best guess was that a pony would fire the bow with their mouth while running, or with their other hoof when accuracy was important. There were other assorted weapons, including an extremely large bow with a four-foot long arrow, which Lenard figured was their equivalent to a shoulder mounted munitions launcher. Lastly, there were a few small spears, knives and what looked like a small steel sword, similar to what both guards had fastened to their armor.

"These are quite ingenuitive," Lenard thought aloud.

Lime Tree stared down at the massive bow in the cart. "I understand the crossbows, but a Javelin Spear Launcher? What exactly are going to be fighting in there that would require us fire a JSL?!"

The guards shrugged. "Who knows? It's always good to be prepared," Star Sabre stated, calm as ever.

"Which would you like?" Sergeant Sky Blade asked the human.

"I'll take a sword, and one of those Crossbows please," Lenard chuckled." -and that big one as well."

"Going for the heavy weapons I see. Wise choice if you're entering the Denselands," Sky Blade answered. "I've never been in there myself, but if our intelligence is correct, there is quite a large population of dangerous creatures and predators."

Lenard grinned. "That's why I also brought this."

The pilot pulled out a small black "L" shaped object out of one of his pockets. The guards looked it over and raised their eyebrows in curiosity.

"What is it?" Star Sabre remarked.

"It's a gun. Guns are the standard weapons of most law enforcement and military back home. Think of them as really powerful crossbows that use a miniature explosion to propel their arrows, instead of a bow. We pilots carry them just in case we have to eject into unfriendly territory. I found quite a lot of ammunition, so I think someone back home was worried. I'm glad they were.

A blond earth pony trotted up to the human.

"How's it work? Ah don't see any arrows," Applejack questioned.

Lenard was praying that somepony might ask him that question.

"I got some extra ammo, so I'll give a demonstration."

The guards and the small group of ponies watched intently as the human picked a small tin can off of the ground. It struck him as odd.

"Diced beets," Lenard read. "Hmm..." He realized that he hadn't eaten anything since his arrival, and like a wave, hunger began to gnaw at him.

The can was empty. Lenard silently wondered how a pony would open a tin can. It seemed that a lot of things, like the can, were eerily similar to objects found in his world. This "magic" explained most of it, but non magic users would seem to have trouble with certain things. He imagined Rainbow Dash trying to open a Can of soda.

That mental image made him chuckle.

"Basically, a gun fires a small piece of metal called a bullet, by pushing it out with a tiny blast," Captain Greene continued.

He motioned for the ponies to move out of the way, and lined up a shot with the tin can. With another chuckle, he pulled the trigger. Three distinct sounds rung out.

BANG!

"Eeep!"

Chink!

Fluttershy, who had launched herself into a nearby tree, floated back down and eyed the can.

"I didn't see anything moving, but look! There's a hole, all the way through it!"

The other ponies began murmuring excitedly.

"I think that will do." Star Sabre grinned. "You wouldn't happen to have any more of those things, would you?"

"No, but this is just a pistol, you haven't even seen what a rifle would do!"

"I think we are sufficiently armed now." Sergeant Sky Blade grinned even wider now.

"You're sure you don't need any help?" Dash tried one last time.

"Ma'am, we'll be fine. You and your friends should report to the mayor. She is waiting. Then you can resume your usual duties," Sky Blade answered.

"Don't worry you guys," Lenard took another clip from his pockets. It popped into the gun with an amusing clicking sound.

"-we'll be fine."

*******************

"It's pretty dark in here," a green stallion remarked.

"Really, Lime? I was completely unaware," a nervous looking human answered.

"No, I mean more than usual. We've definitely entered the Denselands."

"Oh." Lenard gulped. "Let's press on then."

They had made a great time through the thinner, more traveled sections of the forest, unhindered thus far. Lime Tree would point his right foreleg out towards a suspicious branch or tree every now and then, but nothing had caused him to fire the bow which was fastened to it... yet.

"You guys bring any food?" Lenard wondered.

"You hungry?" Star Sabre answered.

A loud stomach growl answered the question.

"The pink one left us some grub, but I'm not sure what humans eat, so you may not like it," the guard offered

Lenard tore into a daffodil, grass seed, and hay sandwich. He realized just how true the saying "Anything tastes good when you're starving" was. "Hmm, it's... interesting," Lenard spoke with the sandwich still in his mouth. "It certainly has a... texture to it. I just know I'll regret eating it later though."

He finished the sandwich and started fumbling around with his pistol. Then he examined the crossbow and the large, anti-vehicle sized bow slung over his back.

Despite their surroundings, they were quickly getting bored with the trip.

"How far in is this thing again?" Star Sabre asked.

"About seven or so miles into the forest, by Twilight's calculations," Lime tree answered.

"Our miles are the same, right?" Lenard asked nervously.

"I think they translate the same," Lime tree answered. "10,560 hooves, right?"

Uh, right." Lenard now appeared a bit nervous.

The group trotted and walked for several minutes in silence.

"We need to talk, or I'm going to go insane," Lime Tree finally yelled.

"What do you want to talk about?" Sky Blade asked.

"I don't know. How could I get some armor like that?" Lime asked.

"Join the Royal Guard," Sky Blade flatly answered.

"Oh. Okay then," Lime Tree mumbled. "So what's you're stud stamp look like?"

"Excuse me, my what?" The guard cocked his eyebrows.

The green stallion smiled. "You haven't heard? Stallions are starting to call their cutie marks "Stud Stamps" now.

The two guards grinned. "Bout time. I wasn't sure how long we we're going to suffer that emasculation. It's kind of hard to be stallionly with something called a "cutie mark" emblazoned on your flank," Star Sabre replied.

"Speaking of which, why don't you have a "stamp," Mr. Tree?" Sky Blade asked.

"Please, just call me Lime Tree. It just sounds better. Regarding my sides, in truth, I don't really know why I don't have one. My friends and I always joked that it's there, it's just the same color as my coat, so no pony can see it," the blank flanked stallion replied. "It's still weird being a full grown stallion without one though. Some ponies have accidentally assumed that I was a very large colt. I usually set 'em straight though," Lime Tree explained.

"What are you guys talking about?" the odd human out in the group wondered aloud.

Lime Tree thought a moment. "Cutie marks and stud stamps are a pony's identity symbol; images or objects that describe that pony's lot in life. No pony really understands how it works. Some say that it is predestined at birth, others say that the individual's actions decide what it is. Some say that they can change over a ponies lifetime, but this has never been proven. As for me, I haven't really felt a need to have one, but I have always wondered why I don't."

Lenard shrugged. "If a human really wants an identity symbol, you can just get some clothes, or a hat or a tattoo or something."

"What's a tattoo?" Sky Blade wondered.

"It's like what you were talking about, only it's a drawing burned into your skin."

"That sounds painful," Star Sabre remarked.

"That's why some people get them, to show off that they can handle the pain. Others just get them as, well, I guess, an identity symbol," Lenard explained.

"Do you have one?" Sabre wondered.

"Nah, I never like the idea of being stuck with some drawing on my body for life, though there are equally painful ways of getting rid of them. I just never saw the point. A friend of mine knows this guy that's literally covered with them. No one ever wants to start trouble with him, so maybe there's something to it."

"Oh." Lime scratched his head. "You guards still haven't told me what your stamps are yet," Lime stated.

"Mine's a star with a narrow sword in front of it," Star Sabre explained. "Go figure."

"I got an axe with the two royal seals on each side," Sky Blade proudly told. "I got it shortly after I joined the Royal Guard. The others seemed a bit jealous, but now that I'm a Sergeant, I get some respect."

The human cocked one of his eyebrows. "That I understand, but why is you're name Sky Blade? That seems more like, you know, a pegasus name."

"Maybe, but my folks liked it, so I have no objections," the sergeant answered.

The pilot gave in. "Well, this whole thing seems a bit strange. But I guess it's all "magic," so I'll just go along with it."

"Between us non-unicorns, I think the whole thing is stupid," Star Sabre complained.

"Whatever Star. Just keep moving," the sergeant replied.

The four adventurers wandered deeper into the forest.

*****************

"So how do ya' think they're doin'?" Applejack asked her friends.

"It gets p-pretty d-dark in there. I'm s-scared for them," Fluttershy whimpered at just the thought of such a terrible place.

"They've got a miniature armory with them," Twilight explained. "I don't see what could possibly stop them."

******************

"WHAT THE FLANK IS THAT THING!" The younger guard, Star Sabre exclaimed.

"Quiet corporal!" Sergent Sky Blade half yelled, half whispered. "That's an order! I do not want that thing to hear us! To answer your question," The Sergeant began, "It's a hexa-hydra. Six heads. All of them equally deadly."

"All I know is that it's chewing on that huge ship thing! We've got to do something! Now!" Sabre replied.

"Mr. Greene, how long do you think that thing will stand up to this punishment?" The Sergeant asked.

"I have no idea! I don't know anything about it! It's much larger than it looked from the balloon, but it's going to be flat if we don't stop that monster!" The human whispered.

"Why don't we just shoot it?" Lime Tree asked quietly.

"Because the last thing we want to do is anger it. It could damage the target!" Sergeant Sky Blade explained. "We've got to get it away before we attack. We need a distraction."

Sky Blade, Star Sabre and Lenard Greene all looked over to Lime Tree, who cocked his eyebrows and asked:

"Why is everypony looking at me?"

*****************

"I still don't think it's fair. I should be there with them!" Rainbow Dash pouted.

"Don't ya'll ever get tired of gettin' in ta' trouble, Dash?" Applejack deadpanned. "They don't need our help."

*****************

"We need heeeeeelp!" Lime Tree shouted as a large six headed beast stomped behind him, shaking the ground with every step.

"You guys can unleash your brilliant plan any time now!" the blank-flanked green earth pony whined, still galloping for his life.

"Just keep going, we're almost in position!" Sky Blade yelled out.

Lime Tree was breathing quite heavily now. "Why am I the decoy anyway?!"

"You're the brightest color out of all of us. You stand out!" Star Sabre answered from behind a rock.

"That's horseapples! I can tell you're orange under that dye!" Lime retorted.

"So what, you expect me to waste time washing it out so I can be the decoy?!" Sabre yelled back.

Lime Tree gasped for breath. "You're the one with the armor!" he tried to yell.

"Exactly! Without armor, you can gallop faster! Now shut up and keep going! We're almost ready!"

"You can fly!" Lime Tree argued the obvious.

"I said shut up and keep going!"

"Lenard, are you hurting it?" Lime tree yelled as he watched the human fire shot after shot into beast.

The bullets seemed to be imbedding themselves in the hexa-hydra's hide, but didn't seem to be doing any real damage.

"I'd kill for a grenade right about now," the pilot mumbled under his breath. "I'm just annoying it! We need heavy fire!" Lenard yelled out. "Is it set up yet?!"

Sky blade darted out behind his cover, an explosion of leaves and twigs following in his wake. He had the large arrow launcher on his back. The sergeant pointed his forearm crossbow towards the beast, hoping it wouldn't be the last thing he ever did.

"I'm ready!" Sergeant Sky Blade exclaimed. "Lime Tree! Duck!"

The green stallion dove behind a large boulder and covered his head with his hooves. Sergent Sky Blade bit his forearm bow's trigger yoke and shot a few small arrows at one of the beast's heads to get its attention.

They harmlessly bounced off.

As the hydra turned around, the grizzled soldier pony put the JSL trigger yoke in his mouth, and lined up a shot.

"The foals are just gonna love this story," he muttered under his breath.

He bit the trigger.

********************

Five ponies and a dragon walked up to Rarity's Boutique.

"What do ya think Rarity's been up too all this time?" Spike wondered.

"Ah don't know, but when Rarity disappears, strange things start happenin' remember?" Applejack warned. "Remember Nightmare Night?"

Twilight shuddered, then raised a hoof to knock on the door. "Rarity? You home?"

"Coooooooooming!" a voice rung out from behind the door.

Rarity opened the top half of her door, wearing the same red glasses she always wore while designing, confirming her friends suspicions.

Rarity was up to something.

"Ah, girls, I'm glad you came! Now I can show you my project! It's absolutely fabulous!"

********************

Lenard looked out toward the downed hydra and came to an immediate realization.

It wasn't dead.

Weakened, but not dead.

Despite the four foot arrow stuck right into the place where its heart should be, it stood up, popped its many necks, and growled furiously. If it wasn't a mindless killing machine before, it was now.

"Retreat!" Sergeant Sky Blade growled out to the others, each of which took off in the other direction, running as fast as they could through the forest. Surprisingly, Lenard was able to keep up.

They ran, realizing that there wasn't really much they could do at this point. All they could do now was hide and hope the beast would give up the chase.

The two royal guards, the mayor's assistant, and a human pilot took cover under a large downed tree.

"So what do we do now?" Lime Tree whispered.

Lenard stood up, "I say we let him have it!"

Sky Blade agreed. "FIRE EVERYTHING!"

The four adventures threw everything they had the beast. Lime Tree and the two guards fired the rest of the arrows in their forearm bows. Lenard's pistol hurled several rounds into the defiant beast as well.

"Reloading!" Sky Blade yelled out, grabbing a new magazine of mini-arrows from his saddle bag.

"I'm out!" Star Sabre screamed at the top of his lungs.

"We've got to take this thing out before it kills us!" Lenard yelled.

They each fired the last of their arrows and Lenard inserted the very last clip into his pistol. With a few last defiant blasts from the handgun, the forest went silent.

"Did we really think that was going to work?" Lime Tree whispered.

"More of a desperate hope, really," Lenard answered.

"So how long do you think we can hide?" Lime Tree asked.

A large tail crashing through their cover answered the question.

"RUN FOR IT!" Sky Blade ordered the group. The small band of jungle explorers bolted away from the beast as fast as they could... again. Three on four legs, one on two, they made quite a symphony of foot/hoof steps.

The Hydra was gaining on them.

As it closed within striking distance, the group cringed, ready to accept whatever swift demise awaited them. Lenard pulled out one the swords he'd requested earlier. He waved the sharp metal in his hands, and the ponies held blades in their mouths, all of them acting in a futile attempt to scare the massive beast. Somehow, all four of them knew it wouldn't work. This beast was clearly not planning to show any mercy. The beast lifted one of it's huge arms, preparing for a final strike.

CRACK!

One of the hydra heads suddenly toppled over.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Three more went limp.

CRACK! CRACK!

The hydra keeled over like a redwood tree.

"HA! HA! Six shots, six dropped!" a voice rung out over the forest.

"Chief, you out there?" another voice asked. "Boss, is that you?"

The four exhausted warriors stood up, looking for the source of the voices.

Lenard turned his head towards the object they'd gone into the forest to find in the first place. The "target" as they had called it, had a door, and a multitude of human beings seemed to be climbing out of it.

"It was some kind of shuttle, a delivery system. Whatever it is, it's huge!" Lenard realized. He spotted two very familiar faces.

"Gerri, Mike! You guys rode in on that thing?!" Lenard exclaimed, thrilled to be reunited with his friends. "How'd you guys take out that monster anyway?!" he asked, clearly amazed.

Gerri grinned. "That wasn't us..." the female pilot began. "We brought a friend, and he brought a few of his friends."

Out of the capsule, stood a man whose stature almost demanded respect. The marine stood to his feet, his 50. caliber sniper rifle still smoking. The ponies could only gawk at the abnormally large human in front of them.

Lenard quickly recognized Mike Kaiser's old friend from the Marine Corps.

"Mace?"

Chapter Seven: When First We Met

Chapter Seven: When First We Met.

The forest is a much less terrifying place when you have a team of Marines, Navy Seals, and Army Rangers to back you up; or at least Lenard Greene saw it that way.

The pilot and his reunited friends set up a small camp around the shuttle, and the first official first contact session between the members of two species began. A human stood up to greet the participants.

"Greetings, I am Dr. Marc Harrison, science leader of this expedition."

The science leader shook hands and hooves with each of the attending ponies, namely, Sky Blade, Star Sabre, and Lime Tree Hill.

"I am Sergeant Sky Blade. It's nice to see some friendly faces. I'm sorry you don't have a more grand welcome party, but you just happened to land in one of the most dangerous places around, so I suggest we leave immediately."

Greene nodded. "I agree, Mr. Harrison. You saw that thing, right? We don't want to wait around for anything else to pounce on us."

"Ah, if it isn't our intrepid explorer himself! I'm sure you've got quite the story to tell captain," the scientist spoke to the pilot.

"And I'd be glad to tell it to you, as soon as we get back to Ponyville." Greene still appeared to be a bit nervous.

"Ponyville? Are you messing with me, or is that really the name of a city here?" Marc raised one of his eyebrows in protest of such an obvious name.

The pilot laughed. "You'll get used to all of it, I guarantee you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to my friends."

The pilot walked over to Mike, Gerri, and one Sergeant Steven Mace, who like Lenard, had been promoted just before he'd left Earth.

"Guys! I got caught up with the scientists. I've been meaning to ask you, how'd you get back to Earth? I mean our Earth."

"I guess we do owe you an explanation," Mike began. "When our three planes entered this place, we were flying in an arrowhead formation, with you in front. Apparently there was bit of "unforeseen turbulence" or at least that's what the scientist called it. Because you were in front, you took the brunt of it. It looked like someone took your plane and shook it like a rattle. After we made it in, your plane was just gliding, unpowered. We tried to reach you on the radio, but we got no response. Then we lost you in the clouds. Even if we'd found you, we had no way of rescuing you. Command ordered that we return, per say the mission, and promised that we would come back for you. And we did. Speaking of which, why didn't you answer your radio. We called out to you for two hours!"

Lenard scratched his head. He had completely forgotten his radio. Using it had never occurred to him.

"So you guys abandoned me?" Lenard joked. He knew they'd done everything they could.

"Look, we're here now," Gerri retorted. "We really thought you were dead at one point."

"Well I'm not, so we should help pack up the camp now before something makes us all rather dead," Lenard responded.

"It's sunset! Can't we just wait til tomorrow to go back to wherever you were?" Mike complained.

"Do you want to sleep in a food bowl, Mike? Cause that's what this place is. You do not want to be defenseless here. So let's go. I want you to meet some friends of mine."

Lenard walked the group over to the three stallions, who were busy looking over the cache of weapons the human solders brought with them.

"Here's a weapon like the one that big human killed the hydra with!" Star Sabre admired a large sniper rifle.

"That's foal stuff! Look at this!" Lime Tree picked up a large weapon that read "SMAW" on it.

"I don't think you two colts should be playing with big stallion toys. Put them down before I have to send a letter to somepony's parents." Sky Blade warned.

"Funny, sarge." Star deadpanned.

"Guys! I'd like you to meet my friends," Lenard began, "This is Lieutenant Mike Kaiser."

Mike shrugged. "Hi there."

"This is Lieutenant Gerrianna Reed." Greene pointed to the female.

She rolled her eyes at the mention of her full name, but smiled and waved. "It's nice to meet you."

"And this is the dude that saved us, the now Sergeant Steven Mace."

The quiet soldier nodded.

"That weapon you had, might I be able to acquire one?" Star Sabre asked the marine.

The soldier smiled and handed the pony a .50 cal., which Sky Blade quickly took.

"With some training maybe, but not now," Sky Blade chided. "How 'bout a smaller one for this nut case here?"

Lenard bowed over in laughter. After he'd composed himself, he walked over to the weapons cache and scratched his head.

"I don't think we have anything you ponies could fire. We'd have to modify a few for you. For now, let's just head back to town."

*********************

In a matter of hours, the massive shuttle capsule was dismantled, just as it had been designed to do. The large group of humans pulled the equally large lot of resulting carts and containers. Soon, a convoy of equipment and supplies began to form, as the group made their way back to Ponyville.

"Lenard has told us about you, but I bet you are wondering what we are." Lime Tree explained to a human.

The scientist pulled out a notepad and pencil, which seemed eerily similar to another inquisitive mind Lime knew. It got even stranger when the scientist asked:

"So what is this place like?"

Lime Tree grinned.

"Well, let me tell you!"

********************

It was morning by the time everyone made it to Ponyville, but no one was sleepy, as the journey had been quite informative for both the inhabitants and newcomers alike. Along the way, there were many fascinating stories from both sides. So much so, that some had spanned the entire journey. The unfolding excitement was more than enough to keep everyone up. That, and the fact that no one dared fall asleep in the Everfree Forest. As the convoy reached the outskirts of Ponyville, a speeding pink blur sped into the town.

"What was that?" Mike asked nervously.

"That was Pinkie Pie, and if she saw us, expect some form of crazy social gathering to occur later on," Lime Tree explained.

"Pinkie Pie?" Kaiser questioned.

Lime Tree shook his head. "You'll see."

They didn't have to wait long.

*******************

"The humans are coming! The humans are coming!" Pinkie Pie yelled at the top of her lungs. "Code pink! Code pink!

The ponies of Ponyville grudgingly woke up to find the source of all the yelling. A light green unicorn stuck her head out of her window.

"Pinkie Pie! Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" the unicorn yelled in a raspy morning voice.

After Pinkie was long gone, an earth pony stuck her head out of her window down the street.

"Stop yelling horn-head! I'm trying to sleep!" The mare shouted out to the unicorn.

"Bonbon? It was Pinkie Pie!" the unicorn yelled back.

"What about Pinkie Pie? You're the one yelling!" Bonbon screeched. "You're always the problem around here!"

The light green unicorn stomped out of her house. "Why don't you say that to my face, filly?!"

The earth pony timidly trotted out of her house.

"Uh ok..." Bonbon stood face to face with her challenger. "Be quiet! I'm trying to sleep!" Bonbon yelled right into Lyra's face, parting the light green mare's mane.

The two adversaries starred each other down for a full ten seconds, then the unicorn rolled over with laughter.

"You should have seen the look on your face, Bon! Your muzzle was twitching you were so scared!" Lyra laughed.

Bonbon chuckled nervously. "I thought you were serious! Stop tricking me like that!" she answered. "Sometimes I wonder why we ever became friends!"

"Calm down, Bon! You must know by now that you're the most fun to prank pony around. C'mon, that's how it's always been!" Lyra answered.

Bonbon thought a moment. The two had been friends for years. They'd met the first day of high school, and being only children, the two mares had become the sisters they'd never had; so much so, that some ponies joked that they were long lost twins, as they were about the same age. Other, more cruel ponies, picked on them for being so close, insinuating that they were more than friends. Lyra wasn't a fighter, but she made sure those ponies had a few bruises to show for those jokes. The rumors quickly stopped. Lyra turned out to be like most sisters, because as far as Bonbon could remember, the practical jokes had been a constant.

"So Lyra, what was Pinkie going on about earlier?" Bonbon asked.

"Code pink means emergency party. We are to alert everyone in Ponyville. Pinkie's already on it, it looks like," Lyra answered.

The pink blur zoomed right past them again, then shot back and stopped.

"I saw a HUGE group of humans coming out of the forest, and Lenard, Limey and those guards were with them! We have guests! And that means a PARTY!"

"Hey, I just realized something." Bonbon brought a hoof to her chin. "You never threw Lenard a party."

Pinkie's resulting gasp could have held a grapefruit.

"That means a DOUBLE PARTY FOR EVERYPONY! You guys tell everypony in town, I'm going to get started!"

Pinkie Pie hurtled into the distance. Lyra and Bonbon could only stare. After they regained their composure, the two ponies walked toward the town center to spread the word of Pinkie's impromptu social gathering.

"So what do you think of the humans, Lyra?" Bonbon wondered as they trotted along.

"I don't know, but if I had hand things like theirs, It be really easy to play my Lyre! I could make it to the big time!"

Bonbon facehoofed. "Let's just tell everyone about the party already. Hey Ditzy! Party at Pinkie's, NOW!"

*******************

"WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA, HUMAN PEOPLE!" a large banner read over Ponyville square.

No pony could explain how Pinkie managed to get the banner made so quickly, but for the sake of their sanity, they decided that she must have, for some reason, had it made before. The large group of humans and ponies wasted no time socializing with each other. After the celebration had continued into the afternoon, the mayor stood up and addressed the crowd.

"I think I speak for everypony when I say: Welcome to Ponyville and our fair Kingdom! First off, we have reserved the extra rooms in the inns and hotels in the area for a few nights, so that you won't have to sleep in tents for a little while. The princesses have expressed their interest in sending exploration parties into your Earth, with your permission of course, not that you asked for ours," The mayor joked.

Chief Scientist Marc Harrison grinned and stood up to speak.

"Hey, we had no idea you ponies were here! Don't worry, if we had known, we would have shot a letter or two in first!" The scientist joked. The crowd responded with a chuckle.

"I guess my first order of business is to explain why we are here. Some of the more conspiracy minded among you might think this is the precursor for some kind of invasion. I assure you the soldiers are just here for protection, and after we met that monster, I'm quite glad we brought them along. The mayor said that there are those who would like to explore our world. Ironically, that's just what we are here to do. Most of our equipment is for the construction of what we like to call the ACSD, or Anomaly Creation and Stabilization Device. If we can get it operational, there will be seamless travel between our two worlds! I'd love to talk some more, but we've got to get started! Thank you for your time."

The ponies and humans clapped- er, clopped as the scientist stepped off of the stage. At one of the large party tables, Lime Tree, Sky Blade, Star Sabre, and the Elements of Harmony took their seats..

"He just shot it?!" Twilight spoke dumbfounded. "They managed to defeat a Hexa-Hydra? You sure you didn't just hide and wait for it to go away?"

Sky Blade dug his hooves into a saddlebag under the table, and produced something that looked like a large white sword.

"Sarge, is that what I think it is?" Star Sabre gasped.

"Eeyup. It's a hydra tooth. One of the big fangs. I had to bring back a souvenir, or the foals back home would never believe me when I tell the story!" the proud guard spoke.

"So let me git' this straight. Y'all took every weapin' y'all could, and none of it even hurt the dang thing?" Applejack questioned.

"The JSL wounded it, but that thing was tough! Besides, we didn't exactly have the best weapons the service has to offer," Star Sabre stated. "But I guess I'm glad that one big human was there."

"Speakin' o' which, why is he all alone over there?" Applejack wondered. "Ah'll be right back."

The blond cowpony trotted up to the lone marine and tipped her hat as a salute. "Well howdy there," she greeted.

The marine didn't seem to notice.

Applejack cocked an eyebrow, "Ahem."

"Oh, sorry miss. I was just thinking about something. Did you want something?" the marine calmly spoke.

"You were just over here all by yer lonesome, so I came over ta chat I guess," Applejack answered. Her expression changed to worry. "Is something bothering you?"

"No. Just.... thinking is all."

"Y'all want to talk about it?"

"It's just that... I don't know why I'm talking about this, but I thought we were all going to die when that hydra thing appeared. It was about to crush us when your friends showed up. They distracted it, and gave me time to take the shot."

"So what's the matter?" the cowpony responded, amazed at just how quickly the human had opened up.

"As a soldier, I've faced death a few times now, but this time was different. I did everything I could to get on this mission, even when my mother and all of my family begged me not to. When I was about to be crushed under that monster, I kept thinking about them- her- finding out that I'd died. I hate to admit it, but it's bothering me. She has no idea whether I'm dead or alive right now, and we didn't exactly part on friendly terms. I know this stupid, I'm a marine! I shouldn't be dealing with petty emotional problems. I should be having a good time with my buds over there."

"It'll be right, I s'pose. We all go through somethin' like that eventually. You can say sorry next time you meet 'er. Now c'mon, go have some fun with yer friends. Ya deserve it."

"I guess so. Yeah, it was stupid of me to even think like that. You know, you remind me of my sister Annabelle back home. That's probably what she would have told me. By the way, I never caught your name."

"It's Applejack, and you remind me of my brother Macintosh."

"Well I'm Steven, and if I'm right, you come from a farming family just like me. If that's true, then I think we just became interplanetary buddies," the marine declared.

"Hay yeah!" Applejack answered. "You saved those soldiers! That makes you a friend in mah book."

The farmer pony raised her hoof, and the marine responded by giving it a light tap with his fist.

****************

To any observer who would have noticed, the festivities were progressing nicely. Pinkie Pie sung just about every song she knew, so it was almost dark before she finally finished. The local DJs and musicians took over, and the party continued with everyone in high spirits. The scientist and Twilight were busy socializing for the first time in their lives. Fluttershy was talking to one of the biologists. Applejack and Sergeant Mace discussed farming techniques. Rarity was nowhere to be found.

Rainbow Dash looked around. "Hey, Rarity's not one to miss a social. Is she still working on that project?" she asked Twilight.

Just as she was going to answer, a white and purple figure zipped past them, followed by a beleaguered human pilot.

"Go on! They'll be expecting you to talk soon!" Rarity spoke as pushed Lenard forward.

"How'd you even make this?! You couldn't have had a chance to measure me!" Lenard exclaimed.

"When you've been in the fashion business as long as I have, you get good at guessing," Rarity explained.

"Do I have to wear it in front of my friends?" the pilot desperately asked.

"I won't let you wear that "flight suit" again until it's been properly cleaned! You've been wearing it for three days! I hid it, so don't even think of trying to find it. Now go!"

Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked on in confusion as the pilot now wore an almost regal looking outfit. It was white and had gold trim with several jewels lining the shoulders. Surely this was the result of days of work.

"She must have started designing it the minute she first saw him," Twilight thought. "Guess that's Rarity for you, never missing a possible fashion venture."

The awkward pilot made his way to the stage. Every pony clapped at his new appearance, and the humans looked generally amused.

Lenard brought a mic to his mouth. "Look, I didn't really have a choice, ok?" he spoke, which incited laughter from the crowd.

"I guess it's an honor to stand before you, or something important sounding like that. I'd like to say thank you to-"

The pilot was cut off by the sounds of a whirling wind. A white carriage with a gold trim was flying alongside a ebony and midnight blue carriage overhead. The two dainty carriages, pulled by similarly dressed pegasai, quickly landed and taxied up to the crowd.

Out came the Sisters Sovereign themselves, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

The sisters trotted up to the party and took seats on the front row. If Lenard hadn't felt nervous before, he certainly did now.

"Let's get this over with." he thought.

The pilot told the story of how he'd come to be in Equestria, and even had Sky Blade hold up the Hydra tooth to prove certain parts of it.

"-and that's all I got. Thanks for your time."

The crowd roared into thunderous applause. "I can't believe I actually managed that," Lenard chuckled to himself. The crowd dispersed, ready to begin the work of uniting two Earths.

"That was quite a speech there, Lenno." Rainbow Dash spoke to the royally clothed pilot. "Come up with it yourself?"

"Your hilarious. You went from calling me "Mr. Greene" to "Lenno," in the span of a day?" Lenard deadpanned. "I guess I'll let that one fly."

"Fly," Rainbow mused. "It's funny, because we both fly."

"You wouldn't mind flying me back to the hotel, would you?" he asked,

It was Rainbow Dash's turn to deadpan. "You probably weigh more than me!" she joked.

"Then I guess I'll walk back," Lenard sighed.

"You do that. By the way, you still owe me a ride in that jet."

"Oh yeah, completely forgot about that. When we fix it, you can get your ride. See you later Dashie."

The pegasus's wings shot upward in shock of the overly cute nickname he'd given her. Unoriginal, but since he'd not known her long, she still didn't see it coming.

"You're hilarious." She rolled her eyes and began to fly home. She stopped, and turned back around.

"Hey Lenard,"

"Yes Dash?"

"I'm glad you're made it back okay."

Lenard gave a smug grin. "So am I. Later Dash."

"Yeah, see ya."

The pilot headed for the direction of the Ponyville Inn, and the pegasus flew towards her newly rebuilt cloud house.

*******************

High above the ground in a redwood tree, a griffon sat perched on a branch, silhouetted by the moon.

"The tyrants will fall, the downtrodden will rise. All will be as it is truly meant to be. The sons and daughters of the lost will claim victory over the chosen, and a new era will dawn over the land."

"What are you reading, Praetor?" a small dragon like reptile asked the griffon.

"It's just a poem written by our ancestors during the time of sorrow. I read it as a reminder of what our enemy wrought so long ago, and what we must do now."

"Oh. The Griffin Chancellor sent down word to begin preparations. I think the time you just spoke of has finally come."

The Griffon closed the book and flew off with the lizard, but not before getting one last look at a peaceful Equestria.

"And may fate smile upon us."

Chapter Eight: Down Time

Chapter Eight. Down Time

Scientists of two different species met in a small hall in Canterlot.

"Have we consolidated the journal entries?" One scientist asked another.

"Yes, The Equestrian Ministry of Magic and Sciences has its entries ready." another answered.

"The AEE has its journals as well." yet another scientist responded.

"Well then, lets begin."

The Consolidated Journals of The Anomalous Energy Event Team, and The Equestrian Ministry of Magic And Sciences.

This journal begins with what we will call "day one" The first day successful travel between the worlds was accomplished, Just a week ago.

First Entry. on "day one"

The first anomalous transport occurred. Captain Lenard Greene, 1st Lieutenant Gerianna Reed, and 2nd Lieutenant Micheal Kaiser of the United States Air force, entered Equestria on board three modified F-15C fighter aircraft. Because Captain Greene's aircraft was leading the flight, his aircraft encountered more aerodynamic turbulence as the flight entered. Due to the violent shaking that resulted from this, Greene's aircraft took damage and lost power, crashing into a cloud. The aircraft impacted a cloud rather than the ground, but without Lenard in it. It is unknown how he managed to exit the craft without ejecting. But we will question him more on that later.

There are several questions regarding the nature of human-pony relations. Chief of which, is how do humans and human built objects have the ability to rest on clouds. According to the Equestrians, this trait is a "magical" trait that is believed to exist only in pegasai and other flying Equestrian creatures. According to the sensors of all three aircraft, the clouds were just that, clouds. They are the condensation of water vapor, not a solid surfaces. Yet Greene spent the first few hours after his arrival unconscious on a cloud, where pegasai later found him. This has stumped the finest minds in both our organizations, and brings us to the next subject.

Magic: notes form the AEE.

The very concept of magic has been a very interesting subject. As far as we understand, magic is an aura of energy which surrounds this planet and its sun and moon. (Note: There don't seem to be any other planets in this solar system. This is highly irregular.) There doesn't seem to be any analog way of measuring magic, but magic users can detect it to a degree. Unicorns, (and by default, alicorns,) can harness this magical field and utilize it to move objects. As for "spells," we really don't understand how this works. Powerful unicorns seem to be able to bend reality slightly, during this use of magic, in ways we don't yet understand. The laws of physics still seem to apply, but not like we are used to.

Pegasai seem to be able to use magic in the form of what we will call "Aero-magic" Unknowingly using trace amounts of magic to surround themselves with an aerodynamic cone of air. This allows them to dive at tremendous speeds, some can reach speeds just faster than the speed of sound. This cone protects them from the adverse affects of traveling this speed. This, however, is extremely dangerous for a pegasus, as it is very taxing, the cone only lasts a few seconds, and entire process is quite unstable. There are instances of this cone deflecting a pegasus if supersonic speeds are not reached in time, hurtling said pegasus in the opposite direction at tremendous speed. Because of the cone's inherent instability, a pegasus can only maintain supersonic speed for a short time before the heat and tearing effects begin to occur around the cone. This is why most pegasai tend to fly at much lesser speeds, similar to the various birds of this, and our world.

Our studies of earth ponies have revealed that earth ponies, despite visual observation, are not simply pegasai without wings or unicorns without horns. They are their own race, with their own abilities. First, earth ponies are extremely strong. A fit earth pony can exhibit twice the physical strength of a pegasus, and almost two point five times the strength of a unicorn. They also seem to have tougher immune systems and increased resistance to physical injury. Most of this strength is natural, but in extreme cases, earth ponies unknowingly draw strength from magic to boost their power even further, though this is based of off historical records, and we have not observed this directly. Between the three pony races, earth ponies seem to rely on magic the least. Though they do seem to have some kind of special connection to the earth.

Alicorns.

Not even the inhabitants of Equestria know much about the alicorns. All that is known, is that they seem to be a combination of all three pony types, and exhibit power beyond what even the most powerful unicorns understand. The only two known alicorns are the governors of this land, Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna. We will discuss further studies of the Equestrian system of government in subsequent reports.

In all, the concept of magic escapes us and we will probably have to research it for years to begin to understand it. It is quite amazing stuff.

Humans and Human Technology:

A Report From The Equestrian Ministry of Magic and Sciences.

Humans are a race of bipedal creatures from a world that shares the same name a ours. Earth. Though lacking magic, they have more or less created it for themselves, in the way of advanced technology. Physical differences include five fingered hands on their forelegs, or arms, and five toed feet on the rear legs, which humans refer as simply "legs." Internally, ponies and humans share common physiology. The heart, lungs, brain, and digestive systems. seem to be similar to ours. However, it is possible that humans are omnivores, instead of herbivores like ponies. More on that, later.

In comparison, Humans are more agile, dexterous, and have greater endurance than ponies, but ponies are typically stronger and faster than humans, (with very bizarre exceptions.) It's possible that blood may even be compatible enough for transfusions between the species, but this has not fully been confirmed.

Human Technology.

Though we have seen very little of it, human technology baffles us just about as much as magic confuses them, so we are all mutually confused. In all seriousness, human technology is quite impressive, and challenges what we believed to be possible.

Heavier than air flying machines. "Airplanes," and "Aircraft," as they are known.

In truth, this concept was at one time seen as impossible without magic. There are reportedly several types of aircraft. The jets that entered our would are powered by volatile fuels, which are burned inside the craft. The resulting explosions are channeled to produce thrust. This is an extremely simplistic description as this is the only aspect we've been able to understand. Humans have somehow channeled electricity, the power of lightning, in ways we are still trying to figure out. Our "electronics" as the humans call it, seem like child's play in comparison. More on this in subsequent reports.

Back to the subject of aircraft. These jets can travel ridiculous speeds, routinely breaking the sonic retainer and thus traveling faster than the sound they create. This was observed when Mr. Greene flew his aircraft at top speed after he freed it from the cloud it crashed into on "day one." This particular aircraft has a top speed slightly faster than three times the speed of sound, a speed so fast, that as the craft passed, is took several seconds to actually hear it. The applications of such craft are enormous! Journeys that would take a full day, would take minutes on board these aircraft, and various services, such as the mail system, would become much more efficient. As of now, the humans are working on some sort of inter-dimensional array, which would allow sustained contact and transport between our worlds. We have dispatched pony scientist and resources to help in this effort, as a bridge between worlds would be mutually beneficial to both our peoples. Princess Luna has personally commissioned a team of scientist and ambassadors to travel to the human world to begin diplomatic relations once the array is complete.

End Journal.

"Is that seriously all we know?" A human scientist scratched his head.

One of the pony scientist though a moment.

"Eeyup."

*********************

Most of Ponyville's pony and human workers were working on the ACSD array, but Lenard Greene had secured a few to help repair the stricken aircraft he'd bravely flown in on.

"Is that wheel supposed to be attached like that?" a construction pony asked a human.

The human construction worker examined the object in question. "Ah don't know. I don't know nothin' bout planes. Ah'm here to work on the array."

"Whatever then, It's our break anyway." the pony replied.

The two walked towards town, passing a human and a hard hat wearing earth stallion.

"You sure this rig is safe? I'm not sure rope was the best option to suspend this thing." Captain Greene nervously observed.

"Look, I've seen small ships get serviced like this. The ropes will hold. Don't worry, we did the math." the hard hat clad stallion explained.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I'm not going under there any longer than I have to." Lenard scowled.

"How far along are we anyway?" the stallion wondered impatiently. "I've got other jobs to do."

"Don't fret Cinder, you'll get your chance to work on the array soon." Lenard joked.

"Hey, it's not everyday that you get to work on something like that. The array is huge! It's my dream to build something like that." Cinder replied.

"Hey Cinder Stone! I need you hold this a second." the forepony called out. "Now would be nice!"

The stallion groaned and rushed over to help the worker move a large boulder.

"I'll catch up to you later, Lenard." Cinder Stone called out to the pilot. "You're on the doughnut run."

Lenard rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'm on it. Hey! watch out for that-"

"My hoof! My hoof! You just rolled over my hoof! You idiot foal!" The injured construction pony's speech degenerated into angry mumbling.

"Yeah... later Cinder." Lenard replied.

********************

Lenard walked into Ponyville Square with one mission. Junk food. After talking to many of the Ponyvillians, he was directed toward two places. Sugar Cube Corner, and Bonbon's Best, a confectionery store run by an earth pony of the same name.

"Rations are fine and all, but its been almost two weeks since I've had something worth brushing my teeth after." the pilot thought to himself.

He pulled out a map out of one of the many pockets in his new clothes. "It's just good to be in a flight suit again." he thought. "Bet Rarity's got even more of them in the works."

She had made sure he had one for every day of the week, and to his chagrin, she'd made them as "fashionable" as possible. He'd tried to explain that just because it was a "suit" didn't mean that it had to be fancy.

"But why the sequins?" he shuddered to himself. "Just why?"

Faced with no other options, he'd shrugged it off for the time being. After all, as long as no one else had anything like them, these clothes were a...

....Rarity.

He chuckled at the brilliant joke he'd just come up with, and knocked on the door of Sugar Cube Corner.

"It's a store, dear. You can just walk in." a warm voice came from the other side of the door.

"Oh."

As he opened the door, he marveled at just how pastry-like the building looked.

It's like you could just eat the plaster right off the walls!" he thought. "That's some pretty creative design."

"Hi there, I was told that this was the place to get pastries. Is that true?" Lenard asked.

The older mare behind the counter chuckled. "Yep, this is the place! Why, you're Captain Greene! Its an honor to meet you. I'm Mrs. Cake, my husband and I run this store, but he's out on deliveries. What would you like?"

The pilot had to actively keep himself from salivating like a dog. It had been far too long since the sweet aroma of chocolate had graced his nostrils.

"The entire building looks good! I'll have that case of Doughnuts and maybe one of those cupcakes." the pilot pointed.

"Go ahead and try one." Mrs. Cake offered.

"I'm not one to refuse free food." the pilot joked.

He picked out a cupcake, and bit into it thoughtfully. Her reasoning for allowing a free sample became quite clear. His eyes widened.

"I'll take the case." he quickly added. "How much will it be?"

"Usually five bits-"

Lenard began to dig into his pockets.

"But for now, it's on the house." The proprietress smiled.

"Thank you!" the pilot grinned. "Here, they gave me a few bits to work with, I want you to have some."

He gave Mrs. Cake three bits, and bade her farewell, right before smacking into a light orange earth stallion.

Lenard's newly acquired treats flew out of his hands like ballistic missiles, impacting the wall in front of him.

The stallion shook his head, trying to regain his composure, then looked up at the human with a surprised look on his face.

"I wasn't aware that we we're attraction business from humans! We must be moving up in the world. Mr. Cake, at your service. I see you're going to need more pastries." He grinned sheepishly. "I'll get on that now."

Mrs. Cake desperately tried to hold back a giggle fit as Mr. Cake dashed behind the counter into the rear of the store.

"I'm sorry," she started, still stifling giggles, "He can get a bit exited at times."

The pilot rubbed the back of his head. "It's alright, but It kinda looked like he was running from something." the pilot observed.

Just as he said it, a pink streak came bouncing toward the store. Lenard instinctively took cover behind a shelf and braced for impact.

"Heeeeelo Mrs. Cake! You seen Lenard anywhere? Somepony told me he was coming here for some treats and I wanted to tell him about- Lenard! There you are! Those weird scientist guys told me to find you! They said to come quick! Something about "maximum power" or something. I don't know what its about, but everypony is really exited so you should come!

The pilot blinked, then realized that she had stopped talking. "Oh, yeah. I'll be on my way immediately!"

*******************

"I thought you said we could go now!" Pinkie uncharacteristically whined. "They could be having a really awesome party down there!"

"You didn't have to follow me. You can go back to the array site anytime you want." the pilot explained.

The pink earth pony put a hoof to her chin, then shrugged.

Lenard walked into Bonbon's Best followed by a rare sight, an annoyed Pinkie Pie.

"Good morning, Ms. Bonbon. Someone told me this was an awesome place to get candy." he greeted.

Pinkie trotted into the store and immediately forgot about whatever it was she was worried about before.

"We'll take everything!" Pinkie yelled out in glee, throwing her hooves up in excitement.

"Uhh maybe not everything, but enough for a small group of construction workers." Lenard corrected.

Bonbon thought for a few moments. "I'll see what I can do. Any preferences to what they might like?"

A realization struck the pilot.

"You wouldn't happen to sell Bon-"

The pilot was interrupted by a grey maned blonde pegasus crashing through the door.

"Forthcoming letter!" the pegasus announced with a dopey grin.

"But you already delivered the mail, Ditzy." Bonbon began.

"Not for you, for human!" Ditzy explained.

"But how did you know I was here-" Lenard began.

"No time! Read letter! Important!" Ditzy announced.

"How do you know its important? Did you read-" Lenard began again.

"Just read!" Ditzy scowled.

"Ok! Ok!" Lenard exclaimed. He snatched the letter from the pegasus's mouth, and read it.

"Let's see what's so important." he mumbled.

Dear Mr. Greene,

You and your associates have been invited to attend this year's Grand Galloping Gala! Enclosed, are ten tickets of which you will be able to gain entry into this extravagant event. If more are needed, write back explaining your reasons.

With regards,

-Silver Sale, Director of Events. Canterlot.

P.S. If you are unaware of what any of this means, consult Rarity.

"Ooooookay. That's a bit strange, but I don't see whats so urgent about it." Lenard spoke.

"Didn't say urgent. Said Important." Ditzy corrected.

"But you said there was no time." Lenard explained.

"Right, Gala Tonight. Sorry, late delivery." she grinned sheepishly. "Sill offer muffins?"

If it was possible, Lenard's heart would have melted from the adorable sight in front of him.

"Like I could say no to that." he smiled.

"Yes!" Ditzy cheered. "Delivering messages to Greene's friends now."

Lenard watched as she fluttered out of the small shop.

"The Gala! I forgot about that! Time to get serious!" Pinkie explained, a look of determination on her face.

She sped off in a similar fashion.

Bonbon trotted back up to the counter.

"I've got two cases of peanut butter bites, a case of licorice, and a special batch of my famous coconut, walnut, sugar, and chocolate balls!"

"I can't help but think that there's a better name for those..." Lenard trailed off.

Bonbon looked at the pilot with a look of confusion.

He smiled. "You wouldn't believe this, but back home those are called B-"

He was interrupted by a timer alarm.

"I completely forgot, Rarity is supposed to be done with my Gala dress!" Bonbon exclaimed.

"You've been invited too?" Lenard questioned.

"Yes. You wouldn't mind watching the store for a little bit, would you?" Bonbon asked and smiled sweetly.

"Well I..."

"Great! I'll be back soon!" Bonbon yelled back to the pilot as she trotted towards town.

Lenard opened his mouth to speak, but only senseless babbling flowed forth.

******************

Mike Kaiser and Gerri Reed walked out of Carousel Boutique. A cream colored earth pony merrily trotted into the store as they exited, nearly knocking the boxes of clothing each was carrying out of their hands.

"I heard the array is almost finished." said Mike steadying his boxes. "That'll be something."

"It seems so unreal." Gerri thought out loud.

"What do you mean?" Mike wondered.

Gerri paused to think. "Its just so strange; aliens, another planet, magic. None of this is supposed to exist, yet here it is, right in front of us. This world looks a lot like ours, but it's somehow different."

"That's why we volunteered, to see weird stuff, and save Lenard.

"I guess so. That, and to get away from work." Gerri chuckled.

"You volunteered to enter a possibly hostile alien world to get out of paperwork?" Mike mused, dumbfounded.

"Joking Mike." Gerri rolled her eyes.

"If you weren't, I'd be worried." Mike chuckled. "And what about this gala thing, it's tonight? Who sends out invitations for a party the day of the party?"

"It was a mail screw up. And they weren't exactly expecting all of us. Just be glad we didn't get them tomorrow." Gerri explained.

"True. That mail pony, you know, the one with the eyes? Just plain adorable. "My little sis' would love her."

"Good to know your entire family is strange." Gerri deadpanned.

"The apples don't fall far from the other apples you know." Mike explained.

"Whatever. We should probably get changed, we're supposed to meet the others soon." Gerri warned.

Mike dug through his box. "Now I know how Cap feels. I can't believe I actually have to wear this."

"It won't be that bad. It's a royal party, I'm sure it will be quite tame." Gerri reminded him.

Mike thought it over. "Sure. I got to go get my grand entrance ready anyway."

"Mike, what are you talking about?" Gerri spoke fearfully.

"You'll see." Mike grinned.

*******************

Steven Mace quietly slept under one of the many trees in Sweet Apple Acres.

A small impact to his head jolted him awake.

He snapped awake, ready to go to war with his attackers.

"Ow! What was that fo-"

No one was there.

He sat there confused for a few moments until a familiar sight explained everything. A small apple was rolling away from him on the ground.

"Now I know what Newton felt like." he mumbled under his breath.

"Who's Newton?" A voice rung out, nearly launching the marine a full ten feet.

"Oh, it's you," the marine spoke to a little yellow filly with a red bow in her mane. "I'm a soldier, you really shouldn't

sneak up on me like that, little one.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Applebloom cocked her head to one side. "And Ah ain't little!"

"Never mind. What are you doing out here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in school?" the marine inquired.

"School ended like, four hours ago. You been sleepin' all this time?"

Steven looked up, expected to see the sun at high noon. Instead, he saw the orange glow of the afternoon.

"I guess so." He mumbled and scratched his head.

"Oh!" he suddenly realized. "You're here for the apples. They're over there." He pointed to a large crate.

"Picked them myself. Then I realized that I had no way of moving 'em, so I fell asleep under a tree thinking about it." the marine chuckled.

"But how'd you get em' off the trees?" Applebloom wondered. "Can humans kick that hard?"

"I don't know. I climbed up and grabbed them." The marine joked, realizing that ponies probably didn't climb trees very often.

"Can you tell AJ or Mac to bring the wagon around?" he asked. "Got to get these things into the holds before nightfall.

Applebloom youthfully nodded her head, and trotted of in the direction of the barns.

Steven sat back down under the tree, and put a small sprig of hay in his teeth.

"Wasn't there something I was supposed to go to today?" He thought.

He shrugged and fell back asleep.

********************

Luna was busying herself with the seemingly unending scrollwork that a ruler typically deals with, when an alabaster alicorn floated into her chambers. Luna looked up and smiled. "Good Evening, sister. Art thou well? You look exhausted."

Celestia's mane and tail seemed uncharacteristically dim, or so the lunar princess thought.

"You know what tomorrow is, right?" Celestia spoke, unusually grim.

"I was not away that long, sister. And we started the tradition of the Gala to forget what transpired upon that day. Why bring it up now?

"No reason." Celestia shook her head. "Are you ready?"

Luna flinched. "Sister, the Gala was one of the few things I was glad to be away from while I was deposed upon the moon."

"Luna, the ponies need to see both their leaders, It reminds them that we care." Celestia explained.

"My apologies, but I must complete these task." Luna spoke with mock regret, pointing to her stack of paperwork.

Celestia smirked. "Don't make me summon the guard to drag you there." she joked.

One of the chamber guards chuckled, remembering that very same occurrence the previous year.

Celestia's face returned to a concerned look. "You need to be social If you want them to accept you."

"I would love to go, but I am feeling under the weather, and would like to rest." Luna lied.

"Listen, just spend a few minutes there, just to greet them. Then you can cower in your room for the rest of the night."

"Cower!? I do not Cower! I am simply tending to royal duties! You should should partake in them some time!"

Luna quickly regretted what she just said.

"Excuse me! I partook in them for a thousand years! By myself!" Celestia challenged.

Luna sighed. "I will grant you that. You hath suffered the Galas longer than anypony."

"The least you can do is say hi to our special guests." Celestia chided.

"Luna's expression brightened slightly. "Yea thee I say! And there are questions I would like to ask them. I hear word that yonder gate nears completion. This is why I have so much work to do."

"And you can do it later. For now, let's enjoy our time with the humans before diplomatic relations begin." She joked.

Luna chuckled. "Let us get this over with."

A smile found its way onto Celestia's face.

The two sisters took flight.

*******************

"Let's get this over with." Lenard Greene spoke to Gerri and a few other gala invitees. "Has anyone see Mike or Steve?"

"I was with Mike at Rarity's, but I haven't seen Mace all day." Gerri shrugged.

"The carriage is on its way, and I'd rather not be late to a royal party. We might get banished or something." Lenard spoke with fake horror.

Six familiar mares trotted over a hill.

Rarity shrieked. "And just why are there chocolate stains on your suit?!"

"I don't want to talk about it." Lenard muttered.

"Did you say you wer' lookin' for Steve-o? Applejack drawled. "He was-"

Applejack stopped when she saw a figure she'd become quite used to, sprinting over the hill.

"Sorry-" *huff huff pant* "I was-" *pant huff* "Asleep-" Steven Mace hyperventilated. "-sorry."

"Uh, Did you just run all the way back from th' acres?" Applejack spoke in disbelief. "You should run the leaf races a few weeks from now."

*Pant huff huff* "What?" Steven choked, ready to fall over.

"Why are you wearing your work clothes!?" Rarity demanded. "What do humans have against fashion, anyway!?"

"Nothing." Gerri spoke, wearing a stunning red ball gown that Rarity had spend a full day on.

Rarity grinned and clopped her hooves together like a little filly. "At least one of you understands!"

"Steve, you know where Mike is? Gerri asked, waiting for the marine to catch his breath.

He shook his head.

"Then we wait." Lenard mumbled.

******************

Thirty minutes passed.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew back to their waiting friends.

"Uhm, sorry, We didn't find him." Fluttershy mumbled, just barely loud enough to hear.

"It's like he's hiding from us!" Dash spoke in a clearly annoyed tone. "He better have a good reason, too!"

"Maybe he is hiding from us!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Like hide and seek! I'll find him! I'm the best at hide and seek!"

She gallop/bounced into the surrounding foliage. Everyone and pony rolled their eyes. Even the human guests had become accustomed to Pinkie's tomfoolery.

A few minutes later, a low grumbling sound came from the direction of the Ponyville inn.

"Y'all here that?" Applejack warned. "Doesn't sound friendly, whatever it is."

"Eep!" Fluttershy ducked for cover under a fern.

Everypony turned their head to the approaching sound, and gave each other nervous looks.

The growl continued, then was joined with an otherworldly light.

Lenard cocked his eyebrows. "Wait. That sounds like a-"

Zoooooooom!

A metallic beast hurled itself over the hill, swerved around a startled group of ponies, then reared up on its hind...

...wheel?

"The hay is that?!" Rainbow Dash questioned, trying to follow the strange creature with her eyes.

"A better question," Gerri mused. "is how did Mike sneak it into the capsule?"

The "creature" began to circle around the group, kicking up a cloud of dust that hid it from view.

As the dust cleared, the human members of the group quickly realized what had just attacked them.

"Hey guys. I'm not late am I?" a triumphant Micheal Kaiser spoke as he jumped off of his mount of choice: a custom built, black and flame painted motorcycle, with the words: "Master Mike" painted on the gas tank.

Everyone groaned.

"Now that was a rush!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she climbed off of the back of the machine, a shiny black helmet matting her mane. "I want one!"

All of the other ponies and humans looked at the bizarre sight with total disbelief. Most bore expressions that could only be asking one question:

"What is going on, Pinkie!" Twilight exclaimed.

Pinkie pointed a hoof towards Mike.

Mike took of his helmet, and straitened out his hair with a gloved hand.

"Planes aren't the only cool way to get around back home. In fact, most prefer cars-" he Trailed off.

"You don't know what a car is. Yeah. Uhm, basically they're carriages with machinery powering them-" He trailed off again, realizing that the ponies were still confused.

"That's called a motorcycle." he pointed to his bike. "That's all you really need to know right now, I guess."

The ponies nodded in agreement, and began to murmur amongst themselves.

"I knew you were sneaking something!" Gerri exclaimed. "I saw you putting a lot of parts into the cargo holds before launch, but you're lucky that I or no one else figured out what they were.

Mike grinned sheepishly, and involuntarily began to scratch his back. "Think of it like the moon rovers. It beats walking around on foot."

"You won't be able to get that thing into the carriage." Rarity pointed out.

Mike grinned. "Who needs carriages when you've got a hog!"

"A what?!" Rarity sputtered, disgusted. You're going to ride a pig to the gala?!"

Mike doubled over in laughter, and the other humans shared a round of chuckles.

"What is so FUNNY?!" Rarity demanded.

Mike picked himself off of the ground "Relax" He chuckled one last time. "It's just a nickname for motorcycles."

"Oh." Rarity's cheeks went red. "Should have just said "motorcycle" then." She mumbled.

"Hey, looks like our ride is here." another human in the group stated.

A large, lacy white and blue carriage gracefully flew overhead, pulled by several pegasai.

The females of the group squealed with glee.

The males of the group, human and pony, winched at the sight of it.

"How did I just know it was going to look like that." Lenard complained.

"Could be worse." Mike shrugged. "It could've been a pumpkin."

"If it was," Steven realized. "Then I could eat the insides on the way there!"

Lenard chuckled and rolled his eyes, as the carriage daintily landed nearby.

"You know, this is a complete subversion of the laws of physics." Mike noticed as they all filed in.

"Doesn't seem to bother them." Lenard pointed to the pegasai.

Mike shrugged. Despite Rarity's warning, the pilot wheeled his mechanical beast into the carriage, and the group took their seats.

"You know," Pinkie began. "We could sing like we did at the first gala..."

Everyone in the carriage, including the pegasai pulling it, began to show varying degrees of revulsion, as the craft took to the skies.

As they gained altitude, the passengers noticed a small crowd of ponies gathered throughout the countryside, having parties of their own. Some of the them looked up and took pictures with huge, clunky cameras as the majestic craft soared through the air above them.

"Why can't we go ta one of them parties?" Applejack complained. "I'm not a big fan of the gala you know."

Twilight smiled. "I think this gala will go much bette-"

She froze.

"Better than what, Twilight?" Lenard began.

No answer.

Lenard felt an unnatural chill run through his spine.

Everything seemed to get strangely quiet. He turned around to see a terrible sight.

Twilight's eyes had become wide and bloodshot.

Rarity looked like she'd just been hit with a buck from a heavyweight boxer stallion.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were violently scratching at their wings.

Twilight let out a scream of pure agony, and began shaking her head, clearly in pain.

"What's wrong!?" Lenard demanded. "Whats wrong with all of you!? What's happening?!"

"Gals? Applejack frantically asked."Yer worryin' me."

She then clutched her head, appearing to suffer from the worst migraine imaginable.

Pinkie Pie held up her hooves and looked at them like they were on fire. Her scream was one of the loudest things Lenard had ever heard. And he flew jets for a living.

Far below, the ponies in the fields and towns seemed to be suffering the same, clutching their heads and screaming.

"What is going on!"

A terrible roar filled the air, causing the humans on board to cry out in pain.

"WHAT IS CAUSING THIS? "Gerri screamed. "Please! Make it stop!" she cried.

No one could answer.

Then, just as sudden as the pain began, it stopped. The hills were silent.

Mike rubbed his head. "Anyone want to tell me what did that?"

Lenard silently pointed ahead.

In the distance, a massive object streaked through the sky, moving deceptively fast. The carriage riders looked on as the strange comet like object arced slowly toward Canterlot, leaving a sickly blood red trail in it's wake.

The panicked reactions of the ponies nearby made the humans quickly realize that this was not a common occurrence.

"What is that thing?!" Rainbow Dash yelled out.

Twilight shrieked, then covered her mouth. "It's magic! But like nothing I've ever seen or read about before!"

The humans and ponies could only stare as the crimson comet struck the glorious capital city, a white flash blinded all who watched.

When his vision returned, Lenard found himself staring at a massive tsunami of pure red energy. The wave struck the carriage, knocking the ponies into the rear of the craft.

"Why isn't it hurting us?" Lenard called out to the other humans on board. The wave's energy seemed to be bending around them, while the ponies seemed to be caught up in it.

Another bright flash made everyone on board duck for cover. As it subsided, the humans stood up, any sign of the incredible event now gone.

Lenard took stock of his surroundings.

Twilight and Rarity were unconscious, slumped over in the rear of the carriage.

Rainbow Dash feebly tried to stand, then she too passed out.

Fluttershy could only tremble on the floor of the carriage, tears filling her eyes.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked dazed, but somehow managed to stand, and began to tend to their friends.

Mike's voice snapped Lenard back to attention.

"Whatever that was, it looks like its over. The capital looks fine!" Mike called out.

Lenard squinted his eyes and found that the city did indeed appear to be intact.

"Yeah, lets just-"

Lenard was cut off by a sudden lurching of the carriage. His eyes widened in a simple realization. He looked out of the window of the carriage, and his fears were confirmed.

The pegasai pulling the carriage were all unconscious, and the carriage was slowly tipping toward the ground.

Lenard looked over the side.

"We're about two thousand feet up!" he thought.

He turned to the other riders in the carriage and spoke one final warning, as the cart began to free fall.

"Everyone brace for Impact! We're going down! Hold on!"

Chapter Nine: Shattered

Chapter Nine: Shattered

Lenard opened his eyes.

He saw stars.

Was that a dream too?

As he tried to stand, a sharp pain in his back revealed the reality of his situation.

A large armored earth pony was looking down at him, a worried look on his face.

"Sky Blade?" Lenard mumbled. "What- What happened?"

"I'll explain later, you need to get up, right now!" the earth pony warned.

Sergent Sky Blade helped Lenard to his feet, and the battered pilot got his first look at his surroundings.

They seemed to be in a field. There were several more armored ponies quickly moving one general direction. A large crystal sculpture seemed to be smashed in a muddy pond, just a few yards away.

Lenard squinted to get a better look at the wreck. "Wait a minute, that's the carri-"

Like a waterfall, memories flooded the pilot's mind.

"Where is everyone?! Are they okay?" the pilot demanded.

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends were rushed to a medical facility in Ponyville. I heard that they're alive, but in serious condition. No one died, if that's what you're wondering. Though If that carriage had landed in a less forgiving place, say that hill over there, I don't think I would be able to say that. Now come on, we need to move."

"Wait." Lenard interjected. "What about the humans that were with us."

Sky Blade's face betrayed a bit more worry.

"They were the ones who rushed those six ponies to Ponyville Medical. They used some kind of two wheeled machine to pull a cart back to town. They're injured too, but they refused to receive first aid while they were here; a cocky bunch if you ask me."

A pop was heard as Lenard struck his forehead with his palm. "Gerri and Mike never could figure out humility. I guess Steven wanted to look tough in front of everyone as well. Look, I need to know what did this. Our carriage got hit by something. Something big. That's all I know. What happened and where are we going?" Lenard demanded..

Sky Blade sighed. "It's classified, but I'll just assume you have some kind of clearance... We have unconfirmed reports that Equestria is under attack by unknown forces. We've heard nothing from Canterlot, New Yoke or Fillydephia, the three cities supposedly attacked. Scout reports indicate that there may be some kind of army closing in from the north. The military is moving towards a rally point east of Ponyville to form a line."

Lenard eyes widened. "Attacked?! Are you telling me that blast was some sort of weapon?! Are you sure of this?"

"We're not sure yet. But that blast was NOT natural, and it seemed to be perfectly aimed at Canterlot. It's also put almost all the unicorns into comas, and made everypony else sick. Top that off with some pretty strange sightings, and you get the perfect recipe for a terrorist attack."

Lenard flinched at the sound of that familiar term, but quickly snapped out of it.

"You seem fine." the pilot noticed.

"Earth ponies don't seem to have been affected as much as the others, and Humans don't seem to be affected at all." Sky Blade explained. "We can't explain why."

"I wish I wasn't affected by that crash." Lenard groaned as he popped his back.

"It looks like you got thrown several yards. You're lucky to be in the condition you are." Sky Blade spoke. "not all have been so lucky."

"Yeah. How's Star Sabre?" Lenard wondered.

"Sore, but okay." a voice weakly answered from behind.

Corporal Star Sabre moved with the same energy of a pony eight times his age, and was clearly struggling.

"Good to see you're alright son." Sky Blade grinned. "Though not in the best condition I see."

Star Sabre trotted up to the group. "I'll be alright, but we haven't heard anything from Canterlot. What are our orders?"

"Standing orders are to arm ourselves and rally in a situation like this. Expect anything to happen."

"I heard rumors that someone saw a dragon flying around Canterlot Palace, though somepony else said it was a griffin so I don't know what to think." Star Sabre remembered.

"I heard they saw weird creatures with horns." a earth pony spoke from ahead. "Our intel does not appear to be very reliable."

"Lets focus on getting everypony to safety right now." Sky Blade explained. "There are several ponies and humans that are still missing."

Sky Blade noticed a unicorn lying in a ditch ahead. He put his hoof up to the pale green unicorn's neck to take a pulse.

"She's fine, just knocked out like all the others." Sky Blade determined.

"Are all the unicorns like this?" Lenard asked. "just What kind of weapon are we dealing with?"

"I heard it was magic," a soldier pony answered nearby. "really powerful magic."

Sky Blade positioned the unicorn over his back and continued marching.

"Whatever happened, It needs to be dealt with before it happens again." the stallion grunted under the new weight on his back.

Lenard turned his head toward the direction of Canterlot.

"What is all that?" he wondered aloud.

Sky Blade looked puzzled for a moment. "The clouds? They covered the entire city right after the blast. We can't see anything from here. We haven't been able to get in any kind of contact with them."

Lenard nodded, and dug into his side pocket. He produced a black device that appeared to have a stem.

"What's that?" Star Sabre asked.

"Its called a radio, or walkie talkies as we call them. It will let me contact anyone else that has one. I started carrying it after the others arrived from back home." Lenard answered. "Hopefully one of our crews in Canterlot has one."

He turned a knob on the device, and soon, static could be heard.

...."This is captain Lenard Greene of the USAF to anyone in Canterlot. Please respond."....

.....".....".......

....."Repeat. This is Captain Greene. If you are in Canterlot, please respond.".....

......"...."......

"I don't like this." the pilot grunted.

....." Okay, This is Captain Greene to anyone who can hear me, please respond."....

....."This is Marc. I'm a scientist. I'm in Ponyville at the array site. How can I help?"....

....."Marc, are there any soldiers or pilots near your location?".....

....."Yeah, hold on."....

...."...."......

...."This is Private Simms. Reporting from the array site sir."....

...."Private, I need you to gather every soldier you can. Humans and Ponies. Tell them to arm themselves. Be advised. We believe Equestria is under some kind of attack. How Copy?"....

....."Solid Copy. That explains the blast. What are we up against sir?.".....

....."Not even the ponies know. But we have reason to believe that three major cities have been taken already. We've rendezvoused with a large group from the Equestrian Military and are on our way. Make sure everyone has their radios on, and get the word out quickly. Don't put the civilians into a panic though, that's the last thing we need."......

...."Understood sir, out.".....

"Human magic is awesome." a weak voice from on top of Sky Blade spoke.

"Ma'am, how long were you awake?" Sky Blade addressed the mare on his back.

"I woke up already up here. So I don't know." The unicorn spoke weakly.

Lenard smirked as he remembered the mare.

"Lyre, wasn't it?"

"Lyra." she corrected.

"Not that I would forget the pony that nearly scalded me with chocolate and almost burned Bonbon's shop to the ground." the pilot joked.

"My bad," the mare weakly chuckled. "That prank was meant for Bonbon, and I had no idea it would get out of control like that!" the sea green unicorn groaned.

The exhausted unicorn's expression changed.

"Bonbon is my best friend, and she went to Canterlot for the Gala. You said nopony has heard anything from them since that explosion happened." Lyra whimpered.

Sky Blade's face lost a bit of its usual resolve.

"Ms. Lyra, we'll do whatever we can to find out what's happening, but for now, you need to rest. You're still quite weak. Try not to think about it." the soldier pony explained.

The unicorn nodded, and closed her eyes.

A large cart pulled up to the group, pulled by two fatigued earth ponies.

Sky Blade addressed the small army following him. "Hey, it's the armory cart. Lock and load Stallions and Mares, the weapons are here."

Lenard looked into the cart. "Whoa, these aren't like the weapons we had before."

"We used civilian and Law enforcement weapons last time. These are the military versions." Star Sabre pointed to the stockpile.

Lenard picked up a cross bow similar to the one he'd used before. He noticed that this one was made of steel, maybe forged from one piece even. All of the weapons were larger and more menacing to look at, especially the new JSL.

"Why does the Javelin spear launcher have that bulge on it?" Lenard asked cautiously

"Those are special spears, in that they explode when fired." Sky Blade answered. "Please refrain from dropping them."

"Wait, why didn't we have anything like this when we went into the forest?!" Lenard practically yelled. "Any one of these could have killed that hydra!"

"It would have taken too long for a delivery to arrive, and these are powerful weapons. You can't just pick them up at a local store you know. So we settled for borrowed weapons from Ponyville PD." Sky Blade answered.

"I guess." Lenard strapped one of the bows to his belt. "It clashes with the suit, and it's a bit heavy, but I think I'll take it."

"Glad to see that." Sky Blade answered sarcastically. "Now every pony gear up, we have no idea what we are up against!"

*********************

Slowly but surely, the convoy made it's way to the staging ground in Ponyville's east side.

Just as they reached the small town, a green stallion galloped towards them.

"Back so soon? I heard the Gala wasn't a lot of fun anyway." The stallion only half joked.

"Funny, Lime Tree." Sky Blade remarked. "What's is our situation?"

"Still nothing from all three attacked cities, and we still have no idea what did the attacking." Lime Tree spoke worryingly. "That's got every one on edge around here. Local police are on high alert, and some ponies in town have weapons, but we don't have much of an army. It's good to see you brought one, Sarge, because I have a feeling whatever happened to Canterlot, New Yoke, and Fillydelphia, is on it's way here. There is a mysterious storm forming just a few miles north, and the Cloudsdale Weather Service was taken out in the blast, so we have no way of stopping it. To top it all off, most pegasai are ether too weak or too injured to fly and check it out. As for the unicorns, most are out cold right now. So we are effectively running a town with just a third of it's citizens to run it." Lime Tree explained. "What ever did this, did a really good job."

"Wait, did you say Cloudsdale was hit by the blast, too?" Star Sabre questioned.

Lime Tree silently pointed a hoof upward.

Star Sabre craned his head towards the sky. The once majestic city of Cloudsdale was now little more than stray clouds and ruins. Once proud structures, turned to floating rubble.

"Dear Royals! Did everypony get out in time!?" Sabre frantically asked.

Lime Tree bowed his head, "Not everypony."

"I've got to get up there!" Star Sabre yelled.

The white pegasus took to the air, summoning the last reserves of his strength.

"Sabre! Your too weak to fly! Get back before you-" Sky Blade stopped talking as the pegasus passed out and limply fell out of the sky.

"Sabre!" the Sargent called after his friend.

Sabre opened his eyes just before plunging head first into a small lake.

"Get him out of there before he drowns!" Sky Blade barked.

Several ponies rushed into the lake and pulled the limp, soggy, and barely conscious pegasus out of the water.

"That was stupid and you know it! You can't help them now." Sky Blade pointed upward, as the last standing building in Cloudsdale crashed through its cloud foundation, and smashed into the ground with an enormous impact.

"I'm sorry son." Sky Blade solemnly spoke.

Star Sabre stumbled to his hooves. "My family lived up there. Where are the survivors?! I have to find them!" the pegasus demanded.

"Many of them saw the blast coming from up there and escaped. The survivors are taking refuge at the Rec center.

Star Sabre galloped away as fast as his battered body would take him.

"Sabre! Get back here, we might have a war on our hoo- Dang it! That soldiers stupidity will be the end of him!"

"Let him at least check, sarge." Lime Tree timidly spoke up. "He just wants to see if his family is okay."

Sky Blade was furious. "There may be lives at stake! We have no time to be chasing after our families! If I catch any of you running off, it's desertion! You hear me?!"

The pony soldiers quickly stood at attention. "Yes Sir!"

As the Sergeant's rage cooled down, a large team of human soldiers sprinted up to the group.

"Good to see you sir. We weren't sure you were coming. We need answers before we all go stir-crazy. Just what's going on?" one of them addressed Lenard.

"Are you Private Simms?" Lenard asked the soldier.

"Yes sir, and I have some supplies they told me to give you."

The marine handed Lenard an M4A1 assault rifle and some standard marine equipment, including a new radio and a helmet.

"Not to say I'm not grateful or anything," Lenard smirked. "But seriously, you brought all this for an exploratory mission? Were you expecting to be fighting aliens when you loaded up the shuttle?"

One of the soldiers shrugged. "Maybe the joint chiefs read too many comic books."

Lenard smirked. "Either way, Marines, join up with the Navy seal and Army Ranger teams and coordinate. We really don't know what to tell you, just be ready for anything."

"The Equestrian armed forces will go with you." an older looking pair of Royal Guards approached the group.

Sky Blade bowed slightly "General Snow Wisp, General Rock. It's an honor."

One of them, a mare, nodded in response. "Same here Sergent." We heard you stared down a hydra. I'd very much like to hear that story later."

"Lets not feed around the bush." The other, a stallion, responded. "We have arrived with small group of Equestrian troops and are coordinating with human soldiers as we speak. This task force is now assigned to my division. You are to report to your commanding officer for information."

The stallion paused and turned to the mare, a look of worry on his face.

The mare gulped. "Scouts report some sort of movement to the north. No ident. yet. Remember, we are in the dark here. Don't assume anything troops." The mare explained.

The stallion turned to the group. "Stay on your hoof-tips soldiers. We might have guest."

The two Generals trotted off towards Town Hall, the soldiers followed them, leaving Lenard and Lime Tree behind.

"I don't like this." Lime Tree spoke

"Really? I think this is just great!" Lenard spoke, dripping with sarcasm.

"No, I mean that." Lime Tree pointed towards the sky. A storm was brewing on the horizon.

*****************

A few hours later, Lenard Greene and Lime Tree Hill entered the lobby of Ponyville's only large hospital.

"Who are you here to see?" a receptionist behind the desk asked the duo.

"Twilight and her friends." Lime Tree answered.

A brown stallion in a lab coat trotted into the lobby. "Follow me."

"Applejack and Pinkie Pie are fine. We cleared them two hours ago. Fluttershy seems to be well, though she is still a bit weak. She checked out with the others. Rainbow Dash has some minor lacerations and bruised bones, but is sleeping. We had to put her under so she would rest, but she is recovering."

The doctor paused, as if to prepare himself for whatever he would say next.

"Rarity is simi-comatose. She slips in and out of consciousness, but is stabilizing. As for Twilight," The doctor paused again. "She is in a full Coma, completely unresponsive. In truth, your friends are just a few of the many similar cases we have. We have dozens of comatose unicorns at the moment, I'm sorry to say. There are also plenty of pegasai that were knocked out of sky by the initial blast. Earth ponies are the only ones still able to work, so we're quite under staffed."

"What are you going to do about all this.?" Lenard asked.

"The pegasai will heal in time. But as for the unicorns, comas are unpredictable, I'm sorry to say. Those suffering could wake up in five minutes or they could wake up in five months.

The group walked down the hall and stopped at one of the windows. Inside the room, a purple unicorn peacefully slept, blissfully unaware of the world around her.

"She looks like she's just napping." Lime Tree whispered.

"She is. Try not to worry." The doctor spoke confidently. "Only time will tell. Come, let's see the others."

As they moved away from the window of Twilight's room, a friendly voice spoke out to them.

"Twilight's not one ta sleep on the job, ah reckon." a southern Equestria accented voice spoke.

"Applejack, Pinkie Pie. I thought you two checked out." said Lime Tree.

Pinkie Pie limped toward them. "We did! But we heard that you were okay and visiting the hospital. So we came to see ya!"

'Where's Fluttershy?" Lime tree wondered.

"Some soldier gave 'er a message to take er somethin'. I don't know where she went." Applejack answered.

"Wait, how did you know we we're here." Lenard asked.

"We heard the soldiers talkin' about it." Applejack explained. "They said you were one tough son of a gun, for an air force guy. Whatever that means. And that you were going to the hospital to see some friends. Ah was hopin' Steve, Mike and Gerri were with y'all. We never got to thank them for helpin' us out back there."

Come to think of it, where are those three? I haven't seen them since.... Lenard thought.

A wailing sound broke his train of thought.

They all knew what It meant.

***********************

"What's the situation." Mayor Mare called out to a small group of officers assembled in the meeting hall.

"Scouts have fired red flares at the early warning perimeter." General Snow Wisp answered.

"And what does that mean exactly?" The mayor nervously questioned.

"That means the scouts out there have eyes on troops moving this way" The mare General answered. "We can see the flares from miles away using spotting scopes."

"Who are they then!?" the mayor demanded.

A burly older stallion entered the room. "Usually, a pegasus would high tail it over here and give us a report, but they're all out of commission right now, so I doubt one's coming. If they're using red flares, that means that our incoming are indeed hostile, whoever they are." General Rock answered.

"Well then, Rocky, that settles it." Snow Wisp bowed her head. "We need to order battle stations."

General Rock nodded solemnly, and turned to an earth pony messenger. "Put all troops on alert. Tell the humans..."

He paused and sighed.

"...We are under attack."

**********************

"Are you sure?!" A stunned human officer spoke to a pony messenger.

"Yes." the young mare timidly replied.

"You need to come with me, now." The officer motioned the mare to follow him.

The mare followed the human into a large room, filled with several human officers and strange machines. They stopped at a large desk. The human picked up a large corded object and began to speak into it.

"I wonder what he's doing." The young mare thought.

......"This is Colonel Highlander, to anyone who can hear my voice."......

Oh, it's a shouting machine.

...."I have received information that we are under attack, brought to me by a messenger named..."....

"What's your name?" the Colonel asked.

"Fluttershy." she quietly mumbled

...."A messenger named Fluttershy. Tell them what you told me."....

The officers in the room turned their heads. Outside, heads turned toward the array site.

...."Uhm."....

The timid yellow pegasus turned red for a moment, realizing that hundreds of ponies and people could hear her voice.

...."The scouts say, uhh. Uhm, the bad guys are coming?"....

Papers went everywhere. Officers, human and pony alike began running around, frantically sending messages and radio calls. Everyone moved in some kind of controlled chaos.

...."Please don't panic." The Colonel spoke over the radio." We are sending help. We will not stand by while our new friends are attacked!"...

...."Seek shelter immediately, and we will report any other information when it comes to us."....

The Colonel put down the radio.

"Lieutenant Cleaves, you will be leading the Marine detachment." the Colonel barked. "Ensign Dentzon, you will lead the Seal team. The rangers will remain here to protect the array."

"Wait," Cleaves began. "Why wouldn't you lead us? You are a Colonel."

"I have pressing matters to attend to, but I will join you shortly." The Colonel responded, not looking up from his display.

Cleaves and Dentzon saluted, then quickly went on their way.

********************

The sirens had been going on for ten minutes. By now, all had heard the report. The enemy was coming.

Sargent Sky Blade and his troops stood, anxiously waiting for the inevitable.

"Sir, still no movement." an earth mare shouted from her scout stand.

"Keep a good eye on that horizon. I want alerts the second they come into view." the Sargent responded.

Sky Blade turned around to face the troops in his battalion.

"Listen up. We've got orders not to attack until attacked first. We need to know what we're up against. Here's how we're going to do this. I want sure shots on that hill over there for spotting. Get those battle wagons up to the front! I want battle launchers ready to fire on any incoming heavy targets. Get the anti air defense up over there, I have a feeling we're going to need it! For Royals sake, move!"

The solder ponies scrambled to their assigned positions and tasks.

An earth pony galloped up to the Sargent. "Sir, we have human support incoming."

"Excellent, good to see we're not going to be doing this alone." Sky Blade replied.

"Still quiet, sir." The watch pony declared.

"Just tell me when you see something." the Sargent barked.

A squad of human soldiers took positions around the ponies.

"Sorry we're late, we had to get some special stuff from the base." Lieutenant Cleaves reported.

Sky Blade nodded. "No problem, what did you bring?"

Steven Mace emerged from the group. "Rockets and and heavy machine guns. It's the best we could do on short notice. We still don't have a lot that you ponies can use, but we do have these." Steven handed Sky Blade an object that looked like a small metal apple with a metal leaf.

"That's a grenade. We had a surplus. Pull that little pin out and throw it at something you really want to go away. See, watch."

The Sergent pulled out an identical object, pulled the metal pin from it, and threw it into a lake, twenty yards away.

Sergent Sky Blade bore a look of confusion. "So what's it supposed to d-"

BOOM!

"That." Sergent Mace answered. "I just wanted you to see what they did before we gave them to you. Even if you remove the pin, they won't explode unless you let go of the handle. After you do, you've got between six to ten seconds before it explodes. Be careful with them.

The marines handed several of the devices to the pony troops surrounding them. As Steven passed out the grenades, he chucked as each pony looked like he or she was putting a live rattlesnake in their bags. They soon settled down, realizing that they had bigger problems at the moment.

"Uhh sir," The scout pony began. "That storm is getting closer."

"I told you to tell me when the enemy is coming, not when the wind picks up!" Sky Blade barked.

"B-but sir, look!" the scout stammered.

Sky Blade grudgingly swung his head upward, then froze. "Oh." he mumbled.

********************

"Sir, I don't like the look of that storm." Private Simms quietly spoke. "Are the clouds supposed to be red like that?"

Captain Greene craned his head upward, then quickly broke off into a sprint.

"Get Colonel Highlander on the line! Tell him something's happening! I want the patients at Ponyville MD moved out of there now!" The captain ordered.

"What?! What's wrong, Cap?" the young soldier asked.

"That looks way too much like what happened before!" Lenard explained. "We will NOT be taken by surprise again!"

` He ran up to a group of scientist, who appeared to be desperately trying to fix something.

"Marc, we're running out of time! How much longer?" Lenard questioned the scientist.

"This can't be rushed! If something goes wrong, we might get pushed back to square one! Why are you so anxious to get the array online?" Marc answered.

Lenard facepalmed. "Have you looked around? Do you see how nervous the ponies are? Whatever's coming is going to make for a bad day for everyone! We need to get in contact with Earth as soon as possible! So HOW LONG?"

The scientist sighed. "Two hours. We can try in two hours."

A bolt of red lightning struck from an over head cloud.

Lenard jumped. "We might not have that much time."

*********************

"Uhh sir," the scout whimpered. "I see something."

The two sergeants had already noticed.

The sky had darkened.

The birds had flown away.

Nature itself seemed to be running in fear.

Red clouds descended over Ponyville, as it's protectors readied their weapons.

"Okay guys." Lieutenant Cleaves called down to the others.

"We've got this." Steven answered.

A sixty foot long dragon dropped from the clouds and touched down with a resounding thud, right in front of the soldiers. It wore a harness of some kind, bristling with large rocket like spears. Some sort of saddle was attached to its neck, on which a small winged reptile was seated. A glass screen was attached just ahead of the seat and it's occupant, possibly a wind shield of some kind.

Sky Blade deadpanned and turned to Sergent Mace. "Oh yeah, we got this alright."

Twenty more dragons of the same shape and size roared overhead, moving so fast they were but blurs in the soldiers vision. They circled around and took up a position, hovering right in front of Ponyville

"This just got hazardous." Sergent Mace chimed in nervously. "What are those things?"

Just as suddenly, hundreds of brown, pawed, eagle like creatures descended from the cloud. They each carried some sort of bow like weapon, but not like the crossbows Mace had seen. These had several small arrows on belts, which fed directly into the bow itself. To Mace, they almost looked like machine guns.

The armed eagle creatures formed groups of four and moved into diamond formations, circling overhead.

An earth pony recruit dropped his jaw. "It's- It's- ...it's dragons! And griffins!" he shook with fear. The human soldiers had similar expressions.

Just as Ponyville's protectors began to doubt their chances, a loud, thundering rhythm reverberated through ground. The soldiers exchanged panicked looks, as a dust cloud appeared in the distance. As the cloud grew larger, the thundering grew louder. If panic had not set in before, it certainly had now.

The thundering stopped. As the soldiers looked on, a large four legged creature strode out of the dust cloud.

It definitely wasn't a pony, but it had pony like qualities. it was as muscular as the toughest of earth ponies, and probably taller. It's hooves looked like they were cast from iron. Its head bore not one, but two curved horns. On its shoulders sat a larger version of the already terrifying weapons the griffins carried.

Sergent Mace bore a look of confusion.

"It's... a goat?"

Amazingly, the creature heard him.

It flared it's nostrils.. "Not goats, Rams."

The wind carried the dust cloud away.

Standing before them was not one, but a thousand rams, flanked by chariots, heavy launchers and other weapons that no pony even recognized.

The ram hurled itself into the air, skillfully landing on a large nearby boulder.

"Citizens of Equestria! We mean you no harm! We are the Revolutionary Alliance, or Liberation Alliance if you will. It is with your leaders that we find grievance. " the ram shouted.

One of the small winged reptiles climbed of off its mount and stood next to the ram.

"For far too long, the creatures of this world have been under the hoof of the alicorns." the reptile spoke.

"That time ends now. The royal family will never again oppress their "subjects."

A griffin slowly descended and deftly landed next to the ram and the small dragon.

"We understand that you may be a bit... attached to them, but you have no idea the horrors they have wrought.

We were once like you. We believed in the guidance of the alicorns. Until their unrelenting craving for power nearly killed us all." the griffin spoke.

"What are you talking about?!" a pony yelled from the crowd. "The princesses have never hurt anypony!"

The griffin shot into the air and landed just inches away from the pony who had just spoke. He put his beak within inches of the ponies face.

"The Princesses nearly killed off my entire race! If you believe their lies for a second, you are just another pawn in their game! Listen to us! We are not here to terrorize you. We are here to right a horrible injustice, and finally end the rule of those despots!"

"I am General Rock of the Equestrian military, fool! And if you think I'll just let you attack my country because of some grudge against our leaders, you got another thing coming! Do you really think you could even stand a change against them?"

"You are the fool! For not realizing that we already have! As we speak, the alicorn Princesses are rotting in a cell in the same prison that so many of both our ancestors died in! When the time comes, we will execute them publicly for crimes against the very creatures they supposedly protect!"

"You're lying!" the pony shouted back. "How could you ever oppose them?"

"I notice that there are no unicorns standing with you today. Wonder why? Because the same device that incapacitated them did the same to your princesses! " the griffin yelled."

"This is true." The ram spoke. "Their power is nothing more than that of the average laypony now. And if you don't believe me, believe this!"

The ram set a small box in front of the army, and motioned for a pony to open it.

The general motioned for a pony to retrieve the box.

The young recruit nervously trotted up to the box and pulled on the lid with his mouth. He put the lid on the ground next to him, and peered into the box.

He went pale.

Inside, were two long, slender, cylindrical objects.

One was alabaster white, the other, midnight blue.

"It can't be." the recruit whispered.

Trembling, the recruit turned to the other solders, clutching the objects in his mouth. He set them down for all the ponies to see.

"It-it's their horns, sir." the stallion stammered. "Princess Celestia and Luna's horns!"

The ponies gasped. The humans looked on in disgust. The rams, griffins and dragons kept their stone cold expressions.

"Don't worry." the griffin began. "They'll grow back... just in time for the executions!"

"How dare you?!" the recruit shouted.

"I know this must be terrible for you." the ram spoke with legitimate empathy. "But we had to show you that we are not jesting here. The sisters, just like their parents, must be removed if equality is to ever come to this land."

"I'm sorry."

"Your sorry?!" the now teary eyed recruit exclaimed. "You think you can just waltz into our country, assault our leaders, and expect us to go along with it?!" The recruit raised his foreleg crossbow, and pointed it toward the ram.

"Leaf Shod! Hold your fire!" Sargent Sky Blade shouted.

The rams brought their bows to bare on the ponys. The humans and ponies brought their own weapons to bare on the rams and griffins.

"HOLD. YOUR. FIRE! " Sky Blade yelled again.

Leaf Shod turned his head toward the Sargent.

"I'm sorry sir."

He bit the trigger.

*********************

It didn't take long for the report to come in. Griffins, dragons, and an army of unknown creatures had attacked Equestria, defeated and imprisoned the Princesses, and were now engaged with Equestrian and human troops just east of Ponyville. The explosions and gunfire would have told the story just as easily.

At the array site, human and pony officers met in an improvised meeting hall.

"It's like a page out off our worst nightmares." Mayor Mare began. "What are we going to do?"

General Snow Wisp put a hoof to her head. "Not even with human forces, can we repel and army of that magnitude. And these are just the troops they bothered to send to Ponyville. I don't think they were even expecting resistance and yet they still sent such a large force! We don't have a clue how large their real army is!"

Colonel Highlander sat down at the meeting table. "Didn't you say that Fort Stalliongrad held the bulk of Equestria's armies? If those troops are still there, they could turn the tide."

Snow Wisp nodded. "You are correct. There are no signs that the fort has been attacked. It's entirely possible that the enemy hasn't made it that far yet."

"I say we need to rescue the Princesses. We can't let those monsters kill them." Lime Tree Hill suggested.

Captain Lenard Greene sat down. "I see what he's saying. The Princesses are their leaders. If they die, the morale of your country dies with them."

A pony officer looked skeptical. "I think they're bluffing. I mean it's the Princesses for pony sake! It's just a ploy to dishearten us."

A large earth pony limped into the room. "It's no bluff." he spoke. The stallion set a box on the meeting table and knocked it over with a tired hoof.

"General Rock! What happened to you?!" Snow Wisp yelled.

The stallion had several wounds, some more severe than others. He had a black eye, and several lacerations on his chest. Chief of his injuries was a hoof which had a small arrow imbedded in it, which the stallion cradled with his other hoof.

The stallion set the alicorn horns on the table.

Lime Tree bucked out of his seat, an officer pony released his lunch, and General Snow Wisp screamed.

"What do ya think happened?!" Rock answered. "They presented these to us like some kind of trophies! Listen! We've got to save Celestia and Luna! They will execute them if we don't!"

The officers looked and began murmuring amongst themselves.

"I think we can help." Lenard Greene spoke up. "Marc, is it ready?" he yelled through a radio.

...."It's not finished yet, but we might be able to get something through. Initiating lock!"....

The ponies and humans filed out of the meeting hall, and gazed at the sparking circular ACSD array. A large skyward facing dish began to hum with energy.

"We're ready to initiate contact!" Marc shouted down from a control tower.

Marc and a team of scientist gathered into the array control center.

"Here goes nothing." Marc mumbled under his breath.

A small blue orb, not much bigger than a beach ball opened just above the massive array.

"How is anything supposed to get through that?" Lenard questioned.

"It will allow us radio contact with the Second ACSD array on Earth- er our Earth." the scientist explained.

Lenard's eyes widened. "There's two?"

"Yes, the first array has been in the works at back at base since the first few probes sent back information. It was completed just before we arrived here. Though unfinished, if we make contact with it we might be able to open an anomaly for a brief period of time." The scientist elaborated.

Lenard nodded.

"Do it."

******************

It was sunset at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Atlanta Georgia, U.S.A.

The night crew manning the ops center sipped coffee, chatted, and went about their typically mundane duties.

...."This is Two Array to base. Do you read?".....

A coms. officer performed a textbook spit take, spewing coffee all over his work station. The other officers looked on in amazement.

"That was Harrison!" One officer shouted. "They made it!"

The ops center filled with cheers. Radio calls went out in every direction, spreading the word.

...."This is One Array! Well I'll be! Marc Harrison! It's great to hear your voice! You've completed the array! This is history in the making!".....

..."That's nice. We need military support NOW!".....

...."Are you in some kind of trouble?! Don't tell me that there are aliens are attacking you?!".....

...."Just the mean ones! I'll explain later! Get your array up so we can receive support! I'll fill you in as best I can!"...

....."There's a small helo team performing training maneuvers, I might-".....

The radio signal cut out.

Alarms went off all over the base. Scientist were abruptly woken up. Pilots and crewmen rushed to their stations.

A large blue sphere of crackling energy formed over the Base.

...."The anomaly won't remain stable much longer, Marc! I'm not sure how long we can sustain it!"....

...." Underst-.... We'll awai-...- rival"....

...."Marc, I don't know if you can hear this, but help is coming!".....

*****************

The sphere of energy at array site two, Equestria, grew much larger.

Marc and the other scientist frantically manned their controls. "Sir, it's unstable! I mean, its more stable than the natural anomalies, but its still pretty unstable!" Marc yelled down to Lenard.

"Did they say they were sending help?!" Lenard yelled over the roar of the anomaly.

"I couldn't tell, we lost radio contact!" Marc yelled.

"SIr, it's destabilizing!" a scientist shouted to Marc.

"Their too late! They won't be able to send- Wait! I'm getting something on the scopes!" Marc called down.

"What is it?" Lenard yelled up.

"Not a clue. But something is coming through the portal!"

The pony onlookers gawked as a large hovering vehicle slowly emerged from the energy sphere.

Lenard Greene chuckled at the choice of vehicles the base had chosen.

"A Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion transport helicopter. They have no idea of the irony they've just sent us." Lenard quipped.

The over-sized helicopter completely emerged from the portal, followed by three Apaches Attack copters and two Black Hawks.

As the last chopper made it's way through the portal, the energy sphere began to fluctuate.

The humans began to direct the aircraft to a clearing near the array, the ponies still in awe of the now collapsed anomaly and the majestic machines that had flown through it.

As the helicopters landed, their doors sprung open, and a older looking human male stepped forth. He dusted his uniform, and adopted an expression of awe. He then noticed Lenard and ran toward him.

"You know," The man began. "I never thought it'd look like this."

Lenard reflexively saluted, forgetting that the commander was no longer his superior officer "Just a little storm Commander. It's good to see you. Please tell me you brought help!"

Commander Stuart whistled.

Several soldiers began filing out of the helicopters, carrying their tools of the trade: SMAW rocket launchers, Sniper rifles, mortars, stinger missiles, LMGs, someone even had a sword. The Apaches were loaded with every weapon they were capable of carrying, and the Super Stallion itself had an equipment crate slung underneath it.

"Marc told be to bring along something just for you." the commander pointed to the equipment crate.

A pair of workers cracked it open, revealing four Aim 9x Sidewinder missiles, and a large case of 30mm ammunition.

Lenard was amazed, then confused. "But how did Marc kno- Doesn't matter. Let's get these to the F-15!"

*****************

"What do you mean it's not ready?!" a disturbed pilot yelled at a group of workers.

"Sorry Captain," an engineer stammered. "but the fuselage is cracked, the left wing is bent, and the left landing gear wheel is on backwards. It could take days to fix this!"

"Do what you can. Make sure you load the weapons asap, I don't want those just lying around." Lenard spoke, clearly disappointed.

"It's alright boss, they've got another mission for us anyway." a familiar female voice spoke.

The pilot swung around to see his two previously missing friends.

"Gerri, Mike, where have you been?" Lenard demanded.

"After we dropped off the ponies, we rode my motorcycle back toward Canterlot." Mike explained.

"We didn't get vary far, but we did gather a bit of useful information." Gerri explained.

Mike nodded. "There's some good news. The Equestrian army in Canterlot surrendered without a fight."

Lenard rose an eyebrow. "Why would that be good news?"

"Because that means they're still alive! If we can get to them, and free them, we'll have a lot more troops to work with." Gerri elaborated.

"I'm going to guess that this is the mission you were talking about." Lenard facepalmed.

Mike nodded.

"Eeyup,"

*****************

Lenard Green, Gerianna Reed, Mike Kaiser, and several black ops troops were gathered in the improvised meeting hall.

"I'm not going to lie. This mission will not be easy, by any means." General Rock shouted.

The stallion had bandaging around his left hoof and several pieces of gauze taped to his chest. In truth, he belonged more in a hospital bed than in the war room, but the old soldier had refused.

"As far as we know, the enemy has captured our capital and imprisoned our leaders. With the limited amount of troops we currently posses, we stand no chance of recapturing the city at the moment. However, with a small team of silent operatives, we can infiltrate their fortifications and possibly extract the Princesses. The enemy slipped up when they were boasting, and revealed that the Princesses were being held in the same prison they claimed the Princesses imprisoned their ancestors. They must have them locked up in Canterlot's dungeon." The General explained.

"How will we go about this?" a human officer wondered.

"Using the recently arrived air machines, we can quickly move a small team to the palace. Again, I'm not going to lie. There will very likely be heavy resistance. Stealth is our only option here, you cannot openly fight against the occupation forces in Canterlot and come out alive. STAY HIDDEN!"

Colonel Highlander stood up. "Fortunately, the two Black Hawks helicopters the base had on standby were two of the new stealth Variants. They should get you in without attracting too much attention." He explained. "The ponies going with you are highly trained Equestrian AOD ponies. Listen to their instruction, and follow their orders. They will be leading this mission."

Mike raised his hand.

"Yes, Lieutenant Kaiser?" The Colonel asked

"What's AOD stand for?" the pilot wondered.

"Affairs of Darkness." General Rock answered. "They are trained in silent operations, and have knowledge of Equestria's inner workings. They'll be more than helpful."

"If you are spotted by enemy resistance on your way to Canterlot, you are to destroy it. They can't know we're coming." The Colonel warned. "I guess that's about it."

The soldiers began to get up from their seats.

"WAIT!" a voice cried out from outside.

"Who said that?" General Rock asked the group.

A young purple unicorn mare trotted into the room, leaning on two ponies for support, followed by a small dragon.

Lenard Greene did a double take. "Twilight? I thought you were in a coma! Applejack, Pinkie Pie, what's going on?"

"She finally woke up!" Spike answered.

Twilight interrupted. "That doesn't matter now! It's a trick! You're all going to the wrong place! If what they are saying is true, there could only be one prison they are talking about." Twilight explained.

"And what, little lady, could that be?" General Rock cautiously asked.

"The dungeon Equestria would have used that long ago, next to the original Palace." Twilight continued.

"Out with it, mare!" Rock bellowed.

"Alcatrotz Island, in the Everfree Forest."

Chapter Ten: Affairs Of Darkness. Part I

Chapter Ten: Affairs Of Darkness. Part I

"WHERE IS HE?!" a gruff, female voice screamed.

"Please calm down ma'am. He is right this way. Third door on the left." a much calmer voice answered.

"How did this happen? How did he let this happen?"

"He will be alright. Please don't worry."

"Don't worry!? He was nearly killed! What's not to worry about that?!"

"Nothing I suppose. Please don't wake him. He needs his rest."

The pair walked into a dark hospital room, and stood over the sprawling form of an injured griffin.

"He's hurt bad, isn't he?" the female voice asked.

"The injuries are severe, but the worst has passed. He will heal."

"W-what? Who's there? C-come at me coward!" a third voice echoed.

"It's me! It's me! I'm here."

"Gilda? W-where am I?" the injured griffin weakly questioned.

"Doctor, can you give us some space?" Gilda asked the griffin physician.

The doctor nodded. "Certainly."

Once the doctor had left, Gilda embraced the stricken griffin in a panicked hug.

"Phal, I'm so glad you're okay. I'd though they'd killed you out there!"

"Calm down, I'll be alright." the griffin spoke over the pain. "That pony got a lucky shot on me. Make that five or so lucky shots. We won't underestimate them again." Phalanx replied.

"I thought they were supposed to surrender! That's why we gave them the horns! It was supposed to scare them into giving up! Just like the others!" Gilda screamed.

"They had help! Strange creatures I've never seen before were helping them! They had weapons too! Its like something out of the fiction novels I read as a fledgeling!" Phalanx defended. "But we are gaining the upper hand. Reinforcements are pushing them back towards the town. It won't be long before they're forced to retreat."

The griffin sat up in his bed.

"I am still concerned about these interlopers. They seem to have allied themselves with the ponies." Phalanx responded with a bit of worry.

"That's not cool." Gilda answered coldly.

"Certainly not." an eery voice calmly spoke from the shadows.

A large griffin stepped from the darkness of the room. Gilda and Phalanx put their paws to their chest in salute.

"C-chancellor!" Phalanx coughed. "This is unexpected. Pardon me for not standing."

"Tis fine." the larger than life griffin responded. "Do not worry. I have come as a friend, not as a ruler. Are you well, Praetor?"

"I have seen better days, my liege. But I will resume my duties as soon as I heal." the bedridden griffin spoke.

The large griffin nodded. "You spoke of interlopers coming to the aid of pony-kind. I have heard similar reports."

"What are we gonna do?" Gilda asked, still standing over Phalanx's bed.

"They stand against us. There can only be one response." the large griffin responded.

A ram taller than any pony Gilda and Phalanx had ever seen, stepped from the shadows.

"Do not rush to judgement. If these interlopers are new arrivals to this land like I've heard, they may not be aware of what they do. Perhaps, they could even be swayed to our cause. However, if they refuse to stand with us, or stand down, they are enemies of our alliance, and must be treated as such."

"I agree."

The group looked up to see a menacing, pony sized dragon hanging from the roof.

she began to speak. "The rest of the council agrees with this sentiment. We will give them a choice-"

"-Allegiance, or death."

*******************

In every culture there are legends.

Stories to scare the young at night.

Threats to keep the old in line.

Stories no pony realized could be true.

Alcatrotz was one of those legends.

It was nightfall over Equestria.

A single Black Hawk helicopter covertly flew over the Everfree forest. Inside, a mixed team of Black Ops soldiers and AOD specialist ponies silently waited to reach their fabled destination.

Lime Tree Hill, now clothed in a black AOD suit and matching coat paint, struggled to come to terms with what was happening around him. He looked around, and saw the battle hardened soldiers of two words bravely awaiting the mission to come.

The various humans and ponies were readying their gear or studying the operation intel. Lenard, on the other hand, was absentmindedly staring off into space. Every now and then, he would stare down at his watch, its light brown color closely resembling the color of his skin. Lime Tree noticed that he hadn't bothered to put on any black face paint. Steven was busy smearing on as much as he could, making sure not a single inch of pale skin could be seen.

To Lime Tree's right, the silhouetted pegasus form of Star Sabre quietly sat, adjusting the scope on his crossbow with his hooves. He was no doubt wondering how his friend and mentor Sky Blade was faring in the ongoing battle near Ponyville.

Lime Tree remembered how eager the pegasus had been to volunteer for this mission. Though still unable to fly, the pegasus claimed to be in good enough physical condition to fight, and for some reason, command had allowed it. The prospect just made Lime Tree that much more nervous.

How did I let them drag me into this? The green, now black, earth pony thought.

In truth, Lime Tree Hill had more experience in the Everfree forest than most ponies. Several times, he'd crossed small sections of it to reach other cites in Equestria, usually for some diplomatic effort the Mayor sent him on.

That doesn't mean I'm some kind of specialist. Lime Tree mused to himself.

He did know how to survive, which plants to eat, what to stay away from, what sounds to run in fear from. But now, to go to such an untoward place, unthinkable!

"How is it even possible?"

The stallion searched through the memories of his foalhood. As far as he could remember, Alcatrotz Island was a fictional fairytale prison where the "bad ponies" that forgot to brush their teeth or clean their rooms went. No pony believed such stories, even as foals. But as a pony got older, the stories got darker. It may have been little silly things as a foal, but as a teenager, it was the dropouts and street trash that were sent there. As an adult, they would say that ravenous murders, terrorists, and the worst villainy and scum imaginable were imprisoned within its walls.

Lime Tree just couldn't make sense of it.

Are the stories real? Are there still ponies imprisoned there? Was that griffin in the report right about his ancestors dying there? Lime Tree silently wondered. He was certainly not comforted by the knowledge that he'd soon find out.

And how did Twilight know the place existed? Let alone where it was supposedly located? Everypony knows that Twilight had access to Royal Library in Canterlot, but to know such things... What else has she learned there that have never come to light?

The green stallion was jolted out of his internal discussion by a human hand tapping his forehead.

"Lime," Captain Greene whispered, trying to get his attention. "Listen up. The CO's about to explain things."

A older Stallion, covered from muzzle to hoof in black, stood up in the front of the cabin and put a radio to his mouth.

"Alright stallions- and, er, men. I'm Major Bronze Leaf, your commanding officer for this mission. The other Black Hawk is breaking off toward Canterlot for the army recapture operation. We are dropping into the jungle canopy now. This is as far as we can go in this vehicle without alerting the enemy. We'll continue the journey on hoof and foot til we reach the lake. Once we do, we'll need to traverse it inconspicuously. Sorry, but swimming is the only way to do this. Check your air tanks now or you may regret it later. Once we reach the shore, silently neutralize anything that could blow our cover. We'll be using bows primarily, and I've been told that the firearms are of the quiet variety."

Steven Mace attached a suppressor to his now much quieter .50 caliber sniper rifle.

The Major continued. "No explosives are to be used, and use hoof to hoof combat only if necessary. You've each been given a copy of the map Ms. Sparkle supplied. We don't have time to memorize them, so keep them handy. They may save your life. Remember, this is by the book; stay hidden and stay quiet. Pilot, turn out the lights!"

Gerianna Reed throttled back the Black Hawk's engines, and the helicopter landed with a soft thud in a small clearing.

Lime Tree stood up as Lenard pulled one of the doors open. As the rest of the soldiers began to file out, he noticed a dim orange light in the sky.

He cocked his head to one side. "Funny, doesn't look like a star-"

A pillar of fire impaled the helicopter

There was a large explosion.

******************

A pandragon aerialist climbed off of his mount, led it to a pen, and ran over to his commanding officer.

"Sir we spotted one of those flying machines landing in the forest, but we destroyed it!"

"Hmm. any clue as to where it was headed?' the pandragon officer rubbed his chin.

"I'm not sure, but It could have been trying to attack our base." the aerialist explained.

"They couldn't have figured it out already. Are you sure it was destroyed?" the officer cocked one of his eyebrows.

"Quite sure, Captain." the pandragon nodded.

"Hmm. Lets err on the side of caution, shall we? I'll send some guards out to make sure."

*****************

A team of humans and ponies quietly spread out from the burning landing site and sprinted into the forest.

"What his us!" Lenard called out.

"Don't know, but I don't think we're being tailed. We need to move!" Star Sabre answered.

"Here we are again, running for our lives in the Everfree Forest. You'd think we would have gotten used to this by now! You know, I better get a rank or something when we get back." Lime Tree whispered to the other members of his team.

"You're more of a civilian specialist, Lime." Star Sabre quietly commented back.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lime Tree mumbled.

"That means you don't get a rank, but it also means they can't court marshal you. Now shut up so we don't get shot!" Star Sabre whispered/yelled.

"How did they know we were coming?! Somepony answer that!" Lime Tree defiantly questioned back.

"We need to stay quiet Lime." Lenard chided. "Keep moving."

Lime Tree was livid. "They're all dead! We're the only ones left! This demands more attention, don't you think!"

"The mission is still a go. We just have less men to accomplish it with, so I'm not going to ask you again." Lenard shot the green stallion a look. "Shut up Hill!"

"Yes sir." Lime Tree gave a mock salute.

The small group moved in swift silence until they reached the shores of a large lake. About a mile away, in the center of that lake, was a large island. It was walled on all sides and boasted several guard towers, each sporting rotating search lights.

"Sabre, you and Mace get eyes on targets." Lenard quietly ordered.

Steven Mace brought the scope of his rifle to his eye. After a few seconds, he shouldered his weapon and turned to his squad mates.

"I spot six rams, twelve griffins and a pandragon on one of those huge fighter dragon monsters, patrolling the outer gates." he finally said.

"Same here." Star Sabre answered. "Who knows how many are on the inside of the facility."

Lenard Sighed. "The Major was right. We can't fight them, not directly anyway."

"Any ideas?" Star Sabre impatiently asked.

"We'll have to be pretty fast to breach the walls. We'll have to time the search lights just right, to give us enough time to climb over." Lime Tree added

"I concur." Lenard affirmed.

"If that's how you want to do it, we'll have to be extremely careful not to tip off the sharp shooters." Steven added.

"If we're going to swim, stay vigilant under the water. If you see anything that isn't pony or human like, give it some space." Lime Tree explained.

Star Sabre looked a bit nervous. "You don't think there will be sharks or som-" Sabre stopped and raised his bow.

"FREEZE! FLANK-SPANKER! HOOVES UP!" Sabre pointed his bow at a shadowy figure under a tree.

The figure did just that. Only it didn't have hooves, it had hands.

"Chill, it's just me." a female voice calmly spoke.

"Gerri, you're alive?" Lenard shouted with glee.

Gerri shrugged. "It hit the aft section, I managed to escape before it completely went up."

"Why were you sneaking around?" Lenard questioned.

The female pilot put her hands on her hips. "Look, I'm new to all this. Unlike you, I don't run around pretending to be a spy." Gerianna Reed retorted. "By the way, we have a stowaway." The pilot pointed behind her.

A familiar cyan-blue pegasus poked her head out from behind a tree, her rainbow mane partially blacked out by paint.

"Awwww," Rainbow Dash whined. "How'd you know?"

Lenard's forehead was starting to hurt from repeated palm strikes.

"Subtlety is not your strong suit, mare." the female pilot answered.

"How did you even get here? I know you still can't fly." Lenard wondered, rubbing his head.

"I just put all this black paint stuff on my mane and no pony noticed when I climbed in the copter," Dash answered.

"Wait, you were in the chopper?" Steven spoke up.

"Yep." the pegasus affirmed.

"Wait, wait!" Lenard interjected. "It's only been two days since the blast. The doctor said you were still weak. You're telling me your all better now?"

The pegasus laboriously clopped up to the group, answering the question.

"What made you think you could be of any help still hurt like that?" Lenard questioned.

"I think the real question is," Steven began. "why are you here?"

The rainbow maned pegasus put a hoof to her neck. "I don't know. I just wanted to help."

"Then I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into." Star Sabre answered. "This isn't some kind of game! If we're spotted, the Princesses could die!" Star Sabre threw his hooves up. "Can you even swim?"

The blue pegasus turned her head down. "Swimming isn't exactly my thing."

It was Star Sabre's turn to strike his head with his hoof.

"Can Pinkie Pie and Applejack swim?" Lenard asked.

"Consarnit!" a voice rung out from behind a tree.

Two blacked out earth ponies trotted/bounced out of the underbrush, one of them was missing her trademark stetson.

"You got a serious pair o' eyes on ya Lenno." Applejack stated.

"That's why I'm a pilot. You didn't answer my question. Can you two swim?"

Blackie Pie- er, Pinkie Pie bounced up and down uncontrollably. "Of course! How do you think I found my pet alligator Gummy?" Surprisingly, that statement didn't draw any attention.

"Ah used to swim all the time in the lakes near th' farm." Applejack answered.

"I guess you all heard the plan?" Lime Tree asked the now larger group.

"Yes."

"Affirmative."

"Eeyup."

"Let's party!"

"Lenard, you're not actually going to let them come with us, right?" Lime Tree questioned.

"We can't leave them here. They're untrained civilians, they'd be picked off by patrols in a heartbeat. They're safer with us." the pilot captain answered. "Look, I don't like it either, but we can't leave without a chopper, and we don't know how long the Princesses have left. We don't have time to take them back."

"What if those horns were fake, and this is all just a ruse to lure us into a trap?" Lime Tree protested.

"What if they're real, and Celestia and Luna need our help? Are you willing to take that chance?"

The human pilot and the green stallion stared each other down for almost ten seconds.

"Well- no, i guess not." Lime Tree finally answered.

"Then lets go. You three, we don't have any extra weapons with us. We weren't exactly expecting you, and we barely made it out with our own stuff. Speaking of which, how did you guys escape the blast?"

"I leaned out of the cockpit at just the right time, I guess." Gerri shrugged. "The guy next to me wasn't so lucky." she looked down.

"And you?" Lenard looked down at Pinkie.

"My Pinkie Sense! My tail started twitchin,' so me, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash jumped out!" Pinkie explained like this was a perfectly logical answer.

"Uhh, Pinkie Sense? Mare, what are you talking ab-" Star Sabre questioned, looking confused.

"Precognitive reflexes. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Don't even bother trying to figure it out." Lenard cut him off.

Star Sabre cocked his head to one side. "You mean like in the Spider-Stallion comi-"

Lenard shook his head. "I told you, just don't bother. It'll save you from a headache."

Star Sabre shrugged. "Whatever then, who's ready for a swim?"

Turns out, no one was.

******************

"What a mess." a ram said to a griffin.

The griffin looked up to a hovering pandragon, who was without a mount. "You guys don't leave much to salvage, do you?" the griffin spoke.

"Sorry, next time I'll try not to be as efficient." the pandragon rolled his slitted eyes.

The small team looked down at the remains of several human and pony soldiers.

"I'd say these humans were weird lookin,' but look at us!" the griffin gave a hardy laugh.

"Hey, we got a survivor!" the ram yelled to the others.

The soldiers huddled over the broken body of an earth pony.

"Hey there pony. What's your name?" the griffin spoke with mock sincerity."

"B- Br- *Cough* ahhh!" the pony roared in pain.

"I can't quite hear you, can you speak up a bit." the griffin chided.

"B- Bron- Bronze L-leaf." the pony choked.

"Well Mr. Bronze Leaf, we're gonna have to ask you to come with us." the ram spoke.

"I'm n-not going anywhere with y-you!" the pony spat at the ram.

"How, unfortunate. I'm afraid we're going to have to insist. There's someone who wants to talk to you. Grab him." the ram instructed to the others, who knelt down and held the pony by his shoulders.

The pony screamed in pain.

"No! Wait! Where are you taking me?!" Bronze Leaf cried out.

"To the council."

Chapter Eleven: Affairs Of Darkness. Part II

Chapter Eleven: Affairs Of Darkness- Part II

"INCOMING!"

Mike Kaiser swung his Black Hawk sharply to the left, avoiding a flare propelled spear-bomb by inches.

He put his radio to his mouth.

...... "So much for covert! We need back up now! It's like they knew we were coming!"......

......."Roger bravo. You have support incoming! Hold on!"......

An arrow-flare passed through the glass of the cockpit and embedded itself in the co-pilots helmet.

He slumped in his seat.

Mike looked over his shoulder to the downed man.

"Help might not come fast enough." he mumbled.

******************

"Come on, Dash!" came the impatient order from a human pilot.

A cyan-blue and black pegasus desperately hoofed her way through here greatest challenge yet, water. The others had made it to the dark beaches of the island by now, and the multi-chromatic pegasus had straggled behind.

Lenard began to sweat as a circle of light produced by the search towers drew ever closer to the struggling pegasus. "You've got to move, now Dash!" Lenard urgently whispered.

The light grew closer.

"Hurry up, RD!" Applejack whined.

This light was almost there...

With an annoyed groan, Lenard threw himself into the water, taking Rainbow Dash by surprise. He pulled the panicked pegasus under the water, as far as he could, just a the light passed over. The two then surfaced, and slowly swam to the shadowed section of the shore line, where their friends were waiting.

It took all Rainbow Dash had to keep from yelling at the top of her water logged lungs.

"You almost drowned me, you idio-" she half yelled, half coughed.

Lenard put a five fingered hand over the pegasus' muzzle.

"What I did, was save your life." the pilot quietly answered. "Though I don't know why, you were just asking to be killed, stowing away with us in these conditions-"

Steven motioned for the two to be quiet.

"Listen sir," The Sergent quietly began."I know you technically out rank me, but with all due respect, this team is a menagerie of civilians and pilots, untrained in this form of combat."

"And you want us to follow you, right?" Lenard quickly answered.

"Yes sir. I was a candidate for Force Reconnaissance before I volunteered to come to this place. I have the training, and I just think it would be smart to use it."

"Understood, Sergent. Something like this doesn't happen often. We will follow your lead. Just remember, I am still your C.O. right now. And If comes down to it, I will make the difficult decisions, understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Oh and Sergent, don't ever call me untrained again."

The Sergent smirked, but straightened up. "Yes sir, sorry about that one."

"So, wise one, now that that's out of the way, how do you suggest we breach without getting shot up by the guards up there?"

The soldier looked up a the walled fortress that lie in front of them, then looked back down.

"Anyone up for some sniper practice?"

******************

The battle east of Ponyville raged on into the night.

The sounds of battle filled the ears of all still alive to hear them.

A human soldier sprinted up to an injured earth pony, standing near a ledge.

"General Rock, the line is getting too close to the town! We've got to push back before we get civilian casualties!"

Rock shook his head.

"We're maxed out as it is! Can't the whirly birds offer any protection?"

"We sent two of them to assist bravo team with Canterlot operations!" the solder answered.

Rock shook his head. "Well, what about the last one?!"

The soldier craned his head upward."Here it comes now!"

An AH-64 Apache Helicopter roared over heard, firing a barrage of rockets into a nearby column of enemy battle wagons.

"Go get 'em boys!" a nearby soldier called out to the craft, as the men began to cheer.

A rocket-spear from one of the surviving wagons quickly put an end to their exuberance, as the projectile, true to its name, speared straight through the aircraft, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

"HIT THE DECK, NOW!" General Rock called out to the troops as the massive swirling ball of fire and metal crashed down on them.

The dust settled, and the General and the solider emerged battered, but alive.

"Hoof over those binoculars, son." The General instructed.

The human found the object in question and handed it over.

Just ahead, an entire legion of rams and griffins were crossing the hill, with refresher units for the recently destroyed battle wagon battalion.

The General put the binoculars down, and gave the soldier a grim look.

"We have no choice now, We've got to fall back." Rock finally spoke.

"but sir-"

"No choice, send the order out."

The jittery human quickly nodded. "Yes sir." and ran off.

The General looked down at his personal cache of weapons. He strapped a large crossbow to a mounting on his back, and a hoof bow on his left foreleg. With a quick look back at the solders behind him, he shouted:

"Hold the line Stallions!"

Griffins and Rams poured into the countryside, trampling everything in their way. Rock and his men took cover behind any structure they could find as firebolts whizzed past, and spear rockets rained down from the sky.

Rock peeked around his cover long enough to sight his adversaries.

"Open fire!" he yelled. "Suppress them!"

Ponies of the Earth Infantry began to fire arrows at a magnificent pace in an attempt to force the approaching enemies to take cover. Human troops opened up with assault rifles, pistols and anything else they could get their hands on.

Refusing to be scared away, the griffins and rams surged onward, trying to get within a reasonable range, firing their weapons all the while.

Lethal fire zipped past, as an older looking mare lined up her JSL at a large rolling vehicle.

As best as she could tell, the battle wagon seated a small, five strong team of griffins, rams and the same small red dragons that she'd seen earlier. The vehicle was being pulled by two rams, each firing their own weapons via muzzle mounted triggers. On the craft itself, a large catapult was being armed by two circling griffins. They seemed to be loading a large object onto it.

"Mortar bombs." the mare mumbled.

She'd only get one shot at this.

The mare pulled the JSL off of her back, and lied down on her stomach, in favor of using her hooves in the more accurate stance.

She placed the wagon in the center of the cross-hairs, and with a click,

she bit the trigger.

With a low thumping twang, the arrow sped off towards its target so fast, the mare could barely keep track of it.

At about the time she figured the arrow would impact, the wagon burst into flames, and an explosion rung out over the area.

The dumb struck mare watched as the dust settled, and the smoldering wreckage of the battle wagon and it's operators remained motionless.

"Hmm, must have be one of the new models." she muttered, looking down at her launcher.

"Nice shot Wisp!" General Rock called down from behind his cover, as a flare exploded behind it.

"Look out!" The mare cried.

Rock looked up to see a griffin perched right above him on the rock he'd made his cover behind. The griffin threw down a spent flare launcher, apparently annoyed by its ineffectiveness, and charged down at Rock with a large knife in his beak. Rock jumped backward just fast enough to escaped being beheaded, but not fast enough to avoid the paw the griffin brought forthcoming. The punch was enough to send the veteran solder reeling, bludgeoning the already battered General's face. Fighting through the pain, Rock quickly got back to his hooves to dodge the griffin's next knife strike, annoying the griffin that much more.

Years of hoof-to-hoof combat lessons came back to the old soldier, as he realized he was too close to use his crossbows. Reacting as fast as he could, Rock drew a tactical knife from his chest pocket with his mouth, and clenched the blade in his teeth. The griffin, who was already in the midst of a kick, was too late to withdraw his clawed foot. Rock brought the knife down as quickly as he could, slashing the talon, and knocking the griffin back.

Now completely enraged, the griffin took to the sky circling around as fast as he could.

"I will not be beaten by a lowly earth pony!" the griffin shrieked through the knife in his mouth.

The winged warrior zoom dived down on the old solder, using his speed and his paws to propel the knife as quickly as he could down at the earthbound soldier. The knife, now traveling the same speed as the griffin that threw it, flew straight down toward pony's head.

Rock dashed forward, jumped into the air, dodged the knife, and latched onto the griffin's back. The utterly dumbfounded griffin stared back at the pony with a look of pure bewilderment, as the two intertwined soldiers flew through the air at high speed.

Rock smirked. "You know you've tangled with the wrong pony, right?"

The griffin didn't answer, so Rock hoof punched him in the back of the neck.

Just as the General was about to drop the killing blow with his knife, the griffin dived and rolled over. The pony's grip on blade faltered, and the knife fell away. Rock barely managed to grab onto one of the griffins legs, narrowly avoiding the same fate.

"We'll see how strong you earth ponies really are!" The griffin yelled down. He repeatedly kicked at the earth pony with his uninjured leg, landing a few hits, but missing most as the pony deftly dodged the griffin's attacks.

"Your going to have to try harder than that!" the earth pony pony jeered.

"Release me!" the griffin yelled as he swung around wildly, doing anything to rid himself of the tenacious earth pony.

The two barrel rolled, dived, juked, and spun through the air, as the griffin became more and more frantic. Heads turned down on the ground as the two soldiers dueled above.

In one last desperate move, the griffin tried bucking the pony off of him. Shaken loose, Rock barely held on as the griffin rolled into a flip. As he leveled out, Rock got his first look at the ground below him.

They were several yards from the ground. Possibly too high to survive a fall. In the distance, the growing "Liberation Alliance" army was much bigger than anypony had expected. The earth pony's pupils grew small as the approaching army seemed to be tearing through the all of the resistance he'd set up.

The pony stifled a yell and threw a hoof upward, connecting with the griffin's stomach. The griffin lurched. Rock saw his chance. Climbing up with all the strength he had, the earth pony flung himself onto the griffin's back.

"Who says earth ponies can't fly!" he called out, flailing like the greatest of cowponies on a raging bull.

The pony's expression changed to horror as the griffin dove toward alliance forces.

Rock dug into one of the many pouches in his uniform. "If you want to get rid of me that badly, I'll see myself out!"

The griffin turned his head around, clearly confused. Rock shoved a hoof into the griffins beak, forcing him downward, out of the sky. As the two soldiers plummeted through the air, Rock pulled his hoof out, but left a small metallic apple like object in the griffin's beak.

Rock hurled himself off of the griffin, smiling through a metal pin clutched in his teeth. The confused and choking griffin grasped his beak, trying to force out the offending object as he too, rushed toward the ground.

The earth pony general slammed into the ground next to a large boulder. The thrashing griffin landed on the other side of it.

There was a loud explosion.

General Rock groggily looked to his left and right. "I'll have to thank that human later for that special present." he mumbled under his breath.

He turned his head to the boulder that had acted as his shield. Etched into the side of it, was the name "Tom."

The battered earth pony chuckled.

"Well, thank you Tom."

A snow white, uniformed mare with a light blue mane galloped up to him and put her hooves around his head. Several human and pony soldiers followed behind.

"You okay Rumbly?" the mare asked with an extremely worried look.

Rock could have sworn he'd seen a tear in the hardened mare's eyes.

"I've had worse, Snow." Rock coughed. "But I'd be lying, *Cough* -I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hurting right now."

"Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here." General Snow Wisp turned to the soldiers. "Take him to the infirmary." she ordered.

On of the ponies noticed that one of the earth pony's hooves had bandaging taped to it. His eyes went wide. This was the same pony that had been shot in the hoof, just hours before. The solider noticed the scars the pony had on his chest that had barely begun to heal, and the black eye he still wore.

"Unbelievable." the soldier mumbled under his breath.

The solders used a wooden plank as a makeshift stretcher and laid the stallion on top of it. Just before they lifted it, Rock noticed a shiny metal object on the ground. It as a knife with a swooping griffin etched onto the blade, stuck into the ground just a few feet away.

The earth pony closed his eyes.

"A worthy opponent." he mumbled.

Two soldiers lifted the stretcher. General Snow Wisp trotted alongside the wounded soldier and planted a short peck on his forehead. The soldier opened one of his eyes, flashed a slight smirk, and finally allowed unconsciousness to drape over him. As they carried him of towards the town, Snow Wisp reloaded her crossbows.

The snow white earth pony turned around to face her troops. Noticing the strange looks the soldiers gave her, she snapped back into soldier mode.

"What are you looking at?! Let's move!" The solders saluted and ran back into the fray, leaving the earth mare alone.

She looked back toward the town and sighed.

"Looks like Rumbly Rock is finally out of the fight."

*******************

Applejack and Pinkie Pie boosted Sergent Mace and Corporal Star Sabre into a tree.

"Thanks girls. Alright Star. My rifle is suppressed, but it's still loud enough to attract attention, so you're up first. Try to take out the soldiers that aren't standing in plain view of the others first. How many arrows do you have?"

"Twenty-three. But they'll be on us by the time I get through half of them!"

"Then take out the griffins first." Lime Tree quietly suggested from below, as he ran off towards cover.

"I agree." Mace answered.

"Applejack." Star Sabre called down.

"Yep?" the mare consciously asked.

"Tell the others they might be about to have incoming."

The blond pony nodded. "Ah'm on it!"

"Okay, we'll have to wait until they all land." Mace instructed.

"Understood. You know, this is the first time I've actually been in combat." The Corporal mentioned.

"Really?" Mace spoke in a worried tone.

"Yeah, the last "war" ended when I was two. A bunch of traitors called "The Banded" wreaked havoc all over Equestria." Sabre explained.

"Why? I mean, what did they want?" Mace wondered.

"Total anarchy. They wanted to erase the government, and everypony in it. At first it was just riots, then they turned into violent protest, then outright attack. Pretty soon, the army was sent all over the place to uproot them all. They were based in Hoofston, where I grew up. That's why I joined up. Because some believe that they're still out their plotting their revenge."

"Sounds familiar." Mace commented."I got back from a tour in Iraq two years ago. Funny, the war ends in one world, and starts up in another." The human mused to himself.

"What's an "I rack"?" the Pony wondered.

"Long story." Mace stared into space. "If we survive, I'll tell you all about it. By the way, your targets are settling down over there."

"Time to clock in then." the stallion chuckled to himself.

The last griffin landed and began to walk toward the entrance. Sabre lined the griffin up just behind the cross-hairs of his scope to account for lead, and let loose an arrow.

With a muffled thump, the griffin collapsed.

"That's one." Star whispered.

"No one saw 'em, keep going." Mace confirmed.

With another muffled thump from the crossbow, another griffin fell, his comrades still completely unaware.

"There's one coming up to the wall now, take him out."

Whump!

"Good one."

Thump!

"That's four- uh oh!"

A griffin rounded a corner and stumbled upon the downed body of a comrade. He quickly looked around, spotting his attacker with the keen vision griffins had become known for.

Sabre went wide eyed."Clop! We're made! Duck!"

A firebolt splintered right through the trunk of the tree they'd made their stand in.

"Take him out before he triggers an alarm!" Sabre yelled to mace.

Steven Mace positioned his sniper rifle. "You don't have to tell me twice."

There was a dull crack, and the griffin fell right next to the other.

"That's five." Sabre nodded.

"Time to go.." Mace instructed, and the two soldiers hoped out of the tree into the waiting arms of the two earth ponies.

"That was mighty fine shootin' you two." Applejack drawled.

"Wait, that didn't disturb you or anything?" Star Sabre asked.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at each other solemnly. For a second, Pinkie's mane seemed to droop.

"We were there when the fightin' started back in Ponyville. It wern't pretty." Applejack explained.

Pinkie nodded, then perked up. "This just means a bigger party when this all ends." She spoke without yelling for once.

"I say we clobber every last one of them!" Rainbow dash yelled out before getting a hoof shoved in her mouth from the orange cowpony.

"Quiet Dash! We're not out of th' woods yet!" Pinkie snickered.

"Actually, we are." the pink pony giggled.

Applejack glared, and Pinkie Pie's laughter ceased.

..."Nice work.".... Lenard's voice cracked over the radio. ...."If you timed that right, the other seven won't come around until you're right on top of them.".....

"Cap, are you ready?" Mace quietly spoke back through his radio.

...."We're in position, standing by.".... came the answer.

********************

On the other sided of the compound, a ram meandered along on the outer wall of the previously fictitious prison. As he boredly made his rounds, a glint in the forest caught his attention. He stared at the spot he'd seen the glare for several seconds.

"Probably a glowerfly." he mumbled.

As he continued his rounds, a pandragon mount landed nearby. The aerialist climbed down from the beast and tied it to a nearby post. The small, red, pterodactyl like creature walked toward the building, its slitted eyes creased with boredom.

The creature gave a gesture of greeting as it made its way into the compound. The ram nodded back, then continued his walk until a faint cracking sound stole his attention. Now curious, the ram put his trigger yoke in his mouth and consciously moved toward the edge of the forest.

The ram stopped as he noticed a strange looking item on the forest floor. It was flat, metallic and shaped like a "U"

Behind the ram, a green earth pony clumsily fell out of a tree. The ram turned around just fast enough to watch two green hooves fly toward his face. One of them was wearing a horseshoe.

A human dropped from another tree and quickly pulled the now unconscious ram into the surrounding foliage.

"Sheesh Lime! I don't think he's getting up anytime soon." Lenard spoke in a hushed tone, as he hid the ram in the bushes. "Though you might not want to drop this." He handed a horse shoe to the stallion.

The pony snatched it and used his forelegs to put the shoe back on.

"Hey! You! Stop!" a voice called out behind them.

Lime Tree and Lenard slowly turned around.

Before them, stood an angry ram with the same belt-fed firebolt gun that had been seen earlier in the east invasion. The ram pointed the weapon at the two and clenched his jaw around the trigger.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

The ram looked down at his chest, sunk to his fore-knees, and face planted.

Lime Tree and Lenard slowly turned around again. High up in the forest canopy, Gerri Reed held a smoking suppressed M9 pistol.

"Come on guys, back in the tree before you get caught." Gerry called down from above.

The two eagerly obliged. After Lime Tree hid the Ram, and Lenard hoisted Lime Tree back into the tree, the low volume speaker of Lenard's radio spoke up.

...."How are guys doing over there."....

...."Alright, we're clear. How you guys doing over there?".....

...."All griffins down, repeat, all griffins down. What about the rams?"....

...."Neutralized. We took out two right before we called.".....

....."Then the dragon is all that left, keep a look out for the dragon or its pilot."....

...."Will do, out"....

"Alright, lets find that dra-" Lenard paused as he noticed Lime Tree's pale expression. The pony pointed behind him.

Just a few yards away, a sleeping red mass snored, oddly quiet.

Lenard turned around in the tree. "Whoa ho! Good thing I didn't scream."

*****************

The battle line moved ever so close to the out skirts of Ponyville.

A unicorn slowly opened her eyes. She found herself on a hospital bed being pushed by several lab coated ponies and humans. A nurse pony noticed the unicorn coming to, and galloped up to her.

"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?" the nurse questioned.

The unicorn fluttered awake and turned her head toward the nurse.

"How- whats going on? the unicorn weakly spoke. Even with those few words, the nurse could pick out the unicorns noble-like accent.

"I'm Nurse Redheart and you're in the hospital, well at least right now, were moving you out at the moment."

"What?" the unicorn answered. "why am I- How did i- what?"

Another hospital bed was pushed next to her's. "It's okay Rarity, they're moving us to safety! Calm down!" the patient in the other bed explained.

"Twilight? Safety from what?" the unicorn answered.

Twilight spoke up. "We're both a bit, uhh, under the weather and-"

A mortar impacted nearby causing all the lights in the hall to wobble and flicker.

The other patient looked flabbergasted. "No time to explain now, Rarity! Just stay calm. We're getting out of here!"

Rarity tried to sit up in her bed, but a massive migraine sat her back down.

A butter-yellow pegasus trotted along side the hospital beds.

"I got the medicine." she quietly mumbled. "Oh, Rarity! You're awake!"

The Violet maned pegasus clutched her head in pain.

"Sorry, too loud?" the pegasus spoke almost inaudibly.

"Fluttershy? You wouldn't happen to have any pain killers, would you?" Rarity asked.

The butter pegasus nodded and pulled a bottle out of a saddlebag with her mouth.

Rarity focused on the bottle, willing it to move toward her.

Nothing happened.

Twilight looked over to Rarity, confused at first, then quickly realized what the unicorn was trying to do. "That's not going to work right now, Rarity. Magic seems to be... out of order."

"Just give me the bottle!" Rarity yelled.

Fluttershy "eeped" and timidly tossed the bottle to the angry unicorn.

Rarity awkwardly fumbled with the bottle with her hooves, unused to opening anything without magic. She downed two pills and turned to her friends, who were now giving her very strange looks.

"Anypony want to to tell me what's going on?" She finally asked.

The sounds of another mortar impacting the ground rattled the halls.

Twilight quickly looked in every direction.

"Twilight? What was that? Seriously! Tell me!" By now, everypony in the ward was giving Rarity strange looks.

Fluttershy turned to Twilight with those signature pleading eyes of her's. Twilight turned to Rarity, bearing a defeated expression. The lavender unicorn's only answer was,

"Their trying to take Ponyville! We have to get out, NOW!"

Chapter Twelve: Affairs Of Darkness. Part III

Author's Notes.

I know, it's about time, right?

Lynolius here, thanking all of those who've read this story! Ten Thousand Combined Chapter views for the win! Well, enjoy!

Chapter Twelve. Affairs Of Darkness. Part III

The familiar klaxons blared over the darkness of the night in Ponyville.

Anypony with weapons had gone off to stall the approaching army, leaving medical staffs to manage the evacuation.

A brick crashed through a storefront window.

"Come on, we can't do this!" a young pony desperately pleaded.

"Says who? This town's doomed anyway." another young pony spoke gloomily.

"But-"

"But nothin'. Now hurry up before sompony sees!"

The two ponies hopped through the hole in the glass, pilfered anything that their saddlebags could carry, and quickly galloped away. Fluttershy could only look on.

"Come on Fluttershy! We're leaving!" Nurse Redheart called out to the timid pegasus.

She snapped out of her daze and briskly trotted over to a large caravan of carts, stretchers, wheeled beds, and physicians. Most families had a single cart to carry any belongings they could gather, pulled by the parents. Among the foals riding in the carts, Fluttershy could not make out a single smile. She looked on as the distant sounds of batle didn't even seem to faze them anymore.

"You looked out of it over there. You okay?" the concerned nurse spoke.

"Uhm. Yeah. Just, I don't know, tired." Fluttershy mumbled then began to dig into here bag. "I brought the supplies."

"You've been quite the help around here, but we still need all the help we can get. Take these antibiotics to the back of the caravan. That's were the wounded are being cared for."

Fluttershy nodded. "Okay. How many are hurt?"

"Too many I'm afraid. Most are being cared for at the other medical outposts. But there are several dozen ponies that have been brought here for treatment. There are also twenty-seven humans back there at my last check."

"Twenty-seven? I didn't know that many human soldiers we're here. Where did they come from?" another nurse asked.

A human doctor walked up to the group. "You forget, the capsule seated more than seventy, and a few more arrived with the helicopters." the doctor explained "Including me, there are, or were, one hundred and thirty one humans in Equestria. Thirty of us are scientist. The rest are military and workers, and we're quickly running out of both."

The ponies (and other humans) all looked at the human quizzically, as if they weren't expecting such a specific answer.

"Uhh, okay?" Nurse Redheart answered. "Fluttershy, better get those meds back there then."

Fluttershy put the medicine in her bag and began to make her way to the back.

Distant bowfire, gunfire and the general sounds of a battle assaulted the poor ponies mind. About halfway, she noticed Twilight and Rarity passed out in their beds.

I hope they're just sleeping. Fluttershy thought. She looked at their clipboards to find out. Twilight and Rarity stirred.

"Don't stress over us, Fluttershy. We're fine." Twilight opened her eyes and spoke. "You should go help those that aren't."

"You mustn't worry so much, darling." Rarity stressed her accent. "We'll be up and galloping in no time."

Fluttershy nodded. "Okay." She left her friends and continued toward the back of the evacuation line.

"Twilight, you still haven't told me just what's going on." Rarity spoke.

"Sorry, you keep drifting in and out, and I wasn't sure if you we're going to stay conscious."

"Drifting? Whatever are you talking about? The last thing I remember was going to the Ga- The Gala! Twilight? Care to explain?"

"There was an attack." Twilight simply stated.

"By whom?" Rarity questioned.

"A huge army of non-ponies called the "Liberation Alliance."

"Non-ponies?"

"Well the griffins are the only ones I recognize. But there are these horned creatures called rams, and weird reptiles called pandragons."

"What do they want?"

"I'm not sure, I didn't wake up til after the fighting started. But judging by their name, they want to "liberate" something"

"So why can't I use my magic?" Rarity finally got around to asking.

Twilight sighed. "I'm not so sure. But I heard it was some kind of magic weapon they used. That's why unicorns seem to be the most affected by it."

"Oh. So where are our friends?"

"Applejack and Pinkie Pie said they were going to help, but they didn't say where or how. Rainbow Dash disappeared from the hospital hours ago, she was supposed to still be resting."

Rarity noticed Twilight's expression changed.

"Is there something else worrying you?" Rarity asked.

"It's Spike. He ran off too. I told him not to, but I wasn't exactly in a place to stop him."

"And you don't think he's up to it?"

"No it just that-"

"You're worried about him." Rarity answered.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. What about you?"

"My mother and father had Sweetie Belle with them for a change. I doubt they were around when this attack started."

"I hope so." Twilight spoke. "I'm sure her, Applebloom and Scootaloo will find a way to get their cutie marks out of this."

Rarity looked down.

"I hope not."

*******************

The gunfire continued in the distance. Though Fluttershy had been told not to, she continued to worry over her friends.

"Nopony has heard from Applejack, Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash for a while." she thought. "What if they're hurt? Or worse? Fluttershy refused to think about it. "All it will do is make me panic."

The ground shook under her hooves from some distant explosion. She tightly shut her eyes in fear, and tears began to make their way down her cheeks.

"Be brave, Fluttershy." she whimpered to herself.

******************

An earth pony opened his eyes. After turning his head left and right he quickly realized that either he was completely blind, or he was in complete darkness. He tried to stand, but his legs refused to move.

"Where... Am I?"

The earth pony heard a labored chuckle sound our from nearby. "It's best not to struggle. You are restrained, and they beat you bad"

"What? Who are you? Where are you? I can't see a dang thing in here!" the pony exclaimed.

"But of course! It is much harder to escape if you can't see." the voice answered.

"You didn't answer my question! Where are we?" the pony asked again.

"I've got nothing to do, so I'll humor you. You're in a dungeon." the voice curtly answered.

"And where *groan* might this dungeon be located?"

The voice chuckled again. "Who knows, I woke up here. Just like you. Though they didn't beat the stuffing outta me."

"It's pitch black in here. How can you tell how injured I am?" the pony wondered.

"Lets just say I have good eyes." the voice answered. "How exactly did you come to be here?"

The pony sighed. "The last thing I remember was..."

The pony's last memories slowly returned.

"Well Mr. Bronze Leaf, we're gonna have to ask you to come with us."

"I'm n-not going anywhere with y-you!"

"How, unfortunate. I'm afraid we're going to have to insist. There's someone who wants to talk to you. Grab him."

"No! Wait! Where are you taking me?!"

"To the council."

The earth pony sat up. "I was captured by enemy troops after my team was killed."

"Well you obviously got away from them if you're here. How'd you escape?"

"Escape? What do you mean? I'm in a dungeon." the earth pony explained.

"You said you were captured by the enemy. The Equestrians didn't just let you go, did they?"

"What are you talking about?"

There was a slight rustling noise. "Wait, you meant us, didn't you?" the voice wondered.

The earth pony would have rubbed the side of his head in confusion, but it seemed to be tied at the moment.

"Who is, "us?"

A blinding white light cascaded in the pony's vision. It faded to form the shape of a ram.

"They will see you now. You will come with me." the ram spoke as it undid some of Bronze Leaf's restraints.

"Uhh, okay." the pony responded. In his blurred vision the pony could now make out the shape of a door and a dark hallway.

As the ram forced the pony to his hooves, Bronze Leaf turned around to take advantage of the new light and see who he'd been talking to all this time.

He squinted his throbbing eyes and stared into the darkness. He gasped as his eyes met those of a light brown griffin.

A griffin? I guess that explains the eyesight. But why is a griffin in an enemy prison? And if he could tell that I'm a pony, why did he still think I was on his side?

The beaked creature scowled. "If you are going before the council, I wish you the best of luck."

The ram pushed the pony out of the cell and slammed the door, returning the room to darkness.

The griffin laid back in his cell.

"You'll definitely need it."

********************

Mike Kaiser turned his head towards one of the cockpit windows of Bravo team's badly damaged Black Hawk helicopter. He made out two Apaches slowly approaching. One of them had a small trail of smoke behind it.

"Good to see you boys finally showed up!"

...."Sorry we're late. This is Arch One and Arch Two. We ran into some, er- trouble on the way here."....

....."That would explain the smoke. We can't afford to loose any more helicopters. If you take too much damage, the Chief says you should bug out, understand? How Copy?"....

...."Solid Copy. What's the SITREP."....

...."Radar's got several tiny contacts approaching, but don't let that fool you. They could be dangerous. You're on defense. This copter has a small insertion team on board. You get us to Canterlot in one piece, and they might be able to covertly free some of the city's garrison of troops. Emphasis on one piece."....

...."Alright. Be advised, we have eyes on several of those wagon tank things, forming a defensive line."....

...."Those are battle wagons. Or BM's for short. Listen. Do NOT underestimate those things. Treat them like SAM launchers and anti air back home: if you ignore them for a second, they'll blast you out of the sky."....

Mike could have sworn he heard the pilot on the radio gulp.

....."Will do, we're moving to attack formation now. Stay behind us."....

"Alright," Mike began."When we tried the first time, the copter nearly got shredded by enemy anti air. Don't group yourselves to close or they'll be able to focus their fire."

The three helicopters hovered together in a loose formation. "I just want you all to know, as soon as we rise over that hill, the excrement will impact the air conditioning unit, if you know what I mean."

...."Copy. Lets do this!"....

Anti air flares exploded left and right, some close enough to shake the copters.

"How 'bout we try evasive for once, Kaiser!" a riding marine jeered.

"How 'bout you jump down there and stand in front of the launchers to shield us." Kaiser answered. "Sit down Henson, enjoy the ride."

An anti-air flare exploded just a few feet away from the cabin, cracking the glass. "Arch, we need cover. Take out the BW's with flare guns first." Kaiser instructed.

The first Apache, call-signed Arch One, pitched forward to gain speed. Arch two did the same. Behind both craft, the Black Hawk helicopter, dubbed Bravo, stayed a safe distance behind. As the three craft rose above the crest of the hill, several warnings echoed through the cabins.

"Everyone grab a gun or a turret, this is about to get even worse." Mike called back. A few black ops troops rushed to man the on board turrets, the ponies grabbed their assorted weaponry, and hung out of the open doors.

An AOD pony put a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "Griffins." he spoke.

The AOD trooper quickly turned to the other AOD's and Black Ops troops. "They've got firebolt weapons! They'll shred us if we don't take them out now!"

"What a firebolt?" a marine asked. Another human looked over to him. "It's like a gun, fully automatic, only if fires tiny rocket like projectiles instead of bullets. We lifted a few of them off of the enemy back at the battle." He now held one in his hands. The first marine looked shocked. "This thing looks like an LMG! It's belt fed and everything!"

"Most enemy troops carry them as primary weapons. They're not very accurate, but can easily clear out a team of soldiers." The AOD pony explained. "I've saw them take out some of my best stallions with it."

"Let's hope it doesn't happen again, because they've spotted us!" a spotter cried out.

A small team of griffins swooped down from above, peppering all three choppers with their firebolt casters. "There's only half a dozen or so, but we're already taking heavy damage!" Mike kaiser announced.

In the back of the Black Hawk an older human stood up and put a radio to his mouth. "This is Stuart. Arch One and Two. Focus on the ground for now. We'll take the griffins."

As he spoke those very words, the chainsaw roar of the Black Hawk's rotating turrets sounded out. One griffin disappeared in an explosion of feathers. The others noticed, and chose to evade, swarming the three helicopters from different directions. The gunners strained their necks trying to keep up with them, firing round after round in vain.

The AOD pony stood up and armed his crossbow.

A marine gave the pony a "you can't possibly be serious" look. "You don't really think you can hit-" the marine began.

The pony had already fired an arrow. The tiny spear flew straight and true toward empty space, or at least it was empty, right before a griffin occupied that space. The arrow embedded itself in the griffin's right wing causing the creature to tailspin right out of the sky.

"But how-?" the marine stammered. "That lead was like fifty yards! How did you do that?"

"Years of training. AOD is hoofpicked from the best." the pony answered, loading another arrow into his bow.

"j-just Who are you?" the gobsmacked marine babbled.

"My name is classified." the pony calmly answered.

"Well then how do they call yo-" the marine was cut off.

"If you're done chatting, I'd like to get back to work." The pony fired another arrow in a seemingly random direction, only to strike another circling enemy.

"Work." the marine answered. He raised his rifle and emptied an entire magazine toward a diving griffin.

Not a single shot landed.

The griffin dived closer then threw a small object toward the Black Hawk. It was some kind of glass orb filled with an orange liquid. Inside, time almost seemed to slow down as the orb flew right into the open cabin doors of the helicopter, within inches of each of the human and pony riders, past the marine's face, and out of the opposite end of the chopper. The orb landed on the ground just a few yards below, and exploded, toppling several trees.

The soldiers flinched, realizing just how close they'd just come to being incinerated. The explosive throwing griffin spun away, evading the gun and bow fire from the Black Hawk.

"I don't want any more of those things to make it away from their throwers!" Stuart yelled. "Lets light 'em up!"

The chain guns roared to life once more. "Hey, Mr. Classified, feel free to take the guys on this side out too!" the marine jeered.

Together with the help of the mysterious pony. more griffins fell until only one remained. The last griffin wisely chose to retreat.

"We got a runner! We can't let him warn anyone else! After him!" Stuart barked.

...."Arch One, Arch Two, We have a rolling ball, repeat, we have a rolling ball. One griffin at 11-o-clock, low!"....

...."Copy. Proceeding to target."....

The two Apaches picked off the last battle wagon and formed up on the Black Hawk. "Firing cannons." Arch one's copilot spoke. The 30mm cannons on each helicopters lit up, and lethal fire rained down on the griffin. The griffin jinked and evaded, deftly avoiding the incoming fire.

...."Arch, take him out!"....

...."Trying sir, but he's too quick!"....

...."We're getting to close to the city! You're running out of time!"....

The griffin used his momentum to shoot straight into the air. Arch One's pilot craned his neck upward to follow him. At the zenith of his climb, the griffin entered a maximum speed dive, straight toward Arch-one. He dug into his combat packs, in the midst of his dive. The confused pilot struggled to make out two glass spheres falling toward him.

The orbs connected with their target.

The blast engulfed the helicopter in an unintelligible fireball. The griffin zoomed straight through the fireball and emerged on the other side, unharmed.

He swung up and raked the Black Hawk with his firebolt caster.

"Arch one is gone! Take that griffin out NOW!" Stuart barked.

"Sir, we have men down! Kinniston's been wounded! Wade is dead!" an AOD pony pointed to a downed marine.

"Ryder, give that man some attention!" Stuart yelled.

"He's coming around again!" Mike shouted from the cockpit.

Tis-tis-tis-tis-tis-tis-tis-tis! Firebolts stuck the helicopter again.

"We're taking some serious heat here!"

Stuart jumped to a gunner's seat, moved the wounded, possible dead gunner, and opened fire on the griffin veteran. The rounds sliced into the griffins wing destroying his firebolt caster. The griffin rode his momentum toward the Black Hawk door, and kicked Stuart out of the gunner position. The griffin jumped up, and stomped on the commander's chest, knocking out any air Stuart might have collected in his lungs.

"Hey ugly!" an AOD pony called out. "Paws off!" the AOD pony landed an oddly human like punch with his right hoof, sending the griffin sprawling out of the cabin.

The pony looked over the side. The griffin madly flailed his arms and his now useless wings, trying to regain control. The pony pulled himself back into the cabin, not wanting to see how it ended.

The AOD pony helped Stuart back to his feet.

"You've got some serious skills Mr...." The commander left the sentence open for an answer.

"Classified." the pony replied.

"Oh. Well whatever your name is, know that you have my thanks." Stuart shrugged.

....."We're clear.".....

....."Moving to primary objective.".....

"Hey, commander, Mr. X, where getting close to the drop zone, just outside Canterlot." Mike spoke over the com.

"Alright, Arch Two. Remain here to keep guard. Stay low and prepare to escort the copter back." the commander turned to the remaining ten stallions and men in the helicopter. "How's Kinniston?"

"Hurt, bad. I can stabilize him for now, but he'll die without full medical attention." one of the men spoke.

"Then we drop off the team and take him back to Ponyville." the Stuart answered.

Mike quickly turned around. "I'm not so sure! I just got word that the enemy is taking the city!"

"What?" the occupants gasped in unison.

"I just got a priority one message from Colonel Highlander. The town is being overrun and that they are evacuating to the west."

"Toward the array site." Stuart realized. "Gentlemen, the stakes just got higher. You all know the mission. You are to sneak into the enemy fortifications to the north-west in Canterlot and free any troops held within. Remember, you are not an army. Don't pick a fight you can't win. The goal here is to break in, break out as many warriors as you can, and use them to fight your way out. Take any weapons or equipment you find. A lot of people are counting on you. Let's not let them down."

"Touching down now, sir." Kaiser spoke from the cockpit.

Mason Stuart nodded. "You all know what to do. Grab your gear and let's get to it!"

The helicopter's doors opened and a hoof-full of Equestria's guardians surged forward.

********************

A man and a pegasus stood atop a wall.

The pegasus dug into his saddle pack and dropped a small pellet over the barrier. Smoke billowed from the small pellet below, and several rams and griffins began to violently cough. The smoke began to clear, and one by one they all dropped to the floor.

"AOD smoke bomb, don't leave the stables without one." the pegasus stated.

"Nice work Star. We're in." Steven Mace whispered through his radio.

...."Excellent. Contingency is at standby Mace. Good luck."....

"Right Captain. Mace, out."

The man fastened a hook onto the wall and began to repel down. The pegasus jumped. At the bottom, the man gave the pegasus an odd look. "What, pegasai are good at landings." Star Sabre whispered.

A heavy thunk sounded out. The two shrunk into a shadowed corner.

Two enemy solders trotted out of a padlocked door. They both wore fancy headdresses and shiny new armor.

"Officers." Star Sabre thought.

"So how have you been?" the first officer, a male griffin spoke to the second, a female ram, or ewe.

"Fine I suppose." the ewe answered. "Glad to finally get some rest. I just returned from Stalliongrad, things went quite well."

"Really? I heard it was an uphill battle." the griffin replied.

"It was, but they couldn't keep their effort up forever, we had them under siege." the ewe answered.

The griffin nodded. "Indeed, but I figured they'd at least hol-"

The two froze as they both noticed the pile of unconscious rams and griffins.

"INTRUD-" The griffin never got to finish his warning, as an arrow quickly silenced the officer. The ewe jumped back and drew a small firebolt sidearm, then blindly fired it into the shadows.

There was silence. Nothing moved.

The ewe slowly stepped toward the darkened space and peered into the blackness. An arm grabbed hers and pulled her into the shadow. There was a muffled scream.

A few seconds later the man and the pegasus emerged.

"You look disturbed, Star. Something wrong?" Steven questioned.

"Other than the fact that we just killed a mare, no." Star Sabre answered.

"I understand. Chivalry. We have the same sentiments. "

"Just not used to fighting the ladies, that's all."

"I don't think I've ever had to worry about that in the past. The enemy back home wasn't exactly for women's rights, so I never faced a female soldier." Mace explained.

The pegasus looked down at the ewe, then snapped back.

"Whatever. Those two left the door open, we should go before somepony else shows up."

The two silently moved through the padlocked entrance onto the catwalk of a large cavernous room, lined with empty cells that appeared to extend deep into the ground.

...."How are you two doing?".... a voice spoke over the com.

"We've breached the inner wall. What about you?" Mace answered.

....."We ran into some... trouble. Don't worry about us for now. Get in and find the VIP's."....

"Acknowledged."

The two crept along the catwalk. Star Sabre peered over the edge. "Looks like there's just a couple of guards." The pegasus whispered. "If we stay hidden along the scaffolding, they shouldn't even notice us."

"Agreed. It looks like the bottom is several hundred feet down. That's where I'd lock up someone important." Mace added.

"The map agrees." Star sabre acknowledged, reading the aforementioned blueprints. "Just how did that unicorn get a hold of these?"

"She supposedly the Princess's most trusted student. At least that's what she told me before the attack." Mace explained. "You climb down first. I'll follow you. Try not to make any loud noises this time."

"Okay." The pegasus answered.

The man and the pegasus slowly climbed down a ladder in a darkened section of the catwalk, leading down to the room floor. They stopped next to a ledge where two guards were slowly falling asleep.

"Vicktor, we need to stay- *yawn* awake, or the warden will have both of our heads."

"Please, we're not needed here. Anyone foolish enough to attack this place would die before reaching the inner wall! And they would have to know that this place existed in the first place, which supposedly no pony does."

"If you say so, *yawn* just don't get us killed-" The ram finally nodded off.

Star Sabre shook his head and continued climbing down, Steven followed. They stealthily dropped to the floor, and slowly moved toward a large double door.

"You take one side, I'll take the other." Mace instructed.

The two pulled each side of the door as quietly as they could, making sure not to be visible to anyone who might be behind it. If someone was, they would only see the doors opening. The two soldiers stood against the wall on each side of the opened door. Mace put just enough of his head around the corner to see into the hall.

"Clear, lets mo-"

The approaching sound galloping hooves forced the two back to their previous location.

"Somepony's coming!" Star Sabre warned. "Fast!"

The thundering of hooves grew closer. Steven Mace and Star Sabre readied their weapons behind the doors, ready to spring on the approaching adversaries. The approaching figure finally appeared around the corner.

A blue pegasus darted out of the door, stopped to catch her breath, and rapidly turned her head as if trying to find something.

"Who's that?" Sabre mumbled under his breath. "Wait a minute..." Star Sabre squinted his eyes. The pegasus looked like she'd been through a wringer. Her coat was singed in some areas, her mane was a mess, and her left wing appeared to be broken. Her cutie mark was half burned away, but he could still make out the shape of half of a crescent mo-

Both their eyes went wide.

More hooves sounded in the distance. The pony quickly turned around. Above her panicked expression was a cracked, slightly bleeding stump of a horn, barely noticeable if you didn't look for it.

"Luna?" Sabre spoke incredulously. She wore no tiara, none of her jewelry, or crests. She was barely recognizable.

The princess turned her head. "At long last! Art thou here to aid m- Argh!"

Two firebolts struck the Princess's back, sending her sprawling to the floor. Two enemy soldiers had rounded the corner.

"No!" Sabre called out accidentally.

Luna's griffin and ram assailants took notice. "There! in the shade! Intruders!"

Mace and Sabre burst forth from the darkness. Rifle and bow alike hurtled their deadly ammunition. A arrow went through a griffin's shoulder, spinning him to the ground. A .50 caliber round mated with a ram's head. A horseshoe left another cold. Star sabre lunged forward, knife in mouth, and pounced on a downed griffin. The griffin flailed, trying to reach his sidearm. The pegasus plunged the blade into the griffin's chest, making him still.

The man and the pegasus stood over a pile of the enemy.

Star Sabre retrieved his blade, and trotted over to the princess.

"What have they done?" the pegasus spoke over the body of the midnight blue alicorn. Mace quietly looked on.

"F-fear n-not. Tis superficial injury."

"Princess? you're alive?" Star Sabre spoke, amazed.

"Yes. They did not wish for me to die. I managed to escape, but I would have certainly been dragged back to my cell for the execution had you two not arrived when you did." Luna used her hooves to pull out the firebolts. "These were meant to incapacitate, not to kill."

"I'm thankful." the pegasus answered.

"So am I, but we need to leave! There are probably more solders on the way. Where is Princess Celestia?" Mace asked.

"They took her away, as they were going to do with me." Luna answered.

"We've gotta get you two out of here before the whole army shows up!" Mace responded. "Where would they be taking her?"

Luna put a hoof to her head. "I do not know. I cannot use my magic to locate her. I'm not even sure she still resides within this fortress."

Mace put his finger to the com. unit on his ear. "Captain, we found Luna! She's alright, but we don't have a clue where Celestia is."

...."I think I know why. There's a massive vehicle of some kind leaving the prison. It looks like some sort of transport. There's a huge amount of troops protecting it, so my best guess is that she's in there.".....

"Can you stop it?"

...."We can try. I called for help, but backup said they had to get a wounded man back to base. Get over here as fast as you can."....

"We're on our way Captain Greene. Out."

"Princess-" Mace started.

"Please, call me Luna."

"Okay, Luna can you walk?"

"I am weak." She paused. "But I believe I will be able to keep up."

Star Sabre nodded. "Great, time to climb then."

"Climb." Luna mused.

**********************

"Hey, Vicktor, did you hear something?"

"Vicktor?"

"Vicktor- ack!"

Mace let go of the ram's head. "I think I just did the enemy a favor." Star Sabre pushed the bodies of the griffin and ram into a darkened section of the ledge.

"All clear."

Just below, Luna was slowly making her way up the ladder.

"I'm going to guess you've never climbed anything before." Mace halfheartedly joked.

"You would be correct." the night Princess answered.

The man, the pegasus, and a royal alicorn, climbed up the several hundred foot tall series of ladders and catwalks. Eventually, they reached the same padlocked hatch they'd entered though.

"Let's do this quietly." Mace instructed. "We don't want to attract any attention."

Mace put his hands on the padlock and tried to turn it. "It's locked. Any ideas?"

Star Sabre pulled a rock out of his saddle pack. Then put his knife in his mouth and cut the soft rock into two pieces. He put those pieces back together again and stepped back. Luna quickly moved down the ladder.

Star Sabre pushed Mace away from the door. "What are you doing, what's that supposed to d-"

Crack!

The lock was now in pieces on the floor.

"Equestrian blast geodes. Don't leave the sta-"

"I get it." Mace interrupted. "So much for quiet."

"We don't have enough time to crack locks the long way. You ready?" The two soldiers readied their weapons, and pushed the door open. They certainly didn't expect the sight before them.

A massive red dragon was looking them right in the eyes. The dragon snarled, and small jets of flame hissed through the sides of it's mouth. The aerialist grinned from atop the beast.

The two soldiers fired everything they had. The dragon, and it's aerialist didn't seem to care. The smaller dragon twisted the reins on the monster, causing it to throw itself backwards and inhale. The pandragon aerialist prepared to pull the dragon's neck scales, igniting the fires that would certainly devour them.

And he would have too, if not for the three ponies climbing the mount's tail. Applejack tackled the aerialist, followed by Rainbow Dash, who knocked him off of the mount entirely. Pinkie Pie was along for the ride.

Lime Tree came galloping out from behind the tree line. "No Dash! Without an aerialist, the mount will go-"

The Pandragon mount began to wildly stomp and thrash.

"-feral. Everypony duck!" the blank flanked stallion yelled. The mount began to shoot pillars of flame from its mouth, though not at any specific target. Applejack, Dash and Pinkie Pie held on for dear life. The dragon shook with wild fury, trying to shake the two ponies off.

"Now this is a party!" The pink pony yelled.

"Hold on!" Applejack shouted. "Nopony out bucks Applejack! This is jus' like the rodeo- whoa!" the creature flung its tail, swatting Pinkie and Applejack off. It then took off into the air with Rainbow Dash still clinging on to it.

Lenard and Gerri climbed out of the bushes. "AJ, Pink, get out of there! Dash, hold on!" The Captain yelled. As the beast began to gain altitude, Rainbow looked over the side. "I don't have a choice! Do I?" She yelled down.

"Grab the reins!" Lime Tree suggested.

"With what? I don't have claws!" she answered.

"Use thy teeth!" A blue alicorn suggested.

"Luna?" The pegasus questioned, before remembering the task at hand. "Here goes nothing!" Dash bit onto the reins, using all four legs to keep herself from falling off of the crazed beast. She tugged on them with all the force she could muster.

"Can you control it?" Lime Tree yelled.

"Nmm rmmlm." Dash answered through the reins. She spat them out. "Kind of!" The dragon barrel rolled, nearly throwing the pegasus off.

Lenard dived as a jet of flame nearly incinerated him. "Do you think you can tell it to stop trying to kill u-"

There was a blast. Several griffins and rams rushed out of the fortress. "Intruders!"

"Not again." Mace complained, taking shots at the incoming soldiers. A rocket spear whizzed overhead and exploded behind them.

"Flank! They've got heavy weapons!" Star Sabre warned. "Take cover!"

"Fire everything!" Lenard yelled. The small group of ponies and humans dived behind any structures they could, then opened up with whatever weapons they had, causing the group of enemies to take cover themselves.

The enemy troops jumped up from behind their cover and a barrage of heavy weapons fire began to systematically destroy any cover the ponies and humans had.

"We won't last too much longer like this!" Star Sabre warned.

Above, Rainbow Dash frantically tugged on the reins of the mount. The creature suddenly dove toward the ground. "I hope this works." she nervously thought to herself. With a final pull on the reins, she leapt off of the mount. "Wings, don't fail me now!"

The dragon hurtled toward the ground, right where the enemy troops were standing. Rainbow Dash crash landed next to her friends, having used her wings to slow down just enough to avoid serious injury. As the much larger dragon impacted, an enormous explosion rung out, lighting the entire area ablaze. A few seconds later, the burning structures exploded again, this time with much more force.

The dust began to settle, and one by one the ponies and humans began to emerge. "I guess, *cough* they had REALLY heavy weapons in there!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"That was pretty amazin' Dash!" Applejack acknowledged. The three exchanged high hooves. "Uh, yeah, I totally meant to do that!" Rainbow Dash answered. The group ran up to Princess Luna.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash gasped when they got a good look at her. Pinkie Pie was uncharacteristically quiet.

Luna quickly dealt with their concerns. "I am aware of my appearance, and I will seek medical attention later. I thank you all for rescuing me, but my sister needs us now."

"It's good to see you alive, Princess." Lenard spoke.

"You may call me Luna."

"Okay, Luna. How are we going to save her?"

"The vehicle in which you spoke of earlier is known as a leviathan. It is a moving fortress. We may require help."

Lenard nodded. "Steven, can you see it?"

Mace held up his sniper rifle and looked through the scope, searching for any sign of the vehicle in question. At first, he saw nothing but trees, but slowly, a large lumbering object filled the lens. "I think I can see it, but how are we supposed to fight that thing?"

A Black Hawk rose over a nearby hill.

...."Did someone call for assistance?"....

Lenard facepalmed. "Better late than never, commander. Did you get that wounded man back to base yet?"

...."Affirmative, though it's not pretty down there. Is that the Princess?"...

"Yes."

...."Great! One down, one to go. This might actually go according to plan!"....

The black hawk landed, and they all climb aboard.

"Good to see you all again." The Commander Stuart spoke. "I'm sure there will be medals for this, but for now, it looks like we have a transport to catch."

Chapter Fourteen: Affairs Of Darkness. Part V

"They don't look very happy to see us!" Pinkie shouted to the other riders in the Black Hawk.

"So... Any ideas?!" Captain Greene yelled over the various sounds of L.A. anti air weapons flashing by the helicopter.

"I don't know," Sergent Mace began. "But maybe rushing in, guns blazing, wasn't the best one!" The marine spoke, taking shots at the enemy below.

"We've got too much fire coming in!" Corporal Star Sabre shouted. "Maybe we... maybe we should fall back!"

"Yeah! Backing off is fine with me!" Lime Tree suggested.

"We can't just run away!" Rainbow Dash answered. "We gotta save the princess!"

"I would like to," Lenard interjected, "but there's a legion of soldiers in the way."

Applejack scowled. "You said yerself that retreat ain't an option!"

"It shouldn't be, but I'm not sure how long we'll last if we don't!" The captain answered.

"We might not get another chance!" Gerri added.

The battered Princess of the night lifted her head.

"Hark! Thy enemy will be relentless! A Leviathan mustn't be trifled with lightly! Thou art not a coward for making a wise withdraw. Though it pains me, we cannot aid my sister if we perish trying to reach her."

"She's right." Mace spoke. "That thing is way too big to just openly assault- whoa!"

A flare-spear flew past the cabin and the entire helicopter lurched. "Keep her steady Mike!"

"Trying!" The pilot responded. "But it would be much easier if we weren't getting shot at constantly!"

More flares-spears flew past the craft, indicating the gunners on the massive vehicle were zeroing in. Commander Stuart brought a pair of binoculars to his face.

"They've got fast air incoming! What did you call those things? Mounts? Well I think I see some coming this way!"

Lenard Greene's eyes widened. "That tears it! The jig's up, we've got to bail, now!"

"Kaiser, take us out of here!" Commanding Officer Mason Stuart barked. "We have no choice."

"Aye, sir!" Mike answered. "Were running our of fuel, anyway." he mumbled under his breath.

The Black Hawk lurched once more, leaning away from the massive moving fortress and the incoming fire rushing to meet them. As the helicopter managed to gain some distance, its various occupants finally rested.

"I managed to get a few pictures of that thing before we left," Gerri mentioned, flipping through the menus of a tiny digital camera. "They might help later on."

"I suppose we could use them for intelligence." Lime Tree added.

The group looked over the photos. The "Leviathan" appeared to be a massive, several hundred foot long, armored, rolling building, held up by several massive wheels.

"Sheesh! They should have called it "The Centipede!" That's a lot of tires!" Commander Stuart commented.

Nothing seemed to be pulling the gargantuan vessel, but a large plume of smoke billowing out of it. The transport was bristling with weapons. Some mounted to the top of the wheeled beast, while others were scattered around the sides. The vehicle itself appeared to made out an extremely tough metal alloy, already proven to be immune to lighter machine gun and cannon fire.

The occupants sat back in their seats.

"Well that could have gone better." Star Sabre mumbled to no one in particular.

"Tis not a total loss. Thou hath managed to rescue me," Luna answered.

"True," The winged corporal remembered. "Are we really going to leave the Princess- your sister there?"

"No," Captain Greene answered. "I have no intentions of leaving her behind, at least not for long. What I do have though, is an idea."

*******************

A helicopter landed in a small clearing. As some of the occupants of the helicopter emerged, a human technician rushed over to meet them.

"Sir! When they told me you were coming, I thought they were joking! There are still several checks we need to make!" the technician shouted over the sound of the copter's whirling blades.

"And if we had time, you could make them. Unfortunately, we don't have that time," Captain Greene answered.

"If something goes wrong, I'm afraid we can't take responsibility," the technician claimed.

Lenard's face flashed a bit of anger. "Are you here to get me to sign a waiver, or prep this thing?" Lenard's expression slowly calmed down to a look of mild annoyance. "Look, I know the risk, but we don't have many options."

The technician nodded. "Very well. Most of the repairs are complete. We found the source of your earlier problems: a leak in the fuel system probably caused by the extreme amount of turbulence you took, or some kind of "magical" interference. Either way, it's been fixed."

"Thought you said that would take weeks." Greene rose an eyebrow.

"I was being a bit melodramatic earlier." the technician grinned sheepishly. The Captain rolled his eyes.

"Just tell me it will work."

"Well... Let me put it this way. There's nothing telling us that it won't. There is the issue of fuel. You're still out, and there's not a lot of it lying around here you know."

"Not a problem, I already made an order for some." the Captain spoke.

"What? How?" the technician questioned.

The pilot pointed in the general direction of west. A dim blue glow could be seen on the horizon. As it faded away, Lenard's radio cracked to life.

....."You better make good use of this! We wasted most of the anomaly's life getting this to you!".....

"I understand Marc. How soon til you can open another one?"

......"No clue. You know, we weren't even supposed to be testing the array for another two weeks! We still can't open grounded anomalies yet, the archway isn't finished. They had to bring your fuel in on another helicopter. We tried to stabilized that last one, but that chopper was all we could get through."....

"Any soldier arrivals?"

....."No. Apparently they thought that it would be a better idea to send more techies to get the array up a full capacity faster. That gunfire is getting real close though, so I'm not sure that was a good idea."....

"We can't loose the array, Marc. It's game over if we do."

...."I understand. We'll try to hold out."....

"That's all I can ask for. Greene out."

As the radio went silent, a large helicopter lumbered over the hills.

"Looks like your order arrived." the technician commented.

*******************

F-15 Crash Site. 17 miles south of Ponyville.

With the limited equipment at the technicians' disposal, the small team slowly and carefully mounted two large drop tanks under the wings of Lenard Greene's F-15 fighter. Inside, the pilot could be seen flicking away at the various switches, knobs, and panels of the cockpit, some of which had actually been repaired with duct tape.

"I don't have to tell you to take it easy. She's a bit beat up already." the technician warned.

"I know, I did most of it." the pilot answered as the engines slowly began to spin up.

"You sure you want to do this?" Mike asked one last time.

"I've got to agree with Kaiser, this can't be the only solution." Stuart added.

"Well, while you two come up with another one, I'm going up." the pilot answered.

......"Greene, Highlander here. We can't spare you too many troops, but were sending what we can. Might as well make this a joint assault. General Snow Wisp says she can spare a few. We're on the run anyway. It might take a while, but we can get some support over your way soon."....

"Understood sir." the Captain answered. "My fighter is repaired and I am going up as soon as possible."

...."Excellent, because we have reports of fast air incoming from enemy lines. You might meet some resistance up there."...

"I have weapons, but I'm not sure how useful heat seekers will be."

Highlander could be heard chuckling through the radio.

...."Looks like they were right about guns then. Put a few rounds in 'em Captain. How copy?"...

It was Lenard's turn to chuckle. "Solid copy sir."

..."Good. Highlander out."...

The Princess of the Night trotted up to the now humming machine.

"When I requested a demonstration that day in the castle, I did not expect that this would be how it would be conducted." Luna spoke.

"Neither did I, Luna. Though It feels a bit strange to call you by just your name."

"I hath waited centuries to find myself on a first name basis with those I consider my friends. Know this, Captain. You and your comrades are, and forever will be our friends."

"Thank you Princess."

Luna nodded, then stepped back as the canopy closed around the pilot.

Lenard returned his attention to the instrument panel. With one final look over, the aircraft seemed to be in order.

"It's good to be back in the ole' office." the pilot spoke to himself.

...."Radio check. Can you here me in there Lenard?"... The technician called out from the safety of a large tree. The massive, towering redwood had several platforms, ladders, and walkways painstakingly built into position. Radio and control equipment had been fitted onto several of the platforms.

..."This is the control towe- tree. Our call-sign is Tree House. We managed to clear out a little less than a mile of empty space in the time we've been here. Really bumpy space. Watch out for tree stumps. If you can give us a few days, we can smooth that out for you."....

"Sorry Tree House, don't have a few days." Lenard answered.

...."I guess so. Check flight surfaces."...

Several flaps on the aircraft's wings and tail began to move back and forth.

"Looks good." the pilot commented.

...."Then there's nothing else I can do to keep you down here. Good luck Lenard."....

...."You are clear for take off."....

Lenard turned his head in the cockpit to get a look those who had accompanied him on his great journey thus far.

Mike, Gerri, Steven, Stuart, and Star Sabre saluted.

Rainbow Dash and Lime Tree made the best mock salute they could.

Applejack slowly took off her hat and held it near her chest.

Pinkie Pie excitedly waved.

Luna gave a royal nod as she and the others moved toward one of the helicopters. As they filed in, Rainbow Dash gave one last hoof pump.

Lenard gave back a thumbs up.

She probably has no idea what that means. Lenard thought.

The engines began to spin up to taxiing speed and the aircraft began to lurch forward, bumping through several small holes in the makeshift runway.

"I might not make it off the ground!" The pilot thought as he made acute movements with the flight stick, avoiding as many of the potholes as he could.

As the aircraft accelerated, those small adjustments became impossible. Fortunately, the F-15's landing gear simply skipped over them. The "runway" began to smooth out as the aircraft made it's way out of the wooded area of the site.

"Okay, finally picking up some speed," the Captain spoke.

...."Just keep it steady. You're almost in the clear."....

"Roger, Tree House. Throttle is wide open."

A plume of white fire ignited in the refitted afterburners as the Captain's friends watched from afar.

..."37 knots."... the pilot cracked over the radio.

..."52."...

..."70."...

..."120"...

...."Here goes nothing!"....

Lenard pulled back on the stick.

The onlookers looked on as the aircraft raced into the sky.

A nearly Pinkie-sized grin adorned Lenard's face as the fighter took to the air.

"This is Sparrow One. I'm up!"

...."This is Tree House. We can see that. Let's perform a few checks to keep it that way."....

"Alright." Greene answered.

...."First, kill those burners. You'll want to conserve fuel.".

Lenard pulled back on the throttle and the engines cooled down to their usual, but still quite hot status.

...."Let's run an inflight surface check. We'll watch from down here."....

...."Check rudder."....

The plane yawed left and right.

...."Check elevators."....

The fighter rose and fell.

...."Check ailerons. Do a barrel roll!"....

The pilot tilted the stick to the left, and the fighter performed a textbook heart line roll maneuver.

...."This is Tree House. You're right, it looks good. You're clear to leave my airspace. Your friends will be following you in the helicopters."....

"Roger." answered Lenard.

"This Captain Greene to helicopters Bravo One and Two. Follow me in!"

The F-15 banked into the horizon.

*******************

Even from the air, the massive armored vehicle looked menacing. Far below, various enemy defenses stood armed and ready. Lenard kept his head on a swivel, constantly seeking out targets.

...."Tree House to Sparrow."...

"I'm here, Tree House."

...."We don't exactly have radar or sensors to help you out, but we do have information streaming in from friendly ground forces in the area. General Snow Wisp's "Steel Hoof" battle wagon battalion has arrived, along with support from Highlander. They report several scouts in the vicinity of the Leviathan. Expect reinforcements once they've spotted you. Choose your targets carefully, we don't have anymore ammo for you. What you have is all you're going to get. You are weapons free and clear to engage. Tree House out."....

"Copy, Tree House. Sparrow to Bravo One. Can you hear me, Mace?"

...."Loud and clear, Captain."....

"Here's the plan. I'm going to clear out some of the Leviathan's defense weapons. That will allow you and the others to close in with the helicopters and board that thing."

...."Understood sir, Just don't do to much damage to the outer shell. The last thing we want to hurt the Princess, if she's even in there."....

"I understand. Though I'm not sure I could get through the armor if I wanted to. That's your job."

....."Copy. Bravo out."....

Lenard overheard Steven telling Mike to take the helicopter down, over the radio.

With a quick flick of the flight stick, The pilot rolled the F-15 inverted and dove down into the fray.

Lenard lined up his hud with the large vehicle, attempting to set up a strafing run. He spotted several surface to air spear-flares dotted along the top of the vehicular beast. The F-15 zoomed overhead at a high, but subsonic speed.

...."Watch out for AA fire, Captain.".... Mike signaled from Bravo One.

"Alright, I'm on it." Lenard answered.

The fighter rose into a high loop, and pulled out of the maneuver pointing straight toward the Leviathan.

...."Sparrow! Looks like you got their attention. They're concentrating their fire on you sir! Look out!"....

Bravo Two called out.

"Calm down, Two. I'm pretty sure I can evade them."

The pilot's optimism was abruptly cut short by a hail of flare flak, violently shaking the plane.

...."They're getting a bead on you Sparrow!"....

The tiny maroon explosions grew more and more intense as the pilot continued to line a strafing run. Just as he was about to fire the guns, Lenard spotted a slight glint in the corner of his eye. As he turned his head, a spear slammed into one of the air intake cowlings.

"Woah! Pulling up!" The Captain yelled.

The pilot brought his aircraft out of the torrent of AA fire.

....."You alright, Sparrow?"....

"Fine, just superficial damage."

The aircraft hadn't suffered much from the impact. The spear only sliced through the empty space of the intakes, but the intakes were only a few feet away from the cockpit.

"Sparrow to any friendly ground forces." The pilot spoke over his radio. "It's getting pretty dangerous up here. I think there are more AA units than we can see, hidden in the forest. Can someone take them out?"

...."This is Lieutenant Cleaves. Hold on, I'll give a radio to the General.".....

The was a brief pause.

...."Can you hear me? This is Steel Hoof battalion, and I am General Snow Wisp. Can you hear me? Is there a button I'm supposed to press?!"....

"I can hear you fine, General."

....."Alrighty then. Cleaves says that you need assistance with enemy anti air. Is that correct?"....

"Yes ma'am. Can you assist?"

...."We can see some of them now, holed up in the trees. You might want to hold off for a moment. Those kinds of weapons were designed to take out the fastest of chariots at a long distance, so don't be too surprised if they score a few hits on you. Be careful. Oh and by the way, you have company up there."....

"Company? What do you mean by th-" A small group of pandragon mounts hurtled past, cutting the pilot off mid sentence.

"Oh, that! Sparrow to Tree House, I've got incoming Pandragon mounts flying in what appears to be a finger four formation!"

...."Tree House to Sparrow! Break off and engage them! Those things are pretty much fighters!".....

"Understood. Turning to engage!"

_________________________________________________________

Snow Wisp stared upward as the flying machine and the dragons tailing it, zoomed overhead.

"Alright, you heard him." she began.

"No, actually we didn't, he was talking over your radio." A smart mouthed soldier responded.

Snow Wisp rolled her eyes. "To put it shortly, we need to take out the enemy AA emplacements in the forest. With those up, Captain Greene won't be able to take out the Leviathan's defenses. And if he can't do that, then no pony will be able to reach the Princess."

"I THINK I CAN HELP WITH THAT." a loud voice proclaimed.

The soldiers turned their heads to see an Apache helicopter lowly hovering toward them.

"ARCH TWO, REPORTING. WE ARE-"

"-Tryin' to get us killed?" Cleaves shouted with a spot on Jersey accent. "Cut the speakers, moron! Use the radios!"

The helicopter appeared to have been rigged with a spot light, as well as some kind of voice projection cone, similar to the ones used on balloons. One of the pilots appeared to be working a control panel.

....."As I was saying. This is Arch Two. We are out of ammunition from a previous engagement-" the pilot seemed to stress those words, "-but still have a plenty equipment up here to aid you. We have enough fuel to stay a while, but not forever.".....

"LOUD and clear, Arch." Lieutenant Cleaves answered. "Despite the ringing in my ears I'm glad to see you. Stay on this frequency."

Snow Wisp held her new radio unit in one of her hooves. It appeared to be haphazardly thrown together in the short amount of time whoever built it had. The earpiece had a small metal clip, most likely a new addition to accommodate pony ears. The earpiece was corded to a small box, which had been modified to feature really big buttons, probably put there for hoof use. She attached the small device to her right ear and put the larger part of the unit in one of her uniform's many pockets, then she put a hoof to the button labeled "power."

Suddenly, the mare could hear a torrent of several voices emanating from the device in her ear. She turned the large knob until she could only hear the sounds of her own battalion.

"Arch, do you see anypony hiding in the trees?" she spoke through the radio.

....."Yes ma'am. Infrared scopes show dozens of contacts. It's hard to make out what they are. Most likely a mixture of griffins and dragons minors manning turrets."...

"Alright, You spot out the AA and we'll take them out." Snow Wisp answered. "Give me a target."

The pilot tilted the copter forward, making sure not to rise too far above the treeline.

The General raised a hoof and folded it back, signaling the battle wagons to ready their weapons. The wagon crews began loading what appeared to be massive JSL arrows into large launchers built onto the battle wagons.

Snow Wisp raised her hoof again and began to twirl it, signalling the wagons to move forward. The beefy stallions yoked to the wagons nodded and began to push and pull the wagons into place. Human troops ran along side them brandishing their weapons.

Snow Wisp put a hoof to her ear, then nodded as though receiving directions. The Apache shined it's makeshift spotlight down on a large group of trees a few hundred yards forward.

The General raiser her hoof once more, this time bringing it down in a quick, direct motion.

"Firing!" one of the crewstallions yelled.

Several loud thumping sounds reverberated throughout the area as the wagons fired their ordinance.

The tree sized spears rained down on the designated target zone. Doing some basic math in his head, Lieutenant Cleaves figured one of those could take out a small apartment building.

Several concussive blasts detonated on the circle of light produced by the Apache.

"Scratch that! It's more like an apartment complex! " the bewildered Lieutenant thought.

Snow Wisp nodded again then motioned the wagons to move up to their next target.

"Snow Wisp to Captain Greene. We're laying down targets left and right. Your attack corridor will be ready shortly."

....."Understood ma'am. I'm out running my assailants up here, for now. I'm about to turn and fight them. Keep an eye on the sky"....

__________________________________________________________________

Far above the ground battle, Lenard watched as a helicopter spotted out sections of tree cover, sections that ceased to exist a few seconds later.

The pandragon mounts were closing in around the F-15. At first their speed was an intriguing mystery, now it was starting to make Captain Greene nervous.

He made sure to keep his attackers in the cockpit mirrors and pushed the throttle just enough to get maximum thrust without engaging the afterburners. As he was about to reach supersonic speed, he noticed a crimson glare in the mirrors.

A flare spear was racing right toward him.

The pilot reflexively jerked the flight stick to the right then pulled back to dodge the incoming weapon. The F-15 half rolled and pulled away. Lenard turned his head to get his eyes on target, only to nearly suffer a heart attack.

The flare spear was right where it had been before,

Right behind him. Only now it was closer.

"But..."

Lenard swung the aircraft down toward the deck. The apparent missile followed.

"How is it...?"

Lenard pulled the jet into an extremely tight loop. He could feel the g-forces tugging at his entire body. It felt as though he was going to shoved clean through the cockpit floor. His vision began to darken as the g-force pulled him closer and closer to blacking out. He pushed out of the loop just before his vision faded completely. The violent maneuver seemed to have shaken the spear off. It streaked under him harmlessly. The flare propulsion fizzled out, and the deadly weapon dropped out of the sky.

The pilot quickly returned his attention to the pandragons.

"They must have fired it, but how in the world did it just track me?"

The pandragon minors and their living aircraft surged forward, discouraged by the lack of flaming debris in front of them.

Captain Greene responded by rolling, then accelerating the jet straight toward them. The flyers began to converge at extremely high speed.

"If you want to bullfight, then just call me The Matador!" The pilot yelled from his cockpit.

The pilot could have sworn he heard one of the pandragon aerialist yell, "Break!" as the group darted out in multiple directions to avoid him.

"Ole!" the Captain yelled to no one in particular. "Alright I've scattered them, now I just have to pick them off one by one."

A pillar of flame arced down past the cockpit, melting a less than decent sticker Mike had joking glued to the inside of the canopy before they entered Equestria in the first place. Try as he might, Lenard hadn't been able to get that sticker off.

"Well, that's one way."

The F-15 jinked to avoid the next round of fire raining down from one of the dragons.

Perhaps scattering them wasn't the best idea!

The dragon over shot his target and placed himself right in the center of the Captain's gun sight.

Captain Lenard Greene did what came naturally. He leveled the aircraft and clicked the flight stick trigger.

Lethal cannon fire tore into the flying beast. The small aerialist bailed off of his mount and darted away under his own winged power. The mount spiraled out of control and impacted the ground, putting a hole in the ceaseless treeline of the Everfree Forest. Several flare explosions shot out around the crater.

Another "Panfighter" darted out in the confusion. Another burst of Lenard's cannon fire struck true, but the beast seemed to shrug it off. Another much longer burst downed him.

"Or was it a her?" This pandragon minor looked female. "She" appeared to have drooping spines on her head, which resembled the long hairstyle Gerri wore. Its figure was slimmer, more curvy, and a slightly lighter shade of red then the male pandragon aerialist minors. Magenta maybe.

As the ejected female minor darted away, Lenard regained control of his thought process. There was still two to go. The pilot swiveled his head. He could only spot one of them. Lenard checked behind him. Nothing was trailing the fighter. "My six is clear. Going in for the kill."

From a distance, the dragon aerialist appeared to be frantically tugging at the reins of his mount, probably trying to make an escape. As the F-15 fell behind the fleeing pandragon, the beast accelerated away at incredible speed. Smoke and flames poured out of the dragons mouth as the beast huffed and panted, clearly straining itself to go as fast as possible.

Lenard jumped as a sudden growling tone came over his headset. The tone that meant that-

His eyes went wide in astonishment. "You have got to be kidding me!"

That tone could only mean that one of the on board heat seeking missiles had managed to obtain a lock. "This is just too much! How is that even possible?" the pilot stammered. He flipped up the safety cover on the flight stick and pressed the missile release with his thumb.

With a hiss, a Sidewinder flew straight and true toward the terrified pandragon pilot and his struggling mount. The missile exploded next to the dragon mount's head. In a puff of smoke and fire beast fell limply out of the sky, the aerialist nowhere to be seen. A hardened piece of dragon scale stuck into the canopy glass like a small dagger.

The Captain sighed. "That's three, now where's the fourth one?"

The pilot scanned the skies, searching for the last of his reptilian adversaries.

A final pandragon mount lept off of a cloud and dove down at the F-15, streaking fire all around it. The glow of the moon had completely obscured the attacker. Warning tones blared in the cockpit as the streaks of fire hit their mark. The aircraft shuddered under the impacts. Several systems, including the fire control system, began to malfunction.

"So much for heat-seeking," Lenard thought. "She's hurting now. Teach was always saying to look out for the hun in the sun. Or in this case, the goon in the moon," The pilot thought.

He swung the aircraft away, putting his adversary at his right. The dragon managed to keep up with him. He jinked left and right to shake off the enemy, but the panfighter matched him move for move. A jet of fire narrowly missed the plane, but still manged to blacken its tail.

Lenard jumped. As much as he hated to admit it, this guy was good.

"No more screwing around!"

He spun the aircraft, performing several consecutive barrel rolls. That was sure to get the enemy pilot to scratch his head, that, or he would think he'd critically damaged him.

The dragon closed in.

"That's right, move a little closer..."

Lenard tugged back on the stick, pulling the fighter out of the spin in a seemingly random upward direction. The fighter lost airspeed until it hung almost motionless in the sky. Lenard kicked the rudder and sent the fighter into a controlled stall, right above the dragon. He fired his guns once again, sending 20mm rounds streaking into the beast. The dragon held its ground, refusing to falter. It sharply reared back, putting itself behind the F-15.

Lenard popped out the speed brakes, closed the throttle, and put the aircraft at the edge of stalling to loose his speed and drop behind his attacker. The attacker appeared to do something similar, and the two flyers found themselves flying wing tip to flapping wing tip.

Lenard turned his head to get a good look at his at his enemy. He furrowed his eyebrows at the sight. Sitting behind the protective glass of the dragon saddle sat not a pandragon minor,

but a griffin.

Lenard noticed the dragon mount was clearly injured, but then again, so was his plane. As the two adversaries prepared to duel once more, General Snow Wisp's voice cracked over the radio.

..."Sparrow, this is Steel Hoof. Your flight path is safe."...

Lenard looked over to his right. The griffin pulled up his flight goggles to look his adversary in the eye. He then pulled his mount down into the forest canopy, where a jet had no chance of getting to him.

"Go lick you're wounds, and I'll go lick mine." The pilot quietly spoke with legitimate respect.

"Steele Hoof, Greene here. Acknowledged. I'm making my way down there now."

*******************

A griffin flying a pandragon mount landed in a small cave deep within the canopy of the forest. Several Liberation Alliance soldiers trotted up to him.

"M'lord. You have returned." One of the soldiers commented.

"We're you not expecting me to?" The griffin spoke as he hobbled off of his mount.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" The soldier asked.

The griffin sighed. "Granted."

"You were in a hospital bed two hours ago, Phalanx. So no, we really didn't expect to see you again." The ram finally answered.

"Bravely spoken. Now, one of you. take a message to the Council. Our enemy has reached the Leviathan, Tell them I humbly suggest they make preparations to use the "special weapons." They will know what I mean."

A pandragon minor nodded. "Understood. I shall send the word." The messenger flew off.

Another soldier walked up to the griffin.

"Praetor? What did you mean by "special weapons?"

"In due time, soldier. In due time."

*******************

On board the helicopter known as "Bravo One" several familiar ponies and humans watched as a smoking F-15 fighter safely navigated the once hostile airspace and dove down toward the Leviathan. Several defense turrets on the large vehicle exploded under steady cannon fire from the fighter

...."This is Sparrow. I'm out of ammo. unless-"....

The pilot blindly fired his remaining sidewinder missiles toward the large lumbering transport, but somehow manged to miss the massive target.

...."Meh, it was worth a try. Most of the Leviathan's defense is dust anyway. You're clear Bravo."....

"Bravo here. Thanks Captain." Steven answered from the cabin of one of the helicopters.

...."Anytime mates!" Lenard spoke in a mock English accent. "Except for now, of course."

...."Tree House to Bravo-Insertion. You are clear to begin your extraction mission. As for Sparrow, you've done all you can. Return to base."....

....."Roger, Tree House. This is Sparrow. Returning to base.".....

....."Try not to dig out the ground when you land this time."....

....."Ha ha. That's pretty funny Tree House. Please, spare me your comedic genius. It's too much. I'm heading back. Sparrow out."....

The wounded fighter flew away.

"Well I thought it was pretty funny," a squeaky female voice giggled.

"You think everything is funny, Pinkie," a more raspy, but still female voice answered.

"Quiet down y'all! Ah'm trying to hear that guy over there!" a southern voice silenced the other two.

"This is Commander Stuart to Bravo Two. The way has been paved! Assault the Leviathan!"

The two helicopters emerged from the shadowy forest and tilted forward.

Sporadic bursts from the few surviving defense turrets kept the riders on edge.

Star Sabre, Steven Mace and various other soldiers from Colonel Highlander's forces readied their weapons. The helicopters swayed to left and right to annoy the enemy gunners. Lime Tree was a bit more green than usual. "Kaiser. You think you could *heave* stop doing that?" the air sick stallion inquired.

"Ah know, right?" Applejack answered, her face a bit paler than usual.

"Hardly the largest problem we have right now!" Mike yelled from the cockpit. "We're landing!"

"The LZ's hot!" Steven yelled as both helicopters touched down. The doors swung open and several soldiers stampeded toward the massive rolling Leviathan, the Princess of the Night took after them.

Back in the helicopters, Applejack gave Rainbow Dash an inquisitive look.

"Aren't y'all going to dash in there after 'em?"

The rainbow maned pegasus sulked. "Duh! I'm brave, but I'm not stupid! They still won't let me use any of the weapons!"

Applejack facehoofed.

"I brought some snacks for the wait!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

Rainbow turned. "Let me gue-"

"Cupcakes!" Pinkie declared!

"Ah guess that'll do fer now." Applejack spoke. She took one and bit into it. "Ymmm! What's in these Pinkie?"

"Something the humans call "energy drinks!" I found a few cans of it last week. I figured we could use some energy, so I dumped them right in!"

Mike overheard from the cockpit. .

"Pinkie? On caffeine?" Mike brought a gloved hand to his face and dragged it down in exasperation. "Hey, can I have one?" the pilot gave in.

"Might as well!" Pinkie laughed. "It's been a looooooooooong night!"

The helicopters lifted away.

*********************

"Why did you come with us?" Star Sabre asked Lime Tree as they grouped alongside the Leviathan.

"I'm not just going to sit in the helicopter, waiting to get shot down. I'm not stupid, you know." Lime Tree answered.

"What ever you say." the winged corporal replied. "I'm more surprised that Luna came."

The Princess of the Night galloped up to them. "True liberation is at hoof! We ride!"

With a majestic, rearing neigh, Luna and the group of soldiers charged forward.

"Hey, I see a ladder!" Sabre called out.

The group of soldiers sprinted and galloped up to what appeared to be the main section of the massive moving structure. A walkway lined the perimeter of that specific section. Several of the soldiers tried to leap up to the railing.

"You gotta jump then latch on!" Mace suggested. He did just that.

With a leap worthy of the Olympic long jump, Steven Mace grabbed onto the lower railing of the hanging walkway, then climbed up in a most undignified fashion, followed by Star Sabre, Lime Tree, the other soldiers, and Princess Luna. They rushed up several flights of exterior stairs, searching for an entrance, but none could be found. They soon reached the top of the stairs and found themselves in the center of the roof of the transport. The few defenders still standing took pot shots at them, but were quickly felled by the crack team of allies.

"Now, how exactly do we get in?" Lime Tree asked.

A pandragon minor emerged from a hatch, clutching a firebolt caster in his scaly claws. He jumped at the sight of the enemy soldiers and fled back into the Leviathan.

"Sabre?"

"Yes Mace?"

"Might I suggest a standard issue Equestrian smoke bomb?"

"Don't mind if I do. How does seven of them sound?"

"That will suffice, my good stallion."

"Indeed!" Corporal Star Saber answered. He chucked a hoof full of the small round pellets into the hatch then closed it. A plume of smoke billowed out of it shortly after, forcing the soldiers to stand back.

As the smoke cleared, a coughing pandragon minor drunkenly flew out of the hatch and spiraled into the ground away from the Leviathan.

"Oooooookay... So there's our entrance." Lime Tree answered his own question. "So who's first?"

One by one the group climbed down the hatch. The ladder led down into a much darker chamber within the Leviathan. The soldiers inched downward slowly, making sure not make any loud noises. They quietly passed several unconscious soldiers on the upper levels as they climbed down.

"Make haste!" Luna whispered.

"I'm not sure how long these guys will stay down." Lime Tree added.

Mace abruptly stopped descending, shushed and pointed down. From below, distant voices could be heard.

"Can't we get this thing to move faster?" one of the voices spoke.

"Would you like to go out and push?" another voice answered.

"I just don't like being cooped up in here. Surely we've reached the border?"

"Not yet. What do ya want, this thing weighs more than my mother in law!"

"We are moving at top speed, right?"

"As fast as it'll go."

"Whatever then."

"I'll tell you what. I'll go down to engineering to see what they have to say. Maybe we can crank the speed up a bit."

"Yeah, you do that."

The sound of claw steps indicated that one of them was walking away. Another set of claw steps indicated that the other was moving toward the ladder. As the griffin made his way into the ladder tube, he shrieked as several hands and hoofs grabbed onto him and pulled him up into the darkened shaft.

Various muffled punching sounds could be heard. Several feathers could be seen falling back down the shaft.

Star Sabre, Mace, Luna and the other soldiers climbed down to the floor. The room was lighted by several glowing sticks that flooded the chamber in a light blue glow.

"What do you suppose this place is?" Lime Tree whispered.

Several books were precariously lined in stacks all over the room. Various papers had been stuffed into several wooden crates.

The blank flanked green stallion took a look at some of the papers. "Looks like maps and other diagrams. Wait! There are schematics here! A few messages too!" Lime Tree explained.

"Let me see those." Luna trotted up to the stallion. After looking over some of them, Luna sighed in defeat. "I am unsure of what I see here, but these are clearly weapons plans of some kind."

"Like what?" Mace cautiously asked.

Lime Tree skimmed through several of them. "A lot of stuff. Weapons, vehicles, even the Leviathan itself! I see some mission logs and several pictures of rams, griffins, dragons, and a few ponies. Though I don't recognize any of them."

"I suggest we take as much of this bounty as we can. It could all be very important later. Come now. We must continue on." The midnight blue alicorn ordered.

"Hold on, do these look familiar?" Lime Tree handed the alicorn a charred piece of parchment.

Luna's eyes went wide. "Tis the Elements! This illustration is of the Elements of Harmony!"

Star Sabre cocked an eyebrow. "There's a picture of Ms. Sparkle and her friends?"

"No, the actual Elements themselves." Luna answered.

"What would they do with the six elemental jewels?" Star Sabre inquired.

"It does not say." Luna sighed. "This parchment is badly damaged and was most likely meant to be disposed."

"Perhaps as some kind of power source?" Lime Tree offered.

"No time to think about it now, we still have a mission here." Mace reminded them.

"Yea thee I say! We must press on." Luna spoke.

The other human and pony soldiers began to stuff the papers, books and anything of value into their packs and bags. The soldiers grabbed anything of any use and made their way toward a door on the other side of the store room.

As they opened the doors, a nearly suffocating cloud of smoke billowed out of the doorway. As it cleared, the group found themselves on a catwalk, crossing over a large and extremely hot room. At the bottom of the cavernous room sat several rams and griffins, shoveling what appeared to be coal into large boilers. A steady, rhythmic hissing erupted out of the many steam engines as the workers moved at a synchronized pace.

"This must be engineering." Lime Tree whispered.

"No need in alerting them to our presence," Star Sabre commented. "Better stay on our hoof tips."

The soldiers stealthily crept along the catwalk like the animal the walkway was named after. Just as they neared the end of the catwalk, a large clump of soot stuck to the bottom dislodged and plummeted onto the head of one of the shoveling rams.

The ram shot his attention up to the catwalk.

"Hey!-"

"-Is for ponies. Did you see something?" The overseer asked. The ram squinted his eyes and gave the catwalk a good look over from below.

"No."

"Then get back to work," the overseer barked.

The sneaking soldiers stood back up on the catwalk, thankful they hadn't been noticed. They reached the other side and quickly made their way out of the boiling room.

"That, was way to close." One of the pony soldiers mumbled.

The group continued on until the reached a long corridor with a blind corner. Steven crouched up to the corner and peeked around the side.

"There are two ram guards standing in front of a large barricaded door. I'd say that's our target."

Star Sabre nodded. "On three?"

"On three." Steven answered.

"One."

"Two."

"Thre-"

Firebolts struck the space where Steven's head would have been a fraction of a second later.

"Shoot! Looks like they saw us!"

"INTRUDERS! Show yourselves!" the guards commanded.

"If you say so." Mace and Sabre hurled themselves into the corridor, weapons firing. Flaming arrows and incendiary rounds rained down into the hallway.

The two guards, not expecting anything so bold, were completely taken by surprise. The man and the pegasus's gun and bow fire quickly cut them down to size. The guards dropped, and the two got back on their feet/hooves.

"That was a bit foalish, don't you think?" Luna was clearly annoyed..

"It got the job done." Mace answered.

"It also got you shot!" Lime Tree answered.

It was at this point that the marine noticed a sharp burning torrent of pain in his left arm. He looked over to it and noticed a streak of charred skin on his shoulder.

"Firebolts burn. Who knew?" The soldier bravely attempted to shrug it off.

"Dude, that looks like it hurts! You alright?" one of the other human soldiers asked.

"I'm fine. It feels like someone shoved my shoulder onto a grill and held it there, but I'm alright."

"It's just a grazing shot you big baby. Come on, lets go," Star Sabre spoke.

The small group made their way over the two downed guards and reached the large vault-like door they seemed to have been protecting. The large padlocked door stood taller than all of them, making some wonder just how large the Leviathan really was. The door appeared to be wielded shut, barring any access.

"I'm guessing this thing is too thick to blast open," Star Sabre muttered. "Why would they do this?"

Luna did not seem discouraged. "It is clear they do not wish for anypony to enter this chamber, but surely there must be a way."

The midnight blue alicorn trotted up to the door and studied it carefully. She rose a hoof and tapped the metal casing of the entrance way, then put an ear to it. She then turned around with a most puzzled expression about her face.

Luna furrowed her brow. "This is not a door."

"Come again?"

"I heard nothing to imply that there is empty space beyond it. In fact, it sounded like it was simply a metal wall. I believe this was meant to fool anypony who wouldn't know."

Lime Tree looked a bit confused. "So why were those guards standing here?"

"It is very likely that the real entrance is here somewhere, just not where we expect it to be."

Star Sabre seemed peeved by this. "Why did it have to be a riddle? Why can't things be direct?!" He stomped a hoof on the metallic floor. A dull creaking sound echoed around the room.

"Well what about that, Luna? That sounded pretty hollow to me," Mace spoke.

"I believe we have found our entrance," The Night Princess answered.

"That panel. Is there any way to lift it?" Lime Tree questioned.

"What about these?" a human pointed to a stack of long rake like objects.. "These were lying in the store room back there. I'm guessing this is why." The ponies and humans began to lodge the pry bars into the floor panel.

"Ready, heave!" Steven and the others began to tug on the floor panel.

The panel didn't budge.

"Okay. Again!" The soldiers put their backs into it.

The panel creaked, but didn't give way.

"Alright, everyone together!" All of the soldiers combined their efforts and pulled as one.

The rusted panel began to shudder, and slowly began to rise. After they'd managed to lift it a few inches, the soldiers moved it off to the side, revealing a deep black abyss.

Mace shined a flash light into the hole, revealing that it was, in fact, not bottomless, but the floor was just a few yards down.

"Great. More tunnels," the green stallion muttered. As he moved toward the tunnel, the earth pony stumbled and fell head first into the hole.

"Yaaaahhhhh!"

Thud.

"Lime Tree!" Star Sabre called down. "LIME TREE!"

The sound of somepony popping his back echoed up the tunnel.

"Relax. I'm fine, but that drop is a bit deceptive, and there apparently isn't a ladder. You guys coming or what?"

Steven and Star Sabre exchanged worried looks, then climbed down the side of the hole, followed by Luna and the other soldiers.

"Mind the jump," Lime Tree commented.

The soldiers dropped into the dark cave-like room, some more graceful than others. Any soldier with a flash light turned it on.

"It looks pretty empty in here," One of the soldiers commented.

"That is only because it is dark," Luna answered quietly.

"Well, duh!" Lime Tree added.

Even in the darkness, Lime Tree could tell Luna was giving him a cold hard stare.

"Sorry!" The stallion gasped.

The sound of clanking chains echoed through the room, followed by a guttural scream. The members of the small group exchanged panicked expressions, unwilling to speak.

"You have taken everything from me! What more could you possibly want!" The voice screamed.

"Sister?"

"When will your thirst for revenge be quenched?! If you have come to get me to beg, I will not give you the pleasure!"

Mace shined the flashlight toward the sound to the voice. In the spot light lied an enraged, shadowy form. The creature violently jerked its head away, blinded by the sudden light. There was a visible fire in its violet eyes which seemed to melt away the streaks of dried tears on its beaten face.

"Princess?"

"Why can't you leave me to wallow in my own mistakes? Surely even your sadistic appetite must be fulfilled!"

"PRINCESS!"

"Go! Leave me be!"

"CELESTIA!"

The yelling stopped.

"W-what? Who is there? Mother? Father? Is that you?" came a much calmer, vulnerable voice.

The group ran up to the gray figure. The soldiers held up any source of light they had. Sure enough, they were gazing down at the crumpled form of an alabaster alicorn. Much like her sister, she wore no jewelry, not golden slippers, no crown or tiara. Her once statuesque horn had been violently reduced to a stump. The prismatic mane that once flowed in an unseen breeze, lay limp and disheveled. Her head and each of her legs had been chained to the floor by massive interlocking links. A strange seal had been branded into her cutie marks.

"Sister! It is I! We have come to rescue you!"

"NO! LEAVE NOW! I WILL NOT GO WITH YOU!"

"Princess, we need to get you out of here!" Star Sabre pleaded.

"Do not call me Princess! I am not fit to wear that title!"

"No need trying to reason with her! She is obviously unwell! Help me break her free!" Luna called out.

The soldiers began to break the links with whatever they had, until they reached the one restraining her head.

"This one won't break!" Star Sabre yelled.

"Shoot it off!" Steven answered.

"Shoot it? Are you flanking nuts!? The Princess's head is attached to it!"

Several thundering hoof and claw steps sounded out from above.

"Looks like we're out of time!" Mace raised his rifle, shoved it into the lock at point blank range, and fired.

Celestia screamed out as the round shattered the link, then shoved off the lock and jumped up to her hooves. She back-hoofed Steven away then turned and bucked Star Sabre into a wall. With a quick sweep of her hooves, Celestia sent several soldiers flying in all directions.

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Luna grabbed hold of her sister and tried to keep her still.

"UNHOOF ME, WHELP!"

Celestia tossed her sister away like she was nothing. Star Sabre stumbled back onto his hooves and Mace pulled himself back up, still reeling from the Princess's strike.

"We've got to sedate her!" the chin sore marine spoke.

"How exactly do we do that?!" Star Sabre questioned.

Steven shoved Star Sabre toward the frenzied alicorn.

"Whoa! What you do that for?!" Sabre yelled as he ducked under a two hooved punch. When he turned to get an answer, Mace was nowhere to be seen. "Steve?"

Celestia pounced while Sabre's back was turned, shoving him into the ground. She rose a hoof and brought it down, denting the space on the floor where Sabre's head had just been. Star Sabre could see a bit of light through the hole.

"Someone get her off of me!" Sabre screamed.

Just as the delusional Day Princess prepared to drop another blow on the terrified pegasus, Celestia winced, and collapsed on top of him. Behind her, Steven stood with the butt of his rifle pointed forward.

"So first you nearly shoot her, then you hit her over the head with your gun? I think you need lessons on how to treat royalty." the relieved Corporal Star Star Sabre panted.

"I'll write her a really nice apology letter later, okay! So can we please get out of here before the entire Liberation Alliance army shows up?!"

Luna rose to her hooves. "I agree. Desperate times..."

"Call for desperate measures. Pick her up guys, we need to go!" Mace shouted.

"Will do!" The soldiers rushed over and lifted the unconscious Princess onto their backs. As they lifted her, a small, liquid filled bag dropped from the alicorn's back. The bag was attached to a small tube, which ended in a needle.

"Looks like an IV." one of the soldiers remarked.

"Who knows what they've been putting into her." another answered.

"Better yet, who knows what she thought she was seeing?" Lime Tree thought aloud.

Another soldier grunted under the strain of carrying the large pony. "She's a lot heavier than she looks." the soldier mumbled.

"What did you expect? She's all three pony types rolled into one!" Another answered.

"Come on! Move!" Mace yelled.

"How are we supposed to get her back up through the hole? There's no ladder, remember?" Lime Tree questioned, bringing a hoof to his back.

The group stopped.

"He's right." Mace admitted. "I'm not sure we could get her back up there!"

"If we can't go upward, then we go downward!" Star Sabre declared.

"What do you mean?" Mace inquired.

"When she punched the floor, I saw light through the hole!" the pegasus explained.

"I think I get what he's saying! I think we're on the lowest floor of this thing, and she just punched through the bottom of it!"

"Quick, blow open the hole!" Mace instructed.

A man and a pony pulled out their explosives of choice. An earth pony hoofed over the very last of his blast geodes, a human soldier pulled out a small chunk of C4 he'd been saving for a special occasion.

"If you're going to do this, you better do it quick! Those soldiers are getting closer!" Lime Tree warned.

The soldiers finished readying their explosives. "It's lit! Get back!"

The C4 detonated, starting a chain reaction with the blast geode, leaving a gaping hole in the floor of the chamber.

Below, the various plants, rocks and general features of the ground floor could be seen, slowly moving.

"There is our path!" Luna yelled.

"Jump for it!" Mace yelled.

The group leaped into the freshly cut out hole, just as Alliance soldiers began to jump into the chamber.

The ground stopped moving, as it was now the bulk of the massive Leviathan that moved overhead.

"Keep running! They're still behind us!"

The group ran out from under the enormous vehicle, carrying Celestia on their backs.

The humans and ponies took a look at their new surroundings. "Whoa! This isn't where we were when we jumped on! That thing is faster than it looks!"

They were now in the middle of a large hilly field.

"Onward!" Luna cried as the soldiers made a mad dash to put distance between the Leviathan and themselves. Enemy soldiers began to drop out of the lumbering giant and surged across the field in pursuit. The soldiers that weren't carrying Celestia began to fire their weapons in an effort to suppress the incoming enemies.

Mace tore out his radio. "This is Bravo to Tree House! We need extraction! Now!"

...."Tree House to Bravo-Insertion. We've got you covered.".....

Several helicopters rose overhead, including two helicopters that had dropped them off, the remaining Apache, and the Super Stallion. The gunners in the helicopters held the attacking incoming alliance troops at bay.

The helicopters landed right next to the fleeing group. The doors opened.

"All aboard!" Pinkie Pie cheered from the cabin of the Super Stallion. She waived for the group to bring the Princess to the large helicopter.

Lenard emerged and hopped down from the cabin. "When I got back to base I made sure they had plenty of back up waiting for you."

Mace doubled over in exhaustion. "I'm glad you- *pant* I'm glad you did!"

The soldiers hoisted a still unconscious Celestia into the Super Stallion. Luna and the others followed. The remaining soldiers scrambled into the other helicopters and gave the "all clear" signal.

The flying machines lifted into the sky, still being harassed by desperate last ditch fire from the Alliance troops.

The helicopters disappeared over the hilly horizon.

********************

Celestia opened her eyes.

She saw a mass of slowly swirling colors. There was a distant voice talking to her. Calling out to her.

"Sister! Can you hear me?"

Could it be? Luna? Was that Luna's voice?

"I think she's coming to."

That voice. The human... in the palace that day...

Celestia fluttered her eyes. The swirling colors began to settle into three faces, hovering over her. One was a dark midnight blue, another was violet, the last one was a light brown. The blue face seemed to be speaking to her.

"Celestia. Can you hear me?"

Celestia blinked away the distortion in her eyes. The sounds became less distant. Her vision cleared.

Celestia sat up.

"Oh Princess, I was so worried!" Spoke the unmistakeably bookish voice of Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight. My student. What is happening? Where are we?" Celestia spoke as she got her bearings. Spike climbed up Twilight's back.

"We're gonna meet up with the other ponies that escaped." the little dragon spoke.

"Escaped?" the alicorn rose an eyebrow.

The room shook then lurched to one side. Celestia noticed the scenery outside of a window was moving.

"We are in a human flying machine, going someplace safe," the purple unicorn answered. "That's all that matters."

"Safe? From what? What do you mean Twilight?" The alabaster alicorn questioned.

"Safe from thy enemy," Luna spoke, putting a forceful stressing on the word "enemy."

Memories descended on the Sun Princess like an avalanche.

She remembered.

The soldiers marching into Canterlot.

The attack on the palace.

The prison.

Hurting Luna and her rescuers with her own hooves.

Celestia snapped back into the present. A human held a bottle of water up to her mouth, suggesting she drink it. She eagerly obliged.

"They said they had you under the influence of some kind of drug. I think It's wearing off now."

Celestia's memories revealed the name of this human.

"Captain Greene."

"It's good to see you alive, Princess," The Captain spoke. "You wouldn't believe what we went through to get to you."

Celestia turned her head to face Twilight and Spike. Behind them sat the other Element bearers.

"Are you all alright?" the Princess worriingly wondered.

"Ponyville is lost." Twilight answered, tearing up at the thought of her wrecked library home.

"So is Cloudsdale." Rainbow Dash added, trying to bravely hold back tears of her own.

"The boutique is ruined!" Rarity cried. "This truly is the worst day of my life!" she sobbed madly.

"Sweet Apple Acres...." Applejack mumbled. "Mah home..."

Pinkie Pie lowered her head. Her mane drooped like a fire doused with a bucket of water. She perked up, trying her best to dwell on the positives. "We saved as much as we could..."

Fluttershy was beside herself in grief. "All those animals," She whimpered. "Why is all of this happening Princess? Why are all these creatures attacking us?" Fluttershy questioned, her eyes filled with a mixture of despairing tears and a subtle anger.

Celestia lowered her head. "Twilight, I am glad you and your friends are here. I am glad all of you are here." she turned to her sister. "Luna. We owe them an explanation. They deserve to know what happened all those many years ago."

"Art thou sure, Sister?"

Celestia gave a solemn nod. "Yes."

"Then we shall both tell the story," Luna spoke.

"What story?" Twilight inquired.

"The story of the darkest time in our history...." Luna answered.

"The story of... Celestia sighed.

"... the Great Equestrian Purge."

Chapter Fifteen: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part I- A Long Time Ago.

Chapter Fifteen: Black Sun -Red Moon- Part I. A Long Time Ago....

"You won't find this story in any of your text books, or anywhere for that matter, for it begins so very long ago."

"Before Nightmare Moon vied for power..."

"Before Discord managed to take it..."

"Before everything you know, there were two great dynasties."

"The Order of the Rising Sun, and The Clan of Moonlight, each empowered by the sun and moon themselves, and lead by powerful alicorn clans. For centuries these two clans unleashed terrible weapons of unthinkable magical destruction, and fought in unending wars to claim total power over the Earth for themselves, scaring the world in many battles. In one such war, the Rising Sun attempted to super heat the sun in order to destroy the Moonlight clan forever, nearly destroying the planet. In another, the Moonlight Clan managed to use their powers to move the moon closer to the Earth, leading to years of climatic chaos. There are several stories we could tell from those times, some legends, some terrifyingly real. The bottom line is that many perished in these senseless wars, but those who forged them refused to let that stop them. For those of our feudal history, it seemed that peace was an impossibility."

"That is, until the King and Queen of the Rising Sun and the Emperor and Empress of Moonlight agreed to meet in single combat. The victors' armies would win the spoils of the great wars, and the defeated would be destroyed and driven away. These terms were agreed upon by both sides, but in the end, they were all slain, leaving their powerful empires in the hands of their offspring."

"From the Rising Sun, arose Soltaire. The first born son of the king and queen, and Regent of the Daylight. He was a strong and boisterous stallion whose brilliant glow was only out done by the sun he protected."

"The only surviving child of Moonlight became the newly crowned Empress Noctau, Guardian of the Night. She was a quiet and mysterious mare who watched over the moon in knowing silence."

"It is said that the loss of their parents led them to lose interest in the centuries old wars, so the two made their kingdoms at the opposite ends of the Earth, so that they would have dominion over their respective celestial bodies, and so a pseudo peace could be achieved. As such, it was always a blistering day on one side of the world, and a freezing night on the other. For the various inhabitants of the land, the only life giving area of the world was the zone in the middle of the day and night sides, the Twilight Terminator. Everypony made their homes there. It was the only land left where non-alicorn life could be sustained."

"However, the various creatures of the world cried out to them. Begging for them to end the misery of a barely sustainable world. In the past, such cries might have been ignored, but the alicorns had a soft spot in thier hearts for ponykind, and the ponies managed to catch their ears."

"As such, the King and Empress agreed to meet on neutral ground in the very first diplomatic summit in our world's history. Much later, in a stunning twist, the two later revealed that they were in love, and were to be married. It is said that on the day for their wedding, the sun and moon passed in front of each other, briefly appearing to become one."

"The ponies called this the Eclipsing, or later, the Great Eclipse. So they named this new adjoined nation, "The Unified Kingdom of Eclipstria."

"For centuries, King Soltaire and Empress-Queen Noctau were the supreme authority of the land. No pony opposed their rule, typically out of respect. But when that wasn't enough...."

"-They could be quite... forceful. Despite this, the two rulers were generally well liked, but more and more ponies began to question if they should even be ruled by a king and queen. A quiet, subtle feeling of dissent was said to be building in the ponies of the land. Even so, everypony grew quite excited when it was discovered the queen had become pregnant, as this would be the first child of a new order, a living treaty between the two great alicorn dynasties."

"Several months later, in the private chambers of the new Everfree Palace, their first born, a baby filly arrived. She bore a strong resemblance to her father, in light of this they named her-"

"-Celestia, Princess of the Sun. And of course, little time passed before they would name their second born-"

"-Luna, Princess of the Moon. For the first years of our lives, we played with the other alicorn young, oblivious to the social unrest around us."

*****"Wait, wait, wait!"*****

The other passengers in the Super Stallion helicopter all turned their attention to the purple unicorn interrupter, who held a hoof to her head.

"Yes Twilight?" Celestia asked.

"This is too much! Why does no pony know of any of this? There are others like you? Where are they? This is just- just- too much!"

The two royal alicorns lowered their gazes.

Celestia raised her head. "There is a vast history that even the most knowledgeable are completely unaware of."

"Allow us the time to finish our tale, and we shall answer all thine questions." Luna answered.

Captain Lenard Greene turned his head to the cockpit. "Mike, how far are we from the array site?"

"Tree House and Zero Base are still quite a ways out. We're having to fly on the deck, and to completely circumvent several enemy fortifications we're having to take the long way around to get there." Lieutenant Kaiser answered. "I'd say maybe thirty minutes. An hour, tops."

Lenard nodded. "Very well. Keep us in the loop if anything comes up."

"You got it chief." Mike answered.

Lenard turned back to the Princesses. "Sorry you two, please continue. You were just telling us about you child- foalhood."

Celestia bore a distant expression.

"Yes, our foalhood..."

"As I said, Luna and I spent most of the early years of our lives blissfully unaware of the horrors our family represented. We were never told of these stories. We couldn't have realized what was brewing. We didn't know that there were creatures plotting our downfall..."

*******************

A fancily dressed pegasus scribe passed through a pair of massive doors, and entered a throne room seemingly studded with glory. The right side of this majestic court bore a look of regal fire, the left, a elegant icy design. To the young stallion, the room seemed to be both sweltering hot, and bone chillingly cold at the same time.

"How dost they emanate such a puzzling sensation?" The scribe thought.

He stopped and bowed as he approached the thrones, tipping his fancy feathered cap.

"Your majesties, I bring news of the state of our kingdom."

An alabaster and crimson alicorn stallion stepped from his throne, his fiery mane burning in an unseen wind. To his right stepped the dainty hooves of an azure and silver alicorn mare, whose styled ebony mane bore several majestic constellations of stars.

"Excellent!" The King exclaimed in a loud regal voice. "I have been meaning to see how the commoners are faring."

"As have I." The Empress spoke in an almost tangibly strong accent, betraying her obvious connection to budding nation of Prance. There is talk of, how you say, "unrest." amongst them. What is the nature of their cries?"

"It is these non-ponies amongst us my lord and lady! They have crossed our sovereign borders and made camp in our lands! The citizens do not trust them, and neither do I."

The king brought a hoof to his neatly shaven beard. "I fail to see reason for these sentiments. Have they wronged us in any way?"

"They insult us, and they have no respect for you, the Queen, or your rule!" the scribe answered.

The King raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"There are eyewitness accounts of them slandering the royal house! I have brought two such witnesses."

"The Queen clapped her fore-hooves twice. "Bring in these witnesses." she commanded.

A mare and stallion were directed into the room. The stallion, an earth pony, wore rags and sackcloth loosely tied around his waist and was clearly limping. His cutie mar- stud stamp, was a wedged apple slice. The mare, a pegasus, was slightly better dressed, but still projected a sense of insecurity. Her cutie mark was a wafting cloud in a gently breeze.

The scribe pointed a hoof at the two, "These peasants were bullied not to long ago by two of these brutish ram creatures. Tell them what happened."

The pair were clearly terrified to be in the presence of their rulers. The stallion was visibly shaking.

"Well?" the king suggested. "What art thy names?"

"A-Apple Core mil'lord," The stallion timidly stammered.

"Cotton Drift," The pegasus mare nervously stated. "I witnessed the altercation."

"Ah yes." The king answered. "Please, inform us of your account."

"Y- yes." the stallion mumbled. "We were in the markets in Ponyshire and-"

The Queen cut him off. "Ponyshire? I am unaware of this place."

"Y- yes, it is a small village not too far from this place. It is a new town, that's why you haven't heard of it. It sprung up around this huge orchard of apples and- "

"Please," The Empress-Queen stopped him. "Tell us about your encounter with these outlanders."

"He was quite mean lookin'! And I caught him fooling around with-"

"What he means to say," The accompanying mare interrupted him, "Is that he had quite a bout with them."

*******************

A rust red stallion brushed aside the straw barrier that separated his daughter's "bedroom" from the rest of the shack.

"Father, what do you want!?" the baby blue young mare questioned.

Apple Core wasn't having any of this. "AppleFlower! You know you're supposed to clean the harvest cart! We gotta take some of the harvest into town tomorrow!"

"Why can't AppleCanter do it?!"

"He did it last time." Apple Core deadpanned.

"Mother?"

"She's in town, ya know, SELLING APPLES?!"

"Alright! Alright! Ah'll do it." she finally gave in.

Outside of the shack, a small wooden cart sat, tied to a tree. The young mare brought out a bucket of soapy water and set it rather precariously on the top of the wagon.

"Always got me working on something." she mumbled under her breath.

She looked around for a rag to clean the muddy cart. In the process, the clumsy mare bumped it, making the bucket move ever so close to the edge of the cart, just as two approaching rams trotted down the nearby path.

"Welkar?"

"Yes Vance?"

"Are you sure we should be coming here? The ponies do not seem to appreciate our presence."

"I told you. We buy food, pack it into our bags and leave. Simplicity itself."

"Yes but-"

A bucket of soapy water dropped onto a quite attractive young mare. Her shiny, auburn mane dripped with the sensuous liquid, and her coat matted to the sides of her body, leaving nothing to the imagination.

"Welkar?"

"Uh, yes Van'?"

"Can food wait?"

"I would say it can.

The two rams sharply altered their course and took cover behind a large nearby tree.

"Just great." AppleFlower muttered to herself, clearly irritated by the mess she'd created. "At least I didn't spill all of-"

She noticed two crouching male forms hiding behind one of the farms many apple trees. The younger looking one was wide eyed and seemed very interested in her predicament. AppleFlower bit her lower lip. This buck clearly found this situation...

...exiting.

She picked the bucket of water up with her hooves and suggestively poured the rest of it over her body.

"Hircus's mighty horns!" the older of the two rams exclaimed. She was clearly aroused by this as well.

The other, a younger ram, hit his head on one of the tree's heavy branches.

"Quiet! She'll hear us!" the younger ram spoke in a hushed tone.

The soaked filly gave a seductive wink.

The older ram gave a chuckle. "Clearly, she already does. You go, I'm too old for this nonsense."

"Go? Go where?"

The senior ram pushed the younger one out from behind the tree.

"I'll be getting those supplies now." The older ram gave a jesting wink and left in the direction of town, leaving the two alone.

"Uh so, um, my name is Vance?" the ram choked out, while scratching the back of his head.

"AppleFlower, *caught, cough* Did ya, um, like what you saw?" The now surprisingly bashful filly wondered.

The ram gave a goofy grin. "Most definitely! You are really quite stunning!"

The filly blushed, and gave the ram a look over. "You're not to bad yourself. You a farmer? That's quite a collection of muscles."

The ram thought for a moment. "Farmer, soldier, worker, they are one in the same where I come from."

The air drying mare cocked her head to one side. "Oh, well, um, That's quite impressive and, maybe we could, you know, maybe-"

The ram leaped up to her and pressed his lips against hers. After a few seconds of conjoined bliss, the two pulled back and blushed furiously. "Sorry. You seemed... eager, so I though we might dispense with the pleasantries." The filly blushed an even deeper shade of crimson and lunged back at him. After a few more moments of passionate lip locking, the filly pointed to an old shed behind them. The ram quickly got the idea.

********************

Apple Core wasn't a complicated stallion. A hard day's work, a hay sandwich, some cider, and the affection of Ambrosia Apple, his wife, was all he ever really wanted. However, a recent shortage of bread was ruining this routine. Ambrosia was out, so the ever resourceful stallion would have to try his hooves at bread making himself.

"No problem. Just crush the grain an-"

The stallion heard a peculiar noise as he passed the old barn.

"Is that... snoring?"

The sound went away.

"Must be my wild imaginin's."

The stallion trotted away to a small wooden grain storage, haphazardly built by his own hooves.

"Wait, ah need the keys." He trotted back toward the house and swore he heard that weird noise again as he passed the old barn.

He returned to the grain shack and opened the door. Inside, two small piles of grain sat in the middle.

"Hmm, times are a bit tougher than I thought. Well I'll just grab some- Wait, ah need a bag to carry the grain in, duh!" he chuckled to himself. "Now where did we keep the sack cloth? Oh yeah, I remember."

Apple Core Apple opened the old barn door and received the shock of his life.

There, inside, were two smashed apple barrels. "Such a waste." He mumbled.

He turned his head and noticed two strange things: One, all the sackcloth had been pushed together in a pile in corner of the barn, and two, on top of that pile lie a strange looking horned stallion wrapped around his daughter. The two were peacefully sleeping together like two spoons lying on their side in a cupboard. Both were unconsciously grinning, and covered with sweat.

In his shock, it took a few moments for the reality of the situation to fully sink into Apple Core's mind. The stallion calmly trotted over to a rack and pulled down a wooden bow and arrow. He casually tied it to his foreleg and cracked his neck back and forth, an expressionless look about his face. The stallion lackadaisically dusted off the bow, cleared his throat, and screamed,

"GET THE FLANK OFF OF HER YOU HORNED FREAK!"

Both of the sleeping lovers nearly flew into the rafters at the sound of Apple Core's booming voice.

"Whoa, uh. Guess I should have seen this coming." Vance though out loud, not even slightly amused by this completely cliche moment.

"Hi there, daddy..." Was all AppleFlower could manage to say.

******************

"It is a reasonable assumption that much violence occurred afterward, right?" The Empress-Queen asked.

"Quite so." The bystander mare answered. "I was on my way home when I found them fighting to gain control of Mister Apple Core's bow. I convinced them to stop before one of them was killed, but what is of real interest is what the ram said afterward..."

*****************

Much earlier, or later, depending on how you want to see it...

Apple Core and Vance, though physically battered, now fought tooth and nail with words. The mare passerby, who now had control of the bow, desperately tried to end the confrontation, as the royal guard were now on their way.

"You- You think you won?!" Vance stammered.

"Y-yeah!" Apple Core answered. "And you and your pathetic kind best stay away from here! Or the same thing will happen to all y'all! Ah'll see to it that the king kicks you out personally!"

"The king? The King! Look at you! You live in a shack, wear sacks for clothes, and grow apples on a run down farm to feed your family! Do you think your government really cares about you? Why do you put up with this prejudice!?"

"What do ya mean?!" the apple farmer questioned.

"I have been all through this land and the only ponies I see working are like you. The winged ones live in the clouds, and the horned ones all live in castles!"

"You mean the Corns and the Peggies? Pegasai work in the clouds, and we Earthies got a connection with the ground and stuff but-"

"But they all seem to be faring better than you. What I heard from our scouts was true! "Your land, Eclipstria has built its success on the backs of slaves!"

"We are not slaves! And if you get anywhere near my daughter again ah'll break off both of those curly horns and make a tiny tuba out of em'!"

"Yes, your daughter, think about her! You know in that shed we did more than just.... you know. We talked! She is the most beautiful and loving creature I have ever seen, and she sees your precious aristocracy for the swine they are!"

"Don't you even dare speak about her that way! You dare insult us, my country, the King and Queen, on my property?!"

"Your property? Ha! AppleFlower said this land was loaned to you to produce food for the rich! And that once they are done with you, they will toss you out! These rulers, do you know what their kind have done? Why do you serve them?"

Apple Core could not contain his rage. "Get out! NOW!"

"Alright, I shall leave. But hear me. I will return with an approaching freedom! You will all see!"

An older ram approached the group, flanked by two Eclipstrian royal guards.

"Ignore his silly ramblings. I think I know what has transpired here. Allow me to take this one back to our camp. Do not worry, he will be dealt with accordingly."

AppleFlower darted out from behind her a bush. "Please, ah don't want him to be hurt or anything! He's a real sweet guy and ah think I love hi-"

"I told you to stay home, you will not be seeing him again!" Apple Core roared.

The young mare turned away, tears streaking down her face.

"I will return for you my love! Do not fret!" the similarly aged ram called out to her.

AppleFlower, still crying, put a hoof to her lips and blew a kiss. "Ah'll be waiting!"

"Enough of this! I just ate!" one royal guard uttered. He pointed to the rams. "You two will return to your homes immediately. If we find you here again you shall be incarcerated. We will escort you back."

The older ram nodded. "As you wish."

As they departed, one of the guards gave a sharp, disproving glare at the two apple farmers. Specifically a look of total disgust directed toward the still sobbing AppleFlower. Vance took advantage of this to momentarily break away from the guard, and suddenly darted back to plant another heartfelt kiss on the love struck filly's lips. The guards dragged him of of her and away.

"I will make this better, I promise you!"

********************

"I fear his words were much more than conjecture, my lord." Cotton Drift spoke to the royals.

"Ah agree." A limping Apple Core added. "He was lettin' on about somethin'."

The king and queen exchanged nervous looks. "Apple Core, you and Miss Drift may leave."

The two bowed and were led out by two royal guards.

Queen Noctau turned to her husband. "You do not think there is a connection, do you?"

King Soltaire bowed his head. "Yes. He was far too specific. That ram creature spoke of an "approaching freedom." The only other time I have heard those words spoken..."

The Queen's eyes went wide. "You can't mean-"

"It was the battle cry of the greatest affront to our kingdom. Those accursed dissident rebels..."

"The Banded." The King spoke in a grim tone.

"My husband, if The Banded have allied with these outlanders, then they could actually constitute a threat, and the rumors of a domestic attack of terror may be a reality!"

"I know my dear, that is why we must stop this before it begins."

"Stop what, father?"

Soltaire snapped his head to the sound of this new voice.

"Celly, I have told you not to surprise me like that!"

The little pink maned, alabaster filly puffed out her lower lip.

"Oh come here you!" the King's grim expression melted away as he swept the giggling filly into his forearms. "How was your picnic?"

"Lulu was mean to me!"

"No I was not!" a midnight blue filly slunk in to defend herself. "You were annoying me!"

Celly turned her head up and harrumphed. "All-she-wanted-to-do-was-look-at-bugs-and-I-told-her-to stop-playing-with-those-stupid-things-and-play-tag-with-me, and she-got-a-bug-and-she-said-she-was-going-to-put-it-in-my-mane-and-she-chased-me-around-with-it-and-she-put-it-in-my-mane-and-it-was-icky-and-gross!"

"Uh, I see," The bewildered King spoke. "Did you have fun though?"

The two fillies looked at each other and broke into laughter. "Yeah I guess." Lulu muttered.

"Alright then. Your mother and I have some important work to do, so you two can go up to your quarters."

"Servants!" the Empress called out. "Please draw a bath for the princesses."

"Right away your majesty!" a servant answered.

"Aww, do we have to go to bed now?" Celestia complained.

"You must tell us a bed time story first though, right?" Lulu pleaded.

The King and Queen exchanged smiles. "Okay, we can do that."

"Yay!" Celly cheered. "And I bet I will beat you there!" she challenged Lulu.

"I caught you earlier, remember!?" Lulu taunted. The two alicorn fillies youthfully galloped up the stairs toward their chambers.

As they left, a frown returned to the King's bearded visage. Queen Noctau sauntered up to him and rubbed his shoulders with her hooves. "We shall overcome these trials, just as we have before."

"Yes my dear Queen, but how? If there are traitors amongst the ponies of our land, what shall we do?"

"We must protect our family... We must do what must be done, no matter the cost."

"But to persecute our own! I fear that may only make things worse. I dearly hope the girls will never be faced with such a decision." The King sighed.

"That is my hope as well," The Queen answered.

Soltaire climbed to his hooves. "Guards secure the palace! Come darling, It is time we retired for the night, there is much to do in the morrow."

Chapter Sixteen: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part II- Edict Of War

A/n

Many thanks to Velkaden, who offered his services as editor! (I did some editing of my own, so I hope nothing got through. Enjoy!)

Chapter Sixteen. Black Sun, Red Moon -Part II- Edict of War

"...So they cast us off to our sleeping quarters-"

"Telling us nothing of what would transpire the very next day."

The Princesses, Celestia and Luna, seemed eerily distant in this particular part of their tale.

Applejack gave a bittersweet smile. "Ah can't believe it. Mah kin were on that land since the Princesses were lil' fillies?"

Celestia nodded. "It seems so."

"Well ah guess that's all over now, huh?" Applejack said with a sigh.

"Take heart young one, we are not beaten yet." Luna declared.

Twilight was lost in a torrent of academic chaos. "Eclipstria? Alicorn wars? Ancient rams? You two as fillies?!" The purple unicorn incoherently babbled in confusion.

Celestia gave a reassuring nod. "I know it's a bit hard to take, but as the saying goes, we were all foals once." Celestia noticed several slight chuckles from the human crew. "Well not all, but you see what I mean. It is the right of all -intelligent beings- to have that special time for themselves, and as we will explain, ours was cut short by our parents, Ramkind and The Banded."

Star Sabre, who's exhaustion meant that he had barely paid any attention at all, now bore a deadly serious expression.

"When you mentioned them before, you meant some ancient group right? They aren't the same panic cell that I watched nearly burn my home town to the ground, right?"

Luna pursed her lips in dread. "There is... a connection."

"You're not saying they are the same?!"

Luna nodded.

"That's not possible!" An enraged Star Sabre screamed out from the cabin of the helicopter. His friend and mentor, Sky Blade remained calm.

"Calm down Star. What's not possible?"

"The Banded! They were just a bunch lowlife punks that trashed Hoofston! My Hoofston! How could they have been around back then?! How could they be behind this?!" the defiant pegasus questioned.

Steven Mace put his hands up in a diplomatic gesture. "Chill, dude! They didn't say anything about them being behind anything, right?" He looked over to the Princesses.

They gave no answer.

"Uh, right?" He tried again.

The royal sisters exchanged nervous glances. "Give forth an appropriate amount of time, and we shall tell you many, many things. Allow us to continue the story, and the truth shall be laid bare." Luna answered.

Lenard held his hand to his chin in thought, then grabbed a mic. "Mike, how long?"

"Still about a half an hour at least. We're treading extremely dangerous territory, remember?" Lieutenant Kaiser responded with just a hint of annoyance.

"Alright, keep a sharp eye out for any scouts hiding in cover." The Captain answered. "I'd rather not have to jog back to base."

"Will do, chief."

"Well," Captain Greene waved a hand towards the Princesses. "It looks like you have plenty of time."

Celestia nodded.

"As we were saying earlier, our mother and father sent us to bed like they always did. Father lowered the sun, and mother lifted moon, just as they always did. It wasn't until much later that we would learn gravity of the situation. This was not just any normal end to a normal day, but one of the last sunsets for liberty in the old kingdom. In the coming months, the king and queen would pass a law that would tear the kingdom in half,"

"The Edict Of Eclipstrian Sovereignty."

********************

"In closing, It is our decree that all of these troublemakers and rabble rousers be driven from our land. Anypony seen aiding these scoundrels and rapscallions shall be punished accordingly. Furthermore, any action against the throne, whether foreign or domestic, shall be expediently dealt with... Harshly."

"That is all."

The royal messenger, a pegasus, quickly rolled up the royal scroll with his teeth and flew away. The small crowd of Ponyshire folk assembled to hear it, slowly dispersed. Amongst them, a light blue young mare discreetly trotted away.

Later that night, that same mare snuck away from her small house in the Ponyshire farms and made her way down the beaten path towards the now guarded border. She continued until she reached a small hidden cave, near the banks of a mighty river. She knocked three times on a rock near the mouth of that cave, and patiently listened for a response.

Three answering knocks sounded out from deep inside the cave, and the mare ventured in. After trotting a ways, she picked up a familiar iron lantern lying against a large rock, and lit it. The lantern fire filled the cave with warm light, and a very familiar horned face became visible in front of the mare's. The two faces quickly merged.

After the two lovers separated, the horned member of the rendezvous laid down. His coat was soaking wet, his leather belts and guards dripping.

"You think you could swim across the border next time? That river is quite cold." The ram shivered.

"Vance, you know I can't swim." The mare chuckled.

"Well I suggest you learn, Flower, before I catch some dreadful disease! Perhaps... Perhaps we should stop this."

"Darlin', we've met like this countless times, and you never complained before. Is something wrong?"

"My love, the noose grows tighter around our necks. My kind have stated their stance on international relations, just as your kind have. I do not know how to tell you this, but there is going to be an... incident tomorrow. You must stay away from the city of Everfree at all cost. And go nowhere near the palace."

"An incident? You mean some kind of attack?" the mare nervously asked.

The ram solemnly nodded.

"Why are you tellin' me all this?" AppleFlower questioned.

"I felt it right for you to know. There is no longer anything you or I can do to stop it."

"Why?"

"This edict was predicted as the latest of Eclipsestrian aggression against my kind. And unfortunately, it will give my comrades a excuse to wage war if left unchecked. As I said, there is nothing we can do now. If we are caught helping each other, If they ever find us togethe-"

AppleFlower gently put a hoof up to the ram's mouth.

"If we're caught, then so be it. I'd rather face those punishments then say goodbye to you forever."

"Yes but-"

"Do you love me, Vance?"

The ram lowered his eyes. "Yes. You know that I do. I have risked imprisonment on several occasions just to see you. But believe you me, incarceration will no longer be a problem. If we are caught now.... "

A tear welled in one of Vance's eyes. "I cannot bear to loose you. Promise that you will try not to get into trouble over me, please?" The ram pleaded.

"Ah promise." The mare smiled, a tear in her eye as well. "Please, stay with me."

"I will, but I must leave for home in the morning. I have been called on to serve."

"In the army?!"

"Yes. But I will do anything and everything I can to return to you."

"Yeah. I know you well enough to say they'd have to tie you to a galleon to keep you from someone you care about."

"Yes, you do know me well."

The two closed their eyes and met in an embrace.

******************

Several days later, an alicorn filly impatiently pranced around her pristine summer get away home.

"Princess, I implore you to not stand upon the table!" a unicorn servant exclaimed.

The miniature form of an alicorn foal hopped off of a mahogany table.

"Sorry." The cute little filly responded. "Must we be shut in this place forever? I want to go home! I want to go play!"

"Listen, I knowest of thy exuberance, but we mustn't return to the palace. Please calm thyself."

The white filly alicorn turned to a blue filly, quietly sitting in the corner. "What's wrong sis?"

The baby alicorn looked up. "Celly, why did they send us away?"

The white filly put a hoof to her chin. "I don't know. Maybe mommy and daddy are planning a surprise!"

"Or maybe they do not want us to be home." the blue alicorn filly glumly answered.

"Don't be so sad, I am sure nothing is wrong, right mister servant guy?"

The royal servant lowered his gaze and turned away. "Uh, y-yes. Now please settle down."

A pegasus mare, wearing the same garb as the royal servant, entered the room. She whispered something into the servant's ears, bowed, then slowly flew out of the room.

The servant stood up "I have good news, your Highnesses. We may return to our home now."

"Yay!" Celly cheered.

"Finally." Lulu mumbled.

******************

As the flying royal procession bearing the Princesses approached the castle, an almost eery presence filled the air. Everypony seemed to feel it, even the two young alicorns seemed to take notice, looking around for something, or somepony, that wasn't there. The palace itself appeared to have weathered a monstrous storm. Black marks, from what must have been fires, streaked its mighty walls. Several royal guards could be seen picking up several large pieces of debris, strewn across the landscape. One appeared to be putting a sheet over a sleeping guard lying in the-

Celly and Lulu gave a small gasp at the sight of it. The guards closed the curtains on the windows of the carriage.

Celly turned to her sister. "What do ya think happened?"

Lulu covered herself in her tiny ceremonial black hood. "I don't know. Celly, I'm scared."

Celly nodded. "Me too."

The carriage and escorting pegasus warriors flew up to an upper balcony of the palace. They dared not land the carriage on it, for it seemed structurally unsound. They simply opened the doors and allowed the Princesses to exit the vehicle.

Waiting just inside the upper room, were the king and queen themselves, flanked by an unusually large following of royal guards.

"Mommy! Daddy!" The fillies cheered.

The two Princesses galloped up to there mother and father and held them both in an extremely tight hug.

Celly looked up at her father. "We thought something terrible happened an-"

She stop as she noticed a large, but rapidly healing scar running down the kings face. The queen had a similar injury on her neck.

"Mommy, Daddy... What happened to you?" the white filly questioned.

Lulu's face contorted in confusion as she looked at the general look of disruption that now dominated the castle. "What happened to... everything?"

The king and queen inconspicuously traded glances.

"There was a small accident." The queen finally spoke.

"But everything is okay now." The king explained. "Here, let me take you to your room, we bought you a few presents for being so good while you were away."

The royal family trotted up to the large chamber at the top of one of the castle spires. Several guards gave weary salutes as they passed. The two alicorn fillies entered their rooms to find several toys, dolls, games and everything else that would make a young filly immediately happy.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" the fillies cheered savagely hugging their exhausted parents

King Soltaire and Empress Noctau managed weakened smiles. "You are most welcome dears." they simultaneously answered.

As they descended back down into the central hall of the castle, the queen turned to the king. "They are not dullards. They will realize what has happened."

"I know, but they are still children. We cannot ruin that for them. Instead we will crush those who would dare attack our home!"

The queen nodded, and the two began to trot toward the central atrium of the palace. There, in the middle lay a massive Sun and Moon emblem. Carved and painted into the very foundation of the castle itself.

They stood in the center of it, and lit up their horns. Suddenly, the emblazoned ground began to sink ever so slowly into the floor. The emblem lowered the two monarchs into a large cave, filled with prison cells and lit up by several oil lanterns. The soldiers guarding those cells saluted as the platform lowered deeper and deeper into the cave, until it reached the stone floor of the cavern. A single cell adorned this particular section of the dungeon. In it, sat a beaten, battered and defeated ram warrior.

The ram shakily got to his knees, as that was as far as he could stand. "To what do I owe the honor?" He weakly spat at the royalty in front of him.

The king and queen stood unfazed.

"We want to know how you did it."

"Did what?" The ram gave a mirthless laugh.

The king's horn burst into flames, his eyes glowing a hot white. A bright orange aura surrounded the ram and pulled him against the bars of the cell.

"No commoner has ever managed to penetrate our defenses! You and your army destroyed some of our finest warriors! You even managed to harm me and my wife! YOU WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY IF YOU DO NOT TELL ME-"

The king paused to regain his composure.

"... if you don't tell me... how."

The ram put his forelegs behind his head, closed his eyes and smiled. "I don't know, luck?"

A mighty torrent of blue enveloped the prisoner. The queen's eyes now glowed white as well.

"YOU AND YOUR KIND WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO HARM MY FAMILY EVER AGAIN!" she roared.

The rams felt himself pressed into the bars as if crushed between two boulders. Both the king and queen seemed to be trying to flatten him against the bars.

"Y-you won't g-get any-anything fr-fr-from m-me!" the constricted ram managed to squeak.

The king and queen, eyes still a pupilless, incandescent white, turned to each other, then back to the helpless ram. Their horns and eyes glowed even brighter. The ram felt as if he would burst. The prison bars quite literally shattered, and the ram flew forward into the air. He landed in a broken heap, right in front of his two royal tormentors.

"I-I will n-n-not t-tell!" the quivering ram shouted.

The queen leveled her gaze. "I do not think thoust understand. We will have thy secrets, even if we must bore through your insolent mind to obtain them."

The king and queen drew nearer and nearer to the downed ram. Their eyes and horn glowing brighter and brighter, blinding him in terrifying light that rivaled the fury of the Sun and Moon itself.

"No! No! The Banded will save me! Your own kind will avenge me! An approaching freedom will claim you all!"

A scream filled the entire dungeon.

******************

"Celly did you hear that?"

"Hear what Lu?"

"That scream. It sounded like somepony was screaming. Wait, there it was again!"

The two paused. The palace was a silent as a tomb.

Celestia giggled. "You must be hearing things, moon brain!"

"Or maybe you're deaf, fire breath!"

"Take that back!"

"You first-"

A rumble could be heard in the distance.

"I definitely heard that." Celly commented.

Lulu pressed her ear against the bedroom door. "It sounded like it came from downstairs."

The rumble continued.

Slowly, Celly creaked open the door and the two snuck down the stairs. They fluttered into the air, hiding in the shadows of the palace's high ceilings in order to elude the stationed guards. In the center of the main atrium lay the familiar Sun and Moon of the royal crest,

"It sounds like it's coming from the floor!" Lulu whispered.

"Look!" Celly whispered back.

The floor moved and the emblem seemed to retract as another Sun and Moon emblem rose from the ground, upon which their parents stood, clearly upset. The king's mane seemed a bit more fiery than normal, and the queen's hoof steps resounded rather loudly, as if she was angry.

"What's down there?" Lulu asked her older sister from their secluded perch above.

"I don't know! I didn't even know the floors could move like that! Whatever is down there, it sure has them angry! What do ya think is wrong with them?" Celly asked her younger sister.

"How would I kno-" Lulu squeaky voice was cut off by a hoof from her sister.

The queen Noctau stopped, and turned her head to what sounded like her daughter's squeaky voice. Seeing nothing, she shook her head and caught up to the king.

High in the rafters, Celly released her grip. "Sorry, but they might have caught us."

Lulu cocked her head to one side. "What's so bad about that?"

Celestia paused and appeared to mull it over. "I don't know. I think, maybe they don't want us to know about... whatever is down there."

"Don't you wanna find out." Lulu spoke in an uncharacteristic boldness.

Celly shook her head. "If mommy and daddy wanted us to know, they would have told us, right?"

"I guess. But-"

"We can't."

"Okay. Wanna go play with all that new stuff then?"

"Sure!" Celly spoke, almost forgetting what she'd just seen. "I claim the bunny!"

"You can't have the bunny! That one was for me!" Lulu argued.

Several guard looked up into the shadowy rafters with confused expressions. There were voices, but nopony appeared to be there.

"Yours? What could possibly make you think that?" Celly argued back.

"It has a crescent moon on it!" Lulu spoke with a perceived logic.

"So! Just because something has the moon on it doesn't mean it's yours!"

"Fine then, first one up there gets it!"

The fillies flew back up the stairs.

The guards still held puzzled expressions. "Surely they're not that loud to be hearing them from the spires, right?" One of the guards thought. He shrugged and returned to his normal stoic appearance.

********************

The king and queen traversed the heavily guarded steps to a large room, covered in maps, diagrams, and charts. Several mares and stallions trotted back and forth, moving markers and symbols around on the maps. The two royals sat down on a small couch in the center of the room. The strategists, advisors, and workers stopped whatever they were doing and gave their full attention to the alicorns in the center of the room. The king and queen noticed this and stood.

"My dear subjects and advisors. The recent attack on our land is proof enough that we must go to war with these outlandish creatures. They will stop at nothing to destroy our way of life, and steal away every thing we have."

An officer raised a hoof. "But sires, how could they ever stand against us?"

The king sighed. "They have magic. Possibly as great as the most powerful unicorns in all the land. Possibly even approaching our own might. If so, we must destroy them as soon as possible to prevent a long and drawn out engagement. That means that a swift, unforeseen attack must be carried out immediately to behead this threat before it surfaces again, as the queen will explain."

The queen nodded. "Very well. Pegasus sweeps have revealed a Ram stronghold being built approximately fifteen leagues from our western border. The city is called Vertaigh, and has been in construction for months. This leads us to believe that the intent of these outlanders has always been war. Furthering that belief, are several large, mobile weapons, such as catapults, and trebuchets, that have been sighted in this city. They must be destroyed before they can be used to invade us."

"Fetch Centurion Rains. He will lead this attack." the king ordered.

"I am sorry my liege, he was lost in the attacks." an advisor commented.

The King growled. "Then send in his replacement."

The advisor bowed and left the room. A few moments later, a bronze armored pegasus stallion entered the room.

"Centurion Crest, at your service my lord and lady."

"Excellent." The king spoke. "Your reputation precedes you, soldier."

The queen nodded. "I have heard of this one before. He will do fine as leader. Centurion, gather your finest pegasai and prepare them for a our strike."

"Remember," The king began, "They cannot be allowed to move those weapons into our kingdom, and they are already on the move. Prepare thyself, Tribune Crest."

The king and queen both raiser a foreleg into the air. "Go forth and may fortune smile upon you on your mission." They spoke in unison.

The Centurion, now Tribune, put a hoof to his chest and bowed in salute.

"Thank you for this honor. It will be done my lord and lady."

As he left the room, the various stallions and mares of the war hall returned to their duties.

The queen sighed and turned to her husband. "And so we go to war, just like so many of our ancestors."

The king nodded.

"Let us hope we don't end up as they did."

*******************

Dawn rose over the Kingdom of Eclipstria.

The newly made Tribune Crest stood atop a large cloud, as a massive army of heavily armed ponies assembled just outside the Capital city of Everfree. The king and queen stood on a higher cloud, silently looking on as the Tribune assembled the troops. From the top of the castle spires, Celly and Lulu looked on from their windows.

"Stallions and mares of the Eclipstrian Army!" The Tribune shouted. "You have been chosen to strike at the heart of those who would dare attack our land, our homes, and our king and queen! What say you?!"

"Huzzah!" the field of soldiers spoke in unison.

_____________

A ram general stood before his soldiers.

"Who will destroy those who oppose Caprastia, and threaten us with war?!"

"We! The chosen few!" The soldiers of a large army answered.

_____________

"We are the sword. We are the shield. We are the mighty hoof of Eclipstria!"

"Huzzah!"

_____________

"Who will conquer those who have no honor?"

"We! The chosen few!

_____________

"I hope you have prepared yourself, for today we show them just what we are capable of!"

"Huzzah!"

_____________

"Who will remove the cantankerous blight of alicorn justice?"

"We! The chosen few!"

____________

"Then onward! To Battle!"

____________

"Then forward we march on to Glory!"

____________

"Pegasai! To the skies!"

A strike squad or twenty-four pegasai took to the air, each carrying a payload of a single over sized blast geode.

"Unicorns, prepare your weapons of magical might!"

In a bright flash, the horned ponies cast protective and offensive charms and stood at attention.

"Ponies of the Earth! Put on thy awesome strength!"

The muscular ponies stamped their right forelegs into the ground creating a massive resounding thunder that shook the very leaves out the trees.

_____________

"Prepare the great weapons of our ancestors!"

Several powerful magical artifacts began to glow around the great ram armies.

"Arm the catapults!"

The soldiers began to prepare the massive defensive cata-turrets surrounding the city.

"Bring up the barriers and defenses!"

Several nets and pillars were hoisted into position.

_____________

"Hoist the mainstays of the mighty Eclipstrian Navy!"

Several fully rigged ships of the line, armed with massive spear launchers and catapults and docked on the banks of the Equus river, set their sails to the wind. The ponies on board the ships scrambled around, sweeping the decks and loading the weapons. The mighty wooden sailing vessels began to move forward,

_____________

"Prepare the Leviathans!"

Several of the enormous land vessels began to move under the strength of several dozen rams, turning several dozen internal gears. On the top of the gargantuan machines, several more cata-turrets and battle slings were armed.

_____________

The Tribune looked up at the king and queen. "Our forces are assembled."

The king nodded. "Carry on. Give the order to begin the assault."

____________

A large ram walked up to the ram General, he was at least four hands taller. "Hear me o' warriors of Caprastia! Join me in our ceremonial war chant!"

"The tyrants will fall, the downtrodden will rise! All will be as it is truly meant to be! The sons and daughters of the lost will claim victory over the chosen, and a new era will dawn over the land!"

____________

"Stallions and Mares! Today we fight for Victory! For Justice! And FOR ECLIPSTRIA! Soldiers, move out!"

The pony armies of Eclipstria surged forward, and the ram armies of Caprastia went forth to meet them.

Chapter Eighteen: HARMony

Chapter Eighteen. HARMony.

Colonel Highlander stood before a small gathering of various members of the Equestrian and human forces. Taking advantage of the momentary break in the fighting, Mayor Mare, General Snow Wisp, and Captain Greene managed to show up. Twilight and the other element bearers had been invited to attend, and were sitting in the back of the room.

"Alright. I believe we are ready to begin the proceedings, right?" the colonel asked the session members.

"Not without me you're not," came the voice of General Rumbly Rock, who despite his condition, managed to limp into the large meeting tent.

"Good to see you back on your hooves, Rocky." Snow Wisp chirped.

"You know me, never one to miss out on a good mission briefing." the resilient earth pony answered.

The colonel nodded. "Okay then, if that's everyone, we can get this thing started. The princesses called for this meeting to discus the reports of WMMD's, weapons of mass magical destruction being built and or being used by the enemy. I'll turn this over to her now."

"Thank you, colonel." Celestia gave a short nod and stood, blowing a piece of her now limp mane out of her face. "As you all know, Equestria was already attacked by such a weapon. This "IMP" as it was mentioned in the various documents and logs found in the leviathan, nearly destroyed magic as we know it, and possibly changed its nature permanently. According to those records, IMP stands for "implosive magical pulse." It also states that they only had one of them. This weapon, most likely created by combining several ancient alicorn, ram or griffin artifacts, disrupted the natural magical aura around our world, allowed our capture, and prevented our armies from effectively repelling the enemy. That was just the prototype. Now we have news that the enemy is building weapons which will allow them to tap into the power of the Elements of Harmony themselves. This "IEMP" or "Implosive Elemental-Magic pulse," if realized, could do far worse than its predecessor."

"Yes," the colonel agreed. "We received word of this new weapon a few hours ago, from the infiltration team we sent to Canterlot not too long before the princesses were rescued. We haven't heard anything from them since. They didn't seem to have had the time to give us any information other than revealing the existence of this weapon, and that the enemy was preparing them. We don't know when, where, or how these weapons will be delivered, or what they are even capable of."

A unicorn raised a hoof.

Celestia nodded. "Yes, Twilight?"

"Princess, I thought the elements were connected only to us, and how did they even get access to them? I thought they were locked in a vault only you or your sister could open."

Celestia shook her head. "This is a whole new scenario. The proverbial rule book must be thrown out. The IMP attack overwhelmed magic in its entirety. The Elements, being more or less the embodiment of magic itself, would have become extremely... unstable. In short, they could already be magical powder kegs as it is. In this current situation, magic is not as absolute as it normally would be. The magical seal most likely failed the second we came under attack."

Celestia noticed the multiple worried expressions before her.

"Listen. Nopony can control the elements fully, but both griffin and ramkind have always had a penchant for tampering with magic, and recent history would suggest they have become quite skilled in it. We must not put anything past them. The elements are a force for good only in the right hooves. In the wrong ones, they could be very dangerous."

Twilight shook her head. "But turning the Elements of Harmony into weapons? That's ludicrou-"

The ground shook. The air heated up. A massive wind overtook the meeting tent.

There was a large explosion.

The quickly thrown up plywood covers over the tent were carried away. The thin canvas walls ripped apart. The now visible sky glowed an unnatural shade of orange. A large blast bubble cloud could be seen rising over Canterlot.

Then Applejack, and only Applejack, dropped to the floor.

*******************

For members of the Liberation Resistance, the home base they'd built in the Canterlot underground was falling apart.

"What the flank is going on?!" Major Classified called out to the other soldiers. "Are we under attack?!"

A beach ball sized chunk of stone broke off from the ceiling and landed just a few feet away.

"It feels more like an earthquake sir!" a soldier yelled back. "Should we evac?"

"Somepony tell me what is happening!" General-Prince Blueblood emerged from his bunk, clearly cranky from lack of sleep.

"Get somepony up there to find out!" the major barked. The human and pony soldiers exchanged panicked looks.

Major Classified galloped up to a ladder leading to the surface. "Fine, I'll go up myself! Secure as much equipment as you can! I'm going topside!"

"Wait, sir! You don't think it was one of those weapons, do you?" a stallion questioned. "Should we use the talking machine to inform Zero Base?"

The major thought for a moment. "Our scouting missions indicated that they were nowhere near completing those weapons. And as for Zero, we barely reached them before. I doubt we can reach them now. Besides," the major began to climb, "I'm sure they're more aware of what going on than we are!"

___________

Just a few minutes later, Major Classified pushed off the ponyhole cover and poked his head above the surface. A wall of blinding light forced him back in the tunnel. The palace and surrounding city glowed an almost unreal shade of orange, and the ground shook harder than any earthquake he'd ever felt. After just four seconds of viewing the conditions above ground, the major felt a nearly irrepressible urge to flee. He quickly pulled the cover back on and briskly climbed back down down the shaft.

___________

"Can we leave now?" Blueblood called out as the major descended into the lower tunnels they'd all grudgingly called home. "We're gonna be entombed in here if we don't get moving immediately!" the prince yelled over their crumbling surroundings.

"I'm not sure we'll do any better if we do! Something bad is going on topside!" the major warned.

"So what do we do now?"

"That depends, how do you feel?"

"What?" the prince cocked an eyebrow.

"How do you feel? Any nausea, dizziness, or sudden weakness?"

"No! What does this have to do with anything?!"

"Because, if this event has any biological or magical effects we would... would... start... feeling... s-sick..."

The major slumped to the floor.

"Class! Can you hear me?! Get up!"

The stallion remained sill. The section of stone above them began to crack.

"Oh do come on! Get up! We must move!"

Ceiling bricks began to fall.

"Looks like I'll just have to move you myself! Confound you for passing out here of all places!"

The typically spoiled stallion now found himself dragging a passed out comrade through the Canterlot sewer system.

______________

"Hey guys, Zero Base is trying to contact us! Has the major come back yet?" a human soldier asked a group of other soldiers trying to move a large ammo crate.

"No, but we might not have time to wait for him to get back!" a solider answered. "Hey wait, that looks like the prince over there, see if he knows."

Blueblood laboriously dragged the fallen major into the room. "They called me dead weight before! Who-"

The stallion strained under the weight of the major. "Who is the dead weight now?!"

A medic ran up to the downed officer. "This doesn't look good. He's so pale! What happened?!" the mare asked the prince.

"I do not know! He fainted right after he returned from the sur-" Blueblood paused.

"Oh dear."

*****************

"Applejack? Can you hear me?"

"Five more minutes Granny.... I don't feel too good...."

"She's waking up!"

The orange earth mare found herself on a small bed, her friends looking down at her. "Huh... Wha- What just happened?" the orange farmer pony mumbled. "How long was I out?"

Twilight looked over to a calendar. Applejack noticed this and suddenly appeared very nervous.

Twilight turned back around. "About ten minutes. We have a pretty good idea of what that was. Do you remember the blast?"

"Uh, yes?"

"You remember what color it was?" Rarity added.

"Yeah, it was orange. Kinda like my... Consarnit it!"

Twilight frowned. "Princess Celestia thinks that was your element discharging its magical energy. Because it was connected to you, the blast managed to affect you even though it was way too far away to hurt the rest of us."

"That was one crazy light show!" Pinkie interjected.

"Uh. yeah." Twilight scratched her head. "The blast came from Canterlot, so we think they set it off by accident."

"What about y'all and the others?"

"Nothing yet, but the base is on "high alert" or something like that. We're prepared to evacuate if we have to." Twilight added.

"Runnin' away!?" We can't keep runnin' from 'em! Eventually we'll run out o' places to run to!"

"Well, the Earth is round, so theoretically we could keep running-"

"You know what ah mean!"

"Yeah. I'm sure the princesses will think of something to stop these things." Twilight assured the cowpony as she helped her out of the bed.

"What're they gunna do? Fly over here and drop 'em on us? We can just shoot 'em down before the reach us, right?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Maybe we could absorb them or something!" Pinkie suggested.

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "I don't think it's that simple. Though they admitted that they don't know the weapon's delivery method, or anything else about them for that matter. Celestia says we won't have to worry about your element for a while, but that still leaves five to worry about."

Applejack frowned. "C'mon now. Don't muddy th' issue with your fancy mathematics."

"Fancy mathmati- Are you sure you're okay Applejack?"

"Fine as a baby pegasus's feathers. Y'all?"

"Ready to roll! And maybe fly!" Rainbow Dash answered.

"Feeling pinkie keen! For now anyway," Pinkie declared with odd stressing on "For now."

"Fine." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Okay then. Princess Celestia is still with everypony else trying to figure out what to do. I guess we can go back now." Twilight sighed. "At least until a multi-colored explosion sends the rest of us to the hospital as well."

******************

"Whah! Where am I?!" a griffin shouted out in surprise.

"Please calm down Lord Phalanx."

"What? A Medic? What has happened?!"

"There was an accident my lord. You are suffering from light to moderate magic saturation."

"Ha! Magic poisoning? You can't be serious."

"Magic is usually quite harmless, but if twisted, and over concentrated to the simply extreme levels you've endured, it can be quite dangerous, even to the equines. The weapons development overseers were fortunate to escape."

"The fools. How is it possible for anyone to be that incompetent?"

"Apparently they severely underestimated the raw power the elements can release, and were unable to contain it. The damage was minimal, but the city may be contaminated for several hours before it clears up."

The praetor sighed, "Very well. How bad are my injuries?"

"Along your older wounds, Lord Phalanx, they should heal in no time. You may leave when you see fit."

"Very well." The griffin slowly climbed off of the medical station and hopped onto his hind legs. "I take it this disaster wasn't too bad?"

"The weapon was no where near its full capacity when it accidentally detonated. The element we used, "Honesty", as the ponies call it," the griffin chuckled. "is depleted for the time being, it will take at least a week to recharge its magical potential."

"Fair enough. The council will want the rest of the weapons armed a ready as soon as possible. Send the word down to begin preparation on the next IEMP."

"Yes, my lord. What are we to do about the escapees?"

"Escapees? What are you talking about?"

"A large caravan of equines is making its way from the internment camps in the other captured cities."

"What! When were you going to tell me this!?"

"Haven't I, my lord?"

The praetor facetaloned. "They must have escaped in the confusion."

"What will you have us do?"

"We have much larger problems at the moment. Containing this disaster and readying the weapons are our main priorities. Forget about the civilians. Order everyone not currently on duty to assist in the recovery of IEMP-1, and..." The griffin captain paused and sighed,

"....Inform the Council of our progress."

"Understood, my lord."

*******************

"There's thousands of them! Where are they all coming from?" Mike Kaiser stared over a literal field full of approaching ponies. Behind him, Gerri Reed took pictures with the camera she seemed to keep with her at all times.

Luna shook her head. "They must be refugees. Those who hath escaped the initial blow or managed to flee their incarceration during attacks, possibly from Sesaddle, New Yoke, or Applelanta. I assume the recent activity spurred them to escape the cities, but how they knew to come to this place... it be a mystery."

A pegasus scout squinted through a pair of binoculars. "I see some ponies from Appleloosa and Trottingham, and that mare in the cape looks familliar, but I don't see anypony from Canterlot, or at least anypony wearing attire that would suggest it."

Luna sighed and lowered her gaze. "All we can do is hope those in the capital city are safe. Please inform the others of these arrivals."

"Yes princess. Do you think we can support them all? Can we protect all these ponies?"

"I do not know. But we must try."

"Yes, princess." The scout saluted and trotted away.

Luna turned to the resident photographer. "Ms. Reed."

"Call me Gerri."

"Ms. Gerri, I've been meaning to ask you about that object you seem so fond of. Just how can that minuscule device possible contain a camera?" Luna asked, imagining a large wooden camera with a dinner plate sized flash bulb being shoved into a wallet sized piece of plastic.

Gerri furrowed her brows. "I don't exactly know the particulars, but I know it takes great pictures, at least until the batteries die," She sighed. "which they're about to."

"There are batteries inside as well? How does one contain such a large energy storing device in such a lack of space?"

Gerri looked over to Mike for support. He answered with a "don't look at me" shrug.

"There's a lot of stuff we've got that I can't explain, and this is considered a simple piece of hardware where I come from."

"Intriguing." Luna rubbed her chin. "Perhaps if this struggle is overcome, I will look into such things. Come, we shall greet these refugees, they are undoubtedly most exhausted after their long journey."

*****************

As the refugee caravan made its way toward Zero base, one particular unicorn had everypony else on edge.

"How far away are we from this "Zero Fortress" you refereed to? The Great and Powerful Trixie would like to rest!"

To the dismay of those unfortunate enough to have found her, the infamous showmare would simply not stop talking. A bloodshot eyed royal guard turned to her. "You see that hill over there in the distance? That's it! Right there! So please stop asking me! And stop referring to yourself in third person!"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie meant no disrespect, so don't get disrespectful with her!"

The guard's left eye twitched. "Look, there! Looks like they're sending a welcome party! Now you can go ask them how far away their own base is!"

Indeed, a small welcoming group from Zero base was descending down towards them.

Trixie placed her tattered hat firmly on her head. "Fine then! The Great and Powerful Trixie will do just that!" With a harrumph, she trotted toward the front of the caravan.

"Can you believe her?" The guard spoke to another stallion. "How can anypony be that annoying?"

"She didn't seem that bad to me." The stallion answered.

The guard's eyes widened. "What?! Were we looking at the same mare?"

"Yep." the stallion nodded. "Difference is, I wasn't looking at her face! Ha ha haaa!" the stallion put a hoof up, ready to receive the traditional mark of stallionly fellowship.

The guard put his hoof to his face instead, rather than return the brohoof.

"I'm going to have a permanent headache after all of this."

*****************

Prince Blueblood trotted into one of the last standing sections of the Canterlot underground base.

"So how is he doctor?"

The mare doctor turned her head toward Prince Blueblood. "I honestly don't know. I've never seen any kind of sickness like this before."

"Magic..." the bedridden major mumbled simi-consciously.

"Glad you could rejoin the living, major." the mare spoke in a hushed tone. "I'm Dr. Winter Willow. How are you feeling?"

The major shook his head. "Like somepony dropped me in a vat of rainbow juice."

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to sedate you, if you are to heal. At least until your body begins to recover from whatever this is."

The major shook his head. "Wait! It's magic poisoning! The only way to shake it is to stay active and drink plenty of fluids!"

The doctor dug in a bag for a sedative and gave the major a most confused look. "Magic poisoning? I assure you no such thing exist. How can anypony be poisoned by magic? Please, you are not well. You need to rest."

Major Classified gawked as the doctor put the syringe in her mouth and grew closer. "Wait! No!" The major, weak as he was, rolled off of the bed and broke into a half gallop. The doctor rolled her eyes and took to the chase. "Just where do you think you're going?!"

Blueblood sighed and galloped after them. "I do not know, *huff* but we must catch him!" he panted from behind, completely unused to any kind of physical exertion.

The major quickly rounded a corner, closely tailed by the doctor and the prince.

"I've got to admit *pant, pant* even sick and half conscious, he's in excellent shape!" the doctor spoke through the syringe in her mouth.

Blueblood noticed the chase through the tunnels was beginning to have adverse affects on his surroundings, as pieces of the ceiling began to fall once more. "Perhaps we should stop this? These tunnels appear to be quite unstable!"

Apparently, the major and doctor didn't hear him. Classified ducked into a large, cavernous hole in the tunnel wall, and the doctor jumped in after him.

"Wait! That is not a main passage way! It is not structurally sound!" Blueblood called out to the major and the pursuing physician. Once again they ignored him.

"Why does nopony ever listen to me?" Blueblood mumbled to himself. The prince grudgingly leaped in after them.

***************

After following the major and doctor through a seemingly unending series of tunnels and passageways, Blueblood stepped into a large cavern. The major, loopy as he was, had finally been cornered by the exhausted mare.

"There is one primary reason that I'm sure he's "out of it," as it were." The prince spoke as the doctor closed in on her target.

"Oh, yeah. What?" The doctor wondered aloud, not taking her eyes off of the trembling major.

"Simple, he hasn't made a single jest about "How he's used to mares chasing him" or something like that."

"How disappointing," The doctor answered. "Now major. Please let me sedate you. It's for your own good."

"No! It's not! You don't know what I know! It's magic poisin-" The major froze and turned his head upward. "The ceiling is collapsing! Turn around!"

Doctor Willow deadpanned. "Like I would fall for th-"

A sound similar to a sheet of ice cracking under a heavy skater echoed through the cavern. The doctor froze in fear as a large boulder several times her size descended toward her.

The prince charged toward her. "Get out of the way! Do you want to be crushed?!" The prince pushed the fear-struck mare, sending her sprawling out of the way just as the boulder landed. The entire cavern ceiling fractured and crumbled to the floor.

The dust cleared, and Dr. Willow found herself looking up at Classy and the night sky behind him. The major helped her to her hooves. Above them, the stars shone through a gaping hole in the ceiling of the cave. The only visible above ground structure was the sprawling Canterlot Palace.

"Apparently, this cave runs right next to the castle." The major commented.

The doctor steadied herself. "It would seem so. Who kne- Wait! Where's the prince?! He was right there!" The spot she pointed out was now a pile of boulders.

The doctor brought a hoof to her head. "No. No. No! We did not just get the prince killed!"

A rock shifted. "Yes! Yes! Yes you did, if you don't get this rock off of me!" A muffled voice answered.

"Prince? Well he's still alive. Where are you?"

"On the other side of the pile! No get over here and help me!"

As the two climbed over the large pile of rocks strewn about the cave, they noticed something odd.

"These rocks are carved." The major commented, passing a vase like object.

"Carved, what do you mea-" The doctor paused as she noticed that the rubble contained several pieces of pottery and sculptures. "From the looks of things, I'd say we were underneath the palace gardens."

"We caved in the royal gardens? Somepony's taking a pay cut." the major dully commented.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Now's not the time for jokes. The prince needs our help, so keep digging."

The doctor and major moved several stones aside until the other side of the cavern became visible. Down below, the prince was trapped under a large boulder.

The prince looked up. "Get this thing off of me! It's crushing my legs!"

"Calm down. We're coming," the doctor answered.

"Hurry up, this thing is heavy!" the prince groaned.

"Come now, I've been watching my weight! Not that I've had anything to eat in a while."

The prince, the doctor and the major all shot up and looked around the cave.

"W-who said that?" The prince stuttered.

"So you heard that too?" The major added. "I thought I was hallucinating."

"Guys! Focus! I think the point is that we just heard a voice and nopony was there!"

"No pony there? Aww. How could you say something like that. I'm hurt."

"Who are you?" The Prince feebly questioned, clearly scared to his wit's end.

"I am the rock you currently find yourself trapped under!"

"What?!"

Blueblood turned his head. He was not stuck under a rock, but rather the base of a large statue.

A very familiar statue.

The prince was at a loss for words.

"D-D-Discord?!"

********************

A griffin messenger walked into a large room, filled with rams, pandragon minors, and other griffins.

"Praetor Phalanx. Mistress Gilda. I have been sent to inform you that the damage has been completely contained. Elemental fallout was minimal. The elements are under our control again."

Phalanx breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent."

"Cool. That had me worried for a minute." Gilda added.

*******************

"Why yes! It's me! Glad to see you recognize me after all these... Actually it hasn't been that long. Glad to see you recognize me after not so long!"

"You... You demon!" the prince declared, still trembling. "You turned my conditioner into tar!"

"Don't forget the feathers." Willow added, quivering off to the side..

"You saw that?!" Blueblood spoke, half scared to death, half embarrassed that somepony had seen him in that... dark time. "Either way, that was the worst! Possible! Thing!"

"A rather successful prank if I do say so myself."

"Stones can't talk. You're trapped in stone, and your mouth isn't moving, so how are you talking?!" the doctor questioned the statue.

The statue began to crack and chip apart until the entire surface disintegrated, revealing the draconequus inside, who then hopped off of the prince's legs and preceded to dust himself off.

"You were right! Statues can't talk. Good thing I'm not a statue anymore, right?" the lord of chaos yawned, stretching his arms in the air.

The prince nearly fainted.

Discord brought his arms back down. "Hmm. You don't look to good. Perhaps I have put on weight after all." he thought aloud, rubbing his belly.

The major looked over to Willow, who seemed to be almost frozen in fear. "Doctor?"

"Oh, right. Looks like he has a broken leg. We should move him back to the triage."

The prince fumed. "I don't see how! Your idiotic chase brought the cave down on us! The passage is blocked!"

Discord scratched his head. "You know I-"

"Hey! Blame Major nutcase over here! He was the one that ran!" the doctor exclaimed.

"I could-" Discord was cut off again.

"My fault!? You were going to stick me with drugs after I told you I didn't need any!"

"Oh please! Magic poisoning? That's not even a real disease!"

Discord raised a finger much like a college professor does when he or she's ready to make a point, or explain something insightful. "Well actually it is a legitimate conditi-" he began.

"It's real!" the major declared.

"If you three would liste-" After being cut off yet again, Discord walked away, sat down in a corner, put a paw to his chin and sighed. "This is not the brand of chaos I enjoy."

"Now because of your idiocy we're stuck here!" the doctor declared.

"Fine then! Fly in the face of medical science! Let's just get out of here!" the major responded.

The doctor put her hooves on the side of her head. "Haven't you been listening? We can't get out of here!"

"Hello! Big hole in the ceiling!" the major pointed out.

"Oh, that." Willow blushed violently.

Everypony froze at the sound of approaching hoof steps and wing flaps.

"I think I heard something coming from over there." a voice called out from above. "Go check near that large hole. Might be someone down there."

"Horseapples!" the major quietly cursed. "Sounds like a patrol. We gotta hide!"

"Broken legs! Cannot move! No way out!" Blueblood panicked.

Discord sighed from his corner. "Or not."

"Can you get us out of here?" The prince quietly mumbled, still lying on the cavern floor.

"As quick as a snap!" The draconequus snapped the fingers of his talon hand.

An infantry ram stuck his head down the large hole in the palace garden. He snapped a glow-rod in half and dropped it into the cave. Instantly the cave lit up in a dull blue glow. Seeing nothing, he shrugged and trotted away.

"Could have sworn I heard voices."

*****************

Discord, Major Classified, Doctor Willow, and Prince Blueblood suddenly appeared in the main atrium of the Underground base. A human AEE team scientist lifted his head and casually walked up to them.

"Ah, you're back, I was starting to wonde-" The scientist paused as he laid eyes on the menagerie of creatures that is Discord. "Uhh... You're new..."

The ponies of the base suddenly turned their heads.

"IT'S DISCORD! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

What had been an orderly operation was now a swarm of panicking ponies and very confused humans.

"Now why do they have to do that? I haven't done anything chaotic... yet." He sneered.

Just as before, that familiar cracking sound began to ring through the tunnels.

"Great. I survive one cave-in just to be crushed in another one." The prince stated flatly, as what remained of the base's structural integrity began to come down around them.

"Discord! Can't you stop it?" the doctor desperately pleaded.

"Ooh, well. Gee, I would love to, but, well, you see, the recent events have taken my powers away as well. I used the very last of it to bring us here, so..."

"The whole tunnel system is collapsing! Everypony run for your lives!" somepony in the crowd yelled.

"An excellent suggestion." Discord commented. "Now if you don't mind, I will now make my way to the nearest exit." And with that, the former lord of chaos took off into a most ungraceful hind-legged sprint.

A pony pulled a lever on the wall. Several klaxons and warning lights activated.

"Evacuate!"

A large group of ponies, humans, and a draconequus made a mad dash into the sewers.

Chapter Nineteen: More Down Time

Chapter Nineteen. More Down Time.

Personal mental log of Major Bronze Leaf.

To be honest, I don't know how long I've been here. Hours, Days, Weeks? Constant darkness has a way of shaking up one's perception of time. Veltor has managed to steal glow-rods, medical supplies, even extra food when they take him, but it's still quite miserable here. They're still trying to beat every last piece of information they need out of me, but I stand strong. Figuratively anyway. My legs are still healing from the last interrogation. Despite my pain, my thoughts turn to those I served with. I remember seeing them run away, but I have no idea what happened afterward. Have the princesses been rescued? Were they executed like enemy planned? It's hard to hold hope when questions like that are on the table. Either way-

Veltor awoke from an injury related slumber. "Major Leaf? Please do not "crack up" now. We must hold on to our sanity if we are to survive."

"Sorry. Talking to myself helps calm my nerves. Don't worry, I'm not talking to any voices or anything, just speaking my thoughts out loud."'

"Fine. Has the council requested your presence while I was... gone?"

"Yes. And I only told them basic Information on the alien- humans. Though they just may be starting to believe that I really don't know anything."

In the pale blue light of the glow-rod, the griffin's expression changed to that of worry. "That is not necessarily a good thing. Once they believe you have nothing left to offer them, they will simply depose of you."

"And what exactly is it that they want so badly?"

"Base locations. Weapons schematics. Tactics. That is what they want. They have simply toyed with you at this point. They will break your will if you continue to stand between them and the information they seek."

"I guess. But what else can I do? I have an obligation to my country. Just like you have with yours."

"Indeed. And they will test the limits of that obligation. I legitimately wish you the best when that time comes."

"Well, I legitimately thank you for that."

The cells grew quiet as each of they two occupants retreated to their own thoughts.

The major looked up. "You know, this would be a lot less boring if you told one of those stories you keep saying you'll tell me."

"Perhaps. Where did I leave off?"

"Something about a ram and some filly, starting some kind of war, right?"

"Ah, yes."

********************

The new arrivals at Zero Base and the Ponyville shanty built on where the current residents left off, using whatever they brought to add to the makeshift community. Ponies came from across the land, traversing mountains and valleys, just to make it to this supposed safe haven. In the streets, or rather pathways, ponies went about their usual duties. Storefronts and small shops were put up by business savvy mares and stallions willing to sell their wares, or to otherwise profit in spite of the conditions. In one such spot, a unicorn mare performed magic tricks to keep the residents in high spirits. During one of that said mare's breaks, another unicorn mare decided to drop by.

"I have to admit, I didn't think I'd see you around again. Or at least, not so soon."

"Of course not. The Great and Powerful Trixie had many other places to go, many other places to see! She had no reason to return to this quaint little town."

"Of course. Might I ask what exactly you're doing here? We both know you aren't doing any real magic."

Trixie shook her head and sighed. "You just don't get it, do you Sparkle? And Trixie thought you were the smart one of your little group. Don't you see? Any unicorn can use magic to perform parlor tricks. But the Great and Powerful Trixie can shine even without the use of her magic! Through cunning and slight of hoof, she can amaze all who gaze upon her!"

Twilight didn't look impressed.

"Trixie does not need your seal of approval, because she already has adoring fans."

Twilight sighed. "What are you talking about?"

Trixie waved her hoof mysteriously, then in a puff of blue smoke, a large bucket appeared.

"Wait! How'd you do that?!" Twilight questioned.

"Trixie already told you. Slight of hoof."

The perplexed purple unicorn looked into the bucket. Inside, a substantial amount of bits were stacked, accompanied by similar sized silver colored coins, with strange pictures she didn't recognize. There were also a slips of light green paper stacked next to the coins. Twilight stuck her head into the bucket and pulled out one of the silver coins with her teeth.

"Hey! Hooves off of Trixie's earnings!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Calm down, I just want to look at it." She dropped the coin onto one of her hooves to inspect it. On the face, the coin had a large bird, spreading its wings and looking to the right. It appeared to be perched on some kind of log, with leaves spread out around it. Twilight dropped the coin back into the bucket and pulled out one of the pieces of paper. She unfolded the bill, and a picture of a white haired human male stared back at her.

"Hmm. I can't tell if he's smiling or frowning. I'm guessing this is some kind of human currency. It says it's legal tender, but why would anypony use paper for money?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie couldn't care less. All she cares about is that humans seem to understand her art. They were rather impressed with her performance! Clearly, they know a good show when they see one, unlike some other ponies Trixie knows."

"Oooookay. Well I'd like to study this. Can I have it?" Twilight spoke, holding the paper bill.

"Of course, If you give Trixie something to replace it. Something... monetary."

"I don't have any bits."

"Don't have any? Why not?"

"I left all my bits in the library, which just so happens to be in the middle of a war zone."

"Well, what is in your saddle bags?"

Twilight thought for a moment. "Uhh, the most recent edition of the Ponyville Premier? It's the last one since the town was captured!"

Trixie yawned.

"Well what about Foliage and You. A Guide to Edible Forest Flora?"

Trixie rolled her eyes.

"The Adventures of Stallion Steed, Volume ninetee-" Twilight blushed. "Actually I'm keeping that..."

Trixie gave Twilight an odd look.

"The only other thing I've got is this cherry chimichanga Pinkie gave me-"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie will take that. She is most famished."

"But it's my last one-"

"Do you want this paper or not?"

"Fine. Take it."

Twilight pulled the wrapped delicacy out of her saddle bag and tossed it on the counter. Trixie lifted her hat and set it back down. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Twilight rolled her eyes and used her hooves to slide the bill off of the counter. "Sure. A real pleasure. I guess I'll see you later Trixie. Good luck with... whatever you're doing here."

Twilight put the paper in her teeth and trotted away, fuming over the loss of a most delectable pastry.

******************

Spike slowly made his way through the market place. Several stalls had opened up since he'd been through before, and the little dragon had already given up trying to keep his stomach from growling. With the current situation in mind, it stood to reason that there were great deals to be had on some jewels, or at least a sandwich to munch on. He approached a promising stall and hopped up to the counter. After living in Canterlot so long, it was easy to tell that the stallion behind the counter was from some well-to-do background. Maybe Manehatten?

"Good evening sir!" the diminutive dragon proclaimed.

"Greetings little one." the stallion spoke with the obvious accent of a sophisticate. "How may I help you?"

Smiling to himself for his correct guess, Spike cleared his throat. "You sell jewels?"

"Indeed. Hence the sign." The stallion pointed up to a large sign with the words: "Golden Crown's Wholesale Jewelry." Painted in large blue letters.

"Hmm. How'd I miss that?" Spike shrugged. "Oh. Well I'd like to buy the best ones you've got!" He produced a large bag of bits and placed it on the counter.

The shop keeper went wide eyed then quickly turned around. "Diamond, bring out our best wares!"

A little magenta filly trotted out from the back of the store, carrying a black tray in her mouth. The stallion walked over to the filly and took the tray.

"Thank you, now can you please sweep out the storeroom? I've got a customer, and your mother won't be back for a while."

"Aww, but dad! Silver Spoon and I were going to go make fun of App- I mean play with our friends!"

The much taller stallion gave the filly a mean look. She rolled her eyes and trotted back to the store room.

"My apologies for that. These are my finest gems." The stallion put the tray on the counter, showing off the various stunning and expensive gemstones.

"Awesome!" Spike had to keep himself from salivating in front of the high society shopkeeper. He then stuck an arm into his bit bag, grabbed a large clawful of gold coins, and placed them in a pile on the counter. "Will this cover it?"

The stallion gave a nod, not taking his eyes off of the large amount of money in front of him. "Yes. That will do quite nicely."

Spike emptied the contents of the jewel tray into his pack and set it back on the counter. "Thanks!" he spoke cheerfully.

"You're most welcome, and thank you. If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan on doing with so many jewels? Do you have a sweetheart to woo?"

Spike's thoughts drifted to Rarity for a moment, but his hunger wrestled this head back to the subject of food. "Nah," He popped a ruby into his mouth and chewed. "I was just hungry. Thanks again!"

The shopkeeper, now wide eyed for a very different reason, twitched his left eye, put an "on break" sign on the counter, and trotted back into the store.

Spike shrugged, put the remainder of his bits into his pack, and walked away, trying to remember what he'd originally gone into town to do.

"Oh yeah! I gotta find Twilight and tell her I saved her bits!"

Just as he remembered this task, the very pony he'd been looking for rounded a corner. "Spike! There you are! I've been looking all over town for you." Twilight whined.

"Oh, hey Twilight!" He paused, noticing the dollar bill in her teeth. "Uhh, you probably shouldn't carry that in your mouth."

Twilight cocked her head to one side. "Why not?"

"Oh nothing, just something somepony told me that's probably not true. Oh, but hey, I've got a surprise for you! Look!" The dragon pulled out the large bag of bits.

Twilight dropped the dollar into her bags. "My savings! Where did you find this?!"

"I took it with me after you left to help your friends!"

"Spike this is great!" Twilight pulled him into a tight hug. "Did you find anything else?"

"No. Not really." the dragon's expression changed to that of sorrow. "I didn't have the chance to. I'm sorry."

"Hey, cheer up. It's not your fault they attacked Ponyville. I heard what you did, by the way."

Spike froze. "You know about the... What I did?"

"With that weapon, and those enemy soldiers. That royal guard told me."

Spike's gaze dropped to the ground. In reality, his actions back in Ponyville still haunted him. He'd done everything to try and forget it. He'd tried to tell himself that it was some crazy dragon instinct that killed those two soldiers, that it wasn't him. He'd also tried to rationalize, that he was just protecting his home. After all, they had no right to take it, right? But he just knew Twilight wouldn't like him anymore if she ever found out he'd taken out a griffin with his bare claws, and shot a ram with that metal weapon in those same claws. Tears forced their way to the little dragon's slitted eyes at the very thought of Twilight or anypony else rejecting him, or worse, calling him a monster.

Spike broke down and cried, releasing all of the bottled up anxiety and fear that he'd desperately tried to hide in order to appear as tough as all the soldiers around him. "I was scared! And alone! I didn't want to- I didn't mean to-" Twilight put a hoof to the dragon's mouth, tears in her eyes as well.

"It's okay Spike, I understand." Twilight held Spike in another tight hug. "I shouldn't have left you alone like that. It's my fault."

"No! No! I killed them! Doesn't that make me a murderer?" Spike sobbed.

Twilight was visibly taken aback. "No Spike! You were just protecting yourself! Just like all the soldiers that are protecting us now. You didn't do anything wrong!"

"A-a-are you sure?"

"Yes. In fact, I'm proud of you for standing up to them! You're maturing, just like we all have to now."

"Really?"

Twilight nodded.

"Okay." Spike began to wipe his eyes. "So can we go home now?"

Twilight smiled sweetly. "Hop on. I'll show you our new tent. It's got bunk beds. You can even have the top bunk."

"Sweet!" The dragon cheered as he climbed up to Twilight's back and put the sack of bits into her saddle bag.

"Say, Spike?"

"Yeah, Twilight?"

"That bag feels light. Did something happen to some of those bits?"

"Uh, Maybe? Hey, I was hungry!" The dragon smiled sheepishly.

Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes, unable to get angry at such an adorable face. She began to trot towards the living quarters. Atop her back, Spike opened his pack and pushed the jewels into a corner to take look at what lay at the bottom of the bag. He put a claw to a shiny black revolver, and frowned. He put the jewels back on top of the gun, grabbed a sapphire, then closed the pack.

*******************

General Rock was visibly angry. "No, you listen to me! They have weapons which could wipe us off the face of the Earth and you want to call them on a bluff?!-"

"No," Colonel Highlander began, "But I think we can take them."

"You heard the princess earlier! That first weapon managed to almost completely incapacitate us! Now we find out they have more? If we hadn't managed to hole ourselves up in this new base, they would have already won!"

"Listen, the archway is almost complete. Back home we have very powerful weapons that can counter this. The kind of weapons that should never be used, but can counter this threat."

General Rock's eyebrows hiked up. "What kind of weapons are we talking about? How can you be so sure they will work?"

"I've been told not to talk about it, but I'll explain it all when the time comes. To be honest, I'm not sure of anything at this point."

"I don't like secrets, but until a more official standing is formed between out two peoples, I'll let it go. Snow, you've been awfully quiet. Is there something you want to say?"

General Snow Wisp looked up. "I think we should start planning for evacuation. The enemy has already proven that they will stop at nothing to beat us. They will strike with everything they have as soon as the time comes."

"Evacuation?! Where we gonna go?!" Rock questioned.

"What about the river? If we could get aboard a ship, we might be able to get in contact with any warships that might be in the ocean bay."

Rock shook his head. "Though that's not a bad plan, Wisp, I'm willing to bet they've already been hit. Wouldn't that be one of the first places they would attack, right after than Canterlot?"

Snow Wisp rubbed her temples. "It's possible."

"Is there any way to find out if you have surviving naval forces?" The colonel asked.

"Without magic or a fleet of pegasai, communications are out of the question. Unless there's a human presence I'm unaware of." Snow Wisp explained.

The colonel shook his head. "Unfortunately, we're as in the dark as you are. Something is keeping us from contacting the Canterlot insertion team, or this "Liberation Resistance" we heard from earlier."

Snow Wisp turned to Rock, "You don't think that blast did them in, do you?"

"They were underground last I heard. They should be fine." Highlander answered.

*****************

"Class, do you think it's safe here?" Prince Blueblood asked. After receiving no answer, the prince nudged the major, who had somehow managed to fall asleep during one of the many breaks they'd all been forced to take.

"Sorry. Must have dozed off. Feel free to hit me if I nod off again."

"Certainly. As I was saying, are we safe here?"

"We're not safe anywhere at this point. But this cavern looks stable enough for the soldiers to rest a few minutes. Then we have to continue."

"What?! We've been running for hours! And you want us to- wait. Where has Discord gone?"

The major looked over the large group. There were several ponies and a few humans, but not a single draconequus to be found.

The major deadpanned. "How could we have possible missed him?!"

"You did fall asleep..." Blueblood reminded him.

Class gave the prince a cold stare. "Still, where could he have possibly gone!?"

"Nowhere." the aforementioned draconequus strolled into the chamber.

"Discord?"

"Who else. I suppose you are wondering where I went."

The major sighed. "I'll bite. Where?"

"Simple. I grew bored of parading through these dusty tunnels."

"This... bores you?"

"Indeed. But those rams weren't any more amusing."

"Wait, you ran into rams?!"

"And griffins."

"Are they following us?" The prince questioned.

"I suppose they were just guarding the dungeons before, but they are most likely following us now."

"Dungeons? What dungeons?"

Discord looked down at the major with a look of pure indifference. "The royal dungeon, as in the one that has always been there. What, you didn't know?"

"Of course not! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't know!" the major fumed. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

"You didn't ask."

The major dragged a hoof down his face. "Why us?" he mumbled to himself. "Everypony get up! We're moving out!"

"I hope you don't mean forward." Discord commented.

"Why wouldn't I?" the major frowned.

"The tunnel ends here. Forward travel is impossible. "

"That's just excellent. Somepony find the nearest street shaft. We have no choice but to go up."

"But didn't you get poisoned the last time you went up there?" The prince questioned.

Doctor Willow emerged from the crowd. "I told you that's not real."

The prince rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Miss Winter. Either way, he went up there and fell unconscious right after he returned."

The major shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We've got to go up there. It's either that or we fight a contingent of enemy troops in a dungeon, and I don't think anypony is feeling that right now, okay?"

"Fine," the prince uttered. "Discor- Now where did he get to now?!"

"I am already half way there!" Discord called down from half way up a street shaft.

"You know, for sompony that spent more than a millennium frozen in stone, you have no attention span." the doctor commented.

"That hurts. Are you coming, or are you all afraid like Prince Crybaby over there?"

"I'm not afraid! I just don't know what's up there!"

"There's only one way to find out!" Discord put on a pair of yellow and black sunglasses he must have been holding onto for some reason. "All ashore!"

Several ponies shook their heads and trotted towards the ladder. Below, a AEE scientist turned to a AOD soldier. "So what's his story?"

"Lord of chaos. Ruled the land with a chaotic paw. Banished into stone by princesses. Escaped. Banished again by a bunch of mares with magic jewelry. Escaped again, apparently. That's about it."

The scientist nodded as if that actually made some kind of sense. "Oh. So the usual then."

"Yep."

"Up we go then."

"Yeah."

The scientists and soldiers began to climb up the ladder. At the top, Discord reached the cover and noisily flung it off. Several rams and griffins had their weapons drawn and pointed right at his head.

Discord flipped up his sunglasses."Hi there! Fancy meeting you all here!"

"Discord!" the major whispered. "What's going on up there?"

"Just a bunch of boring guards with their silly weapons pointed at my face. Hey, can you hold on a moment?" In a blur, Discord leaped up the ladder and out of the shaft, dropping his sunglasses.

Several firebolt shots run out, along with the sounds of many heavy blows. As soon as they started, the fire shots stopped.

"Uh, Discord?" the major called up. "You still there?"

The lord of chaos stuck his head into the shaft. "You coming or not?"

The major cast a worried look down to the prince, and started climbing. Once he reached the top, he climbed out of the hole and stood. They weren't at the surface, just another tunnel. He looked around and noticed several rams, griffins, and pandragon minors lying around in varying states of injury.

Discord turned around, drinking his preferred beverage. "Ah! How I've missed this."

The major turned to Discord. "Where'd you get the chocolate milk?"

Discord pointed to an ice cabinet full of the stuff, sitting next to an unconscious griffin soldier.

Unable to comprehend why the enemy would have a case of chocolate milk, the major decided not to think about it. "Okay. But I still don't get it. Aren't you a bad guy? Why aren't you on their side?"

"Please. I'm a trickster, not some genocidal maniac."

"But there's like," the major counted the downed enemy soldiers "-like twenty guards! How did you-"

"Do you really wish to know?"

"No. Not really." the major trotted back over to the shaft full of waiting soldiers. "It's alright everypony, come on up."

The ponies and humans waiting below began to climb.

"Okay. I guess we'll keep going up. Ready your weapons if you haven't already done so. We don't know if there are any more guards in this tunnel." the major added.

The group resumed their climb toward the surface, Discord in the lead.

*****************

Mike Kaiser walked up to Lenard Greene and Lime Tree Hill, who were busy helping our around Tree House airfield, which had taken serious damage after the recent attacks.

"So, I heard the array is almost finished," Mike stated, breaking the captain and the earth pony out of a work induced trance.

Captain Greene looked up. "So I've heard."

"What do you think will happen?"

"Who knows. The game keeps changing on us."

Lime Tree furrowed his brow. "By game, you mean this war going on around us?"

"Something like that." the captain answered.

Kaiser shrugged. "So how's the plane?"

"They said it had more holes than a noodle strainer. To be honest, It's about done, but they're doing what they can."

"I see. Hey Cap, Gerry wanted me to ask you If you have a couple of AA batteries."

"What do I look like? The energizer bunny? I'm fresh out."

"I figured, she should have just bought rechargeables."

Lenard scrunched up his face in thought. "But where would she charge them?"

Mike put a hand to his chin. "Hmm. That's a good question. Well, how are they powering the array?"

"The array uses almost all the parts from the shuttle capsule you came here on. I guess they're using the fuel cells. That, or they're burning some of the left over airline fuel in generators. Either way, they probably don't want to share."

"Yeah. You're right." Mike scratched his head. "Hey, maybe we could get some solar panels shipped in once the array is finished."

"What's a solar panel?" Lime Tree inquired.

"It's these flat things that convert sunlight into electricity." Mike answered.

"That will be helpful, except for one minor problem." Lime Tree pointed to the sky.

Mike frowned.

"Oh. Right. The Sun hasn't risen in quite a while, has it? Is that normal?"

Lime Tree shrugged. "Hard to tell. The sun had already set when the attacks started."

Lenard frowned. "Then I guess we'll keep waiting on it then."

******************

Once again, Discord reached the top of the shaft, then carelessly flung the cover off of it.

"Is it clear?" the major asked from lower on the ladder.

"See for yourself." Discord flatly answered.

The major climbed out of the tunnel and crawled out of the service shaft. They had reached the surface, but Canterlot was in the distance, not all around them.

The major looked around, clearly confused. "What? How- Where are we?"

"We're you wanted to be, I presume." Discord answered.

Just over the next hill, lied the large collection of tents and shanties that is Zero base.

The major turned to the draconequus. "But how did you know where those tunnels led?"

"Because I watched them being built. Surprising really, just how little has changed since my imprisonment. They really should consider fixing up the joint. It's all so... ancient."

"You have a problem with the way I run my country, Discord?"

The draconequus spun around. The princesses, all six of the element bearers, Spike, and a several pony soldiers stood at the ready.

Discord was clearly unfazed. "Ah. Celestia. How did I just know we we're going to run into you? And you brought Luna and those other ponies that follow you around. It's like some kind of reunion!"

Twilight stamped a hoof into the ground. On her back, Spike bared his teeth, attempting to look menacing. "Whatever you're planning Discord, we'll stop it!" the purple unicorn spoke defiantly.

The draconequus bowled over in laughter. Pinkie Pie tried her best to stifle her own. Discord regained his composure, then took another look at the motley band of creatures in front of him. He burst into laughter again.

Wiping tears from his eyes and trying his best to speak without guffawing yet another time, Discord managed to stand back up. "I'm sorry, it's just that you actually believed what you were saying! You and I both know you I'm powerless, and you don't have the elements! How did you think I escaped?"

Twilight looked up to Celestia. The princess sighed. "It's true. Just like before, the seal must have started weakening the second the elements were out of our control."

"Yes." Discord grinned. "Now what was that about stopping my plans?"

Applejack sneered. "We don't need th' elements ta beat ya!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash added. "We're heroes!"

Discord deadpanned. "Oh really? Because last time I checked, all you do, all you've ever managed to do, is blast whatever threats Celestia sends your way with those pesky pieces of neckwear. Or in Twilight's case, pesky headwear. It's not like you stood and fought me, hoof to paw. All I wanted was to have a little fun for once. I just wanted to play a few harmless games, and you just shot me with you're unstoppable, unbeatable, invincible magic weapons."

Discord shook his head. "How heroic."

He could see the bravado drain from each of their faces.

Rainbow Dash scratched her head with a hoof. "Well, when you put that way..."

Twilight frowned. "You were going to plunge the world into eternal chaos! What did you think we were going to do?!"

"I don't know! But couldn't you have, I don't know, fined me or something? Did ya have to freeze me in stone? Do you even know what that's like?"

"Actually-" Twilight started.

"For centuries?" Discord cut her off.

Twilight sighed "No."

"It's not pleasant. And rather boring at that! What do you all have against chaos? Variety is the spice of life. Why not shake things up every once and a while?"

"Do not play down this issue!" Luna growled.

Prince Blueblood finally limped up the ladder. "If I should be so bold, princesses, he did help us escape."

"See? I'm not such a bad guy, and I've got nowhere else to go." Discord put on a pleading face that would put Applebloom to shame.

Celestia rolled her eyes and looked over to Luna. They both sighed. "Fine. We won't give you trouble if you don't give us any. Besides, we have bigger problems than you for once."

Discord now wore a grin so cheesy it could have raised their cholesterol levels.

The princesses, the guards, the Liberation Resistance survivors, and five of the elements turned away. After they'd gone, Twilight trotted up to the lord of chaos.

"I know you're up to something. You don't understand friendship, and you never will."

Discord rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Your words are duller that the teeth of your little dragon friend." Spike tried to appear menacing again by baring those teeth, but Discord's laughter only proved he hadn't achieved the desired effect.

Discord shook his head in a disproving manner. "I haven't done anything wrong since I was released. Go find something better to do than pester poor, innocent draconeqi. "

Twilight huffed and trotted away, Spike looking quite embarrassed.

A human soldier walked up to the former lord of chaos. "Sheesh! What did you do to them?"

Discord shrugged. "Hmm. Let's just say they don't like pranks, or floating upside-down houses, or cotton candy clouds, or chocolate raining from the sky. Speaking of which, where is the nearest vender of food and drink. I would very much like to have my beverage of choice."

The solider pointed to Zero base's improvised mess hall. "It's over there. I'm sure they won't even charge you."

"Ah. Thank you my good man." Discord answered, and walked away.

The human soldier scratched his head. "This place just won't stop getting weirder."

He shrugged and returned to his duties.

Chapter Twenty: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part I

Chapter Twenty: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part I

Men and women dashed around like busy little bees at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, Earth.

The confirmation of alien life in the world known only known as the Anomalous Realm, had set the base into a state of constant activity. Activity that only increased when Air force One soared overhead, flanked by four F-22 Raptors. The blue and white Boeing 747/VC-25 lined up for the base's main runway and touched down. The fighters held a tight pattern over the base before doing the same.

After the large aircraft came to a stop, several technicians and base operatives rushed out to the famous plane and took positions on either side of it. The walkway folded down, and after several Secret Service personnel emerged and took their places alongside the stairwell, the man himself emerged, along with the first lady. As he took off his sunglasses and walked down the stairs, an AEE team scientist sprinted up to them.

"Sir, madam, glad you could make it."

The president chuckled. "Like we would miss something like this! I have been informed of the situation, but I want you to explain exactly what's going on here."

"Yes," the first lady nodded. "I've heard bits and pieces, but can you start from the beginning?"

The scientist nodded. "This is the earliest news you wouldn't already know. About twenty-seven hours ago we received word through an anomaly that military support was needed to aid the exploratory mission. We don't know the exact parameters, but we are pretty sure our guys are under some sort of attack. Communication channels falter every time we try to open them. We only managed to open clear comms with Dr. Harrison, who only managed to say that there were some, quote unquote, "Mean aliens." He requested military support, but wasn't ever able to tell us why. We can only assume there is some kind of hostile military activity in the realm. We've heard nothing from them since, not even any garbled messages."

The president put a hand to his face and groaned. "We should have prepared better. Just because we came in peace, didn't mean they had to. What did we send through?"

"About the time we notified you, Mr. President, we'd sent in two Black Hawks, three Apaches, a Super Stallion, and a helicopter carrying jet fuel."

"Jet fuel? So I take it Greene has been busy in there?"

"No word on his condition, sir. But the fuel was requested in an extremely short text transmission that squeaked through."

The president frowned. "We need to get our people out of there. Now. Is our array ready to open an anomaly?"

"Yes sir. But without support from the array on the other side, it'll just be a distorted weakened event, nothing we could get anyone back through. The nearest natural anomaly is assumed to be several days away, and that wouldn't be much help anyway."

"So you're telling me that it's up to them to escape?"

The scientist lowered his head. "Unfortunately, yes."

The president nodded. "Then we do whatever we can from here. I am authorizing the use of any means to get them out of there, at least until we know what's going on. Keep this as tightly wrapped as you can. For now, any attention would hinder this mission."

"Understood."

The president waved over one of the officers still making his way out of the 747. The officer quickly ran up him. "Yes, sir?"

"Listen very closely. If they needed helicopters and jet fuel, I suspect they're in some serious trouble over there. Now I want you to get your department heads together and figure out how to discreetly transfer personnel and vehicles from any nearby bases. I believe Fort Benning and Fort McPherson are our best bets."

"I'm not sure if we can move that many units here without the media catching on, but we will try, sir."

"That's all I can ask. The people over there have put their lives on the line and I intend to repay them."

********************

Stallions and mares galloped about at Array Site Two, Ponyville Shanty, Valley Province, Equestria, Earth.

With the rescue of the Anomalous Energy Event team, work on the array had proceeded much faster than anticipated. Commander Stuart, Dr. Harrison, and a room full of other scientist all gathered around the Anomaly Creation and Stabilization Device. The shuttle most of them rode in on had now been completely dismantled, and converted into the very device it had been designed to create: The ACSD Array, which now lay complete in front of them.

Harrison put a radio to his mouth. "Stand by all technicians. Perform full system wide integrity check."

..."Yes sir. Sweeping through all main systems."...

The device, which took up the same amount of space as a small house, had been connected to several fuel generators and power cells from the dismantled shuttle-capsule. The ACSD fed directly into a large, swimming pool sized, upward facing dish. When activated, the dish emitted a range of electromagnetic waves, from infrared to ultraviolet, to stimulate the natural unknown energies that created the anomalous energy events, the very events that allowed their presence in this strange new world. The dish sat on a large gimbal, which allowed it to rotate ninety degrees to point at a large arch, built just a few feet away; the same arch that was now glowing.

A technician turned to Dr. Harrison. "All lights are green, doctor. Standing by to engage main systems."

"Excellent. Let's not shock the system with a full scale test just yet. Get ready to open a micro-anomaly to make contact with Dobbins."

"Alright." the technician remarked, flipping several switches, and turning knobs on various panels. "It'll take about ten minutes to warm up, sir, but everything seems to be in order."

Harrison nodded. "Alert the rest of the staff."

********************

Captain Greene rolled out of his bunk.

"Agh. What's going on, Kaiser?" Lenard asked, waiting for his barrack-mate to respond. "Mike, you there?"

"I'll be up in a minute, Dad." Mike mumbled before falling back asleep.

Lenard put on a pair of boots and tiredly staggered out of the encampment. Outside, humans and ponies alike were running about as if something really important was about to happen. The young pilot noticed a large and familiar red stallion trotting by.

"Hey Mac, what's happening?"

"Ah heard they're 'bout to start openin' somthin' up down thar! Ev'rypony's tryin' to get down there ta see!"

"They're done? It's about time!" The pilot ran back into the tent and grabbed his jacket. "Mike get your sorry tail up! They're finally cooking down there!"

Kaiser only half opened his eyes. "Uh, cooking. Breakfast sounds nice. Thanks Mom," he mumbled simi-consciously.

"Get up, man!" Lenard yelled, making Mike nearly collapse his tent.

"Whah?!" Kaiser yelled as he fell off the top bunk.

"Array's working! Let's go see!"

******************

"Mr. President, we're getting faint traces of anomalous energy from outside the base. It's possible that it's coming from the second array."

"Are you sure?" the president questioned.

"Pretty sure sir. Wait. I'm getting some flash traffic through the comms system. I'll try to dial it in."

...."...Do-...ai-..-ase...-ead...".....

The president put his ear up to one of the communications headsets. "Can you clean that up?"

The technician gave an exited nod. "Yes sir! Trying."

...."...-peat....arra-...t-...-bins...-orce....ba-"....

"Almost got it!":

...."...W-...- repeat...-obbins Air Force Base, this is Two Array. Can you hear us?"....

"Two Array! This is Dobbins, and let me tell you it's good to hear from you again Doctor! Increase power to communications to stabilize the connection!"

..."...Copy..."...

The president grinned for the first time in a week. "Still alive... Outstanding. Let's get them home. Tell them to prepare for a passage way."

"Yes sir. Two Array, is your array fully functional?"

...."....Yes! The ground gate is complete, and we are ready. Open it up already!..."....

"You got it Dr. Harrison. We are starting the anomaly sequence. Synchronize your systems with ours and we can open a grounded anomaly."

..."...Activating main dish now...."....

The president leaned over to an executive aid. "Do we have reinforcements ready?"

A sunglasses wearing operative nodded. "There was already a large amount of units nearby. Must be Locklear's work. They are waiting for us, actually."

******************

Celestia stood atop a hill near the outskirts of the Ponyville shanty. She closed her eyes and calmed her mind, as she had done many times whenever the rigors of being a ruler became almost too much.

"Celestia."

The day princess wafted through her memories.

"Sister?"

Nothing could upset her now.

"Celestia!"

The aforementioned alicorn felt herself being tossed back into reality. Though Luna was known for her royal Canterlot voice, it still had the tendency to frighten anypony that encountered it.

Celestia grudgingly opened her eyes. "Yes?"

Luna sheepishly cleared her throat. "The humans have opened their passage way. We must prepare for whatever is to occur."

The frazzled sun princess gave a weak nod. "Indeed." Luna turned away.

"Luna?"

The mare of the night turned back around. "Yes?"

"Something is wrong."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Well of course. Things have been quite "wrong" since our enemies invaded our land and damaged our magic."

"Exactly. They attacked us, captured us, ransacked several towns, and could have completely surrounded our fortress here just a few hours ago. Why haven't they come back? They must know that our forces are exhausted after all the recent fighting, and they no doubt have an army hundreds of thousands strong. Why stop pressing the attack now? What are they waiting for?"

Luna pursed her lips in thought. "I see. This is certainly odd behavior. Do you believe they are planning some kind of assault?"

Celestia shook her head. "Well that's the thing: Why would they give their enemies time to recuperate? Any time they waste is more time the armies here re-arm and become stronger."

Luna shrugged. "I know not our enemies' thoughts. I can see no reason with it. Our allies, as well as our own forces, have set up a nearly impenetrable scouting regimen around this fortress. Thy enemies will not arrive without our knowing."

As if to punctuate Luna's words, a team of AOD pony operatives and human marines began to set up a picket post nearby.

"Can't thou see? We are in good appendages. Come, sister. There is much work to be done."

"Perhaps." Celestia spoke. "One last question, though."

"Yes?"

"How will they react when they know the full story?"

Luna's head sunk.

"I truly do not know."

The two royal sisters stood in silence. A faint blue glow began to rise in the distance.

"Seems that we don't have time to dwell on this. As you said, Luna, there is work to be done."

****************

"Out of the way! Coming trough!"

Lenard, Kaiser, Gerri, Mace, and the six element bearers themselves made their way through the throng of people gathered around the main ACSD archway. In front of the main entrance to the grounds, Sky Blade and Star Sabre stood guard in front of one of the gates in the surrounding fence.

"You guys can go ahead in. Lime and the princesses are already inside." The two guards moved to the side to let them through.

"Thanks you two." Kaiser mumbled as the looming St. Louis-esque archway grew closer before them. Gathered just about ten or so feet, (or about twenty hooves) away, Celestia, Luna, and Colonel Highlander stood, staring into the almost ethereal blue light. The pilots, the marine, and the elements bearers joined them in that stare. The approaching footsteps of Dr. Harrison shook them from their trance.

The colonel turned his head. "Doctor? Shouldn't you be in the control bunker?"

"The hard part is over, the staff can maintain the system for now. I just had to be here for this moment, if that's alright with you."

The colonel shrugged. "Fine. It's your big project anyway."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Twilight squealed, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill, then realizing that she had no idea how to write with them.

"Use your teeth, Twi." Rainbow explained.

Twilight blushed, "Well, you see... I haven't written like that since I was a little filly and-"

"And?" Rainbow shrugged.

Twilight put the quill in her teeth and began to scratch on the paper. After she finished, she held up the result. If you were to bury that parchment under a few hundred feet of dirt and wait for an archaeologist to come around, he or she would be very exited to have discovered what must have been some long lost, barely legible ancient language.

"Oh." Rainbow answered. "So anyone seen Spike? You clearly need his help."

"Over here!" Spike called out from behind a fence guarded by human marines. Twilight trotted up to the gate. The marine, who was easily three or four times the size of the young dragon, looked down at the approaching mare.

"He with you?"

"Yes. He's my special assistant." Twilight answered.

Spike rolled his slitted eyes. "More like an indentured roommate, but..."

"I guess he can go ahead in then."

"Woohoo!" Spike cheered.

"Hey! If he can go in why can't I?" An angry turquoise unicorn mare shouted at the marine.

The soldier cocked an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"My name is Lyra."

"Okay Miss Lyra. You one of da elements?"

"Well no-"

"You got any kind of military clearance?"

"Not exactly-"

"Array passage is currently on a needs-only basis. So why should I let you in?"

"Duh... because I want to see, and I need to get through to do that."

"Lyra, maybe we should go-" A beige earth pony quietly suggested.

"Quiet Bonbon, I'm making progress."

The soldier rolled his eyes. "Alright, you and your friend should go back behind the gate."

Lyra shoved the soldier. "No way, it's starting!"

The soldier gently pushed her back.

Again, Lyra pushed him back defiantly.

The marine shrugged, then slung Lyra onto his back like a large bag of potatoes.

"Hey! Put me down! You can't do this! I have rights granted to me by the Equestrian Parchment of Rights! I'll tell your boss about this! And-"

The soldier rolled his eyes and set the unicorn down next to her friend. "I suggest you take her home," The soldier muttered to Bonbon.

"Yes! Sorry about all this! We'll be going now!" Bonbon sheepishly stammered as she dragged Lyra away.

"Aw! I always miss the good stuff!" Lyra mumbled with crossed hooves as she slid across the ground.

Twilight shook her head, not taking her eyes off of the disgruntled turquoise unicorn. "Oooookay then." The purple mare and her dragon friend made their way back to the group.

"Hey Doc?" Lenard turned his head. "How do we know it's safe?"

"There's really only one way to test that." The doctor put a finger to his headset. "Dobbins, is the anomaly stable on your end?"

...."...Yes sir. It's as good as I believe it can get..."....

The doctor nodded. "Everything checks on their side."

Lenard walked up to the seething mass of blue energy. It was one thing to fly through it in several million dollars of metal and tech, but he was sure it would be another thing entirely to wade through it with just the clothes on his back.

"Well, here I go!" Lenard planted his feet and prepared to jump. "Like you said, there's only one way to see if it works!"

"Wait!"

"Yes doctor?"

"I meant throw a rock or something! Are you crazy?!"

"Oh." Lenard began to timidly scratch at the back of his neck.

"Here. There's a rock about the right size." The doctor picked up the rock and began to closely examine it. "Proper weight, excellent surface, nice aerodynamic properties... "

"Doctor?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry."

Commander Stuart jogged up to the group. "*Pant* *Pant* Did I- *Pant* Did I miss anything?"

"No commander." Lenard smirked. "We were just about to throw the first trans-anomalous object into the portal. Care to join us?"

"Well, don't stop on my accord. *pant* Go ahead."

"Well, doctor?"

"Here goes nothing!" Harrison wound back with the rock in his right hand, expertly balancing on one leg.

"How do they do that?" Applejack questioned to herself.

The doctor hurled the rock into the archway. It disappeared into the void with a subtle zapping noise.

A few seconds later the rock flew back through the portal, bouncing off of the doctor's head.

"Gah!" the doctor exclaimed, clutching his head. "What, did they get a pitcher from the Braves to throw it back?! Stupid rock!" He kicked the stone back through the portal.

A metallic clank was heard.

Everyone shared a look of confusion.

"What was that?" Kaiser wondered aloud.

He received his answer as a large, treaded vehicle emerged from the other side of the anomaly.

Mace stepped back. "A brand new M1A3 Abrams main battle tank with a 50. Cal. turret and advanced impact reactive armor?! Somebody up there loves us!" The astounded marine babbled.

The hatch on the large tank opened. A man with a fancy cap and uniform emerged. Despite his slowly graying hair, he'd still managed to maintain a fit physique.

Mace stepped back again and reflexively snapped to attention. "General Locklear? Sir! It's good to see you again, sir!"

"At ease," The old soldier muttered. "You are speaking to the commanding officer of the newly formed AEE Battalion, authorized to protect our people and our assets by the president himself. Good to see you all alive, after what we heard from Dr. Harrison. Now where's all this trouble I keep hearing about?"

"Well, the enemy has fallen back for the time being an-"

"Excellent." The general cut him off and picked up a radio. "It's clear. Bring up the rest." The tank surged forwards and moved off to the side of the archway as more than twenty similar tanks and several humvees began to pour through.

"Whoa." Dash and Applejack spoke concurrently. The rest of the onlookers, humans included, didn't manage to say even that, as their jaws we're far too low to speak.

"That's a lot of metal." Lenard mumbled in a dumbfounded manner.

Highlander saluted as the general's tank rumbled up to them.

The general saluted and tipped his cap. "Ah. Colonel Timothy Highlander. I trust you've been running a tight ship over here?"

"Well of course, sir, because somehow I just knew they'd send your old backside through here."

The general chuckled as he and the operators climbed out of the tank. "I see extraterrestrial warfare hasn't dulled your sense of humor. Speaking of extraterrestrials, who do we have here?"

"Greetings. I'm a Princess Celestia." The frazzled, but still graceful white alicorn responded. "My sister-"

"Princess Luna-" Luna added.

"-and I, are the leaders of the sovereign Kingdom of Equestria. We welcome you."

"So it's true. This place really does have a bunch of talkin' horses!"

Celestia and Luna exchanged confused looks.

"I hear you call yourself ponies, though, right?"

"Indeed." Luna answered."We are most pleased to meet you."

The general held out a hand, which Luna took as the typical greeting between acquaintances. Or at least it was typical, until the general kissed her hoof.

"It's nice to meet you too." The general added.

"Ah. I see the old formal greetings are not lost to humankind! And Celestia would tell me otherwise. Pah!" Luna commented.

Lenard swore he saw a slight flicker of jealousy flash over Celestia's face, if just for a second. The general turned and gave the sun princess a light kiss on her hoof as well.

The general dusted off his uniform. "On behalf of- well, my species, I thank you for your hospitality. Now, on to the more violent stuff. What's this war I keep hearing about?"

The princesses, Colonel Highlander, and General Locklear made their way toward Zero base's improvised war room.

Lenard walked up to Mace and turned his head. "How did he know that kissing their hooves wasn't some extremely offensive gesture immediately punished by death, or something?"

Mace shook his head. "I was trained on the same base the General held office on. After a disastrous training situation involving a chicken and a live grenade, he told me something I'd never forget."

"And what was that?"

"Sometimes, you just have to trust your instincts."

****************

Griffins, rams, and pandragon minors scurried about in the captured base known as Fortress Canterlot. A griffin messenger strode into the war room of the Griffin League.

“My lord, the humans have opened a gateway and are amassing a large offensive force.”

Phalanx turned around. “Indeed. What is this force comprised of?”

“They have arrived with a more than two dozen heavy war machines, and are no doubt planning on an attack as we speak.”

“Excellent.”

“Excellent, my lord?”

“Yes. I would not expect anything less of them. The interlopers are gaining strength, becoming cocky. And do you know what you do with a beast that has become overly confident?”

“What, my lord?”

“You cut it down to size. Prepare the contingency.”

“At once, my lord.”

Another griffin swooped into the control room.

“Ah, Gilda. How did the reconnaissance sweeps fair?”

“They were helpful, but I don’t understand why we can’t just go down there and beat ‘em to a pulp already. What are we waiting for?”

The griffin praetor nodded. “Trust me on this my dear Gilda. Sometimes you just have to hold back.”

“And why is that, exactly?”

“Because that’s what the council wishes us to do. The enemy would have us rush in there like mad-griffins in some desperate, uncalculated strike. We will not be humoring them this time.”

Gilda shrugged. “Oh. I get it. So what exactly is the plan?”

“Even I don’t know. This goes higher than either of us. The leaders of the alliance and the Griffin League have assumed direct command, so clearly something large is in play.”

“Fine with me, as long as something gets done. I’ve got a score to settle with an old friend of mine.”

“That rainbow maned pegasus?”

“That’s the one. She’ll think twice before messing with me again.”

Phalanx frowned. “Though payback may motivate you, I would suggest you keep your priorities straight. The lives and civilization of three peoples is at stake in this war. We must fight to give them a better life, not for petty revenge.”

Gilda turned her head to the side. “That’s pretty strange coming from you, Phal. I thought you hated ponies.”

“I do not hate ponies, and neither should you. I hate the alicorns and what they did to our ancestors. Like all of us here, I made an oath to avenge their crimes, but not at the cost of the innocent. At least, not too much cost. That is why we created the IMP. We had hopes it would end the struggle before it began, sparing those who were not responsible for our suffering. And it would have, if these interlopers hadn’t barged into our lands and reignited the fires of war we tried to extinguish.”

“What’s their deal, anyway? Why are the humans helping out the ponies? They don’t owe them anything.”

“I don’t know. But somehow the accursed Princess Celestia and her retched sister Luna have forged some kind of alliance with them. It would seem the tables have turned, it is they who are running for help now. A pity we could not come to some agreement with the humans. They only force our wrath on themselves.”

“A shame too, they had nothing to do with it.” Gilda commented.

“It is just another casualty of the war the alicorns wouldn’t let die.”

“That’s too bad.” Gilda thought out loud.

The messenger griffin returned. “Praetor Phalanx, Mistress Gilda, the council has been informed of the situation. They have spoken. We may use the contingency.”

“Excellent." Phalanx spoke with clenched talons. "Prepare my dragon. We are moving out to Ponyville. Gilda, today we move forward, and never again do we retreat back. We will draw the line. We need only see if the enemy will try to cross it.”

“Cool.”

***************

“Listen up, guys. The portal is open. The general, colonel, and the princesses are still conversing, but they told me to tell you that you have a choice to make. Under international law, you have the right to request asylum on our world. Anyone that wants to go can walk or trot right through that swirling mass of blue behind me. ”

The six bearers of the elements turned and gave each other worried looks. Sky Blade and Star Sabre trotted up to the group.

“Captain Greene, we are soldiers of the Kingdom of Equestria. If you are asking us to flee, we will not do it. We will stand by that kingdom, and we will stand by you and your allies.”

Applejack looked up. “Yeah, us too!”

“Wait.” Rarity stopped them. “Maybe we should go. I think that would be for the best.”

“She’s right.” Twilight added. “I don’t see how we would be much help here.”

Rainbow stamped a hoof into the ground. “So we’re just gonna gallop away from a danger? Since when do we do that?!”

Twilight frowned. “It’s better than being captured! Or worse! We’re not soldiers!”

Applejack put a hoof to her chin. “Ah guess we should all stay t'gether, so we'll put it to a vote. What do ya choose, Pinkie?”

“We shouldn’t argue! We gotta stick together!” Pinkie Pie answered.

“So what side are you on, Pinkie?” Applejack scowled.

“Side? I’m on everypony’s side!”

“Pinkie. What. Side?” Applejack growled, causing Fluttershy to crouch down and cover her head.

Pinkie Pie backed up. “AJ, are you okay? You’re unusually scary,” The pink pony spoke without her usual bounce.

“Ah'm fine. Now whut’s it gonna be?”

“I guess we should stay… “ Pinkie mumbled. “You know, to help and stuff.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s three for stayin’, and two against. What about you, tree boy?”

Lime Tree, who had been quietly watching up until this point, lowered his head. “Twilight and Rarity are right. We don’t have any business being here until things settle down.”

“Well you ain't an element, so yer vote don't count!“

“I think his vote should count!” Twilight shook her head. ”He isn’t a coward. He even went into the Everfree Forest because a friend needed his help!”

Lenard smiled.

"Besides, six is an even number. We would need somepony to break a tie." Twilight explained.

“Fine then! It counts! That three for stayin’, and three against. Wait, that means the pony that gets ta break the tie is-“

Applejack dragged a hoof down her face.

“Fluttershy.”

The timid butterscotch Pegasus ”eeped” and sunk to the ground.

************

The archway anomaly began to flicker as Array Two’s systems began to shut down. As the vortex finally disappeared, nine ponies, a dragon and a human pilot found themselves standing in front of it... on the Equestrian side.

“Glad you guys decided to stay, though it may not have been the safest choice.” Lenard commented.

“Who would have guessed that ole Flutters would pony up like that?” Applejack grinned as she patted Fluttershy on the back.

“Uh. Yeah.” Fluttershy timidly mumbled. “I just hope I made the right choice,” she answered so quietly she could barely be heard.

“Me too.” Twilight spoke, gritting her teeth with just a hint of annoyance.

“All right team! We’re in this together!” Rainbow Dash declared.

Greene nodded. “With the tanks backing us up, we should finally be able to get somewhere. They can’t stop an entire column of armor.”

“Be that as it may, we’re still putting ourselves in unnecessary danger.” Lime Tree warned. "And nopony else went through because of our decision. We put them in danger as well."

“I do not consider myself a coward,” Rarity began. “but we are civilians, correct? We should have gone when we had the opportunity. There is no place for a lady such as myself in pitched combat!”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “You could have gone. Nopony would have blamed you for anything.”

“And what? Abandon my friends? Surely you do not think me a deserter, do you?”

“Well…”

“Don't answer that!” Rarity growled.

“You asked,” Rainbow snickered.

“Focus, you two. We all have bigger things to worry about right now,” Sky Blade warned.

“Besides, It’s not like we can draft you, right?” Star Sabre joked.

“Pretty sure we can’t draft mares,” Sky Blade answered.

“Soooooo unfair,” Sabre mumbled to himself.

“You two hear anything from the upper echelons yet?” Lenard questioned.

“If you mean the princesses and the generals, then no. If you mean my mother, then yes,” Star Sabre answered.

“I don’t even want to know.” Lenard rolled his eyes.

Sabre nodded. “Right answer.”

“So where are we going?” Pinkie wondered aloud.

"Back to base I guess." Sky Blade responded, "My best guess is that they're going to try to take back the forces at Fort Stalliongrad. With the bulk of the Equestrian military there, it would stand to reason that they'd want it back."

Lenard nodded. "That makes sense. Guess we'll be seeing some combat soon."

****************

An analyst walked up to the president. "Sir, I'm not sure we made the right decision."

The president turned. "What decision?"

"You know good and well, sir."

The president put his hands on his head. "This again. Please, tell me how is keeping nuclear weapons out of a burning powder keg of a situation, is a wrong decision."

"Mr. President, please listen to me! We need to play every card we've got, sir, and nukes are our trump card! You heard the reports. The aliens they're fighting have weapons described as "like some kind of magic" or "impossible." We have to send in our own "magic" weapons to keep it even!"

"No, you listen to me! The AEE scientist have reported all kinds of phenomena over there; things happening that defy reason! In short, you don't know what a nuclear weapon would do to the place! We could set off some kind of chain reaction that obliterates the planet, and everyone on it! Until I know that I'm not sending millions of innocents to their deaths, I will not authorize a nuclear response! Besides, without any GPS satellites in there, guidance would be tricky, now wouldn't it? Heck, we loose quite a lot of advantages without satellites. We need to think this through before we do anything drastic."

"Well I suppose-"

"We don't even know if we're on the right side! How do we know we haven't just backed that planet's version of the Nazis? What would have happened if aliens had come to the aid of the British in the revolutionary war? How different would things be?"

"You've made your point, sir. Sorry for my display. The last thing we need is to annihilate an entire planet. I'll get back to you on this later."

"Listen, we may not have the big picture, but it's clear that this enemy has blatantly opposed us. I will use every non nuclear option in my disposal to get us out of this mess. Congress and the UN agree. Let's just hope we don't have to sort out a catastrophe later."

The analyst nodded and walked away.

A technician turned to the president. "The main anomaly has closed, Mr. President, but the miniaturized communications anomaly, or "Com-nomaly" as we call it, will still be up for a few more minutes. Anything you'd like to tell them over there before it closes?"

The president put a hand to the side of his head.

"Tell them Barry says hi...

...And good luck."

***************

Soldiers and vehicles roared past Zero base.

"Looks like you were right, sarge." Star Sabre began. "Looks like we're all taking a trip to Stalliongrad, right after we take back what's left of Ponyville."

Sky Blade nodded. "Bout time we got on the offensive. The enemy's had us backpedaling for far too long."

"I heard General Snow Wisp's Steel Hoof battalion will be working together with the AEE's."

"You heard right. I almost feel sorry for whoever was unlucky enough to be stationed in their way."

"Funny. I don't." Sabre almost growled. "They're gonna get what's coming to them. Whether it comes from a heavy long range anti vehicle spear, or whatever the humans have, they're gonna get it."

"You need to calm down, soldier. Save that energy for the battle. I don't think this is going to be a clean sweep."

"What do you mean?"

Sky Blade sighed. "I think we've got a real fight ahead of us, not some cake walk like everypony thinks."

"Pessimism? From you, sir?" Sabre spoke incredulously. "You must know something I don't."

"I wish, but call it a soldier's intuition."

"Oh. Well, don't bring the rest of us down with your "intuitions."

"I don't plan on it. Cheer up, kid, we're about to get the ole village back."

"I hope so. Now you've got me wondering."

"Either way, It looks like they're already on the move."

*****************

"I can't believe we've gotta sit this one out!"

"Calm down Kaiser. We could use the rest." Mace mumbled from across the room from his bunk.

Mike sat back down."I don't need any..." he slumped over. "rest..."

Kaiser began to snore, waking himself up. "Whah?" The entire barracks filled with laughter.

"See? You're still tired, even after that nap you took." Gerri chimed in.

"But, I mean, we can't just chill here why there fighting a war down the street!" Mike shouted.

Lenard shook his head. "First of all, It's a lot father then down the street. Secondly, we practically fought the entire war up to this point. There nothing wrong with recuperating. There are other pilots and soldiers that can do our job just as well as we can," he answered calmly.

"But to sack some of your best guys and gals in a really important battle? That's just an inefficient use of resources!"

"Not if those resources pass out on the job." Gerri commented.

Stuart sat up in his bunk. "Look at it this way. We'll recharge, then you can go grab all the glory you want. For now, the best way we can help is to be ready when they do call on us."

"Whatever. Guess you're all right. But I still don't like it."

"You don't have to like it," Mace stated in a clearly annoyed tone. "But you do need to shut up about it, because people are trying to sleep!"

*****************

On the large hill Zero Base had been constructed on, a composite group of soldiers, tanks and battle wagons stood at the ready.

Generals Rock and Snow Wisp stood in front of the Equestrian Troops.

"You all know the drill by now." Rock began "Without magic support, we're gonna have to do this one by the book. The Earthfantry book. Pegaforce and Unicorps troops have been brought up to speed with standard Earthfantry fighting techniques and operations, so let me tell you Pegasai and unicorns, If you wish to make it through this battle, I heavily suggest you pay close attention to your earth pony brethren, at least for the time being."

Snow Wisp nodded. "Steel hoof is here to help as much as we can, but with so many places in the town for the enemy to hide, this battle will most likely be won on hoof, rather than in a battle wagon." She added. "It will be difficult to get heavy vehicles everywhere. Human forces have adopted this sentiment as well. Urban warfare will be the rule of the day. Remember to check every nook and cranny for any hidden enemy operatives."

Rock nodded. "They think they've thwarted us, that they've got us galloping away. We're here to show them that the only place we're galloping to, is right into their base. And this time, we're not backing out for anything. What do you soldiers think of that?"

"Huzzah!"

_______________

General Locklear and Colonel Highlander stood before the human troops.

"As you all know, I'm quite new here." the general spoke. "That's why I've given the colonel here command over this mission. He will be your commanding officer for this battle. You are to report to him, and he will report to me. Colonel?"

"Thank you, sir. I'm going to tell you now; we have no idea what we will be facing. Now that doesn't have to discourage you, because they don't know what they're facing. It's pretty simple. We go in and take the town back, yard by yard if we have to, and blow away any enemy forces that stand in the way of that. Then we keep going until we've taken back every piece of dirt they took."

"Then what, sir?" a voice cried out from among the ranks.

"I don't know, soldier. Officially, America and humanity are not at war with the Liberation Alliance. After we've taken back what the enemy annexed, I have no idea what will happen. That doesn't matter right now. What matters, is the here and now. And right here, right now, we're going to take the Alliance's best shot, and come up standing. Soldiers, to your vehicles."

Several tank operator crews ran to their tanks. The helicopters began to spin up. Several soldiers armed their weapons and loaded into the humvees. Equestrian troops removed the chocks from the battle wagons, and began loading and passing out ammunition.

"Now, if we are all ready," Colonel Highlander looked over to General Rock and Snow Wisp.

The Generals nodded.

He looked over General Locklear. The General smiled and gave a reassuring nod.

"Then this is it. Move out!" the four officers ordered in unison.

*****************

Atop a grain silo in Ponyville, a pandragon minor put a pair of binoculars to his face. His pterodactyl like form froze up at the sight before him. In the distance, what must have been several miles away, a large enemy force was gathered on a hill. From what the minor could make out, they were preparing to move. He flapped his winged arms and glided off of the silo.

In the mayors office at the center of town, a ram captain looked over a stack of forms and requisitions. A pandragon scout burst through the door.

"My lord! I have seen the enemy! They bare offense! Plan to attack! A large formation is waiting!"

The ram nodded slowly. "Listen very carefully. I need you to tell Praetor Phalanx these exact words: The enemy has crossed the line. Tell him that just like I told you."

"It will be done." The pandragon crossed his wing-arms over his chest in salute, and took flight.

******************

The enemy had crossed the line.

The pandragon minor flew tirelessly until the towering spires of Canterlot came into his view. He dove down into one of the palace's many large doorways and landed next to a large table surrounded by several busy Alliance personnel. The minor awkwardly hobbled on his small legs and stopped next to one of the more distinguished griffins.

"You are Praetor Phalanx?"

"Indeed. How may I help you?"

"My lord. I have been sent with a message; The enemy has crossed the line."

Several ram, griffin, and pandragon officers stopped what they were doing and looked at the Praetor and messenger. The praetor looked up.

"Then we must initiate the contingency. I had hoped we would not have to resort to this. Curse me for not being able to send negotiators quickly enough! Now we must fight! You all know what to do. To your stations!"

Warning sirens blared throughout the castle, everyone dashing off to wherever they were meant to be in a time of crisis.

A large griffin walked up to Phalanx. "My lord. My squadron is ready."

"Flock Leader Wingroot. You, more than anyone, knows what needs to be done. Endeavor to make us proud."

"Good luck." Gilda added.

"Thank you, my lord and lady. It will be done."

Phalanx watched as the griffin put a talon over his heart in salute then walked off, flanked by several other griffins and pandragon minors.

Phalanx sighed. "And may fortune smile upon you."

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part III

Chapter Twenty Two: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part III

Discord leaped through the air, expertly curling his draconian-esque body into a ball, midair, to avoid an incoming blast of raw energy.

"Why will you not remain still!?" That same eery voice from before cried out.

Discord dived to the floor and rolled to avoid another assault. "Where would the fun be in that? I've got to give you a bit of sport, don't I? It's only fair." He grabbed onto a ledge and began to scale the walls like the fleetest of spiders, dodging several more blasts.

"Cretin! Prepare your body for annihilation!"

"Such a one track mind," Discord commented. "You just can't see the reality of the situation, can you?" He allowed himself to fall into the center of the dark chamber, stood up, and dusted himself off.

"Die, chaos bringer!"

Another blast hurled toward the draconequus, who casually leaned to the left, completely avoiding it.

Discord gave a mirthful laugh. "So rude! And I would have thought all those years thinking by yourself would have fixed that!"

"Ghaaahhh!" The voice roared.

"Temper, temper. wouldn't want you to explode from all that pent up rage now, do we? Actually, that would be quite amusing! Feel free to spontaneously combust if you wish!"

"Argh! When I arrive, I'm going to personally tear your imbecilic tongue from your retched throat!

"Imbecilic. Hmm. That's a big word for a former peasant!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Discord shrugged. "You are quite welcome to continue trying..."

*****************

Mike Kaiser tailed after the cloaked invader as stealthily as he could. He'd followed the hooded figure right out of the camp and into a wooded area just outside of Zero Base. Kaiser ducked behind a tree as the mysterious creature turned its hooded head to check behind him, as it had now done multiple times.

Mike froze. "He's got something on his head, pushing up the hood. Horns. It's got to be some sort of ram secret agent or something."

The young pilot mentally kicked himself for not having a weapon on him as the agent turned back around and trotted deeper into the woods, still carrying the black case.

"What in that storage closet was so important that they had to send an agent to steal it?" Kaiser thought to himself.

He didn't know, but he was determined to find out. Mike tiptoed a quietly as he could, staying back far enough so that the crunching of the grass and leaves didn't tip the agent off. The cloaked agent made his way toward a small clearing in the brush, then stood still, as if waiting for something.

Mike crouched down. "Now, just what is your secret?"

****************

Inside the tank call-signed Matchbox Nine, Lieutenant Cleaves and the rest of his tank crew sought out the missing members of Steel Hoof battalion.

"We're pulling up on some wreckage now, sir, but I have no clue if it's what we're looking for," Cleaves spoke through the radio.

..."Locklear here. I don't know what to tell you Lieutenant, other than to stay sharp,"...

"Copy."

The driver turned to the Lieutenant. "Sir, you've been here a while. Is that what we're looking for?"

"Looks like a BW to me, but I'm not sure if it's from Steele Hoof. We can't take the tank through, there's too many trees. Someone needs to volunteer to go over and take a look." Cleaves answered in his now familiar New York accent.

The driver, loader, and gunner all looked nervous. "You sure we can't just call out to 'em or something?" One of them asked.

"If there are survivors, they'll need some aid, you can't do that from here. Simms, you and Wielder go take a look."

"You sure you don't want to do it, sir?" The loader, Private Simms, questioned the Lieutenant.

Cleaves sharpened his gaze on the poor soldier, instantly answering the question.

"Uh, I meant, yes sir!"

Simms and Wielder began to open the hatch. The two soldiers emerged from the tank, both carrying M16 assault rifles and nervous expressions. The two soldiers sprinted through the trees, weaving in and out of the bushes up toward wreckage. The area surrounding the wreck was deathly quiet.

Upon finding no one, or nopony around, the two soldiers instinctively raised their weapons.

Simms shot Wielder a look that could only be saying: "We can't just stand here. Do something!"

Wielder replied with a look that said, "Do what?!"

Simms put his radio up to his face. "Sir, doesn't look like there's anyone her-"

A griffin shot out from behind a dirt mound and opened fire with his fire-bolt caster. Their training having kicked in by now, the two soldiers dived to the ground and began shooting in the direction of the incoming fire. Four more griffins and three rams appeared on the opposite side of the wreckage, each shooting at the prone human soldiers.

"It's an ambush, we gotta get back to the tank!" Simms called out.

Wielder didn't answer.

"Joe?"

Joe Wielder's eyes were tightly shut, and his uniform was slowly changing from its usual green and beige hue, to that of dark crimson.

"Joe!"

Still no answer.

"No man! Come on, you gotta move!"

The soldier didn't move.

"J-J-Joe's dead. That can't be right! No-no-no-no-no. You!" The solider yelled towards the attacking griffin. "You did not just do that!"

Anger began to chip away at the private's combat training.

"You are all going to die! You hear me?! All of you!" Simms leaped up from the prone position and began blasting away with his M16. The griffin ducked back behind his cover, but not before taking a round to tip of his left wing.

The remaining enemy soldiers continued firing at his position. Suffering from blind rage and tunnel vision, Private Simms unloaded his entire clip toward the dirt mound the griffin nervously hid behind. Despite his injured wing, the winged enemy soldier painfully flung himself into the air, firing his weapon all the while. Private Simms sunk to one knee as a fire-bolt embedded itself in his lower torso. He could almost feel the heated metal shell in his left kidney.

"Ghah!" Was all the soldier could say as he painfully inserted another clip into the M16 and shakily pulled the trigger. "What I'd do for my backpack about now. Had some stuff in there that would have been real useful." The young soldier thought to himself.

Simms' unsteady fire was easily avoided by the circling griffin. Just the winged warrior was about to swoop in for the final blow, and just as Simms was sure he was going to black out, a hoof grabbed his uniform and pulled him behind a large piece of wagon debris.

The soldier craned his head around, ready to fight off the ram who'd dared to engage him in hand to hand combat. Though it was a light silver/gray color, the hoof that grabbed him was not attached to a ram, but rather an pony mare. Under her crested cap, which was reminiscent of the royal guard, her light blue mane was completely disheveled.

The mare lobbed a blast geode over their shared cover and ducked as it exploded. Bow fire from an undeterminable location knocked the assailing griffin out of the sky. The area erupted with weapons fire.

The wounded soldier sat up. "You the general?" Simms questioned the mare.

"Brigadier General Snow Wisp, at your service, and we're getting out of this alive. Can you still shoot?"

The wounded human coughed and swallowed painfully. "Y-yes ma'am."

"Good. Sky Blade, Sabre, Crescent, get to your hooves. I think we have back up."

Sergent Sky Blade, Corporal Star Sabre, and a younger unicorn soldier emerged from their cover.

"Good to see we finally got some help." Star Sabre muttered. "Whoa! Mount, 3 o-clock high!"

The group ducked as a massive Pandragon mount strafed their position.

"Suppressing fire!" Snow Wisp yelled as she and the other Equestrian soldiers quick fired their bows toward the large beast and it's rider. A exploding arrow blasted the jockey off of his mount, sending both spiraling to the ground.

Despite his wounds, Private Simms was beside himself with youthful exuberance. "Not going to lie, that was pretty cool."

A ram trooper suddenly emerged from behind them. Just as quickly, Simms lifted his M16 and ended the enemy soldier's advance.

Snow Wisp nodded. " So was that. It's been like this for while though. It's a stand off, but we have no route to escape. They ambushed us from above. We lost all but one of our battle wagons. We think that last one might still be functional, but we had to abandon it to take cover in the woods. There may be more of us scattered out there, but we've heard nothing, so please tell me you didn't come out here alone."

"I'm with Locklear's forces. My tank is over that hill over there." Simms pointed in the tank's general direction.

Snow Wisp nodded. "Excellent. I can't tell if your wound is fatal, but you need medical attention fast. You think you can walk?"

"If it's the difference between life and death, I think I can." Simms answered as Sky Blade helped him to his feet.

"Alright then." Snow Wisp nodded. "We'll cover you. Stallions, get ready to gallop for it!"

Star Sabre popped an arrow mag into his crossbow. "Ready." He looked over to Sky Blade.

"No problems here." The sergeant answered. "Recruit, are you prepared?"

The unicorn private was just short of hyperventilating.

"Crescent?"

"Sorry sir. A-okay sir. Ready for more, sir," The young unicorn affirmed.

Sky Blade barely managed to conceal his worry. "Alright then. On your call, general." he whispered.

Snow Wisp peeked over their cover. "I can see the tank. It's rotating its turret, looking for enemies. We don't want to surprise the gunner, so lower your weapons as we approach."

"Excellent suggestion, general." Private Crescent replied.

"Uh, thank you private. If we're ready then, break for it on my mark."

Realizing that ponies didn't have fingers to count down with, Private Simms steadied himself on his own two legs and prepared to make an agonizing run.

He didn't have to wait long.

Snow Wisp pointed her hoof forward. "BREAK!"

Two Earth ponies, a pegasus, a unicorn and a heavily injured human made a desperate dash toward the tank. Just as they'd expected, several enemy troops emerged from seemingly nowhere to take pot shots at them.

"Keep your head down!" Snow Wisp called out as fire-bolts flew over head, exploding into the surrounding trees and bushed.

A ram heavy trooper emerged from behind a large boulder, brandishing a flare-spear launcher. With a click and a whoosh, the spear ignited and hurled toward the fleeing group. The flare-spear passed so close to Sky Blade's back, one of the fins left a small break in his fur. The spear careened into a large oak tree, easily blowing it in half. The explosive payload and the raw momentum of the flare rockets carried the spearhead through the oak and into another tree behind it.

Having witnessed this happen right in front of him, Private Crescent's pupils dilated to the size of pin heads. "Move faster!" The white unicorn vehemently suggested.

The group charged toward the large Abrams tank, which by now had caught sight of their plight, and had opened fire on the attacking alliance forces. As they finally reached the large vehicle, the hatch flung opened and the Lieutenant and driver helped pull Simms through the opening.

"Where's Wielder?" Cleaves asked as he helped Simms climb to his station.

"Gone sir. Sorry."

"I regret we don't have time to mourn." The lieutenant turned to the group of ponies. "Do any of you have any medical training?"

The unicorn recruit raised his hoof.

"You. What's your name?"

"Private Crescent Skies, sir!" The unicorn answered.

"Then you're coming in here. I need help treating this man," Cleaves ordered.

"Yes sir!"

The lieutenant turned to General Snow Wisp. "There's only room for four in here but-"

Snow Wisp cut him off. "We'll ride up here. No problem."

Cleaves nodded. "Thank you ma'am. We can trade places when we've got Johnny Simms here stabilized."

Snow Wisp pulled back the string-bolt of her side arm crossbow and inserted a new magazine. "I told you, we've got you covered. Now order this thing to move! We've got a battle to win!"

Cleaves nodded and quickly crawled back into the tank. "You heard her! Get this thing moving!"

Crescent turned to the general. "What about the rest of the battalion? We aren't just going to leave them, right?"

Snow Wisp shook her head. "They know the scatter protocols. They'll be fine. We'll send for help as soon as we consolidate our forces. Now go help that wounded man."

The unicorn private nodded. "Yes ma'am."

As the Abrams began to roll away, the alliance ambushers began to emerge from their cover.

A griffin hustled over to a ram. "My lord, they are escaping!"

"I have eyes just as you do, and with them, I can see that!" The ram officer replied.

From a tree, high above the action, a pandragon minor put his binoculars down. "It appears they are heading for the rest of the group, commander. The wolf is rejoining its pack."

"Excellent. Leave them to Phalanx and his merry band of Heart Wing warriors. Salvage whatever you can find from the enemy wreckage and that downed human soldier. We are leaving."

******************

At the front of a large collective force of tanks, humvees and battle wagons, General Locklear's tank, Matchbox One, rolled into the town center previously known as Ponyville Square. Several derelict buildings and shops now surrounded them. To the left, the swooping pillars of Town Hall, where just hours ago, Mayor Mare, Lime Tree Hill, and most of the town had just barely escaped. To the right, Ponyville General, where the victims of the first primary attack, mostly unicorns, had been rushed away on stretchers as the town was being evacuated. Several of the Equestrian soldiers in the battalion still bore scars they'd gained while escaping that snipestorm.

As everypony reflected on the previous battle, silence reigned amongst the troops. That is, until it was broken by a radio transmission.

..."Ops to Matchbox. You've reached the target zone. Town center. Deploy occupation forces. The enemy has been routed, but their may be stragglers. Stay frosty."...

"Couldn't have said it better myself," The general answered. He held up his walkie-talkie. "You heard him, get to it!"

Human marines and Equestrian operatives dismounted their transport vehicles and surged into the town. Locklear watched as occupation forces blitzed the small village, clearing out houses and buildings one by one. The general turned to another soldier in his tank.

"You okay?"

Matchbox One's loader snapped out of his haze. "Sorry general, but just look at the screens! That sky! I mean, that's pretty wicked looking-" the loader paused. "Sir."

General Locklear looked through the display. The sky had turned a sickly red color, and an almost unnatural lightning storm seemed to have sprung up from nowhere.

"Open the hatch. I want to take a real look, not through these stupid screens." The general ordered.

"You sure that's a good idea? I mean, this place still has some enemy presence left." the driver commented.

The tank gunner turned around. "Current enemy resistance is minimal, seeing as I personally destroyed half of their forces not too long ago."

The driver rolled his eyes.

"By the way," The gunner continued. "I'm gonna need some ammo soon, the alliance has all of my rounds lodged inside them."

"Funny." the driver commented. "In all seriousness, general, the enemy seems to have fled. I guess a quick peek would be okay."

The general nodded, then stood up and opened the outer hatch. As he hesitantly poked his head above the protective metal shell of his tank, the full fury of the changing enviroment became clear. Not only had the sky changed colors, but an extremely heavy cloud layer had covered it, as far as the eye could see. White bolts of lighting surged from the discolored clouds, some of which arced to the ground.

The general furrowed his brow. "That doesn't look too good. I think it's time to close the hatch."

A fire-bolt struck the tank, its trajectory missing the general's head by fractions of an inch. An entire flock of griffins descended from the crimson clouds.

"Whoa-ho! Definitely time to close the hatch!" The general quickly followed his own advice.

Fire-bolts pinged on the hatch where the general's head had just been. "Looks like they called for backup. Stay sharp men, they're making a push!" The general called out. ".50, get to work!"

"Yes sir!" The gunner answered as he began to plug away.

"Should I get us moving sir?" the driver asked.

"No, we need to stay here to support the occupation forces. Point defense is key," The general answered. "All tanks, push the enemy back! 50, why am I not seeing falling griffins?!"

"I can't get a bead on 'em! They're too fast, and there's too many of them!"

"No excuses! We beat them before, we'll just do it again!" The general barked.

..."This is Matchbox Two! Incoming dragons! They're- They're everywhere, sir!"...

"They can't hurt us. We still have the high ground!" The general answered.

..."We might be safe, but the troops without a few million dollars of metal around them are getting slaughtered! Sir, I think this is a-..."....

"Two? It's a what?"

..."--------------"...

"Two. Matchbox Two, come in."

Silence.

"Great. Radio's out." The general rolled his eyes. "Pan the camera back behind us. Put Two on the screen. And crank up the A/C, it's like a sauna in here."

The driver nodded and operated the tank's camera controls.

The general's casual expression altered slightly as the tank in question came into view. "Oh. We may have a problem here."

The tank formerly known as Matchbox Two looked like someone had dug out its top with a molten shovel.

The general put a hand to his now sweating brow. "Someone want to tell me what's going on?"

..."Highlander here. I'll tell you. We are no longer protected, that's what's going on."....

"Colonel? What are you talking about?"

..."It was too large to be real. We thought it was just a radar glitch. But it's real, and it's definitely there."...

"What was a glitch? What are you talking about, Highlander?!"

..."Something massive. Hidden in the clouds. We can't see it, so we're not sure what it is. All we know is that it's directly above you!"...

"Thanks for the ominous warning, Tim. Something just destroyed a tank, so are there any other phantom readings you want to scare us with, or can I get back to my job?"

..."Sorry, sir. Got a little carried away. We'll get back to you when we have something useful. Stay alert. I don't like this. Ops out."...

Matchbox One's gunner quickly turned to the general. "Sir! I think you might want to see this!"

The general turned to the display. A squad of golden armored griffins emerged out of the flock, led by an even more fancily armored griffin commander. Each member of the flock dual wielded a pair of fire-bolt casters and carried several large glass orbs, filled with a strange orange liquid. The flock dived downward towards the battalion.

"Must be some special forces team." The driver commented.

"You think?" The general answered. "50, I want them down yesterday!"

"I'm trying!" The gunner answered.

The general jumped to the gunner's position. "Get out of the way! I'll take this one!"

"If you say so!" The gunner relented.

The general took the gunner's seat and began firing at attacking griffin squadron. The flock began an aerial serpentine, expertly swaying back and forth in a nearly hypnotic pattern to confuse the gunners and avoid the incoming fire. The griffins pulled the glass orbs off of their belts and released them.

Fire descended on Matchbox Battalion.

One of the orbs landed on a tank right behind the general's. The orb didn't shatter, rather fell in halves, releasing the orange liquid over the tank like an egg on a metal skillet. And just an like an egg on a skillet, the liquid began to sizzle. Then it ignited, spraying sparks of molten liquid into the air in all directions. The orb itself had disappeared, along with the all the armor the tank had in the particular area. The crew of Matchbox One could only look on as the orange liquid melted through the nearby tank's armor like hot coffee on a layer cake.

Its guns fell silent, and the tank stopped moving.

Matchbox One's driver panned the camera around. The crew quickly realized that several other tanks were suffering a similar fate.

The general removed his cap and ran his fingers through his graying hair.

"Yep. We definitely have a problem here."

"It just got worse, sir." The unseated gunner fearfully pointed out.

Surrounding the area, an entire legion of ram troopers now barred their escape. Hundreds, if not thousands. Each of them carried at least one of those now familiar orange orbs in harness mounted launchers.

A flight of dozens of Pandragon mounts dropped from the crimson clouds and quickly took up a position circling over the broken tank battalion. The mount squadron swooped down on the tank, strafing the .50 cal turret with heavy-bolt fire, rendering it completely inoperable. A ram trooper fired a flare-spear directly into the barrel of tank's main gun. Sparks flew inside the cabin. All electronics ceased to function.

The crew of Matchbox One began to panic. ".50's gone! Main battery is gone! Power is failing! She won't move! We gotta bail sir!" The driver screamed.

The cabin went dark, save for a battery powered emergency lamp.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Someone was casually knocking on the outer hull.

"Hello in there, human! I am Griffin Flock Leader Wingroot, commander of the flock that just laid waste to your war machines. The praetor just knew you all couldn't resist the urge to take back the town with your mighty land armada, blinded so much by your own arrogance that you thought it would be a simple stroll through the recreational fields. A pity you thought so little of us. A pity for you, perhaps. Come, it is time to end this bloodshed. Come quietly, and no one else will be harmed. I offer you these terms for a peaceful surrender."

The general clenched his jaw in the near darkness. "You have got some nerve talking to me like that!" The hardened officer grabbed a M9 handgun from one of the interior compartments and flung open the hatch. "I am General Johnathan T. Locklear of the Unites States Army, and the only thing I'm about to surrender are some bullets through your skull!"

The deceptively spry old soldier leaped from the cabin and pointed his gun at the griffin whose voice he'd heard earlier.

Then he pulled the trigger.

The round landed dead center on the griffin commander's gem infused alloy helmet, only leaving a large dent for all of its trouble. In one blindingly fast fluid motion, the griffin landed a single punch to the general's stomach and swatted the gun away. The griffin now held the general by the throat, using his wings to lift him into the air.

The griffin commander shook his head. "Everyone gets that one shot. You wasted yours. Now again, I offer you my terms. Will you accept them?"

The general grabbed for his neck. "Ghk! It would -gahk! -seem that way! Ghak!"

The griffin released the general. "Excellent. No need to be uncivil about this. Tell your soldiers to surrender and they will not be harmed."

The general coughed and wheezed. "Now why would I do that?"

The griffin looked up the sky. The red clouds began to disperse, slowly revealing their source; a massive, flying, leviathan carrier airship, nearly immeasurable in length. Red steam poured through several vents along the outer hull, creating the massive crimson storm fronts the Alliance was now so known for. Entire squadrons of griffins and Pandragon fighter teams walked along its surface, waiting for orders to take flight. The flying dreadnought slowly drifted through the sky, as if it was one of the clouds it created.

Two griffins took off from one of the spires on the airship's bridge, then landed next to the flock leader. Wingroot bowed. "Praetor Phalanx. Mistress Gilda. This is the battalion leader. General Lock-lee-er."

"Ah, nice to meet you, general." Phalanx offered a talon to shake.

"Charmed." The general spat, after refusing the handshake.

"You asked, "Why should you surrender?" The praetor questioned.

Phalanx spun one of the orange liquid filled orbs on one of his talons like a Harlem Globetrotter with a basketball. "So I am not forced to make you suffer the wrath of the HailFire up there. That is why. It is armed with thousands of magma orb bombs, much larger than this one, and these forces you see are just the forces that have managed to arrive. There is so much more on the way, human."

Something about the way Phalanx spoke those words convinced the general that he wasn't lying.

"Now reason with me here, will you general? I would rather not make an entire region uninhabitable if I can help it. It's such a lovely town. So stand down. Now."

"Okay. Okay. I- I-"

Locklear glanced over to the surviving members of Matchbox battalion. One of them gave a reassuring nod. The general sighed sorrowfully. With a trembling hand, the general put his walkie-talkie to his mouth.

"This is General Locklear to all Matchbox forces."

The general forcefully shut his eyes.

"Stand down. I repeat. Stand down."

*****************

Matchbox Nine slowly traversed the rocky landscape separating it from the rest of the battalion. Riding outside on the outer hull, Private Crescent Skies turned to Corporal Star Sabre as if he desperately wanted to say something. After ignoring this for several minutes, Star Sabre finally gave in.

"If there's something you need to say, then say it already." Sabre spoke to the private.

"Yes," The private spoke. "It's just, well, you keep giving me this look, like you don't approve of me or something."

The frazzled corporal sighed. "If you must know, It's just a little strange seeing a unicorn with us enlisted stallions. Most of the 'corns I know went in to be officers and Uni-corps Specialists. Why'd you join up with us normal ponies?"

"Though I would have loved to wear that bronze armor and the royal silver dye, I didn't make the cut to be Uni-corps elite, and I didn't have the book smarts to be an officer. So I figured I would enlist in the standing army. Thought I could still do some good here. It figures a war would start right after I had that bright idea."

"Yeah." Star Sabre affirmed with an understanding nod.

The private put back his memories. "So, that armor you wear. Were you really a royal guard?"

"Yeah. Even chauffeured Princess Celestia around a few times."

"Wow. That's pretty big."

"Not really. Up until now, we, and everypony else figured that the guard would never really be needed. So we just became glorified servants. It's nowhere near as glamorous as you would think. We just get really shiny armor, which just makes us easier to pick off in a firefight."

"Oh." the private looked confused. "You have some pretty strong feelings about this."

Star Sabre shrugged. "What can I say, I've been almost killed so many times, I feel I'm entitled to complain every now and then."

Snow Wisp rolled her eyes.

"I see," The private spoke with a hoof on his chin. "I just hope that I-"

..."This is General Locklear to all Matchbox forces. Stand down. I repeat. Stand down."...

Lieutenant Cleaves opened that hatch. "Stand down? Did I hear that correctly?"

..."I have been forced to surrender my forces to the enemy. Do not waste resources try to rescue us. I do not believe we will be harmed. It has been an honor. Lock- Loc- *sigh* Locklear out."...

Cleaves, Snow Wisp, and everyone else aboard Matchbox Nine all exchanged looks pure disbelief.

"Driver, take us to the top of that hill. We should be able to see the town from there." The Lieutenant ordered.

The driver wheeled the tank up to the crest of a hill, just outside of Ponyville. Cleaves climbed up to stand on the outer hull with the rest of the crew.

"I certainly wasn't expecting that," The lieutenant commented. The massive leviathan airship loomed menacingly over the shattered hulks of the majority of the battalion; the very battalion he would have been a part of, had he not been sent to rescue Steel Hoof.

That particular realization sent a chill down the Lieutenant's spine.

"What do we do, sir?" The badly wounded, but stable Private Simms questioned his commanding officer. "We aren't giving up, are we?"

"We don't have a choice. They played us like a game console. We underestimated them, and they ate it up. They hid their forces so they could ambush Steel Hoof, separating the two battalions, allowing them to crush Steel Hoof without even having to fight us. Then, without Steel's interference, they could focus entirely on us. We are of no use to the battalion now. I don't want to know what they would do to us alone. We have to go back to protect the base."

Snow Wisp shook her head. "I agree. As much as it pains me to admit it, we've been out-foxed. They laid a trap, and we trotted right into it."

..."I told that old fool, but he just wouldn't listen!"...

"Colonel?" Cleaves wondered aloud as Highlander's voice sounded through the radio.

..."Yes, and this confirms my suspicions! This has all been a game for them! They've been testing us, sending in small forces of soldiers to see what we're capable of, then developing defenses and strategies to thwart us at every turn! Now they reveal their real army, and it's coming down on us from all sides!"...

"What do you mean?" The lieutenant questioned.

..."There's an entire Liberation Alliance army closing in on Zero Base from the other direction! They baited you- us! And as for that- that- thing you see up there, it's a flying leviathan, complete with an entire brigade of enemy air forces. I don't think the sudden sabotage of all our aircraft was coincidental. They planned for that too! Is there anything that isn't part of their strategy?!"

"With all due respect, colonel." Cleaves began. "You need to calm down. You're stressed out. We all are. Tell it to us like it is."

..."Okay then. Calming down. Inhale, exhale. Alright. They know we have to keep the array, and that we'd be hard pressed to defend it from an attack on that scale. Even more so without a working air defense. Seeing as I'm in command again, I'm ordering all forces to fall back to defend the base. The princesses, General Rock and I are formulating a plan as we speak, but we're clearly out matched here. ACSD array system is still recharging, and to top that off, something is interfering with the ACSD's output nodes. We don't even know what could cause that, short of some kind of enemy interference. It's like they planned for everything! I hate to say this, but this is starting to look a lot like a last stand."...

Cleaves shook his head. "Then that settles it then. We can't help Matchbox. Not anymore. We're returning to Zero to assist you there, colonel."

..."That would be for the best."...

The colonel could be heard giving a stressful sigh through the radio.

..."I'm afraid this one's lost."...

****************

Mike kaiser looked on as several more hooded figures greeted the one he'd been following.

"Have you brought the items?" One of the hooded figures asked the agent. The agent produced the case, and gave it to one of the cloaked figures.

"Excellent," One of the cloaked figures spoke as he accepted the case. "Our great lord wishes to have these trinkets on his mantle. The princesses' horns will make excellent trophies."

"Then I have done my duty," The hooded agent responded. "I will return now to resume my mission."

"Yes, and you shall be rewarded when our master arrive- You fool! You have been followed!"

Kaiser shrunk behind a tree. "No way they saw me."

"We see you human! Spy, take care of your pursuer! He is your responsibility!" The figure that received the case ordered as he and the other hooded figure fled. In their haste to escape, their hoods fell around their necks, revealing their faces. One of the fleeing figures was a ram, the other a griffin.

The agent Kaiser had been following remained hooded, pulled out a mini-bolt side arm, and strapped it to one of his hooves. "Don't make this difficult human. The prey can't stay hidden from the hunter too long."

Kaiser cursed to himself again for not having a weapon of his own. "How did I get evolved in all of this? I'm just a pilot, not some gun-toting secret agent! How am I supposed to survive this!?"

He could hear the hoof steps growing closer. Desperate and in over his head, Mike Kaiser scanned the ground for anything to defend himself.

"That'll have to do." Kaiser thought to himself as he found the ideal weapon amongst the leaves.

The hooded agent slowly approached to the tree. He flung himself around Kaiser's cover to find nothing but empty space.

"Where did you-"

Thunk!

A large rock broke over the agent's head.

From above, Mike Kaiser smugly sat on a large tree branch. "Man, I loved my childhood. Never thought I'd need those skills again." He hopped down and took the mini-bolt caster from the semi-conscious agent and pointed it at him. "You're coming with me. Now let's just flip up that hood of yours and- What?! You're- You're-"

The agent removed his hood. Atop his head lied not the twin horns of a ram, but the single horn of a unicorn.

"You're a pony!?"

The unicorn swiftly produced an herb from his cloak and bit into it.

"Ha! You will get no secrets from me!" The unicorn spoke he began to gasp for air. "But I will tell you this. The approaching f- f- freedom will claim you all! The- The- The-"

"The, what?" Kaiser demanded as the unicorn began to slip away.

"The- The- The Banded Will Rise."

The unicorn fell limp.

Kaiser held the agent's hoof to check for a pulse. There was none. He sat back up and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"The Banded. That can't be good."

Equestrian Catalog of Information Factoid #9: The EDF “Colt” 54

The EDF-54 is a sidearm bow typically used by Equestrian police and military officers. The bow is usually worn on the user’s right foreleg, and held in place by straps of duracloth. Like the EDF-3 “Equestria” bow, the “Colt” can be manufactured from several different materials and can be fired both by a bit trigger, or the user’s other hoof when higher accuracy is needed. The basic design of the 54, like the EDF-3, has been around for centuries, though it has been significantly upgraded as new advances in bow technology have arisen. The “Colt” is essentially a smaller redesign of the "Equestria Bow", which is where it gained its nickname as, “The colt of the ‘questria,” which was later shortened to just “Colt.”

Due to the smaller size of this bow’s ammunition, ten sidearm-class arrows can fit into this weapon’s arrow mag. Sidearm-class arrows are surprisingly powerful, capable of penetrating lighter personnel armor due to their gem tipped heads, which are often used with many different Equestrian bow designs, including the EDF-3. Because of the EDF-54’s smaller size and cost, the weapon is commonly used by civilian security guards and adventurers daring enough to enter dangerous and monster infested lands like the Everfree forest.

Liberation Alliance Central Command Factoid #87 Pandragon Mounts.

Pandragon Mounts form the backbone of Liberation Alliance air power. These massive, normally feral winged reptiles have been domesticated for hundreds of years, and are typically jockeyed by Pandragon minors, completely unrelated pterodactyl like sentients, who have kept the species strong through careful selective breeding. Mount males are typically more muscular, more resilient to injury, and sport dark red scales, while female mounts are usually a lighter shade and have more slender forms, which can allow for slightly higher speeds.

Because of the obvious usefulness of a flying beast of burden, these creatures have been used for a variety of tasks within the Pandragon Empire, from police patrols, to delivering mail. In combat, mounts and their jockeys sport heavy armor, which usually come fitted with fire-bolt casters even larger than ones Caprastian rams carry. This heavy-bolt caster has been known to be very efficient in strafing roles, and can be used to destroy similarly sized flying targets. Rumor has it that some of the more high ranking minors, (and sometimes griffins) have some sort of advanced guided flare-spear launchers fitted to their mount’s armor, but this is just word of mouth. Because of the Pandragon mount’s large and muscular wings, they have been known to propel themselves to speeds rivaling that of slower human aircraft. Perhaps without all that heavy armor, they’d go even faster…

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part IV- Arise Fair Sun

A/N

Author here. This one is for all the awesome readers that have stuck with the story and encouraged me along the way with your suggestions and comments. (You know who you are!) Kenx41, Velkaden, Ghost-91, Rambo Pilot, Vi Et Armis, Meta Knight, and Johnny Nerdy just to name a few. This one's for you guys.

Enjoy the chapter.

-Lynolius

Chapter Twenty Three: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part IV- Arise Fair Sun

Colonel Highlander stood up at the meeting room table.

"I just want to know one thing. Who. Are. The Banded?"

Celestia and Luna stared down at their hooves. Celestia looked up. "The Banded, as we knew them, were a secret society of Eclipstrian citizens that refused to live under royal rule. We were told stories about their sometimes violent exploits as foals. As we told Captain Greene and his friends, they were rumored to have had a hoof in starting the original conflict between the Kingdom of Eclipstria and the ancient Caprastian Empire, centuries ago."

Luna looked up. "We were most certain their traitorous ranks had been completely eradicated. It is most disturbing to see that they have been festering under our muzzles for such a time."

Highlander put his hands together in a mock clap of excitement. "Okay then! Lets sum all this up. Shall We?"

Around the table, Celestia, Luna, Snow Wisp, Rock, Cleaves, Lenard, Mike, and Gerri stared at the Colonel, as if waiting for him to continue.

"Here's our progress report. We've lost two battalions, a general, almost all of our air support, our only method of replenishing these things is malfunctioning," The colonel continued. "And to top that off, every pony in this base could be a Banded saboteur or assassin preparing to destroy us as we speak!"

"What about the array? What exactly is the deal regarding these- malfunctions?" Lieutenant Cleaves questioned.

"The entire base's technicians are working to find out, but it really does look like some kind of outside interference," The colonel answered.

Greene raised his hand. "How is that possible? Unless you're telling me the alliance progressed though an entire era of technological development in three hours."

"Anomaly science is almost always guesswork at best. Maybe the alliance knows something we don't," Highlander answered.

"You may be more correct than thou knowest, human." Luna added. "After this last display, it would behoove us all not to presume anything regarding this alliance of liberation. If not only for thy own safety."

"I agree." Celestia started. "The alliance is going on the offensive. They will most certainly be coming here next to force us to surrender, and they will be bringing their airship to seal the deal."

"What exactly is that thing?" Kaiser questioned.

Snow Wisp turned to Kaiser. "We rescued some of the survivors from Matchbox battalion, they got to see it up close. It is called the HailFire, and apparently it is some kind of crazy hybrid between a steam generator powered Leviathan landship, and a heavily armored hot air filled blimp. Even worse, according to the survivors, it is armed to the teeth with the same weapons that destroyed Matchbox and Steel Hoof battalions, and is continuously refitted to repel even our heaviest weapons."

Highlander put a hand to his face. "So you're telling me they actually made a lead zeppelin? Great. What did you say it was carrying?"

Major Classified strode into the room. "They call them Magma Orbs, and I saw them destroy a chopper with just one of them when we were en route to Canterlot to free the prisoners."

"Any defense against them?" Highlander asked.

"Only one," Classified answered. "Destroy whatever, or whoever, is carrying them."

"Great." Cleaves laid his head down on the table. "Forgetting about whatever we have waiting on the other side, we have nothing even close to being capable of keeping that flying battleship from bombing us back into the stone age! The LA made sure of that before the revealed it!"

Highlander smirked.

"What reason could you possible have to smile?" Cleaves asked.

"I wouldn't say we have nothing that could bring it down."

"What do you mean? Are you saying you have some kind of plan?" General Rock questioned.

"Let's just say the LA aren't the only ones with a ace up their sleeve. The president left us with a contingency of our own, though he, and I, were both hoping we wouldn't need it."

"What in the world are you talking about, Timmy?" Cleaves wondered aloud.

Surprisingly, Highlander let that one go, and turned to Lenard. "Captain Greene, is your fighter still capable of flight?"

"Apparently, the Banded spies didn't think so. They didn't bother trying to sabotage it." Greene fumed.

"Then you will deliver our... present." Highland added.

"I'm not sure I like where this is going." Celestia commented.

Highlander shrugged. "Me neither, but this just turned into a matter of life and death for everyone here, and it's time to act on that."

"I agree." Luna added. "The time for regulation is at an end. If thy plans evolve crushing our shared enemy, I will stand by your mysterious plan."

Highlander put his fingertips together. "Excellent."

****************

Rainbow Dash galloped up to her friends, the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

"Hey guys! I was talking to some of the soldiers that survived that huge battle, and they said there's a huge flying boat thing coming this way!"

All five of the other bearers and Spike snapped their attention to the rainbow maned pegasus.

"A flying boat? That doesn't make any sense. If it's a boat, why would it be flying?" Twilight questioned with a hoof on her chin.

Rainbow shrugged. "Boat, ship, same thing but-"

"No, a ship would imply that it's much larger." Twilight interjected.

"Doesn't matter! It's big, it has bombs, and it's coming here!"

AJ took her hat off. "That don't sound too good."

"Not good? It's absolutely dreadful!" Rarity shrieked.

"What if they do the same thing here that they did to Ponyville?" Fluttershy questioned. "It's not safe here! I have to go gather the animals!" Fluttershy began to gallop away, until Applejack grabbed her tail.

"Now just wait a dag gone minute! We're not beat jus' yet!" Applejack interjected.

"But they're on their way!" Rainbow argued. "If somepony doesn't stop them, they'll blow up all our homes! Again!"

"Aw," Pinkie moaned. "I just got my new kitchen the way I wanted it. Ooh! Maybe we could convince them to go around it!"

Everypony stared at the pink earth pony.

"Just a tiny little joke... Sorry..." Pinkie spoke, sounding eerily similar to another one of her friends.

"This is serious!" Rainbow shouted. "We gotta do something!"

"Well, what did you have in mind?" Twilight questioned.

"I'm gonna go take a look!" Rainbow answered.

"How are you going to do that? You can't fly there." Twilight stated.

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" Rainbow Dash rose into the air and darted off into the darkened skies.

Twilight nodded. "Well I'm sure that's fine an- Wait, what!?" The purple unicorn performed her trademark facehoof. "Well I guess she can fly again. We've got to stop her before she gets herself killed!"

Everypony turned to Fluttershy.

"Uhm, I can try..." The pegasus fluttered her wings and ascended a few feet into the air. "I think I've got it."

Fluttershy's wings gave out, and the butterscotch pegasus landed on top of the rest of the group in a heap. Fluttershy dug her way out of the mass of mares.

"I let you all down, didn't I?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Guess I should have practiced more. I'm so, so, sorry!"

"It's okay, Shy." Applejack reassured her as she realigned her corkscrewing eyes and put her hat back on.

Rarity stood back up. "What are we to do!? She's going to be mauled out there!"

Twilight shook her head. "Something isn't right. Why is she so motivated to go to that ship? She knows it's too dangerous just to go: "Take a look." Once again, Twilight actually made quote marks with her hooves.

"You think she's got another reason?" Spike wondered aloud.

Twilight nodded. "There's got to be."

****************

Private Crescent Skies galloped up to Sky Blade. "Sargent Sky Blade, glad I found you. Sabre's having some kind of mental breakdown. Says he won't talk to anyone but you."

"Great. We're about to be hit with the biggest attack in ten years and the kid picks now to flip out? Where is he?"

"He's in his tent. Won't let anypony else anywhere near him."

"Alright," Sky Blade groaned. "I'll see what I can do."

*****************

John Simms lounged in his hospital bed in Zero Base's triage tent.

A purple unicorn flipped open the tent flap. "Excuse me, but are you Private Simms?"

"That's me. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes. A friend of mine was with you and the other soldiers not to long ago. She's got-"

"Rainbow colored hair? Yeah, that's pretty hard to forget. There some kind of problem?" Simms wondered.

Twilight sighted. "You could say that. She's run off toward the approaching enemy airship, and I think it's got something to do with what she heard or saw while she was talking to you and the other soldiers."

"I think I know what you're talking about. She took a look at some of the stills we brought back. It's like she saw a ghost or something."

"Stills?"

"Oh. Photos. Pictures. Images and the like." Simms clarified.

"Interesting. Do you still have them?" Twilight wondered.

"I gave them to my commanding officer when they took me here for treatment. I think Lieutenant Cleaves has them now. I think he's in the barracks."

"Okay, thanks. I'll just go find him then. Get well soon." Twilight spoke as she trotted out of the tent.

"Thanks." Simms spoke as he looked over to a glass jar with a red stained fire-bolt casing floating in it.

****************

Sky Blade made his way to Star Sabre's barrack tent, and tossed aside the door flap.

"I came as soon as they told me about your condition." Sky Blade explained.

"S- S- Sarge! I've been looking for you?!" Sabre stuttered.

"In your tent, Sabre?"

Star Sabre put a hoof to his chin. "So that's why I couldn't find you..."

Sky Blade hiked up one of his eyebrows. "Sabre, what's this about?"

"The ship! The ship! This is all about the ship!"

"What's the ship, Sabre? You're not making sense."

"Back at the Gala- well what would have been the Gala- well before the Gala would have happened and-"

"Star, you said you couldn't remember what happened that night. Nopony caught in the blast could."

"FLYING! That's what I was doing! Then the blast. The big red blast! It must have messed with my head! It came from that ship!"

"Are you talking about the HailFire, Star?"

"Y- yes! I saw it! Patrol. I was patrolling the Gala routes. I saw it rise above the city. The flying ship launched the IMP! I swear it!"

"Wait, you might be on to something. The city was covered in a thick cloud cover after that first attack. We couldn't even see the city for hours because of it. The airship is leaving a thick cloud cover in its wake. That could mean-"

"Yes! Yes! The HailFire is behind everything! Everything! I saw it!" Star Sabre screamed.

Sky Blade backed up and dragged his hoof through is mane. "By the royals, that's how they're going to deliver their new weapons!"

"Yes! That's what I'm trying to tell you!" Sabre exclaimed.

"Get some rest soldier. You may have overworked, and the heat may be getting to you, but you just helped us all more than you can possibly know! I've got to tell command!"

**************

Rainbow Dash landed within the confines of Zero Base's restricted area. Despite her conspicuous appearance, years of playing practical jokes had served the pegasus well, and she managed to sneak into the armory tent undetected.

Working quickly, she took a single Colt 54 side arm bow, an arrow magazine, and one of the custom built ear-clip radios built for Steel Hoof battalion.

"Yeah, that'll do nicely," The polychromatic pegasus thought. She clumsily tied the bow onto her right foreleg, tucked the radio and arrows into her saddlebag, and took off into the night.

****************

Captain Greene took a long look at the familiar sights of the inside of his F-15. The canopy was cracked, the gear wheels were bent, making the plane list to the right when on the ground, and burn marks ran down the entire left side of the fuselage.

"This just can't end well." Greene thought to himself.

A group of technicians hustled over with large, metal, cylindrical object, and began attaching it to bottom of the plane.

Lieutenant Cleaves, acting as Tree House commander, walked up to the cockpit. "It'll be alright. The techies say your plane should hold together long enough to complete your mission."

"And after the mission it'll just explode right underneath me, right?" Greene jokingly questioned.

The colonel walked up and stopped to think a moment. "I hope not. There's a lot of money invested in that thing."

Greene's expression could only be interpreted as saying: "Are you serious?"

"Just a joke to take the edge off." The colonel chuckled. "Now here's the deal. According to radar, the HailFire is only seventeen minutes from wiping this base and everyone in it off the face of this Earth. The LA knows we know that, so their forces are staying with the ship to defend it. That means we won't fall under attack until the ships get here."

Greene nodded. "Okay, that's good. So what exactly are they fitting to that hard point under there?"

"Your mission is to get within bomb-toss distance and deploy this bomb. It is a miniaturized nuclear air drop explosive, so the yield won't kill you, but it should still easily knock that thing out of the sky, and end this threat."

Greene's jaw dropped. "Excuse me, did you just say, nuclear explosive?"

"Yes. That's not going to be a problem, is it?"

"No, no, no. No problem at all!" Greene stammered. "Well, nothing other than the fact that they're strapping a nuke to the bottom of a jet that's about as flight capable as a motor boat! How did you even get this in here? You're not going to be court martialed later, are you?"

"We snuck it in on one of the transports, under the president's orders. He never said he wouldn't allow us to have nuclear weapons, he said we wasn't going to authorize their use yet." Highlander explained.

"Well, did he?" Greene asked.

"Well, no. But without reliable communications trough the portals, he gave General Locklear special authority to use one only it in the case of extreme peril, like this. He did so behind closed doors, so the three of us were the only people to know of it. With the general's capture, that special authority falls to me. So, with you and everyone else here as my witness, I am hereby authorizing the use of nuclear weapons."

"You couldn't have snuck in a cruse missile or something?" Greene questioned. "Why a bomb?"

"Oh I'm sorry!" The colonel facepalmed, "The Air Force doesn't keep the bulk of its nuclear weapons on reserve bases like Dobbins! This is the best we could do on short notice! Be glad we have anything to keep the LA from melting us! Without reliable on board radar you'll have to fly it in and aim it manually. Congratulations, you get to be our guidance computer, captain."

"Great. Well I hope I don't wind up being guided into the ground. This '15 is pretty beat up."

"Just deliver the bomb and get away as fast as possible. If you can't make the landing, eject and we'll pick you up In one of the transports."

"Sounds easy enough." Lenard muttered.

"Don't push yourself, or your aircraft. We need both if we're going to win this. If she won't handle, turn her around. The last thing we need is a misguided super weapon. I don't have to tell you that there's a lot at stake here. Good luck captain."

"Thanks colonel. I'll give it my best, that I assure you." Lenard closed the cracked canopy.

"Wait!" Princess Celestia charged up to the aircraft, completely out of breath. "I *pant* haven't moved like that for several generations of time! Now listen, the HailFire is clearly the result of decades of design and research. They will protect it with their lives. DO NOT underestimate their ability to defend it. Get in, get out. Now go, our thoughts will be with you. You succeeded before. I don't think you will fail us now."

"Thanks for the pep talk you two, I needed that. Chocks away!" Greene cheered as the aircraft's rattled engines began to spin up.

As the F-15 began to roll down the partially cratered runway, Celestia turned to Highlander. "What does "Chocks away" mean?"

"It's an old British expression in World War Two tha-"

Celestia wasn't following.

"It means I'm ready." Tim clarified.

"Ah. I will return to the camp to help prepare for this upcoming battle. If you can, I'd like you to keep me updated on the airship's approach."

Highlander nodded. "I can do that."

****************

Yet again, Twilight strode into one of Zero Base's many tents. "Hi, are you Lieutenant Cleaves?"

"Yeah miss. What can I do for you ya?" Cleaves answered.

Twilight looked relieved. "Great! I'm looking for the recordings from the surviving battle vehicle."

Cleaves' expression changed. "And why exactly do you want to see them?"

"I think a friend of mine, one of the other element bearers, saw something that upset her, and I want find out what it was. I talked to some of the soldiers that recently returned, and one said you had them."

"I see. Unfortunately, I can't just give information like that to a civie, let alone a civie I'm not sure I can trust." Cleaves gave Twilight a discerning look and un-safetied a pistol behind his back.

Twilight appeared to be shocked. "Can't trust? Well, I am Princess Celestia's most trusted student. She can vouch for me."

"Interesting. Well fortunately for you, the princesses are looking over some of that stuff right now. If you are who you say you are, they should allow you to see them. They are on the far side of the base in the war tent."

"Thank you." Twilight nodded. "This runaround was getting tiring."

As the purple mare left, Lieutenant Cleaves shook his head and set the pistol on a table.

"You have no idea."

*****************

Kaiser, Gerri, Mace, Lime Tree, and Major Classified gathered around one of the tables in the rec tent.

"Alright." Classy began. "There are traitors among us. We don't know who, and we don't know how many, but the recent sabotages suggest that the spy Lieutenant Kaiser discovered was not acting alone."

"Also." Lime Tree added. "These backstabbers would have to have had close relations with the human repair crews. It's the only way they could possibly gotten close enough to the aircraft to tamper with them, or to know how to tamper with them."

"Are we sure the perpetrators weren't human?" Kaiser asked.

Gerri nodded. "I've got a little forensics know-how in me. My old man is a retired police detective. He used to tell me to always focus on the details. For example, there were nowhere near enough fingerprints on the sections that were tampered with. And to clear up any doubt, there were hairs stuck between some of the helicopter internals. Fur. Definitely not human colors either. I'm pretty sure Tree House doesn't have any technicians with fur, so that can only mean that the perpetrators were ponies, rams, or both."

Mace nodded. "She's right. No human would have any reason to betray us, but the enemy would want us to think there was. They probably hoped that we'd be too busy springing traps on ourselves to defend against their upcoming attack. Face it. This "Banded" has somehow found a way up our shorts. Soldiers are on every corner. No one could even get close to the helos now. Though It still makes me a little nervous knowing that every other pony I look at could be plotting my demise."

Classy furrowed his brow. "Yes. It's clear we need to deal with this. I don't know how deep this cult runs, so I'm considering this group to be the only beings I can trust."

Lime Tree cocked his head to one side. "Then why did you pick me to be in this little group?"

"Easy. As the mayor's assistant, your actions, as well as all who work close to major government officials, have been closely monitored by the AOD Department sect for years."

Lime Tree backed up a bit. "Y- years?"

Classy nodded. "Yep. You have nothing to fear though. We don't have spies in your backyard or in your closet or anything."

"Oh." Lime Tree sighed.

"They're actually under your bed." Classy stated flatly.

"What?!" Lime Tree exclaimed.

Classy rolled his eyes. "Kidding! Take a joke for royals sake! Now, I'd like to hear all of your suggestions on how to deal with this Banded threat."

Kaiser nodded, "First things first. How do we tell the allies from the traitors? Do you ponies carry ID on you?" Kaiser wondered.

"Soldiers and military personnel do, but I'm guessing most of the traitors are in the civilian population. In a small town like Ponyville, most ponies don't even bother with ID's. If this was New Yoke or Sesaddle, maybe we could uncover them that way, but the system here is just too thin. Ponyville is too much of a down home, friendly community. Everpony trusts everypony else. It's the perfect place for a massive espionage operation."

"So how do we crack it?" Gerri questioned.

"If we knew somepony on the inside, we could undermine their operation." Lime Tree suggested.

"True," Kaiser nodded. "But the last guy I tried to bring back for questioning poisoned himself to stay quiet. How do catch a spy without tipping him off and causing him to swallow those "herbs of death?"

Classy's face lit up. "Kaiser, that's brilliant! The herbs! You said the spy swallowed some sort of greenish yellow plant to silence himself. I know of these drugs! They come from the Kerricoita plant, which only grows in the Everfree forest. If we can find anypony who's got those herbs in their possession, we'll know they're a spy. Why else would somepony have them? We can sneak search the tents, dig trough the rations, and find our pony on the inside."

"It's a clear invasion of privacy, but a brilliant plan." Lime Tree commented.

Kaiser nodded. "Great. Now who's up for a little snooping?"

****************

Twilight passed a group of human marines and royal guards, who allowed the young mare to enter the Zero Base war tent.

"Excuse me princess. Sorry to intrude."

"Ah, Twilight." Celestia smiled for the first time in several hours. "You are always welcome to see me when you need to. Is there something you need help with?"

"Yes. I was told that Lieutenant Cleaves gave you some pictures from the surviving human battle vehicle."

"You mean the photos from the tank? Yes. Luna and I were examining them a little while ago-"

"Please tell me you didn't give them to somepony else! Please, please, please!" Twilight begged.

Celestia chuckled at Twilight's goofy antics. "No, I still have them. Why do you need them so desperately?" Her expression changed. "Is something wrong? You can tell me Twilight."

"Rainbow flew off toward that big airship for some reason. I just want to know why, so we can help her before she gets hurt."

Celestia sighed. "She always was the impulsive one." The alabaster alicorn used her teeth to pull a manilla folder from a filing cabinet. "They managed to extract these from their damaged equipment. Take a look. Perhaps you will find the answers you need."

Twilight twisted the metal pin holding the folder together and attempted to pull out the pictures with her teeth. Still unused to life without magic, the purple unicorn gave up and dumped the photos onto a nearby table.

Twilight grabbed a hoofful and held them up to her face. "Hmm. These are pretty beat up. This one is just a bunch of clouds." Twilight flipped through a few more of them. "There's one of the airship. It's massive!"

"They must have been constructing it for quite a while." Celestia added.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Here's a close up. Must have a really good zoom on that camera. I can actually make out the faces of two of those griffi-"

Twilight froze.

Celestia noticed the purple unicorn's stunned expression. "Twilight, what's wrong? Is there something I missed?"

"Of course! I should have known! How did I not figure that out?!" Twilight babbled.

"Figure what out, Twilight?"

Twilight dropped the photos and galloped out of the room, leaving a very confused Celestia in her wake. The photo in question fluttered to the ground. It was hazy, and the reduced light made it hard to make out, but the figure standing on the right was clearly none other than Rainbow Dash's old friend, turned rival...

...a griffin named Gilda.

**************

Despite the reduced speeds of non-magically assisted flight, Rainbow Dash managed to reach the HailFire in relatively good time. The looming warship traveled at a menacingly slow pace, and was literally swarming with griffins and pandragons.

"How am I supposed to get in?" Rainbow thought to herself.

A pandragon mount roared overhead, oblivious to the pegasus's plight. In a moment of quick thinking, Rainbow flew forward and took up a position underneath the large beast. Fortunately for Dash, the beast and its minor were both clearly tired from a long patrol, and were returning to the ship to rest. Exhausted, the pandragon pair stayed at a leisurely pace, allowing the brightly colored flying pony to remain hidden underneath.

"Uhk! This thing smells!" Rainbow flinched, but kept with the lumbering beast.

The dragon mount sleepily drifted toward the massive flying carrier. After passing the outer layer of patrolling griffins and pandragons, the mount and its barely awake jockey touched down on the HailFire's upper deck. Dash dived away to avoid being crushed beneath the mighty mount, and snuck toward the large spire, the structure that formed the HailIFire's main bridge. Seeing as most of the alliance army was stationed in a perimeter around the ship, this was much easier than Dash expected.

"This is *too easy, but how the hay do I find her?"* She thought to herself as she crept along.

She climbed up to one of the higher decks, closer to the bridge, making sure to stay in the shadows. Dash cringed as she tripped on a stack of glass orbs, filled with a strange orange liquid. The orbs rolled around on the wooden deck, making enough noise to wake even the most sleep deprived bear.

Spurred into action by all the noise, a ram guard opened an access hatch and crawled out onto the deck. The bored guard looked around, searching for whatever had dared wake him up from his nap at the interior guard post. The ram nearly jumped out of his fur when he spotted a case-full of the most dangerous weapons in alliance possession rolling around on the floor. He dove for the magma orbs and gathered them up in his hooves, sighing a breath of relief.

"Who is responsible for this?!" The ram bellowed. He sat the orbs back into their crate and began looking around.

Hiding just a few feet away in a dark corner of the room, Rainbow Dash began sweating profusely. "This is not a good time to be me!" The pegasus thought to herself, cursing the flashy appearance she was usually quite proud of.

The guard shook his head, and groaned. "Morons! I'm on a ship filled with morons!" The ram carried on as he climbed back up into the lower levels of the ship. Rainbow twitched. It was all she could do to keep herself from hyperventilating.

"Okay. Okay. Keep going."

She darted upward toward a ledge on the top of the spire, where a lookout's bunker had been built at the very top of the ship. Rainbow spotted a single griffin, standing alone inside the bunker.

Dash dropped into the bunker behind the lone griffin and raised her right foreleg, bringing her bow to bear.

"I know that's you, Gilda. You always did put yourself above everypony else."

The aforementioned griffin turned around. "Dash? But how did you- Doesn't matter. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to know why! I mean, you were in Equestria not too long ago! I thought you wanted to be friends again! Then you just decide to stand with these- these freaks!?"

"These freaks are my family! Some of them in blood, some of them in sweat and tears. These are my real friends! The kind that got my back! But what do you know about that, huh Dash?! I tried to fit in. I just wanted to see why you ponies lived so well. Now I know, and it makes me sick! Just like you! You just wanted to look good in front of your little pony friends! So you embarrassed me in front of everyone!"

"Because you thought you could just trot all over them! Nopony is that cruel!"

"Cruel? Do you know what your kind did to mine? Because of ponies, I was raised thinkin' griffins had gone the way of the dinosaurs! When I found out we were alive and back in business, I knew I'd found my real friends! Not you! So what's it gonna be, Dash?! Your move!"

Rainbow paused.

"I- I don't know," Dash spoke, still pointing the bow at Gilda's head.

Gilda nodded. "Alright. So how's this gonna go down? You gonna try to break the ship? You gonna beat up everybody here? I'd like to see you try."

"I can't stop everypony here, but I'm not gonna let you hurt my friends again. Even if- Even if I have to hurt you."

Gilda raised one of her eyebrows. "Oh really?"

Rainbow leveled the bow.

Gilda swiftly brought one of her rear paws to Rainbows stomach, taking her by complete surprise. She shoved Rainbow's bow arm into the wall, shattering the crossbow's firing bolt, then put her griffin warrior blade, a gift from Phalanx, to Rainbow's throat.

"What was that you said earlier? 'Bout hurting me?"

"You-" Rainbow started.

"Let me tell you how this is going to go down. Because we used to be friends, I'm not going to turn you into a doormat. But if I ever see you again, I'm not gonna hold back."

Rainbow broke from Gilda's grip and delivered a hoof to her beaked head. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Dash threw down the broken bow and bolted out of the spire.

As the sky blue pegusus glided out of sight, Gilda rubbed a talon on her chin. "Yeah, see ya around, pal."

Pandragon guards burst forth from a hatch. "We heard noises! Is everything well, mistress?"

Gilda continued rubbing her jaw. "Everything's cool. Just talking to an old friend of mine. Hey, can you guys do me a favor?"

"Yes, m'lady?"

The chin sore griffin sighed. "Tell somebody to tighten up security around here."

******************

Captain Greene was sweating. Not because of the ominous noises coming from the engines, not from the nuclear explosive strapped just a few feet below and behind him, not even the swarm of Pandragon pairs thundering toward him. It was the sheer size of the ship he was tasked to destroy. The ship that had spotted him from miles away.

...."Intrepid-Sparrow, this is Tree House. Radar's got thirty-seven blips headed your way, and after your previous experience, with- well four, I would highly suggest you gun and run. There's two many to engage."...

"Right." Greene commented. "Hit and run it is."

The F-15 screamed toward the Liberation Alliance flagship.

A blue spec zipped by in the corner of Lenard's eye.

"Was that- " The pilot chuckled to himself. "Nah, what would she be doing all the way out here? Gotta focus on the mission."

The approaching squadron of griffins and pandragons stopped in mid air and held their fire. The F-15 zoomed right past them without so much as an insult. Greene looked behind him. The enemy fliers remained hovering in place, with no intention of following him.

"Why don't I like the looks of this?" Greene spoke to no one in particular. "Tree House, this is Greene. They aren't shooting at me. They aren't even trying to block me."

...."Is that supposed to be bad news? Keep going!"...

"You don't have to tell me twice. If their just going to let me- wait." Lenard craned his head upward and saw exactly what he was expecting to see: a fierce looking pandragon mount with that same flight goggle-wearing griffin leader piloting it. The deadly griffin pilot was charging down at him at hundreds of miles per hour, plugging away with his casters.

Greene rolled his eyes. "You again? Figured you'd want some kind of rematch." The pilot tucked and rolled, pulling the jet sharply to the right to avoid the incoming bolt fire. "Sorry, now's not the time. But if you set up an appointment I can get back to yo-"

A fire-bolt to the tail interrupted the pilot's simi-witty response.

"I see you aren't very patient. Very well then, as soon as I'm rid of the great equalizer under there, we can dance," The pilot continued, knowing that his adversary still couldn't hear him.

_________________

As Phalanx watched the flying machine barrel toward the HailFire, he knew he was running out of time.

"It seems my ploy to distract you has been unsuccessful. Perhaps these will convince you to face me!" Phalanx flipped up his goggles and put a talon around one of the switches attached to the pandragon saddle.

"These will teach you to ignore me!"

_________________

Greene swiveled his head as a maroon glare filled his cockpit mirrors. The sight behind him realized his greatest fears.

"Seekers!"

Sure enough, the same flare powered, magnet-guided seeker spears he'd read about and faced once before, were now bearing down on him once again. The pilot knew all to well that staying straight and level would surely bring about a fiery death, and was forced to break away from his run on the HailFire. Veering violently to the left, Lenard pulled every bit of g-force the butchered frame of the plane would allow, shaking the would be missiles.

Lenard gritted his teeth. "You've got my attention." Greene rolled the aircraft back over to face his opponent. With a squeeze of the flight stick trigger, heavy cannon fire arced toward the assailing griffin and his mount.

_________________

After watching human weapons cut down countless numbers of his comrades, Phalanx was in no great need to let a similar fate claim him.

"Not today, human."

He pushed forward on the the rein-attached talonbars to charge his mount forward, forcing his nemesis to over shoot him and expose its metal belly. Phalanx pulled on a second trigger, which was mounted on the left talonbar. The trigger pulled a latch, which then fired a set of twin heavy-bolt casters.

Once again, two streams of bolt-fire went forth to meet their target, riddling the already battered fuselage.

_________________

The F-15 defiantly solidered on despite its fresh wounds. Captain Greene pulled the fighter into a tight half stall, pulling himself out of the line of fire and turning the tables on his aggressor.

"Now we see how you like it!"

He pulled the trigger once again, this time managing to land several hits on the extremely agile creature. Cannon rounds tore into one of the beast's webbed wings.

________________

Phalanx growled as his mount cried out in agony.

"It will take more than a punctured wings to down this mighty mount! Come at me!"

The mount, spurred on by its own pain, charged even faster now, managing to out run the crippled human flying machine. With his renewed anger, Phalanx violently shifted the talonbars to the left, turning the beast on a bit, the way only a flying reptile could.

Praetor Phalanx now stared down his enemy, head on.

"Now you must face me!"

________________

Lenard frowned as the mount hurtled toward him. "It figures the bird wants to play chicken." Greene opened up the throttle. "Fine! Full speed ahead!"

The two pilots closed on each other at breakneck speeds. Phalanx fired first with a volley of heavy-bolt rounds. Lenard rocked his fighter from side to side to avoid the deadly projectiles. As the distance between them grew smaller and smaller, Lenard squeezed the flight stick trigger to return the favor.

A barely audible click was all that came forth.

The pilot stared down at the cockpit instruments in disbelief. "Out?! I can't be out! Where did they all go-"

Lenard remembered his role during the assault on the leviathan landship before.

"Right." The pilot muttered. "That's where all my rounds are."

The attacking griffin pilot clearly didn't have this problem, as a torrent of over-sized fire-bolts continued to assault the wounded jet like a horizontal hailstorm.

As the dragon grew bigger and bigger in the pilot's sights, Lenard's mind spawned one last desperate idea.

"Just you and me, griffin!" The pilot shouted over the sounds of fire-bolts striking the frame. The two flying hunters finally closed to point blank range. A fire-bolt shattered the rear section of Lenard's canopy, leaving only the forward part intact.

Greene didn't even notice, his plan was already in motion. "Hope this doesn't kill me!" At the last second before impact, Lenard shifted the rudder sharply to the left, tilting the plane to line up his right wing with the dragon's.

________________

Phalanx leaped off of his mount just in time to avoid being cut in half by the leading edge of the metal flying machine's swept wing. Holding himself in place with his own wings, the praetor watched as his mount flailed helplessly without its right wing, slowly spiraling toward the ground.

"You have killed my mount, and made a great enemy this day, human." Phalanx quietly spoke.

The praetor reached for his preferred choice of infantry weapons, a custom fire-bolt "One Liner" precision caster, a weapon he almost wore on his harness.

"Your victory will mean nothing in a few moments. Here. A parting gift for you, none the less."

With the legendary eyesight all of griffin kind was known for, Phalanx lined up a shot and pulled the trigger. A single fire-bolt flew straight and true, out of the barrel, through the air,

and straight into the F-15's main fuel tank.

________________

Lenard, who had witnessed the incredible shot with his own eyes, could only stare at the griffin as he slowly grew smaller in the distance.

"Banded spies. Guess they did give this thing a look over. Heh. Who knew?"

He hadn't come out unscathed from his last ditch plan, but he had come out the victor. His right wing was badly bent, but still intact. Captain Greene looked over to the fuel gauge.

"Hmm. Don't have much time." The pilot pulled the aircraft into an upward zoom to gain sufficient altitude over the looming airship below.

Suddenly, a familiar, but unexpected voice came over the radio.

..."Greene! This is Sky Blade! You have to destroy the HailFire now! They're going to use it to detonate the elements!"...

"What?!"

..."The HailFire is the key! It's what they used to attack Canterlot to start this whole mess! They're almost right over us, you have to stop it now!"...

Greene shook his head. "But it should still be a considerable distance away from the- Uh oh."

The HailFire had picked up the pace, and while the intrepid young pilot was wasted time dueling the griffin praetor, the ship had closed its distance to Zero Base considerably.

Colonel Highlander's voice came on the radio. ..."He's right! The array interference has increased with every yard that thing gets closer to here! Somehow they're jamming the array from that ship! You have to sink the HailFIre now or you'll be too close, and the bomb will take us out too!"

"No pressure then! I'm on it!" After climbing to a sufficient altitude, Captain Greene switched his HUD to bombsight mode, flipped up the button guard, and armed the extremely powerful weapon that had been so carefully fitted to one of the jet's main hard points.

..."Hurry up! We're getting massive readings like the ones we picked up during the initial alliance strike!"...

"Working as fast as I can, colonel!" Lenard carefully lined up the shot. There could be no retries if he missed.

With a trembling hand, Lenard Greene pressed the button.

A metallic clank echoed through the cockpit as the bomb released from its nesting and fell toward the airship below. Lenard dared to watch its descent until he could stand it no longer. He snapped his vision away, but not before noticing six multicolored glowing projectiles rising from the HailFire's hull.

Lenard's heart sank. "No! No! No! I'm too late!"

Arching into the sky, the greatest forces of destruction ever created by hand and hoof collided in mid air, giving life to a combined nuclear and elemental magical event.

There was not a flash of light, rather an approaching wall of luminous energy that blinded the pilot through his visor. Panels and gauges began to spark. The jet veered wildly in the shock wave.

When his vision returned, all the pilot could see was what can only be described as a mass of energy in it's purest form. It was a perfect pearl of power, pulsing with unnatural might.

It was almost beautiful.

The HailFire now found itself caught up in the event, slowly being broken up by just the proximity to the almost stellar well of power. Pandragons and griffins flew for their lives as the energy well began to consume the ship.

"She's going down! We sunk the HailFire! Repeat, we have sunk the HailFire!" Greene shouted through the radio.

And then the energy well began to expand.

..."Jamming's gone, but that's the least of our problems!".... Dr. Harrison yelled through the radio. ...."Be warned that all six of the bearers are unconscious! The nuclear blast and the elemental weapons must have been detonated within seconds of each other! The result has created some kind of- phenomenon! According to my readings, the combined energies of the nuke and the elements are putting out more power than our sensors can even recognize! It is going to detonate! And when it does, you can count on it being a much larger than you were expecting!"...

"I take it that's very, very bad then?" Greene suggested.

..."That's extremely bad! Without the interference, the array is back online! It's our only escape! You need to get back here now!"...

Without so much as a second thought, Lenard jammed open the throttle, yet again pushing the aircraft to its limits. The jet began to accelerate away from the deadly singularity. As the phenomenon began to pulse like a dieing star preparing to go super nova, Lenard spotted a familiar blue pegasus flying in the same direction, fleeing for her life.

"Rainbow Dash?!"

_______________

Rainbow Dash was not a skittish pony, but in the face of what must be certain death, she was scared. No. She was utterly terrified. The wall of energy was gaining on her. It was now moving faster than she could even outrun normally, and the worst part was,

Dash knew it.

"I always thought I'd go out in a blaze of glory, but not like this!" The pegasus panted to herself as the energy grew closer. Realizing that this really was the end, Rainbow did something she would almost never do in any other situation.

She cried.

She cried for herself.

She cried for Gilda.

She cried for everypony that was about to die in this blast along with her.

Just as she was about to give up and accept that fate, Captain Greene's fighter maneuvered up to her. Remembering the radio she'd stolen from the base, Rainbow pulled it out as quickly as she could and held it to her mouth.

"Lenny! Lenny! Can you here me!?"

..."Dash!? You have a radio?! Doesn't matter! We don't have much time! I going to hang the plane in the air for a few seconds. When I do, you have to jump into the cockpit, understand!?"...

"Just do it!" Dash bellowed.

Lenard cut the throttle and kicked the aircraft into a high angle-of-attack stall. For a few moments, the aircraft appeared to have frozen in the sky. As it began to slip, Lenard pulled the canopy release. The remainder of the shattered rear section of the canopy sheared off, leaving only the "windscreen" part of the canopy remaining.

Summoning all the strength she had left, Rainbow Dash charged for the open cockpit, as the surging forces of the phenomenon grew closer. Lenard stuck out his hand, grabbing onto one of Dash's hooves and tucking her into the space behind the pilot's seat.

"We're are so totally even now!" Greene shouted over the approaching storm.

"Done and settled! NOW GO!" Dash yelled back.

"Hold on!"

Rainbow grabbed onto the back of the seat with all her might as Lenard gunned the engines into full afterburner.

Time seemed to slow to crawl as an escaping pandragon mount zoomed toward them in the other direction. Sitting in the saddle was a panicking Gilda, and behind her, Phalanx held on to the saddle for dear life. Almost in slow motion, the two pairs stared at each other as they passed, each somehow relieved and angered to see the other escape.

Time resumed its normal pace, and the pandragon mount veered away from the jet.

*****************

Amongst the horror of the approaching phenomenon, a glorious sight awed those who dared to look behind them as they ran. Just over the horizon,

The sun was rising.

"Move! Move!" The soldiers and scientists yelled as a mass of humans, ponies, wagons, and humvees flooded through the array archway.

"Figures the sun comes up when we're on our way out!" Steven Mace complained to Sky Blade, who dragged an exhausted Star Sabre behind him.

"I'm more concerned by the fact that the princesses didn't do it!" Sky Blade answered.

"Guess this place has some logic to it after all!" Steven answered. "Now come on, it's high time we get out of here!" The three soldiers made a dash towards the blue glow of the anomaly.

Major Classified and General-Prince Blueblood galloped just behind them.

"This is just terrible!" The prince exclaimed.

"I know! I've never seen anything like it!" Classy answered.

"That monstrosity of a machine is going to singe my coat! First my house, then the sewers, now this! What does the world have against my appearance?!" The prince questioned the universe.

Major Classified had no words. The two leaped into the vortex.

Lyra and Bonbon galloped at full tilt, not too far behind.

"You said you wanted soooooo much to see this thing! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!?" Bonbon shrieked.

Lyra gave bonbon a look of pure disbelief. "Are you kidding me?! Now's not the time Bon! Galloping for our lives here!"

"Sure it is! Why do you always get what you want?! One way or anothe-" The two arguing mares faded into the anomaly.

Commander Mason Stuart acted as a crutch for Private John Simms, as the navy scientist and the wounded marine attempted to escape the imminent destruction on foot.

"Easy, sir! Got a hole in my side, remember?" Simms groaned.

"Sorry private." Stuart shook his head. "We don't have time to go easy! I've studied energy fluctuations and anomalies for a while now, and my greater instinct is telling me we don't want to wait around for whatever's coming up behind us!"

Simms craned his head to look behind him. "Point taken." The wounded marine limped a little faster, until the pair reached the large swooping exit point.

Mike Kaiser and Gerri Reed followed close behind on Mike's prized motorcycle. "You think the captain's okay?" Gerri asked as the two pilots rode toward the massive metal archway.

"No one pulls himself out of the fire quite like Lenard Greene." Kaiser answered.

Gerri nodded. "I hope you're right, because that's one serious fire!"

Kaiser brought the bike up on the rear tire, and the two pilots wheelied into the portal.

"Keep moving! You have to keep moving!" Celestia yelled as she and Luna helped guide the fleeing mob.

Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity galloped up to the princesses, followed by many of their friends, relatives, and pets.

"I'm sorry we couldn't come sooner, but the backlash from the elements knocked us out! That thing is getting closer and Rainbow Dash is still missing! What's going on princess?!" Twilight shouted over the roar of the approaching phenomenon.

Celestia answered with words the purple unicorn never expected to hear her mentor say.

"I truly do not know! I'm sorry, but there is no time to wait! You need to go, now!" Celestia answered.

"But prin-"

"GO!" Celestia and Luna roared in their royal Canterlot voices. In that moment, for the first time in their lives, Twilight and her friends truly feared the princesses as they gazed at Celestia' and Luna's hardened faces.

"Just go," Celestia whispered with a bowed head.

Lime Tree galloped past them. "You don't have to tell me twice! Maybe her, but not me!" Without further question, the element bearers and the whole of Ponyville's familiar townsponies entered the grounded anomaly.

Timothy Highlander and Marc Harrison jumped down from the array control tower and ran up to the two princesses.

"We gotta go! We're the last ones!" Harrison yelled.

"No we aren't! Look!" Highlander pointed toward the approaching phenomenon..

Keeping just in front of the wave of solid energy, and silhouetted in the rising sun, the F-15 rocketed toward them at supersonic speed.

"I dare not believe what mine eyes witness!" Luna exclaimed. "Tis the human Greene! And he has come with the rainbow maned one!"

Celestia shook her head. "I can't believe it!"

"Along with him, the sun has risen of its own volition! This must be a good omen!" Luna exclaimed

Discord swooped in from the sky, covered in burns, bruises, and lacerations. "You better believe it's good!" The lord of chaos answered.

"Discord? What happened to you?!" Celestia yelled in confusion. "Where did yo-"

"There'll be plenty of fun times explaining that later!" He grabbed both royal sisters' hooves and pulled them through the anomaly.

Highlander grabbed Harrison by the shoulders. "We gotta make way! If I know Greene, he's going to fly that thing straight through the arch! We gotta get people out of the way! Come on!" The two broke into a sprint. Lieutenant Cleaves pulled up beside them in the only remaining Abrams tank, Matchbox Nine, with Generals Rock and Snow Wisp riding on top.

"Hop on!" Rock called down to them. The colonel and scientist gladly obliged. The tank rumbled into the portal, leaving only two to escape.

______________

Riding just in front of the continuing blast, the holed frame of the F-15 began to break apart at the seams as its pilot gave it all he had.

"We're coming in hot! This is it! Archway dead ahead! You really gotta hold on now Dash!" Greene shouted over the roar of the wind and the deafening screams of the phenomenon.

"Definitely not going to let go!" Rainbow screamed.

"It won't be too much longer!" Lenard Shouted.

"Don't say things like that!" Rainbow yelled back.

"Something's wrong!" Greene yelled as the engines suddenly shut down. Lenard silently cursed his nemesis. "We're out of fuel! I promised you a ride, but it's going to be a rough one!"

"That's just great!" Dash retorted.

Greene leveled the plane out at a ridiculously low altitude just above the ground.

"Here we go!"

Lenard and Dash screamed as the momentum alone carried the aircraft toward the archway. Without the added thrust from the engines, the phenomenon gained on them, inch by inch. To the sheer terror of the pilot and pegasus, the blast caught up with them just as the nose touched the anomaly terminator, blasting the jet through at incredible speed.

Lenard and Dash found themselves in a realm of flowing blues and whites, a cascade of unimaginable definition. It was a corridor of bouncing lights and weightless fluid, a place where up and down, left and right, any kind of direction, meant absolutely nothing. A ethereal visage hung before them. It had two curved horns, and an enraged scowl on its muzzle. The visage let forth a might roar, its screams echoing in the shapeless void, rattling the jet.

The visage expanded into the body of an enormous ram, hundreds, if not thousands of feet tall. It stomped on the "floor" of the emptiness, shaking the very foundations of reality. As it reared into the horizon-less sky, It brought a hoof down toward the F-15, which almost seemed to be floating in thin air.

Just as Lenard and Rainbow Dash were both sure they were dead, a great white flash enveloped the craft. When it faded, a wonderful and very welcome sight awaited the pilot's eyes,

The beautifully lit skyline of downtown Atlanta.

Equestrian Catalog of Information Factoid #23: Equestrian Blast Geodes.

Blast Geodes are the result of a classified mixture of various minerals found deep within the Earth. Because of the lethality the weapon represents, the military mines the minerals needed in very secure and secret mines, where the minerals are extracted, shaped, and sealed together. As soon as a geode is completed, it is immediately painted a dark red hue and cut in the shape of a sphere, to avoid mistaking the deadly weapons for a normal stone.

The once completed, softness of the geode allows it to be cut with a knife or drill, allowing them to be used with several applications. However, because of the obvious risks involved in allowing such a weapon to become readily available, mine locations, as well as the exact composition of the geodes, are classified as above top secret. To detonate a blast geode, all one has to do is cut one in half, put the two halves together again, and twist vigorously. Once the geode begins to smoke, the user should immediately run in the other direction, as the geode will detonate withing twelve seconds. Geodes are crafted so that only two matching halves can detonate, and the only way to set one off is the method above, so it is almost impossible to detonate one unintentionally.

Liberation Alliance Central Command Factoid #16: PDR-9 Flare Spear Launcher.

Flare spear Launchers, or FSL's as the are known, are soldier held, turret mountable heavy weapons, which are typically used to bring down large flying targets, (such as pegasai-pulled geode bombers.) They employ the same basic principal as the fire-bolt system, only brought to a much larger scale. The spear like projectiles obtained the name of "flares" because of their distinct purple glow when fired. There are rumors that an advanced variant of this weapon, capable of homing in on a target, are in development, but nothing has been officially released.

Liberation Alliance Central Command Factoid #6: GR-6 Fire-bolt "One Liner" Caster, and the Liberation Alliance Sharp Shooters that use them.

In contrast to the fully auto fire-bolt platforms, which are incredibly inaccurate, fire bolt "one liners" are single shot variants developed, built, and fielded by Liberation Alliance sharp shooters. (Typically griffins, due to their exceptional eyesight.) One Liner casters are not mass produced, so a sharp shooter actually has to construct one by talon. Once this is done, a sharp shooter must master the weapon by using specially made "dummy-bolts," practice rounds which inflict no harm. Up and coming sharp shooters test themselves in special training events called, shootouts, in which a class of sharp shooters practice against each other in a location filled with different cover spots, (typically the forest.) Once proven, sharp shooters are among the most feared soldiers within the Liberation Alliance combined forces.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Aliens From Planet Earth

Chapter Twenty-Four: Aliens From Planet Earth

"Home."

The sight of Lenard Greene's home town would have been much more interesting if the aircraft he and Rainbow Dash currently flew in wasn't deteriorating around them. The fighter's right vertical stabilizer forcefully detached, taking a small part of the right aileron with it. The aircraft violently lurched to the left, shaking the cockpit. A cloud of smoke billowed behind.

Lenard Greene turned his helmeted head to face the blue pegasus behind his seat. "Alright Dash, we don't have much time! She's going down, one way or another!"

"So what do we do now?!" Dash questioned.

"Listen to me carefully. I'm going to do what I did before. I'm going to use up the last of our airspeed to fly up and hang the jet in the air for a few seconds. When I do, you have to jump! You won't get a second chance!" The pilot warned.

"What about you?!"

"I'll be fine. I've got to make sure this thing doesn't kill something when it hits. You need to go, now!"

"Okay."

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Then here we go!"

Yet again, Captain Greene pulled his aircraft up into a vertical climb, bleeding the last bit of the jet's momentum.

"Go!" Greene shouted.

Rainbow flung herself out of the doomed aircraft as the fighter reached the zenith of it's climb. Without any thrust whatsoever, the F-15 began to stall, and started to lean to the right as the rainbow streak darted straight down toward the unforgiving ground.

Greene kept the fighter from losing all control by shifting the remaining rudder to the right and pointing the aircraft back down. Far below, Dash was just a bright spec, racing toward the deck.

"Steady," Greene thought to himself

The aircraft began to accelerate as it fell toward Dobbins' main array center. He could just barely make out the crowd of human escapees and Equestrian refugees forming below.

"Can't ditch here. To many people down there, they wouldn't be able to clear out in time. Got to move her over!"

Greene worked the controls like a madman to keep the aircraft from spiraling completely out of control. Out of the corner of his eye, Dash was still falling, showing no signs of slowing down.

"Wait! I didn't ask her if she could fly!"

Lenard began to panic.

"No. No. Got to stay focused."

Greene pulled back on the stick, using the minimal airspeed to pull the aircraft out of it's swan dive just before it impacted the ground. Coasting just a few feet from certain destruction, and finally out of the way, Lenard pulled the ejector handle.

Thankfully, this time the rockets ignited and propelled the pilot out of the ill-fated fighter.

"Good to see the boys at Tree House fixed something." The pilot thought to himself as the sudden g-forces nearly made him black out.

After a brief ascent, the seat and it's occupant began to descend. The parachute deployed, slowing the fall to a brisk twenty miles per hour. Below, the F-15 plummeted into a small lake nearby, just as its pilot intended. The only damage to the surrounding area was a large plume of water, spraying out around the impact area. The chute brought the exhausted man back down to earth, and he stumbled and fell as he touched down.

Micheal Kaiser jogged over to his downed friend, and offered a hand to help up his best buddy.

"Need a hand cap?" kaiser suggested.

"No, I think I'll just lay here a while if that's okay with you. Wait! Where's Dash?!"

Everyone looked around frantically.

"Up here!" Dash called out from a very large radio tower. "I can't fly down! My wings are too tired! Get me off of this thing!"

"A pegasus stuck up a tree? Er- pole?" Kaiser laughed. "Someone get a fire truck down here!"

The Equestrian population looked around at their new surroundings. Celestia and Luna trotted to the front of the massive crowd.

Though dark, the two royal sisters stared out toward the massive towering buildings of the Atlanta midtown and downtown districts.

Celestia craned her head upward. "This world seems different in some way. It is almost like everything is more defined. Odd. And that city, that is quite a lot of lights." She commented.

"Indeed. Such towering structures are akin to Canterlot. Is this the capital of thy world?" Luna asked the surrounding human escapees.

"No, but it is the capital of the state." Lenard answered.

"State, as in thy nation?" Luna questioned the captain.

"More like your provinces." Gerri answered for him.

Greene wearily nodded. "Yes, and I'd love to tell you more about it, but I'm about to pass out. Goodnight everyone."

Captain Greene began to faint.

Gerri and Kaiser caught him, keeping the pilot from falling asleep completely.

"Sorry." Lenard mumbled. "Just a little tired. I'll be alright."

The captain dusted off his uniform and stood back on his own two feet.

Celestia shook her head. "Captain. Please take us to your leaders. We have quite a lot to discuss."

Greene back up. "Did you just say take us to you lea- Never mind. *yawn* Someone should be able to help you. Not sure I can."

Colonel Highlander and the president himself waded through the crowd, followed by a miniature task force of secret service personnel.

"Or maybe he has come to you." Highlander added. "Princesses, this is the President of the United States and commander in chief of our forces." The president offered his hand in a gesture of greeting.

"It's an honor to finally meet the esteemed leaders I keep hearing about."

Celestia quickly returned the gesture, and met the president's hand with her hoof.

"The feeling is mutual." Celestia answered.

"Indeed. We are most thankful for the assistance your kind has given us." Luna added.

"Yes," Celestia added. "Where should we go to discuss matters? We have quite a lot to talk about."

The president nodded. "I've had my advisers set up a meeting with several other leaders of our world, I just wanted to meet you and the rest of our guests in person. My entourage and your guards can escort us to the meeting. We can begin to sort things out there."

Secret service operatives and the royal guard ushered the leaders toward the field where Marine One waited to whisk them away. As they left, everyone's attention shifted to the array, as purple lighting and blue fire suddenly erupted out of the archway.

"Shut it down!" Dr. Harrison yelled through his radio.

..."We can't! The control system is fused! We'll have to kill it manually!"....

An energy blast came forth from the swirling mass of chaos, and struck a nearby building, setting it ablaze.

"Now we really do need some firetrucks!" Kaiser commented.

Harrison shook his head. "ACSD Control! Where are you on that shutdown?!"

..."Trying!"...

Suddenly, the archway anomaly collapsed, leaving only empty space where the escaping energy had been.

"What happened?" Steven Mace questioned the doctor.

"My guess is that array two just melted, destroying the connection."

Lenard got to his feet.

Rainbow wrapped her hooves around the tower structure and began to shimmy down toward the rest of her friends. "What about the other side?" Rainbow answered.

"Yes." Twilight nodded. "What about everypony that got left behind? Is there any chance they survived?"

Harrison solemnly shrugged. "There is no way to know what that was or what it is capable off. It could be widespread on your world, or harmlessly localized around Zero Base. There is no way of knowing."

Star Sabre trotted up to the doctor. "What about the alliance? You think they're finished?"

Sky Blade shook his head. "Hardly."

"Another soldier's intuition?" Sabre commented.

"I guess so," The Equestrian sergeant answered.

Discord casually walked over, his arms resting behind his back. "That was quite a show! Why I haven't seen anything like that in ages! Literally!"

Mace looked over to him. "You look pretty messed up. You going to be alright?"

"Of course. Tis only flesh wounds." Discord answered.

"Okay. So why didn't you go with the princesses?" Lime Tree asked.

"Yeah," Greene added. "Shouldn't you be, I don't know, discussing things with them?"

Discord's face cracked up with laughter. "Me?! Sitting in a political discussion?! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa! That is the most hilarious thing I have ever heard your kind utter!" The draconequus wiped tears out of his eyes. "I would suppose you would have me wear a monocle and a top hat too!" The lord of chaos rolled on the ground in laughter. "Whilst sipping my tea!"

Greene rose an eyebrow. "Rrriiiiight."

"So I'm guessing Ponyville really is gone this time." Twilight mumbled, her eyes tearing up just at the thought of all of that lost literature.

"You heard the doctor, it might not be." Lenard answered.

"Either way." Gerri reassured her. "We all saved as much as we could. We managed to evacuate every single refugee that made it to Zero."

"How many do you think are out here?" Lime Tree asked no one in particular.

Highlander thought a moment. "At last count on Zero Base, a few days ago, there were over 17,000 Equestrian refugees, but that could have tripled since we made that count."

Kaiser hopped up on a power converter box and took a look at the mass of ponies, and the mass of human civilians on the base's fences trying to take pictures and video of the new visitors.

Kaiser nodded. "Yeah, that estimate seems about right, and I'm guessing that there's not a single TV channel that doesn't have this scene on it."

"Where are that many ponies going to stay?" Lenard questioned.

"I heard Mayor Reed has some sort of plan for that." Gerri answered.

"Reed?" Lime Tree pondered. "You wouldn't happen to be related to-"

"No." Gerri answered. "I'm not related to Kasim Reed. We aren't even the same race."

"But you're both human, right?" Lime Tree questioned, now quite confused. "I though you were all one race, with a bunch of different colors, like us."

Twilight scratched her head. "Do colors signify different races here? Or perhaps different social classes? I would have thought humans would be more unified than us, seeing as you all have the same appendages and powers. Aren't all of you equal?"

Lenard rubbed his neck at the sudden barrage of questions. "Uh, yes and no. What I mean to say, is Just like you, we still have some social issues to work out. But as far as it is concerned, now more than ever-"

"We are all human."

*****************

A wounded pandragon mount descended on Fortress Canterlot. After the mount landed on one of the palace's many outlying decks, the riders climbed off of the beast. Several Alliance officers rushed over to them.

"By the might of the great king! My lords, Phalanx and Gilda! You have survived!"

"Yes." Phalanx spoke. "And though we have all taken a grievous injury this day, our goal has been accomplished."

"You don't mean-"

"Yes." Phalanx pointed to what was now a calm bluish-silver orb of energy, floating over Base Ponyville in the distance. "Despite the interference from the enemy, the council's plan to use the Elements has come to fruition, and the gateway has been opened. He will be coming soon."

An ornately dressed, and individually identical procession of robed figures made their way to the winged leader. "Praetor Phalanx. You have proven yourself truly worthy of the favor of the grand council. It's greatness will now be bestowed upon you." One of the robbed figures presented a crested bronze medallion, and attached it to Phalanx's combat harness.

"With this bronze seal, the color of the griffin spirit, we now grant you the title of Grand Praetor of the Griffin League, and bestow upon you the honor of joining the ranks of the warrior masters of this great alliance."

The robbed figure turned to Gilda. "You have proven yourself as well. Lady Gilda. Your name has also been granted a great honor, for saving our hero, and aiding him in this mission." The figure put a crested necklace around Gilda's neck.

"You both have earned your place within the halls of greatness, and have proven yourself worthy. Go now, much awaits." The robbed figures dissipated into the crowd.

Cheers rung out over the fortress and beyond, as the news quickly spread through the whole of Liberation Alliance held territory.

"What are we to do now, Praetor?" An officer wondered.

Phalanx nodded. "We must ready for the great master's return. Prepare this castle and all of our lands for his arrival."

"Indeed. It will be done at once!" The officer spoke with a proud salute.

The crowd began to disperse to perform their duties.

Gilda turned to Phalanx. "So what will we do exactly?"

"Well, the humans have escaped through their gateway, taking our sworn enemies with them. They will no doubt return soon, and we will be waiting for them when they do. As for now, the battle is over. Despite the loss of the HailFire, troop causalities were light. We even managed to fetch most of our soldiers and the human survivors trapped in the blast. With the return of the great master, I say this is the time for celebration. What do you say?"

Gilda answered by pressing her beaked lips firmly on Phalanx's. After the two pulled away from each other, Gilda swept aside her feathered bangs and stared into the praetor's eyes.

"So much to be proud of, but he's so humble about it." Gilda thought to herself.

"How was that for an answer?" She spoke out loud.

Despite being a hardened military leader, Phalanx could not keep a goofy grin from surfacing to his face.

"I'd say the point was taken. Quite strongly I might add. Where to, my lady? The event has subsided and the day is ours."

"After all that, I want to see it all! Let's go to lower Canterlot. I heard the Equestrian traitors have the place up and running again. There's plenty of shops I'd like to finally see..."

The two griffins took to the air as the sun began to raise over the captured castle. As they glided toward the lower city, Gilda flashed the now Grand Praetor a seductive grin. "After all of that, I think It's going to be an awesome day!"

Phalanx returned the gesture.

"Indeed."

****************

A small contingent of alliance soldiers led General Locklear trough as series of garrisoned rooms until they reached a chamber filled with several large cells.

One of the escorting soldiers, a ram, turned to the general. "Human commander, these are your new accommodations. They are in accordance with the official POW statutes set by our forefathers."

The room was almost oppressively dark, but the cells were surprisingly roomy, if not spacious, and each had a single cot rigged into the walls. The general could make out a few figures secluded in the shadows of their cells, but could not distinguish anything. The soldiers stopped at a vacant cell and opened the door.

"This- will do." The general commented flatly.

"You are our prisoner for now, but you do not have to remain one." A griffin soldier started.

"If you expect me to betray any information regarding my fellows, then you are dead wrong," The general spoke with a stone cold expression.

"We do not expect you to tell us anything. We only require you listen." A ram responded.

"What do you mean?" Locklear questioned as he was led into the cell.

"Patience. All will soon be revealed." A ram answered.

The guards closed and locked the cell door, then went on their way.

"What were they talking about?" The general thought to himself

"History, my new arrival. History in the making," A voice answered.

"Who are you? And how did you read my mind?" The general inquired to the voice.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I do know what they meant." The voice answered. "They would have you learn the secrets of our past. That is why you are here."

Locklear shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry about him." Another voice answered. "He has a serious flare for the dramatic."

"And just who are you people?" Locklear questioned.

A pale blue light filled the cells, illuminated the forms of a griffin and a earth pony in the cells next to his own.

"I am the once Commander Veltor, and this is Bronze Leaf, a friend. We are both prisoners of the alliance in one way or another." The griffin spoke

Veltor set the glow-rod down and cleared his throat. "I have quite a tale to tell."

****************

"Welcome to New Vertaigh!" A sign read above the Canterlot streets.

Phalanx and Gilda descended on the city to find quite a strange sight: The streets were filled with Unicorns, pegasai and earth ponies, many of which were nobles, trotting around, making conversation, and going about their normal tasks and duties.

"It's like nothing changed." Gilda remarked.

"Do not doubt the persuasiveness of the council. The citizens of this city were given a choice, you are looking at those who chose the better option."

"What about those who didn't side with us?" Gilda questioned.

"They are not lost. Once the master arrives, they will see the truth and hopefully cease any opposition. As for those that did side with us, only a talonful of them are actual Banded brothers and sisters. The rest are completely unaware." Phalanx explained. "Before the capital fell under siege, all who were loyal to the great master were given the chance to evacuate the city under the cover of night, as not to draw attention. They have only recently returned."

"Oh." Gilda looked around. In addition to the pony residents, just as many rams, griffins, and pandragon minors walked about the town along side them.

"I kinda like this. You know, it's- nice. Nice to see that we don't always have to fight." Gilda remarked.

Phalanx nodded. "I agree. You are looking at what society should be: the peoples of our world living along side each other in peace. You will find no hatred for our kind here now. I never thought I would see the day. So about those shops you wanted to go to..." he suggested.

"Oh yeah. I'm not really sure where most of them are- or where anything is in this city is. I've only heard of them."

"Look, there's a promising start." Phalanx pointed to a upscale looking shop.

"A clothes place? Why would I want to go there?"

"I believe they are called boutiques, and you said you wanted to see some of the shops, right?"

"I meant more like food and stuff. Like I heard there's this wicked good doughnut place around here."

"O, come now, you know I can't miss the chance to see you in an ornate dress."

"Me? In a dress? You feeling okay, Phal?"

"Fine as the strings of the musical guards of Gryphani." Phalanx answered. "Please? For me?"

"You know what? Sure. Why not. It's not like we have to live with just the straps on our backs anymore."

"Excellent! There is an attendant there. Let's have a chat, shall we?"

The two griffins strode into the store and walked up to a trendily dress unicorn mare.

"Hi there! Welcome to the Elite Boutique! I my name is Dainty Rose. How may I serve you?" The unicorn asked.

"My name is Phalanx, and my friend and I wished to sample the wares of this establishment." Phalanx answered.

"I'd say we're a little more bit more than friends, but yeah, why not." Gilda shrugged.

"Excellent! Seeing as the gracious soldiers of the Liberation Alliance have- erm- lessened our competition in Ponyville-" The mare nervously gulped. "-how about a really nice discount?"

"It is okay. We are not here to cause any trouble. We only wish what everyone else wishes." Phalanx explained.

"Oh. I apologize for my pretense." The mare allowed herself to breathe. She unicorn clapped twice, signaling a fashion team of mare ans stallion to come forth from the back. "Now that we have dealt with that ugly business, you will find that we here at the Elite Boutique can make anypony fabulous!"

Gilda gulped. "Yeah, uh- right. What exactly are you gonna d-" The fashion team swept the griffin lady off of her hind paws and placed her in front of a large panoramic mirror, "Hey what do you think your doing?!" Gilda squawked angrily.

"The first step of overcoming a fashion nightmare is admitting that you have a problem." Dainty explained.

"Hey, what are you sayin'?" Gilda questioned.

"Merely that your... look, has a teensy bit of room for improvement," The unicorn mare answered.

Gilda scowled angrily.

Dainty was completely unfazed. "Now what shall we try on first? Perhaps the formal wear?"

Phalanx could barely contain a fit of laughter. "Oh I simply must see this!"

****************

The skies above Dobbins Air Reserve base were now some of the most active in the country, as every helicopter from every news station within two hundred miles all competed for coverage of the thousands of new arrivals. Far below, the pandemonium of so many within one space was barely contained by the scores of human and pony soldiers scattered throughout the mix.

"PLEASE KEEP CALM." A police officer in a helicopter spoke through a megaphone. "WE ARE SEARCHING FOR SUITABLE LODGING FOR YOU AS WE SPEAK. STAFF MEMBERS ARE HERE TO HELP YOU WITH ANY NEEDS YOU MIGHT HAVE. THEY ARE WEARING BRIGHT YELLOW VESTS AND CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE CROWD. THANK YOU, AND WELCOME TO EARTH- ER- THIS EARTH."

The officer put the megaphone down. "What in the world are we going to do?! There's just too many of them!"

..."Calm down."... The police chief answered over the radio. ..."The mayor and commissioner have managed to open up the dome and Phillips Arena as potential shelter for the alie- arrivals."...

"How in the world are we supposed to get a small city's worth of these horsey things through a large city's worth of streets?!" The officer questioned.

...."We're closing down enough major streets to get them all to the arena, but the Georgia Dome is another matter entirely. The way I figure, we'll have to split them up into two or three groups to fit them all."....

"What about the hysteria? I heard the media, national and international is all over this! The world just got set on fire man!"

..."It's not hysteria- yet. But we need to make sure things don't deteriorate into that. We've spoken to several military and government officials among them. They aren't invaders or conquerors according to everyone we've heard from."...

"I was talking about us! Half the city came out to see, and it's getting difficult to throw a rock without hitting someone!"

..."Keep a cool head man, and we'll manage."....

"Alright sir, I'll get back to you when I can."

...."You do that."...

**********************

Thousands of flashbulbs went off as dwellers from one world looked at the inhabitants of another one. A single chain link fence divided the mass of ponies from a large crowd of humans, each side taking enough pictures to fill a small museum.

Near the entrance to the airfield, a familiar group of ponies had an excellent view of the new surroundings they now found themselves in.

"That's a real bunch of people, so many of 'em!" Applejack spoke.

"I know, and how does anypony make so many buildings?" Twilight answered.

Kaiser shrugged. "Boredom? To much free time? Something.".

"And the clothes! Everypony is wearing clothes!" Rarity spoke with glint in her eyes.

"What? We've all been wearing clothes since we arrived and it didn't seem to be a big deal," Mace answered.

"I'd figured that was just a military habit," Rarity twirled of hoof. "No on-duty royal guard would ever be caught without his armor."

Greene cocked his head to one side. "Uh, no, everyone gets to wear clothes around here. It's kinda against the law not to."

"Why is that?" Rarity questioned, blissfully unaware of the obvious answer.

"Because, let's just say that standing on two legs makes certain makes certain regions of the human body more pronounced than on the equine form."

"Wha-" Rarity suddenly became a deep shade of red. "Oh. I see."

"Yeah." Greene nodded. "And I would suggest you guys slap on some coverings, or you might find yourself getting some strange looks. Well, you know, stranger than the looks you'll already be getting."

A long volley of camera flashes continued to light up the scene. "And I would suggest you do that soon," Lenard added.

"This is what I like to call job security." Rarity winked. "I'll simply need some supplies and fabrics and a nice quiet place to work and-"

"Good for you," Rainbow Dash sarcastically remarked. "So are we gonna get some place to stay or what?"

"Um, it is getting a bit cold." Fluttershy quietly spoke. "Angel is starting to shiver." She spoke, gazing down at a shaking white bunny.

A crewman walked up to the group. "Good to see you all in one piece. I've heard the stories." The group nodded. "The staff is passing out provisions. We don't have much, but we're handing out everything we've got; mostly standard rations, and coffee or hot chocolate for the cold. Anything I can get you guys?"

Greene nodded. "Maybe some of that coffee, and see if we can score some of that food, that'd be real good." Greene looked over to the tiny white bunny. "And maybe a carrot or something for the rabbit."

The crewman nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Greene nodded.

"It's still the tail end of winter here." Kaiser explained to the group. "Don't worry about it though, it's the beginning of February, so the Summer just started!" *Rimshot*

"Thanks Kirby," Kaiser spoke to a passing color guard drummer.

"Summer starts in February here?" Twilight inquired.

Greene shook his head."No, it doesn't. That was just a poorly executed joke regarding the bi-polar nature of the weather patterns that pop up around here sometimes."

"Your weather managers have a mental disease?" Rainbow questioned.

"Well- Uh, no. We don't control the weather." Greene answered flatly.

"Why not?" Rainbow asked with a look of suspicion forming on her face.

"Well firstly, we can't. And secondly, we don't like to mess with the course of nature. It's usually just not a good idea, though some have tried."

"Wait," Twilight stopped them. "You don't control the weather? How do you keep the global climate from spinning into total chaos?"

Greene shrugged. "Our planet manages itself. It was made that way and It's awesome like that. The way I see it, we have no right to mess with that. Besides, a little chaos every now and then can be a good thing. Keeps the system balanced."

"Great," Rainbow sighed. "Even the weather is more advanced than ours."

Gerri shook her head. "Well, your sun did rise by itself like ours does here. Maybe that means our home planets aren't so different. Think of it like two sides of the same coin, each with wonders and features that the other doesn't have."

"I see." Twilight allowed the recent events to slip from her mind as a sudden realization suddenly struck her. "Wait, that means I have an entire planet's worth of new things to study! Where do I start?!" She squealed like a prepubescent filly.

"We start with sleep." Steven answered. "It's almost three in the morning and we just escaped from a war zone. How about we just go to sleep?"

"Yeah. What he said." Greene answered. "See you guys later."

"Where we going cap?" Kaiser wondered.

"Home. And I mean actual home. They practically granted us enough leave to retire."

"Aw, but the party just started!" Pinkie declared.

"And we're not allowed to leave! They won't let us!" Rarity whined. "You simply can't just leave us here to sleep on the cold hard ground while you sleep in your bed!"

"I see how it is. Misery likes company right?" Greene fumed.

Rarity stuck out her lower lip.

Greene deadpanned. "You've got to be kidding me."

Rarity continued the assault.

"Okay! Whatever! We'll stay the night here! You happy now?"

Rarity held her head high with pride.

"Speak for yourself, cap. I'm going home." Kaiser answered.

"Me too." Steven added. "My folks'll be glad to see me after all this. I don't even want them to think for a single moment that I didn't make it back."

"Fine, turn your back on us. See if we care." Rainbow Dash answered. "Not like I'm not used to it."

"Dash? You have something you want to talk about?" Greene inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Nah, I'll be fine. You can all go or whatever. We really don't care. I guess you've earned it or whatever."

Greene gave a "Not bad" expression and shrugged. "Great, so I'm out then." Just as they all began to move away, a police helicopter rose overhead.

..."MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE. WE'VE SECURED LODGING FOR EVERYONE BY UTILIZING TWO MAJOR SPORTING FACILITIES AND LOCAL BUILDINGS. WE NEED YOU ALL TO FORM THREE MAIN GROUPS AND PREPARE FOR THE MOVE. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR NEAREST DIRECTOR. THEY WILL HELP WITH THE GROUPING. ALL MILITARY AND POLICE FORCES ARE REQUIRED TO HELP WITH THE TRANSITION. AGAIN, WE WELCOME YOU TO PLANET EARTH. HAVE A NICE NIGHT."...

Police and military forces began handing out yellow vests to various personnel.

"Well it looks like we've been ordered to stay." Gerri stated, setting off a round of tired groans.

Greene frowned as he was given one of the vests. "I think I'm going to pass out again. Right here."

"Come on, sir. Let's get this over with." Kaiser mumbled.

Greene sighed as he pulled the vest over his dirtied uniform.

"You heard the man. Welcome to Earth everybody."

*****************

Dr Harrison looked over the crowd, safely seated in the base's main control tower. As he and the rest of the Anomalous Energy Event team sifted through the recent data acquired in the recent events, one of the scientists found something that raised his attention.

"I have no way of explaining this sir. I don't even have a hypothesis." One of the AEE Team scientist spoke to Dr. Harrison.

"Comms," The scientist addressed the communications officer. "See if you can get ahold of Commander Mason Stuart. He's been in this field almost as long as I have, maybe he has some insight."

A few minutes later, the man in question stepped out of the elevator and walked into the control center, his uniform still dirty from the recent battle.

"You wanted to see me doctor?" Stuart asked.

"Yes. Two Array's sensors recorded massive amounts of data until the very moment the array went offline. All of our equipment was functioning when the phenomenon we witnessed began. The second these "Elements" became active, we received all kinds of strange data on radar, sound, visual, and radiation sensors. The energy signature of this phenomenon is remarkably similar to the kind of energy that anomalies emit, only on a much larger scale."

"Are you saying that thing we made was a giant portal?" Stuart questioned.

"It's possible, but that's not the disturbing news." The doctor answered

"So what is?" Stuart inquired.

Harrison sighed. "The fact that we didn't make it."

"You lost me." The commander shrugged.

"As I said before, all of our sensor equipment was functioning before it was presumably consumed in the blast, but despite this, none of the sensors picked up any radiation, or at least, very little."

"And that would be odd, seeing as we detonated a nuclear bomb, right?" Stuart commented.

"Exactly. I reran the readings countless times before we made our escape. Not even so much as a Geiger counter warning. We have plenty of evidence that the bomb detonated; Lenard Greene witnessed it himself. Even so, the lack of any outstanding radiation whatsoever is extremely odd, and it may be indicating that quantum mechanics may not even have the same properties in their domain. Here, take a look for yourself."

The doctor handed the commander a stack of printed graphs, extracted from Two Array sensor system.

"You see, right there at two-oh-nine and forty-five seconds. The blast was seen, recorded, and felt by everything on base, but there's no sudden radiation spike anywhere! How is that possible?" The doctor asked.

"It can't be instrumentation. Not on every single unit. That's just not possible. Could that strange energy you detected have something to do with this?" The commander suggested.

"Hmm. The Elements. These devices clearly posses a large well of power over the planet's magetic field."

"Did you just say, magetic?"

"Yes. According to my colleagues at the Equestrian Ministry of Magic and Sciences, that is the name they've given the energy field that surrounds their world, and the source of all "magic," which of course makes my next point all the more disturbing."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Stuart finally asked.

"I'm saying that whatever forces are to blame for all of this, are all out of the scope of all we know about basic physics. We aren't talking about mere weapons of mass destruction, we're talking about something that could potentially destroy a planet. Think of it like- say a magnet. One powerful enough to harness Earth's magnetic field. Imagine what someone could do with that! One could disable the field's protection over a certain region, irradiating a country they don't like, killing millions, even billions! This is extremely dangerous territory we've just waded into!"

"You're right I'm afraid. Someone needs to hear about this. I've got to go help with the panic zone down there. They need all the help they can get. You need to keep working on this. Things just got a whole lot more interesting." Stuart added as he rushed for the stairs.

The doctor frowned. "Indeed. I'd say the excrement has struck the ventilation unit, if you know what I mean."

Stuart gave a halfhearted grin. "Yes doctor, yes I do."

*****************

Floating just above the abandoned town of Ponyville, and the scattered remnants of Zero Base, the great anomalous phenomenon suddenly began to pulse with energy.

"After time untold and suffering immeasurable, the chains of my incarceration shatter before me! The accursed will soon face my wrath! All will be enveloped by the banded ties of our strength! Beware all who denied me my victory! All who denied us justice! The Earth shall tremble in fear of it's adjudicators, for at long last-"

"THE DREAD LORD RETURNS!"

Anomalous Energy Event Team- Expeditionary Wing Factoid #33: Battle Wagons

Battle wagons make up the backbone of every military based on this Planet, (Earth of course.) Though several variants of the venerable vehicle exist, the basic configuration is a large metal and wooden box-like chassis, fitted with eight solid steel wheels (four on each side.) Though most battle wagons use advanced steam engines for locomotion, Equestrian variants have been known use yolked stallions, pulling in front and pushing at the rear, to bolster the vehicle's speed. Lighter BW designs are open air, and thus faster, but less protected. Heavy battle wagons feature interior cabins encased in various metals to protect against most infantry weaponry.

Atop every battle wagon is one of three options: One, a modernized variant of a trebuchet, capable of launching Mass Geodes. (Larger, and even more dangerous than standard blast geodes.) or propelling time bombs over a clean mile. Two, a main battle javelin launcher, a weapon that fires tree trunk-sized explosive arrows. Three, an enlarged platform, in order to transport a small squad of soldiers and dignitaries.

Recent advances to the basic design of the battle wagon have resulted in faster, more heavily armed vehicles which are much more dangerous to anyone, or anypony, unlucky enough to find themselves in it's way.

Chapter Twenty-Five and a Half: The Great Crusade

Chapter Twenty-Five And A Half: The Great Crusade

Three proud Equestrian warriors stood at the top of a hill, overlooking the city of Canterlot. With the rest of Equine kind on the run, these three were the last defense against a total takeover from the enemy. The first warrior, an earth pony, was clad in golden armor and carried a massive lance and shield, nearly twice the size of the champion that wielded it. The second, a unicorn, was dressed in flowing white robes, and wore a violet bracer around her horn. The third, a pegasus, was covered from the neck down with chainmail, and bore rockets strapped under her wings.

"Wait, wait, wait. How come Scootaloo gets th' rockets?" the earth warrior complained

"So I can fly super fast, duh! And I'm not Scootaloo, I'm The Tangerine Terminator!" The orange pegasus chieftain answered.

The earth warrior roller her eyes. "That th' best ya could do?"

"Well- yeah! Whats your name then, smart filly?" the Tangerine Terminator questioned the nameless earth warrior.

"Ah- Uhm. How about The Knightmare! Ya know, with a "K."

"Clever," the robed unicorn thought out loud. "I'll be- "The White Mage!"

The earth warrior and pegasus gave the unicorn a strange look.

"What, it's better then you two's names!" the White Mage answered."

"Is not!" the Terminator declared.

"It so totally is!" White Mage argued back.

"Oh yeah? Well mine's longer!" Tangerine Terminator rebutted.

Knightmare rolled her eyes. "Does this really matter at'tall?"

A flare-spear landed right where the three fillies- ahem- warriors, were arguing, destroying the entire hill. As the smoke cleared, the three heroes stood defiantly uninjured.

"Guess it don't matter after all, cause together, we're..."

The three warriors slapped their hooves together in the air.

"The Courageous Crusaders!"The three spoke in unison.

Three leviathan airships suddenly descended through the clouds, leaving a dark trail of crimson clouds. Hundreds of pandragon mounts and griffin air patrols launched off of the decks. Far below, an entire battalion of ram infantry and an entire column of battle wagons gathered in front of them.

"Crusaders Go!" Knightmare shouted

"Hey, who made you the leader?" Terminator questioned the earth pony knight.

"Agh, nopony!" Applebl- The Knightmare slapped her forehead. "Cain't we argue this later?! Terminator, you attack that flyin' ship on the right! White Mage, you shoot magic and stuff at the one on the left. Ah'll fight all those guys on the ground! Then we can go after that big one in the middle. Now go, Crusaders, go!"

"Tangerine Terminator away!" the pegasus shouted as she ignited the rockets and tore into the skies. Hundreds of fire-bolts rained down from the flying soldiers and the ships that sent them as she honed in on her target. Terminator deftly dodged all of the incoming fire and punched a griffin square in the face, which would have comically knocked out most of his teeth, if indeed he had them.

"Take that, evil doer!"

She then bucked a pandragon minor off of a mount, commandeered it, then crashed it into a row of other mounts flying in formation, domino-ing them all out of the sky. Bravely, Terminator continued the charge until she reached one of the massive flying ships.

"Tangerine Terminator Torpedo!"

Rather than stopping, she speared straight through the outer hull of the ship and into the engine room. Terminator pulled off one of her rockets and shoved it into the leviathan's main steam engine, eliciting several looks of panic from the nearby engineers.

"Hope you can all swim!" Terminator shouted.

"But wait, we're on a flying ship," a pandragon engineer pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Terminator paused. "Well- I hope you can all fly!"

The pandragon engineer shrugged. "Uh, thanks?"

The ship exploded into a twisted mass of fiery destruction.

Scoota- I mean The Tangerine Terminator, plummeted out of the blast and landed next to White Mage, creating a ten foot wide crater in the ground.

"Ow," The Terminator groaned. "Medic!"

"Sure thing Terminator," White Mage's horn began to glow, and the fallen sky warrior instantly snapped back to full strength. Even her armor was completely repaired.

Terminator stretched. "Ah, much better. Thanks, White Mage!"

White Mage bowed. "That's why you brought me. Now watch this!"

White Mage began to charge up a massive energy ball around her horn. "Super Unicorn Magic Beam... Fire!" A massive twenty-foot wide beam of raw magic blasted out of her horn and speared clean through the left flanking leviathan airship. With thunderous crack, the airship split in two and sunk to the ground.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?!" Terminator asked in shock.

Sweetie Be- The White Mage put a hoof to her chin then shrugged. "I dunno."

Knightmare galloped up to them. "Nice work with them two flyin' ships! Now watch me in action!"

Galloping at what had to be at least seventy-five miles per hour, Knightmare jumped, bounding clear over the approaching battalion and landing right behind it. Attaching her lance to the side of her armor, and putting her shield's handle in her mouth, Knightmare galloped through the confused battalion at full speed with her shield in front of her, sending dozens of ram soldiers flying through the air.

Noticing the great warrior's success, one of the battle wagons fired a flare-spear at the earth pony knight, and in a moment of extreme reflex she deflected the tree-sized missile with her shield, sending it careening into the final center airship above. The mighty ship suddenly listed to the right, and began to fall out of the sky in slow motion. It slowly impacted the ground, silhouetting Knightmare in front of the picturesque explosion. Griffins, rams, and pandragons climbed out of the wreckage and fled. Those in the air quickly began to fly away at full speed.

"That was amazing!" White Mage proclaimed.

"I gotta admit, that was pretty awesome!" Tangerine Terminator bumped hooves with Knightmare.

"Ah know, right? We saved the day!" Knightmare proclaimed.

"NOT SO FAST, MIGHTY CRUSADERS! I HAVE COME TO DESTROY YOU, AND ALL PONY KIND!"

"Who said that?" White Mage looked around.

The three crusaders looked around. "Show yerselves, cowards!" Knightmare challenged.

"UP HERE!" The voice cried out. "I AM KING GRIFFIN! AND I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!"

The crusaders looked up to see a royally dressed griffin standing on yet another flying ship, only this one was ten times huge-er!

"I got this, guys!" Terminator declared as she ignited another set of rockets and hurled into the sky, creating at least forty-seven distinct sonic rainbooms. "Charge!" she screamed as she braced herself for another Tangerine Terminator Torpedo attack. She reached critical velocity and struck the ship. This time, however, she harmlessly bounced off of the hull with a dull thud.

Knightmare and White Mage cringed. "Ooh! That looked like it hurt." White Mage spoke.

The Tangerine Terminator tumbled to the ground, creating another crater.

"Are ya okay in thay're?" Knightmare questioned the fallen pegasus.

"Just heal me up already, White Mage!" Tangerine yelled from the inside the hole.

White Mage's horn glowed again, and the Terminator jumped out of the hole in perfect physical condition.

"Time to go with the big bows then! White Mage, fire your magic laser thingie at it!" Knightmare ordered.

"Can do!" White Mage shot another massive beam at the Leviathan dreadnought. A spherical bubble of energy suddenly appeared around the ship, deflecting the beam and causing it to dig a small canyon below.

"A-HA! MY SHIP HAS MAGICAL SHIELDS!" The voice declared.

"Girrr!" Knightmare growled. "Take this!" She hurled her lance at the ship, which shallowly imbedded itself into the outer hull like a thumb tack on a grisly bear. Tangerine Terminator and White Mage gave their friend another trademark strange look.

Knightmare shrugged. "Hey now, ah had ta try!"

"So what do we do now?" White Mage asked.

"Ah don't know." Knightmare shrugged again.

"You're the leader, you gotta think of something!" Tangerine Terminator yelled.

King Griffin cackled evilly from his ship. "I HAVE AN IDEA! YOU CAN ALL PERISH! MWU-HA-HA-HA-HAAA!" The ship began to rain down an unstoppable torrent of bolt-fire down on the hapless heroes.

White Mage raised a white shield bubble around the three of them. Fire-bolts began striking the shield like hail on a tin roof. White Mage strained under the shield's weight. "I can't hold this forever!"

"Crusaders, retreat to the Courageous Crusader Castle of Doom!" Knightmare ordered.

"We really gotta rename that," Tangerine Terminator thought out loud.

White Mage started to feel the full strain of her efforts. "I'm about to let go of the shield! We gotta make a break for it then!"

Knightmare nodded. "Alright! Three, two, one... To the Crusadermobile!"

White Mage dropped the shield and the three galloped for their lives as fire-bolts struck all around them. A huge, rocket-bearing, red "Magico Flyer" wagon with a rocket propelled scooter attached to the front of it came into view.

"We have the most awesomest getaway ride ever!" Scootaloo- Horseapples -Tangerine cheered as Knightmare and White Mage hopped into the wagon and fastened their six-point harnesses and helmets. "White Mage, can you shield us while I fire up the rockets?" Tangerine asked her unicorn ally.

"I can try!" White Mage brought up a dim white shield around the Crusadermobile. "Can't hold... Too much... Longer!"

"Almost there.. Done! Hold on!" Tangerine struck the last rocket, and the Crusadermobile blasted forward just as a flare-spear impacted the spot where they'd just been.

The Crusadermobile rocketed through the valley at just under the speed of sound.

"There's the castle!" White Mage cheered as the towering structure slowly came into view. "We can make it!"

A heavy flare-spear struck just inches away from the Crusadermobile, knocking the vehicle into the air and tossing the three heroes out of it. The three crusaders landed just a few feet from the gates of their fortress.

"Quick, everypony inside!" Knightmare yelled as the torrent continued. The three heroes dashed inside the mighty iron castle and bared the twenty foot high doors just as the majority of the enemy fire caught up with them, then leaned up against it to brace it from further enemy attacks.

"That was way too close!" White Mage panted.

"We can't jus' stay in here ferever! We still gotta save th' day!" Knightmare reminded them.

Tangerine shook her head. "I don't see how! They got us surrounded!"

"The door's coming down! We gotta go now!" White Mage shouted as the metal door began to buckle.

"We'll climb to th' top of the castle! "Knightmare braced herself to gallop. "We c'n make our last stand up thay're!" With a loud creak, the door bent inward. "Go! Go! Go!"

The Mighty Courageous Crusaders galloped up the winding staircase in the center of their castle, making their way up the spiraling walkway until they'd reached the top of the castle's tallest spire. Pandragons and griffins filled the air around the entire castle, darkening the skies.

Below, rams with- well, rams, began to batter the doors and walls until they began to crumble. The three warriors could hear thundering hoofsteps from below, no doubt ram soldiers galloping up the steps toward them. The Leviathan Dreadnought blasted off the roof of the spire, exposing the three to the harsh flood lights of the ship above.

"YOU ARE CORNERED, CRUSADERS! WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! NOW YOU WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF MY MIGHTY GRIFFIN CANNON!"

A large magical gun deployed from underneath the dreadnought. From it, an energy ball began to build, slowly charging up its power. The magic gun slowly rotated until it was aimed right at the three huddled heroes.

"ANY LAST WORDS?"

"Yeah! Your just an ugly beak face!" Tangerine yelled.

"Yeah!" The other two crusaders added.

"WELL THEN, TIME FOR THIS UGLY BEAK FACE TO SEND YOU TO YOUR DOOM!" Inside the ship, the griffin king flipped up the safety cover over a large red button. "SO LONG CRUSADERS!"

Knightmare bear-hugged her comrades. "Looks like this is th' end girls! It was fun fightin' with ya and stuff!"

White Mage wiped a tear out one of her eyes. "Yeah, it was a really nice."

"I'm not gonna cry!" Tangerine began to cry. "I'm- I'm tough! Like Rainbow Dash!"

King Griffin cackled madly. "READY! AIM! FIR-"

There was a massive explosion.

Tiny bits and pieces of the griffin cannon fell to Earth, making light metal chinking sounds as the chunks landed on the castle roof.

"WHAT!? WHAT HAPPENED!" The king screamed in rage.

A flying wooden pirate ship, complete with billowing white sails, positioned itself between the Leviathan and the Castle.

"Ahoy there! Mateys! Do ye be needin' assistance!?" A swarthy voice called out from the ship behind a smoking cannon.

Knightmare squinted her eyes. "Wait. Pipsqueak? Is that you?"

A small white and brown colt tipped his three cornered hat. "Argh! That be Captain Pipsqueak ta you! But ye be correct! It be me, Pipsqueak the Pirate, and me loyal first mate Brando The Brave, here ta save the day!"

"Brandon!?" The three crusaders questioned in unison.

"Yeah. Hi there, uh, guys," The human kid responded. "Can we play too?"

The crusaders nodded vigorously.

Captain Pipsqueak tossed down a rope latter. "Well then! Are ya comin' up 'er not!?

Knightmare hoped up to the ladder. "We're a comin'! C'mon girls! Let's go!"

Fire-bolts whizzed past the three heroes as they climbed up the rope ladder. Rams burst forth from the bowels of the castle and began to climb the rope after them.

"Hurry landlubbers!" The pirate captain yelled down.

Captain Pipsqueak and First Mate Brando pulled the fillies to safety. Pipsqueak drew his sword and cut the ladder just as the rams had almost reached the deck. The ladder and the climbing rams fell back down into a pile on the castle roof, heads spinning, and seeing stars.

"Welcome aboard! Crusaders! We be joinin' you in yer quest!" Captain Pipsqueak held his sword high. "This be the mighty vessel The Equano! Get to the cannons so we can sink that scurvy dog!"

"Hey, how come you get to give orders now?" Tangerine questioned.

Pipsqueak flipped up his eye patch. "Cause it be my ship! Now get to the cannons!"

"CURSE YOU CRUSADERS! YOU MAY HAVE ALIGNED YOURSELF WITH MY ARCH NEMESIS, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHALL WIN THIS DAY! DO YOUR WORST!" King Griffin ordered.

The pirate ship Equano and the Leviathan Dreadnought took possitions perfectly broadside to each other.

Pipsqueak ducked as a flare-spear hurled past his head. "Argh! First Mate Brando! We be needin' more deckhooves! Summon me pirate crew!"

"Aye, aye, cap'n!" The human boy knocked twice on a floor hatch. "Git up 'ere! The captain needs your help!"

The hatch flew open, and several fillies, colts, and a dragon burst forth.

"We're here for ya captain!" Crewcolt Snips declared.

"Uh, me too!" Crewcolt Snails added.

"Thwe're ready to go kickth some tail!" Crewfilly Twist reported.

Spike saluted. "Ready for duty!"

"Don't expect me to lift anything heavy," Diamond Tiara spoke with a humph.

"Yeah! What she said!" Yesmare Silver Spoon echoed.

Pipsqueak facehoofed. "Arr, guess this will have to do. Brando, you steer the ship. Spike, you keep watch from the crow's nest. Knightmare, you and Tangerine fight any borders. White Mage, you fire yer horn laser at anypony that gets to close to me ship! Crewcolt Snips! Crewcolt Snails! Both of ya's get on a turret! Twist, you go below decks and get us some candy and root beer. The hard stuff. Keeps the crew at a hundred percent! Tiara, you-"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gave the captain a most mean glare.

Pipsqueak rolled his eyes and sighed. "Arr. You two just stand there and look pretty. But if we sink, ye scallywags can't complain!"

Diamond Tiara turned her head to the side and smiled smugly.

"Pirates, attack!" Captain Pipsqueak commanded.

"Crusaders GO!" Knightmare ordered.

The two flying vessels began to trade fire, each scoring and taking hits. Several daring griffin boarders tried to leap to the ship, but were held at bay by White Mage's awesome power. Snips and Snails let loose with the cannons. Sending several cannonballs into the Dreadnought's hull, but the enemy ship refused to yield.

"She's too strong captain!" Snips reported. "We need more firepower!"

Up in the crow's nest, Spike put a spotting scope to his eye. "Captain, she's coming around for another pass!" the dragon called down as several heavy fire-bolts raced past the pole supporting the crow's next, carving it into a totem pole. "The ship can't take too much more of this!" Spike reminded them all.

Pipsqueak put on a fake black captain's beard and began to run his hoof through it in thought. "Did Twist come back with the goods yet?"

"Righth th'ere cathtain!" Twist responded. "Six'th of my sigthnature Twisty Candy canes, an importhed box of Pinkie Pie's strongest cupth cakes, and a whole case of Mr. Fizzy sthodas!"

"Excellent!" Captain Pipsqueak twirled his fake beard.

Above, Spike's eyes went wide."You're not thinking of doing what I think you're doing, right?"

Pipsqueak tossed his beard away and nodded. "It be the only way, me good dragon. The only way. Keep an eye on them while we get this idea of mine ready." Up in the crow's nest, the dragon lookout saluted and put the spotting scope back up to his eye.

Crewcolt Snails pushed over a cannonball, which Crewcolt Snails then split apart with his head. Crewfilly Twist ground up a few of her candy canes and poured the resulting powder into the hollow cannonball. Tangerine Terminator poured the Mr. Fizzy soda into the mix, then Knightmare shoved in one of the Pinkie brand cupcakes and quickly held the cannonball shut. White Mage wielded the ball back together with her horn laser. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon simply watched, and looked very pretty doing so.

"They're getting closer!" Spike called out from the crow's nest. "Hurry up!"

"Almost done!" Pipsqueak responded.

The cannonball cooled, and Snips, Snails, and Pipsqueak rolled it together toward the side of the deck. Snips lifted the ball with his back, then Snails pushed the special cannonball into a cannon. Snails then dashed up to the rear of the cannon and lined up the cross-hairs with the enemy ship.

"Turn the ship to the right! Snips needs a better shot!" Captain Pipsqueak called out to First Mate Brando.

"Aye, aye! Turnin' to the right!" The human boy tossed the helmswheel to the right, violently tilting the pirate ship in the desired direction. Once the ship had turned far enough to the right, he centered the wheel, righting the ship.

Pipsqueak craned his head upward. "Lookout Spike! Is the range good?"

"Perfect, captain!" Spike answered from on top of his totem pole nest.

The pirate captain nodded. "Crewcolt Snips! Fire!"

Snips lit the fuse and he, Snails, and everypony else plugged their ears.

BOOM! In a blast of smoke and fire, the cannon fired its specially made projectile. The cannonball arced toward the Leviathan Dreadnought, and struck it amidships, dead center, leaving a small hole. The ship continued to sail toward them, unhampered by the special weapon.

Brando scratched his head. "Wait, what was that supposed to d-"

The Leviathan Dreadnought airship suddenly exploded in a shower of fire, icing, and carbonation.

"Whoa!" The first mate spoke in awe.

"We never doubt the power of Pink one's cooking and a little Mr. Fizzy," Pipsqueak spoke to his first mate. "The day is ours!"

The crew began to cheer in victory as the leviathan sank. Just as they were about to give the last "hip" in their hip, hip, hooray, a talon grabbed onto the pirate ship's railing.

"You- You think you have won? I- I am King Griffin! I can't be defeated!" The king pulled himself onto the deck and drew a sword. "Come, heroes! Test your skills!"

"Hiyah!" Pipsqueak charged toward the unwanted guest with his pirate sword drawn. The two began to duel, parrying each other's attacks, jumping to avoid hoof sweeps, and ducking to dodge overhead swings. Though he bravely held off the king's attacks, it became clear to the pirate captain that he could not hold off the invader alone.

"Oi, mateys! Yer captain be needin' some help!" Pipsqueak squeaked as the king's blade passed right over his head.

"Hold on, Captain! Ah got a plan! Crusaders! Let's git rid of this anoyin' king guy!" Knightmare called out to her friends.

White Mage levitated a large mooring rope. "Ready, Tangerine?" She called out to the orange pegasus.

The Tangerine Terminator ignited the last of her rockets, and leapt into the air. "Ready!"

White Mage tossed the rope up to the hovering orange pegasus. Pipsqueak dived away just as the Tangerine Terminator began to rapidly circle around the griffin, tying him up in the rope like a neat little birthday present. As the confused and now quite startled griffin began to waddle about the deck, Knightmare reared up on her forelegs and delivered the mother of all bucks, one that could shatter bones, sending the bound griffin king tumbling overboard.

"CURSE YOU PIRATE CRUSADEEEEEEEEEEEEERS!!!" The king yelled as he plummeted toward the ground. The crusaders didn't look, but a faint thud was heard a few seconds later.

"We did it! The three crusaders slapped their hooves together in the air. "Cutie Mark Crusaders Pirate Heroes Yay!"

The sun suddenly dimmed. No, wait, it was the lights of the Georgia dome that suddenly dimmed.

The three crusaders found themselves standing on a large pirate ship parade float. Pipsqueak and Spike were standing at the top of the float's high scaffolding. Snips, Snails, Twist, Brando, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon found themselves looking over the side of the float's railing, looking down at the battered remains of the makeshift clubhouse the crusaders constructed earlier.

Big Macintosh trotted over to the group. "You kids have fun doin' whatever it was you was doin'?"

"Yeah! Ith thwas thweet!" Twist lisped.

"Yeah, but I guess we gotta go now." Snips spoke glumly. "That still was the best adventure ever!"

Big Mac thought a moment. "Well alrighty then. You kids get ready fer bed now, ya hear?"

The school kids went their separate ways back to wherever their families had set up camp.

"Wow, we really got inta that," Applebloom spoke, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck as she unrolled her sleeping bag.

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Yeah. It was pretty fun though, right."

Pipsqueak and Spike hopped down from the top of the float.

"You guys are welcome to join my crew anytime!" Pipsqueak declared as he trotted toward his family.

"I gotta get back to Twilight, she's probably worrying. See you guys later." Spike waved, then headed up toward section A-29.

Brandon Baxton shrugged. "I guess I'll go find my dad. See ya." The kid ran off.

"I miss the super wagon-" Scootaloo fumed. "-but that was pretty awesome! We should totally do that again tomorrow!"

"Ah guess. Why not?" Applebloom shrugged. "Wait a minute!" The three fillies snapped their heads to their own flanks, which depressingly, did not bear any new markings.

"Aw," the three groaned in annoyance.

Applebloom shrugged. "Well ah guess we c'n do it again tomorrow anyways."

"I just hope it doesn't get as bad as it did this time. We were in trouble there for a while!" Sweetie Belle reminded them.

Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin. "Hmm... Next time... I call leader! No takebacks!" She proclaimed.

"Dang it! Oh ah guess," Knigh- Applebloom sighed as she pulled the sleeping bag over her body. "Just one thang though, Scootaloo,"

"Yeah, Applebloom?"

"Ah call the rockets."

Chapter Twenty-Six: Hanging Out

A/N

Yeah, I lied. The "Black Sun, Red Moon" chapter isn't this one. I didn't hold out on you guys, though. No worries. Also, I suggest you read the first part even if you read the sneak preview, as there are a few changes. That is all. Enjoy! Oh, and expect the next chapter to come out very soon!

Chapter Twenty-Six: Hanging Out

The early morning sun hung over the Atlanta suburbs.

It had been quite a while since Lenard Greene had seen the familiar sights of his home town. It had been even longer since he'd seen actually been home. Behind the wheel of his very own car, a small dark-blue coupe he absolutely adored, Captain Greene could finally unwind weeks' worth of stress and troubles, and reflect on the bizarre happenings that not too many could claim to have seen.

"Dragons, flying ships, portals to another dimension or something-"

The car began to drift off of the road as Lenard became lost in his thoughts. "Whoa!" He sawed away at the steering wheel, swerving the car back onto the pavement. In the back, he could hear various objects rolling around in the trunk.

*Sigh.* "Really gotta start paying attention," he thought to himself as he pulled up to an average sized white and blue trimmed house on the outskirts of Buckhead, a well-to-do neighborhood in the Atlanta suburbs.

"Home at last," Lenard thought aloud.

He pulled into the driveway and instinctively reached for a garage door opener on the driver-side visor. He stopped just as he was about to press one of the buttons.

"Oh, right," he muttered to himself.

The house had space for three cars, but his father had insisted on keeping his prized boat in the third one, rather than his own son's car.

"Parking on the driveway, now that brings back plenty of memories," the pilot mused.

He locked the car and was about to walk toward the front door, when he started to hear a strange methodical knocking sound. In curiosity, he began to walk around the yard, searching for the source of the repeated tapping. He walked toward the house, and the noise grew softer. He backed up down the driveway, and the sound grew louder. Eventually, Greene began to home in on the sound, which appeared to be coming from, of all places, his car. Praying that his car hadn't developed some kind of critical fault that made it knock even when it wasn't running, Lenard unlocked the car and popped open the hood.

The knocking stopped.

"Well, I don't think it's coming from here..."

He closed the hood, and the knocking started back up again.

"Gah! What is that?!" The sound appeared to be coming not from the hood, but from the opposite side of the car.

Lenard walked around to the back of the vehicle just in time to hear something move around inside. Curiosity piqued, and trigger finger ready, Lenard opened the trunk.

Staring back at him was a familiar green stallion with a neck tie and a bizarrely spiked mane that didn't match his profession at all.

"Lime Tree?! Lime Tree Hill?! Wh- Wh- What are you doing in the back of my car?!"

"Calm down, captain! This was not solely my doing!" Lime Tree answered

"Are you telling me someone forced you to get into my trunk?!"

"No, but I overheard some of the hoodlums at the camp say that they would be willing to put down a week's bits if somepony could get me or any other of the other officials to sneak out of the facility, and I wanted to see a little bit more of your world than just your sporting arenas."

"Are you nuts?! You could be fired for this! Or worse! You better be glad my trunk isn't airtight, or you'd be in even more trouble! I mean, I'd expect this from Dash, or maybe Pinks, or Spike, but you?! Didn't your princess tell you all not to leave the dome?!"

"How should I know? I was helping Mayor Mare set up a temporary office when that message was shown."

"What?! You were literally standing right next to me!"

"So I was! Fact is, I had Pinkie Pie enter the wager and bet that I would go. We'll split the winning bits when I get back. I'll even throw in a few for you if you keep quiet about this whole thing."

"Though that is extremely clever, I could get court martialed over this! That means prison! Or being shipped off to some remote outpost in Alaska or something! By the way, when did you become so conniving?!"

Lime Tree shrugged. "Desperate times... Besides, I've been to places a lot scarier than your front yard."

Lenard gave the green stallion a cold glare.

"Not what I meant," Lime corrected.

Lenard rolled his eyes. "Either way, you just made a huge mess for me and you! I'm not sure if I should hide you, or introduce you to my folks!"

Suddenly, one of the windows on the nearby house opened up, and a pleasant looking, fifty-something year old, darker skinned woman with black braided locks stuck her head out of it. "Oh Lenny, you're back! I want to hear all about your trip!"

"You know, it wasn't exactly a vacation, mom-" Lenard began.

She uttered a goofy motherly laugh. "Your father and I have been positively stuck to the TV!"

"Yep," a forty-something and much lighter skinned human male emerged from the same window. "It was all over the news, the net, and every piece of paper around, Lenno! I'm surprised there isn't a crowd of people surrounding you right now!"

Lenard and Lime Tree instinctively swung their heads, looking for any hidden media crews.

"I know you've got some neato stories to talk about over dinner," the woman continued, "so wash your hands and come on in! Oh, and invite that little green horsey fellow too!"

The window shut just as suddenly as it had been opened, leaving Lenard and Lime Tree to stare at the closed pane of glass in bewilderment.

Lime Tree turned to the human pilot.

"Well, does that answer your question?"

*****************

The midday sun shown over the Georgia Dome.

Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's ever curious student, made her way down the many flights of stairs between the facility's event seating, and the garages underneath. Along the way, she passed several humans and ponies talking, working, or otherwise going about their duties.

She looked to the left and noticed the crusaders and their friends playing in their new, but questionably sound clubhouse.

She looked over the right and saw Ditzy Doo merrily trotting along with a brown paper bag in her mouth which had the words "Einstein Bros Bakery" on the label.

Ahead, she noticed Bonbon, Jake, and his son Brandon desperately trying to get Lyra to try an anti-snore nasal strip, after which Twilight jokingly rolled her eyes at the resulting goofiness.

The purple unicorn continued on, paying no mind to the various conversations and discussions around her until idle chatter between a technician and a construction foreman caught her attention.

"Hey man, I heard that big ring thing sparked back to life for a couple 'a seconds, even without that other one in fairytale land. Ya know, the big portal thingy?" The technician spoke.

The construction foreman bit into a sandwich, then began talking without fully chewing it. "Mmm-mmm," *Gulp* "I heard that too. One of mah buddies on da base over d'ere said it jus' came back on! He said that they got all kinds o' strange signals and stuff. He said it was da weirdest data he'd ever seen. Even weirder than that "magical" stuff they been studyin'. You got any idea what they was talkin' about?"

The technician shrugged. "I don't know, man. I heard it was in and out in like- four seconds. They don't know why it did it. They thought the portal got completely busted when all these little horse guys came through."

The foreman bit back into his sandwich. "Guess not."

Twilight stopped. "I wonder what that's all about. Maybe Celestia knows. Good thing I was already on my way to speak to her now- That'll keep my time spending as efficient as possible."

The young mare sauntered down another flight of stairs, leading into a large garage under the stadium's seating level. She felt around for a light switch on the wall, then flipped it on. Light filled the large room, revealing a large shipping container in the center of it. She made her way toward the crate, passing by what looked like one of the metal carriages humans seemed to like to ride around in, only this one had tires that were at least twice- maybe three times her height. She paused a moment to ponder what a vehicle like that would be used for, then shrugged and trotted up to the shipping container.

Taking a moment to remember the combination Jake Baxton showed her earlier, Twilight opened the large steel doors of The Crate. She entered the dark chamber and locked the door behind her. She searched for a cleverly disguised switch which had been hidden away in one of the walls. She pressed it, and that same eerie voice responded by saying,

"Welcome."

Twilight put a hoof to a small pane of glass, which glowed for a second, then retracted.

Several screens emerged from the walls of the shipping container. On the large main one, words began to appear:

[User "Twilight Sparkle" verified. Full feature access granted.]

"Uh, thanks?" Twilight answered aloud.

A backlit keyboard emerged along with several instruments and equipment. Twilight noted that the keys were laid out identically to the style of a type writer back home, and the controls suited hooves and hands just fine.

"Please select an option or subject," the computer spoke.

A menu now filled the largest screen:

_____________________________

[Internet Browser]

[Communications Array]

[Sensor System]

[Coordination Charts]

[Weather Mapping]

[AEE Team Factoid Database]

[Multimedia Mainframe]

______________________________

The first option was highlighted, so the purple mare pressed the down key and selected "Communications Array."

"Please Select a contact, or enter a valid set of contact coordinates," the synthesized voice requested.

Twilight selected the first option on a list of contacts, which read: [Celestia at- {warning, location withheld.}]

The main screen darkened, and a rotating rendering of an anomaly with three letters superimposed over it, the AEE Team emblem, suddenly appeared.

________________

A technician noticed a blinking icon on a COMMS display.

"Ms. Celestia, there's a communique coming in for you on channel fourteen. Looks like it's from The Crate. I can accept it for you."

Celestia turned away from a nearby table. "Twilight. I regret I don't have the time to speak with her at the moment. Can you inform her that I can't talk right now?"

"I can do that," the technician answered. "I'll send a generic "call back" notice."

Celestia nodded. "Very well."

________________

The symbol on the screen continued to rotate until more words appeared on the screen, accompanied by the computer's voice.

["We're sorry. The person(s) you are trying to reach is/are offline or busy at the moment. You may attempt to contact them again now, or try again later."]

Twilight shrugged. "Busy. I guess that's understandable. She probably won't be available until tomorrow for that story. Well, there's still plenty to look at here. I've been waiting to try that "Internet" thing they mentioned earlier, but how could they fit all of their knowledge in such a small machine? If it's true, I could easily find out..."

Curiosity getting the best of her, Twilight backed out of the communications page and back onto the main menu. With a- ahem, sparkle in her eyes, she selected "Internet browser."

"Why not? I haven't pulled a good all-nighter in a while..."

**********************

Lime Tree Hill cautiously trotted into the first human house he'd ever been to. Contrary to what he'd believed, the walls were not lined with circuits and blinking lights, the floors weren't multidirectional conveyor belts, and the house had plenty of natural light, rather than cold, industrial florescent ones.

"Though to be honest, I'm not really sure why I assumed that anyway," Lime thought. "So you live here?"

"Yep. I joined up with the Air Force right out of school, and since Dobbins is less than a forty minute drive away, I never bothered to get an apartment. Welcome to the place I like to call home between deployments," Lenard chirped. "Su casa es mi casa. Well, at least until the cops come..."

"Thanks," Lime nodded. "Wait, "Su casa es mi casa?" That's a common expression in another language where I'm from, but here? How is that possible?"

Lenard shrugged. "Well, if English and- Equiish, wasn't it? If the languages we speak are identical, why not all the other ones?"

"Wait. So the fact that two different species on two different planets with two differing cultures and societies could somehow create the same languages doesn't bother you at all?"

"Now that you put it that way, it does seem a little odd-"

"A little odd?!"

"Well-"

"It either defies the laws of probability or rewrites our histories! OR BOTH! That's pretty big!" Lime Tree spun his hooves in the air for emphasis.

"Yeah, I'll leave that to Stuart, Harrison, or little miss purple genius to figure that out. Can't ponder the intricate inner workings of the universe on an empty stomach. I'm going up to eat. You might as well come with me and get that really awkward first contact moment ahead out of the way. I guess you should- uh- wash your hooves?"

"If you say so. Though after I met your mother for the first time, I'm still impartial to going back into the trunk..."

"A regular comedian are ya?" Lenard jokingly punched the oh-so-funny stallion in the shoulder. "For your own good, don't send that resignation letter to Mayor Mare just yet."

"Luuuunnnnnnch!" a female voice cried from above.

"Come and get it," Lenard mumbled.

The pilot and the mayor's assistant climbed up the stairs toward the dining room.

At the table, five plates had been lovingly set with the best set of silverware Lenard's mother could find. A large pot of some kind of soup had been placed in the center.

Lenard looked up from the table. "So mom, what exactly are we having for dinner?"

"Vegetable soup, as not to offend our guest, and the best hay your father could have delivered."

Lime Tree thought a moment on what she meant by "As not to offend our guest," then decided to let it go.

Lenard's face twisted in sudden confusion. "Wait, but- You couldn't have already had this ready! How could you have possibly known?!"

Lenard's father turned on a nearby TV.

...."-and amazingly, the expeditionary forces were able to bring nearly eighty-thousand "Equestrian" refugees and soldiers back with them. The nature of the emergency that forced them back is currently unknown, but the various members of Earth's new guests are settling in at various venues in downtown. The president is planning on addressing the recent events in a broadcast later this afternoon-"...

Lenard's father turned the TV back off. "In other words, your mother assumed that she would run into one of your kind soon, and began to plan ahead. And now I owe someone twenty bucks," He mumbled to himself. "Oh look, she's coming to collect now."

A twenty-something year old girl rushed down the stairs. "Len-Len, you finally came back!" The young woman rushed the poor pilot and hugged him ferociously. She then swiped a twenty dollar bill from her father's hand.

"Jana," Lenard rolled his eyes. "I'd rather you not use embarrassing nicknames when we have company from other planets, or this planet either, to be honest."

Lime Tree held a hoof over his mouth to keep from laughing. Though he held back the guffaw, a snicker managed to escape the assistant's mouth.

Lenard sighed. "I guess I should introduce you all. Lime Tree, meet Joseph Greene, my father-"

"You can just call me Joe," he interrupted.

"Lillandra Greene, my mother-"

"You can just call me- Lilly." she interrupted.

"And Jana, my twin sist-" Lenard noticed that Jana was about to speak. "No! You can't abbreviate it!"

Jana's face fell. "I'll figure one out eventually..." She mumbled under her breath.

"Everyone," Lenard continued, "this is Lime Tree Hill, mayor's assistant- ahem- Vice Mayor of the city of Ponyville."

Lime Tree bowed elegantly. "And let me say that I am honored to meet you all. This is quite fascinating for all of us I imagine."

"Yeah, sure is," Joe answered. "I got a ton of questions for ya, pony man, like first off, how are you going to hold that fork?"

"I'd be glad to answer that question, and any others you might have..." Lime Tree spoke, "-after lunch of course. I'm famished."

Joe and Lilly chuckled.

Jana looked over the meal that had been prepared. "Uh, mom, we're not actually going to eat hay, are we?"

"No," Lilly answered. "That's for our guest to mix into his soup. Besides, we can't properly digest hay, dear."

Lenard Greene suddenly looked very... green. "Uh, I'll be right back." The pilot made a mad dash for the nearest bathroom, leaving the rest of the family in confusion.

***************

Steven Mace and Mike Kaiser walked into The Contrail and took seats at the bar.

"Rations are nice and all, but man it's good to be home!" Kaiser commented as the bartender walked over to him. "Two Yellow Mike's Terry, oh, you want something Mace?"

"Something strong, Terry. I got a lot on my mind," Mace answered.

The bartender nodded. "Hey, don't worry about it. You're my most regular customer. I'll see what I can do." The bartender turned around and started to rummage under the bar.

"You're right though," Mace answered Kaiser. "It is definitely good to be home. But I guess with the dome filled with ponies, we won't be watching the game here."

Kaiser shrugged. "Yeah, I'm sure they'll find someplace for all of them to go eventually. Hopefully someplace that doesn't cut into the season! I was looking forward to this one!"

"Hey, at least we're all safe for the time being. Football can wait," Mace answered.

"Yeah, I guess we can watch the Falcons crush Tampa Bay some other time," Kaiser chuckled.

Mace nodded. "I guess. Just don't let Lieutenant Reed hear you say that."

"Hear you say what?" Gerri pulled up a bar stool.

"Uh, nothing?" Kaiser looked around for the nearest distraction. "Hey Mace, isn't that your Ex-girlfriend? Salvo wasn't it?"

All three heads turned toward a female Army Ranger, the first of her kind, sitting alone not too far down the bar.

"Her name's Christina Jensen. She's a specialist. Salvo is the name of the squad she's in," Steven corrected. "She kinda shook things up when the Army allowed her into the Rangers, and we met on her first mission during a joint operation between the Army and the Marines."

"So when's the last time you talked to her?" Gerri questioned.

Mace sung in his seat. "A year and a half ago. She doesn't want to talk to me now."

Gerri gave him a disapproving teacher-like frown. "Oh please. Mike told me, They only broke up because they got assignments on the opposite sides of the planet, and that they knew they wouldn't see each other for a very long time."

Mace shot Kaiser a look of pure malice. "Affirmative," he mumbled. "Little rat."

Gerri rolled her eyes. "So go talk to her! You aren't on the opposite sides of the Earth right now. She's only like-" Gerri counted. -"thirty feet away!"

The bartender returned with a mysterious dark brown liquid, of which Mace took a long swig of before standing up. "You're right. Can't hide in the corner forever." The exceptionally tall marine walked over to the other side of the bar.

Mike turned to Gerri. "Well, that was nice. I was going to tell him to cut and run, but manning up and talking to her works too."

Gerri shook her head. "You're an idiot sometimes, you know that?"

"You wouldn't be the first to say that." Kaiser stood and struck a dramatic pose. "And with Terry the bartender as my witness, may you not be the last!"

"You have nothing to worry about there. By the way, have you seen the cap? He's like the only member of our old crew that isn't here."

"Nah, he was beat when I saw him last. Probably went home and crashed, though I could have sworn I saw something trying to climb into the back of his car. Probably just my lack of sleep catching up with me."

"With you? Who knows," Gerri shrugged.

Suddenly, the patrons of the bar started to murmur amongst themselves louder than normal. Gerri and Mike turned on their bar stools. The source of the commotion was revealed to be Sergeant Sky Blade, Corporal Star Sabre, and Private Crescent Skies, who simply stood at the door.

Kaiser leaned toward Reed. "Hey Gerri, a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony walk into a bar-"

"Shut up Mike."

The three stallions trotted over to the two pilots, taking notice of the marine excitedly conversing with the army ranger nearby.

"Hey guys!" Kaiser fist bumped Sabre. "I didn't know you were cleared to leave the base."

"Just military personnel right now," Sky Blade explained. "I guess they want to see how things will go."

"More like they want to see if we'll get into trouble," Star Sabre muttered.

Kaiser smirked. "You won't have a problem here, dude. At The Contrail, we're all bros."

"Good to hear, Lieutenant sir!" Crescent Skies yelled.

"You can just call me Mike here, Cresto."

Crescent saluted. "Yes sir, Lieutenant Mike!"

Gerri laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you guys are always welcome here."

"Well in that case, I'm opening up a tab!" Sabre declared.

Sky Blade chuckled. "You know what? I think we've all earned a good break."

Sabre began to reach into his bags. "Hey, since my bits converted into a lot of your money, drinks are on me everyone!"

The other patrons in the hall cheered. Star Sabre slapped a roll of hundred-dollar bills on the table.

Kaiser eyebrows hiked up. "You weren't kidding! You've got baller status now, man! We gotta go out on the town with money like that!"

"I know, right?" Sabre snickered. "Suckers must have actually thought it was gold!"

Sky Blade shook his head and smiled. "Let's stick with drinks for now, corporal. We don't want to start a ruckus all over the city. Well, at least not more of a ruckus than it already is."

"Right. Drinks it is!" Sabre cheered.

Kaiser laughed, then turned to see Sergeant Mace and Specialist Jensen unashamedly showing their affection for each other, having clearly dealt with whatever troubles that had been between them.

Mike shook his head and turned back to the rest of the group.

"So, I guess it's a good day for all of us then."

*****************

Lenard Greene sheepishly returned to the dinner table.

"Note to self. Hay is not for humans," Lenard mumbled.

"Heck, I could have told you that, son," Joe sneered. "Next time you go to another planet, don't eat the food without thinking first."

Lenard nearly sunk below the table in embarrassment. "I'll try to remember that, dad."

Lenard's mother Lilly set a bowl of vegetable soup in front of her son. "Oh, stop it. He's been through enough over the last few weeks. So, Mr. Hill, tell us about yourself. Where do you come from? What's your favorite hobby? How do you open doors with hooves? Tell us everything!"

"Mom, you're bombarding him," Lenard warned.

"It's no problem at all." Lime Tree nodded. "It'll be my pleasure to regale you with stories from my life."

"Let's see. I guess I should start out by telling you that I'm an orphan. I guess "Lenno" here already knew that. My first memories are very cloudy, but I can recall some of them...

********************

"I remember it was cold, so very cold..."

A little green colt, less than a year old, trotted along a frozen path in unfamiliar territory. His walk spoke of inexperience, and his unruly mane spoke of a lack of a caretaker. He was completely alone.

It was still early in the morning, and the sun was just peeking above the horizon. In the darkness, the little colt stumbled over a small stone in the path, then collapsed in exhaustion next to a large tree. Refusing to stay down, the diminutive pony rolled over on the frozen dirt and stared at the tree above. Despite the winter that had long since taken hold, the tree's branches were full of ripe green fruit.

"I remember being very hungry... The worst kind of hunger; as if I hadn't eaten in years..."

The little colt eyed the dangling fruit carefully. Summoning his last reserves of strength, the little pony planted his hooves and leaped for it. His left hoof came within inches of the delicious fruit, but just couldn't reach it. Undeterred, the colt hopped once more, this time barely touching the lowest hanging fruit.

The little colt grinned. Determined to claim his prize, he prepared to leap one last time. As he pushed off of the ground, a pain in one of his legs ended the jump prematurely, leaving the colt to tearfully languish away under the now unattainable fruit. There was no way he could reach it now.

Surely, he would starve.

_______________

A young mare trotted down a path toward a small town in the distance.

"I wish I could remember more about her. What she looked like. Her voice... But I do remember the warmth. Whoever she was, she must have been a kind soul..."

The mare stopped to take in the scenery. "It's been a long time since I've seen anything other than stuffy old Canterlot. I hope they didn't forget me back home." The young mare stopped and put a hoof to her chin. "I know it's been a while, but they would have missed me, right?"

The ghostly sound of a distant crying child shook the young mare from her thoughts.

"I didn't know anypony else was around," she thought to herself. She looked the area with a quick glance, and noticed that she was indeed alone.

"I'm not hearing things, am I?"

She began to frantically search for the sound, finding nothing until she turned toward a large hill. As she moved closer to it, the crying became louder and louder. Now very concerned, the young mare broke into a full gallop toward the top of the hill. The weeping seemed to be coming from beneath a small tree. She slowed as she approached the tree, as not to spook the small creature taking shelter underneath it. It was a very tiny pony, a colt, cradling one of his legs.

The mare gasped. "Who are you, little one? Wait! Are you hurt?! Where are your parents?!"

The colt knew no words, and could only answer with a sniffle.

"You- You're not even old enough to talk! Surely you couldn't have survived out her all by your lonesome! You must have somepony to care for you!"

The colt simply stared at her.

The young mare snatched up the child in her arms and wrapped her red scarf around the freezing child. After she'd made sure the he was warm, she scanned the horizon for any sign of the child's family. After several minutes of searching, it became clear that the two were alone.

"I guess I'll take you into town. Somepony there has to know who you are!" She turned to the colt, who had now fallen comfortably asleep in her arms. She ran a hoof threw his unkempt mane, which spiked right back up after her hoof passed through it. "How could you be out here alone? Who could have left you here?"

Not expecting an answer, she put the sleeping colt on her back and began to trot toward the small town in the distance-

"-the city of Marence."

*****************

The entire Greene family had their eyes fixed on the green stallion.

"Wow. Did you ever find out who she was?" Jana wondered aloud.

Lime Tree shook his head. "No, but that wasn't the last time I saw her."

****************

A young colt starred at the floor of his room at the Marence Youth Home.

"That room. Too much of my early life was spent there..."

A noise at the door made him look up. A young mare stepped into the room. "I just wanted to check up on you. You've been here a week, and they haven't found any evidence that you even have a family."

The colt cocked his head to one side and starred at her.

"It's funny. I keep expecting you to answer me even though I know you can't talk." The little colt giggled as the mare poked him in the belly. "You really don't have a clue what's going on, do you?"

The colt almost seemed to have a serious looks about his face. The young mare scooped him off of the bed. "I just wish there was more I could do for you," she spoke with a tear in her eye. "I can't be your mommy, but we will find somepony who can."

The colt stared right into her eyes.

"Mommy?"

The young mare froze. "No, no, I'm not your mommy. We're trying to find her. I can't believe your first word was-"

The young pony lifted a tiny hoof and placed it on the young mare's face.

"Mommy," he spoke definitively.

"No, I'm not your-"

The little colt reached out to her again, and the mare silently stared into his eyes.

A passing staff member couldn't help but smile at the touching sight. She left and came back with a camera, then snapped a quick picture of the beautiful moment.

The young mare didn't even notice the flash, as she was too caught up in the young colt's eyes.

"You know, you could adopt him and be that mother he needs," the staff mare quietly spoke.

The young mare wiped her eyes. "You know I can't. After I lost my job in Canterlot, I can barely afford to take care of myself. He deserves better than that. He deserves somepony better than that."

"Don't you see how he looks at you? He doesn't care about jobs or money. All he wants is somepony that can give him the motherly love he needs."

The young mare put the child back onto his bed, "Well then I hope somepony can do that."

"Why not you? Your family could easily support y-" the staff mare questioned.

"Merry, you know I can't. I just can't."

"But maybe-"

"I said I can't, Merry!!" the young mare shouted. The staff mare lowered her head.

"Look. I'm sorry. But I- I couldn't- Please, just find him the home he deserves. I-"

"Mommy?" the child spoke.

The young mare turned to the little colt. "I'm sorry."

The mare galloped out of the room at full stride and didn't look back until she was well out of town. After she was sure nopony else could see or hear her, she broke down into tears.

"I'm so sorry."

***************

Every single person at the Greene's dinner table was fighting back tears, including the person whose story had put those tears there in the first place.

"That's... deep, Lime," Lenard spoke quietly.

"I never saw her again, but I think I've lived my life the way I think that mare would have wanted me to."

Lilly dried her eyes. "Did you ever try to find her?"

Lime Tree nodded. "Once, back when I got out of the orphanage...."

***************

"I'd reached the age of stallionhood, and the youth home could no longer keep me. So I readied myself for the big bad real world..."

A green coated teenage colt finished folding a red scarf into a small suitcase when a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" The colt questioned.

"It's just me, Merry. I just wanted to talk to you before you left. Can I come in?"

The green colt trotted up and opened the door. "What do you want?" the colt spoke, barely concealing his anger.

"Lime-"

"Don't call me that. That's not my name," the young stallion answered.

"It's the name she gave you seventeen years ago, and it's the name you were raised with. Lime Tree, please don't be angry with me. This is out of my hooves. You've reached that age, now you have to leave! I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do!"

The teenager's face fell. "I know. I just needed somepony to be angry at."

"Lime Tree, is this about-"

The young stallion jumped to his hooves. "Yes! This is about my parents, okay?! I just don't like being put out on the street again!"

"I told you, you were never out on the streets, Lime, and you don't know what happened to your parents, so you can't blame them for this either."

The teenage colt grimaced. "THEN WHO DO I BLAME THEN?!"

Merry didn't answer.

The distressed young stallion sat back down on his bed. "Merry, you and the others are the only family I've got. I just don't want to leave you all, you know?"

"I understand. You can always come back and visit us, maybe someday with a family of your own. This isn't the end for you, Lime Tree. This is your beginning."

The colt crossed his forelegs and sighed. "The beginning of what?"

"You go out there and find out. For all of us."

"Merry?"

"Yes?"

"Now that I'm leaving, can you tell me who she was?"

"You know I can't do that, Lime."

"Why not?! What was she so scared of?! I just want to talk to the mare that found me as an abandoned child! What's so wrong about that?!"

"Lime, she was involved with some things that she would never want you wrapped into."

"Like what?! Tell me!"

"Have you heard about the recent attacks in Hoofston?"

"A little. What about it?"

"The mare that found you was one of the ponies targeted by those criminals, years ago."

"Was she an important figure?"

"Not specifically, but her family was very influential at the time, and the criminals wanted them gone. She knew that taking you with her or even associating with you, could mean harm for you both as a child, and now."

"I don't get it. Why were the Hoofston attackers so interested in her family?"

"She wouldn't even tell me that, Lime. That's all I know."

"I'm going find out one day, and I'm going to come back and tell you. We both deserve to know the truth."

Merry kissed the young stallion's forehead. "And we'll be waiting for you to tell us."

The colt secured his saddle bags to his back and trotted to the door and opened it. "Goodbye, Merry Days."

Merry bowed her head as he left.

"Farewell, Lime Tree Hill."

*****************

"I left the only home I'd ever known that day, but I didn't stay depressed too long. There was far too much to do to let any feelings of mine take over. I had to find a job, some way to support myself. I wanted to attend some sort of college eventually. Either way, my quest had begun. I'd find her, then I'd make a name for myself..."

Lime Tree Hill trotted along the quiet paths towards a small village nestled in a valley, a large saddlebag strapped firmly to his back. A small sigh was planted just off of the path.

"Next town, three miles." Lime Tree sighed. "Might as well be three-thousand miles. I'm beat." He noticed a small shady apple tree. "Food, and shelter? Now that's more like it!" Lime Tree put down his saddlebags and put his back against the tree. "Now I'll just rest here a few minutes and..."

The young stallion quickly fell asleep.

****************

"I've got way too much work to be doing this right now. Maybe I should just- Hey, sir. Are you awake?"

Lime Tree quickly opened his eyes to find a tan coated mare with a white mane starring down at him. "Oh, I am now." He stood up and yawned. "Hmm. She's got a white mane, but she looks like she's in her thirties... Must have been born with it," Lime Tree thought.

The mare blushed at her own pushiness. "I'm sorry. Forgive my manners. It's hot out here and I'm a bit overworked."

"I recognize you from somewhere. You're Mayor Mare, right? That must mean that town over there is Ponyville."

"Absolutely right. You're an astute one I see. Mayor Mare, nice to meet you Mr..."

"Lime Tree Hill, at your service. Did you need something?"

"That depends. Where exactly were you going when I found you here?"

"Anywhere, I guess. I wasn't going to any specific place."

"Oh, I see." Mayor Mare looked a bit concerned. "Where were you coming from?"

"Marence," Lime Tree answered.

Mayor Mare jumped back in surprise. "Oh dear! That's nearly three-hundred miles away! Tell me you haven't made this entire trip on hoof!"

"Yes ma'am, though it didn't feel anywhere near that long."

"By yourself?"

"All alone, miss."

"Then I have a little odd job you can do for me. You see, I was about to go to Trottingham to take part in a political summit. I would have sent my assistant, but she quit on me after just a little paperwork." She gave a stressful sigh. "I'm actually running late as it is. But I think you could make it much faster than I could."

Lime Tree shrugged. "With respect, what makes you think I know anything about politics?"

"You knew I was the mayor, didn't you? That means you know something."

"Well, there's not really much to do but read at the orpha-"

"Exactly. Besides, you don't actually have to know anything. You just need to take notes and bring them back to me."

Lime brought up a hoof in protest. "Miss, I'd like to, but-"

"Nonsense. You'll do fine," the mayor reassured him."

"Uh, well- alright. I guess I can do that."

"Now, we just need to do something about your look. Can't have you representing me like that. Come now, dear. Let's get you a tie and do something with that wild mane of yours."

"I guess, though I kinda like the way it looks now."

"All spiked out like that?"

"Yeah. Back home they said it gave me character."

"Oh you're a character all right. You know what? You have quite an imposing personality about you. I like that. I'm sure it'll put the other dignitaries on edge. I always hated having to listen to them anyway. Perhaps you'll start a new trend in politics. I like you, so here's a proposition. You do a good job at the summit, and I'll give you my snotty assistant's old job. What do you think of that?"

Lime Tree still had his hoof raised in protest, having been frozen by the mare's barrage of words. He set his hoof back on the ground and thought a moment.

He looked back up.

"We'll see about it."

****************

The Greene family sat around the dinner table, hanging from the green stallion's every word.

"And the rest, as they say, is history. I got some strange looks from the others at the summit, but I did my job. Soon, I got another one. That was about seven years ago. The mayor kept me so busy I forgot about my quest, and never really picked it back up again. Maybe, once this is all over, I'll get back to it."

Greene took the first spoonful of what was now a very cold bowl of soup. "That's a pretty interesting story, Lime. You know, I've got a few of 'em myself. Like the first time I flew a fighter jet in combat over south-east Asia. Heck, all of us back at the base have a story or two from the insurrection. Gerri, Mike, Mace, all of them."

"Why don't you tell one?" Jana asked.

Lenard shrugged. "I guess I could..."

"I'm afraid I won't be here to listen to it, son. I'm bushed. I'm turning in for the night," Joe Greene spoke.

"Me too," Lilly agreed.

"Going to sleep? But it's not even that-" Lenard looked out of a window to find the sky completely dark, save for a few stars. "-late. Wow, midnight already? Guess we should all hit the sack."

"Yeah," Jana added. "Uh, Lenny, your phone is ringing."

Lenard's hand reflexively shot down to his left pocket, and pulled out the device in question.

"Ooh, is that a new one?" Jana asked.

"Yep," Lenard answered. "I gave my other one to Lime here." He held the phone to his face. "Huh, it looks like Twilight learned how to use her phone after all." He pressed the talk button. "Hello?"

..."Hi there!"...

"Wait, Spike?"

..."Yep, it's me! Twilight will be so jealous I figured this thing out first!"...

"Uh, Spike, if you have Twilight's phone, where's Twilight?"

..."Oh, you know her. A study-holic She's holed herself up in that crate thing all day. And I mean all day. I haven't seen her since this morning."...

"And she just left her phone lying around?"

..."Uh huh."...

"Guess she doesn't quite grasp the concept of a mobile phone then. Oh, I'm sorry Spike, did you want something?"

..."Just reminding you to come back here tomorrow. I'm sure Twi would have done it if she'd been here."...

"Alright. Night, little dude."

..."Later."...

Lenard put the phone back in his pocket. "Well, guess it's time to call it a day. Guest room's yours, Lime."

Lime Tree yawned "Thanks, and I agree. You can tell your tales over breakfast tomorrow-" He turned around to face Lenard.

"I have a feeling we have a long day ahead of us."

****************

"Time."

General Locklear was startled awake. "Who- What?"

"The time is coming. The true bringers of the "approaching freedom" are soon to arrive."

"Oh, Veltor. It's only you. Sleep ain't easy here. Can you not talk to yourself out loud?"

"I speak to you, human, and all others of your kind," the old griffin responded

Locklear wiped the sleep from his eyes. "What are you talking about? This another one of your stories?"

"The time for stories is at an end. The Dread Lord approaches. Time is short."

Lock turned his head. "You don't mean-"

"Yes. The creature I have spoken of so many times has returned."

"But in the stories- you said he was dead!"

"Only figuratively."

"What do you mean, figuratively? Is he dead or not?!"

"You will see soon enough. We will all see. Rest now. There will be much for you to do in the morrow."

"In "the morrow," I'm going to be right here in this cell. What exactly am I supposed to be doing?"

Veltor bowed his head. "I was once a very respected member of our society. I still have allies in the inner workings of the alliance. You and your friends here will be seeing them soon."

"Are you saying-"

"Go to sleep, human. A new day will answer your questions."

Locklear sighed.

"Whatever you say, bird brain. I'll just have to wait and see then."

****************

Anomalous Energy Event Team Research and Development Factoid #369: Transanomaly Shuttle Aircraft.

Long before the first transanomaly crossing, we here at the AEE Team R&D department had come up with several designs for aircraft that could safely cross into an anomaly. The first concepts were of amazing new designs, which would be developed for the sole purpose of ferrying a large group of people through an anomaly. However, it was later realized that existing aircraft, such as the Airbus A380, and AC130 could be used for such a task. In the end, the design layout which seemed to work best was the venerable Boeing 747. Unmodified, it would be unpractical, but with months of research and the newer probe data to work with, NASA and the AEE managed to create what we called, "The Transanomaly Shuttle Capsule," or TSC, which is essentially the fuselage of a 747 with NASA-grade solid rocket engines and much smaller wings. Other enhancements included a much more advanced pressurization system, as well enough cargo space to store a small garage's worth of equipment. Because of the aircraft's purpose, which is to enter and land in an environment assumed to have no airports or runways, the TSC was designed to jettison its wings and rockets and land vertically via thrusters and parachutes. This would clearly be a one way flight, meaning that the aircraft is not a true "shuttle."

After only being tested twice, the TSC was chosen as the vehicle in which the bulk of humanity's first forces were sent in an anomaly, in order to rescue Captain Lenard Greene, whose aircraft went down during the first crossing. Having been designed to land more like a lunar lander rather than a normal fixed wing aircraft, the TSC was ideal for the job. A team of more than one hundred and thirty soldiers and scientists was sent in on the craft's maiden and final flight. On arrival, the aircraft was broken up and used to construct the second ACSD array, as intended, ending the aircraft's short career as a success. Both NASA and the AEE R&D sector have both expressed interest in the construction of more of these models.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Running and Hiding

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Running and Hiding

A single F-35 joint strike fighter soared over the jungles of Laos.

..."War Sword Three, Black Castle advising. Bogeys coming into the operational zone, bearing 205, Angels fifteen, ten miles from your position. How do you copy?"...

Lieutenant Greene stared out toward the massive ground battle below. "Three here! I've lost contact with the rest of my squadron and I'm running out of munitions! I'm taking fire! Please advise!"

..."Three, put on the burners and fly due south to escape anti-air. War Sword Two is down. War Sword One and Four's signals were lost three minutes ago. We can't get a fix on them and they won't respond to the com. Still attempting to contact. You need to make your escape while you can."....

"Negative, Black Castle! We can't lose this airspace! I can hold out, but I can't take them all at once! If you send support we can keep up the assault!"

..."Attempting to route additional forces in your direction. Be advised, we have a downed airman in your location."...

"Is it Two?!"

..."No, sorry Lieutenant. He was lost to low frequency SAM attacks. No chute. The downed airman is from Moniker Squadron."...

"Three, copy! What's the ETA for search and rescue for that downed pilot?! I can cover for them, but I can't loiter here forever!"

..."We can have Black Hawks on your location in Two minutes. You need to cover their approach."...

"War Sword Three, copy!"

A green circle appeared on Greene's helmet-mounted display.

"Black Castle, I have a contact on radar! Closing fast! Looks like a single fighter! No escorts? Black Castle! Please advise! Where's the rest of them?!"

..."....a..t...h..lo..."...

"Black Castle?"

..."......"...

"Fantastic. Black Castle, If you can hear me, I'm engaging enemy air elements over Pakse!"

Greene pushed the throttle to just under afterburner thrust and armed his last remaining AIM-120 AMRAAM missile, then waited for the radar to lock.

"Solid lock! Solid lock! Fox Three!" Greene pressed the release button on the flight stick.

Greene watched as the missile rocketed away at supersonic speed and waited for the inevitable explosion in the distance.

"Come on... Come on..."

The missile disappeared from view, along with the enemy fighter on the scopes. The enemy lock alarms rang out in the cockpit, but there was no source or contacts to speak of.

"This is Lieutenant Greene of the United States Air Force on all friendly channels! I'm being engaged and I've lost all contact with allied command! Any American forces in the area, please advise!"

No answer.

Greene began to frantically adjust the radio settings. "Black Castle! I know you're there! Come on! Respond!"

A single black Mig-29 Fulcrum appeared from the jungle canopy directly in front of Greene's fighter, and flew straight toward him.

..."Your armies are dust, and now, so are you."...

"Who are you?! This is an encrypted channel! How did you-"

..."There is nothing you can do to stop this."...

"How'd you get hardware like that?! That's a Russian jet, and I'm pretty sure you're not Russian!"

..."That no longer matters. Nothing does."...

"Then I think I've had just about enough of this conversation then!" Greene unleashed his 25mm cannon at the approaching fighter, which evaded the incoming fire with nearly inhuman speed and agility.

"Who- What are you?!"

..."Who I am does not matter. Your time is over."...

"What are you talking about?!"

..."The time for talk is over."...

Greene looked on in horror as a single missile detached from one of the Fulcrum's wing racks and flew in slow motion straight toward his head. He desperately tugged at the flight stick, but the controls of his own jet fighter remained as frozen as his growing fear. The cockpit went dead, the panels and controls lifeless.

"What?! No! Not like this!"

..."Why fight what you cannot defeat? Rest now, little human."...

The last thing Greene saw was the nose-cone of the missile as it struck the canopy.

Suddenly, there was nothing but a void of black space, and the sensation of falling.

When he opened his eyes, Greene was greeted not by a burning wreck, but by the vaguely familiar setting of his bedroom. Instead of an incoming missile bringing certain death, a model of a Saturn V rocket sat on the table in front of him.

Lenard realized that he was breathing heavily, and clearly had a cold sweat.

"That's definitely a new one," he thought to himself. "Still not as weird as that one with me saving alien horses from a giant flying boat though..."

A green alien horse strolled past his room.

"Morning," Lime Tree mumbled as he trotted by.

"Right. That one was real," Lenard thought to himself. "Got to start remembering to close my door." He looked up. "Morning, uh, Lime. Why are you up so early?"

"It's two in the afternoon," Lime answered. "Do you always wear your flight suit, even at home?"

"Force of habit over the last few weeks. I didn't exactly have a full set of clothes to change into before."

"I forgot. You guys always wear clothes. Probably a good thing I suppose."

"Yeah? Well the day's already half over. What I miss?"

Lime Tree shrugged. "Your president made a most grand speech for the nation and the world and such, I sampled some of your motion pictures, and I discovered just what it is you humans like to eat."

Greene adopted a more serious expression. "Wait. You've seen all of that and you're still here?"

"What do you mean?" Lime Tree copied the look.

"I mean, you're not at all offended by any of that?"

"Should I be? Why do you humans keep treating us like we're all sheltered children?"

"Well I didn't mean to-"

"Some creatures eat meat. It's how things work. We don't, but that doesn't make us any better, or you any worse. It's just how it is. Griffins do, most dragons do, and I'm pretty sure Equestrian pirates do, somehow. Either way, I don't worry about it."

"Oh, well." Lenard pursed his lips in understanding. "Good to clear the air about that then. I guess we all just assume you're all cute, innocent, lovable creatures that make a little squeaking noise when someone squeezes you. You don't have to worry about any of that from me, though. I've seen what you're capable of. Heh, you know that General Rock guy? He definitely doesn't squeak."

"Well, alright then. Good to see someone, gets that." Lime looked down and noticed that Lenard had been sprawled out on the floor during the course of this conversation. "So, rough night?"

"Wasn't a smooth one, that's for sure."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I thought you weren't lovable creatures that share feelings and hugs."

"Doesn't mean we're heartless."

"Look, we're men. Men don't talk about each other's dreams unless it's about- Well, never mind. Bottom line is-" He paused. "It wasn't important."

"Okay... besides, your mother made pancakes, though they're a bit cold now."

Lenard pulled himself off of the floor. "Heh. That's pretty good news. I was actually starting to get used to war rations, and that's always a sign that something's wrong."

"Yeah, it is good to be away from the fighting, but I still feel... guilty, I guess."

"We'll get back there, man. We have too. Well I have too. Not sure about you."

"I have to do something. I refuse to sit here and watch your motion picture boxes while you and the others are out there getting killed."

"You know what, why bother worrying about that now. Besides, we've still got some time before we need to head back to the dome for Celly's story."

Lime Tree hiked up an eyebrow in shock. "Celly? She's the sovereign princess of our kingdom and you gave her a pet name?"

"One, I helped save her life. Two, this is America. We don't have kings and queens here, so we're not used to talking all formal and such. Sorry about that. I guess the Brits would understand."

"I suppose it's forgivable. Hay, it wouldn't surprise me if she likes that, you know, not being fawned over constantly?"

"I know I would. So, how do you want to kill the next four hours?"

"I don't know. What do humans typically do?"

"Well..."

****************

Fluttershy quietly trotted up to Rarity's section of the refugee center at the Georgia Dome. Rather than the scrap metal and plywood that would be expected of such a facility, and that had been there before, ornate plaster pillars and long flowing lavender drapes held her quarters together. Fluttershy stood in amazement as she noticed the dual front door of the white unicorn's new abode.

After she'd overcome the shock, she timidly knocked on the door. "Um, Rarity? Are you- home?"

"My dear Flutters, is that you?" The sounds of quickly shuffling hooves grew close to the door, and Rarity suddenly appeared behind it. "It is you! Just the mare I needed to see!"

Fluttershy cocked her head to one side. "You were looking for me?"

"Well- no. Not you specifically. But you will do just fine for my new ensemble!"

"Ensemble?"

"Oh, yes! I've been quite busy here as of late, and I need somepony of your modeling experience to prove the brilliance of my work!"

"Oh. So you want me to show off your new clothes?"

"That's a simple way of putting it, but yes!"

"Okay."

"Excellent! Please, come in!"

Rarity led her test subject into her surprisingly well furnished living space. "Um, Rarity?"

"Yes dear?"

"How did you get all of this?"

"So glad you asked! I noticed this human gentleman making his rounds about the place, and I struck up a conversation with him. He recognized me from some document and told me that we, as well as all of the others, have VIP status! Something about being the holders of the Elements of Harmony! We can request just about anything we want!"

"So the couches and the lounge were just given to you?"

Rarity went into a fan-filly fit. "Can you believe it?! I had them fly in some of the most intricate equipment I've ever seen! I've already made dozens of dresses and suits!"

"But- it's not even been two days since we got here!"

"There's always speedy service for VIP's! He said so!"

"Are you sure it's okay to build this here? You won't get in trouble, will you?"

"Of course not. Everything is strictly to code."

"I meant- Oh, well, that's great, I guess."

"Fluttershy, are you alright? You seem a bit down. What's the matter dear?"

"I'm sorry. I miss all of my friends."

"But we're all here," Rarity spoke with caution.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I meant my animal friends."

"But Angel and the others came through with us, didn't they?"

In the distance, Angel Bunny could be seen chasing a small cricket across the stadium floor.

"Yes, but I had to leave so many of them behind. I just hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they are. Now let's get started with my new line! I'm sure it'll take your mind off of things."

"I suppose, but-"

A prismatic streak made its usual entrance, crashing through the ceiling of Rarity's cabin. As the dust settled, a sheepish Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Uh, hi there, Rarity! Nice weather we're having in this... building."

"Four hours! I took me four hours to plaster that ceiling! Why were you above my newly created home anyway?!"

"My hammock is up there! How was I supposed to know you were building a house down here?!"

"You didn't hear the construction?! I know you tend to sleep heavily, but this is all just too much! We're you spying on me!?"

Rainbow pretended to reel in shock. "Now you just wait a minute! Where did you get all of this stuff? How 'bout you answer that! My first cloud apartment wasn't this big! How did you do all of this?!"

"With skill, my dear Dash. With skill."

"Funny. So did you steal it? I mean I didn't think you had that kinda thing in y-"

"No, I did not steal it! There are simply advantages to being one of such stature as I."

"That's horsefeathers!" Rainbow accused.

"Rarity?" Fluttershy meekly offered Rarity a chance to explain herself.

Rarity began to sweat profusely. "Well- Okay, so there may have been a furniture shipment that somehuman left in the underground garage, but it was abandoned! I couldn't leave such beautiful upholstery to go to waste! As for our VIP status, I was telling the truth! That's how I got them to bring all of this up!"

"Whatever. Anyone seen Twi? She's been gone a while."

Pinky Pie burst forth from one of the granite floor tiles, a miner's helmet strapped firmly to her head. "Ooh! Ooh! She's still in that crate thingie downstairs!"

"Uh, Pinkie, why were you in the floor?" Rainbow questioned.

Rarity shrugged. "Somepony had to lay those pipelines. Why not her?"

"Yep, yep!" Pinkie replied. "Can't talk now. Gotta drill four more tunnels before the cold sets in!" With that, she submerged back into the floor tiles. Sounds of a full scale mining operation could be heard from below.

"Uh, she does know the basement is the only thing below us, right?" Rainbow questioned.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaa!" *Thump* "I'm okay!" Pinkie called out.

"Watch it, Pinkie!" Spike's voice chided from below. "You almost broke the gas line!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Spike's down there too? So I guess that just leaves AJ. What's she up to?"

"Applejack is still trying to figure out how to use her new phone," Rarity answered.

"Really? That long huh? I guess we could call her to find out," Rainbow chuckled "Well, I'm going back up to my hammock. I'll be in the rafters if you need me."

"Wait!" Fluttershy interjected. "None of you are worried about Twilight disappearing?"

"Nah." Rainbow shrugged "If that crate thing is like a library, and I'm pretty sure it is, Twilight could spend days in there."

"So, shouldn't we at least check?" Fluttershy offered.

Rarity nodded. "Why not? Pinkie needs time to finish cementing the foundation anyway."

"Shouldn't you do that before you build the house?" Rainbow asked, scratching her head all the while.

Rarity stuck her head up. "What do I know? I'm just a fashion designer, not an architect. I don't know anything, right!"

"Uh, sorry, Rarity?"

"Either way, a trip to visit our dear bookish friend sounds like a great way to pass the time."

The gang, minus Pinkie and Spike, filed out of Rarity's newly constructed hut.

Applejack trotted by outside, walking on three of her legs, holding a cell phone with the other, and pressing the buttons with her nose. "Dag-blasted dee-vice!"

The phone crackled to life.

..."Atlanta Police Department 911. What is the state of your emergency?"...

"E'mergancy?! I ain't got no e'mergancy!"

...."Ma'am, abuse of the emergency call system is a crime. Do you need emergency help or not?"...

"Uh..." Applejack quickly pressed every button she could until the phone hung up. She sighed to herself. "Where's Twi when ya need her?"

"Hey Applejack!" Rainbow called out to her. "We're gonna go find Twilight! You in?!"

"Whah not? Ah ain't got anythin' else ta do."

The orange mare galloped up to the rest of her friends, her meddlesome device secured under her hat.

*******************

Energy tracers streaked over Phalanx, Gilda, and Berhal's head as they made a hasty retreat into the Canterlot underground tunnels.

Phalanx grabbed for his radio. "Vhesk! Please hear me! We are escaping into the caverns and will meet with you as soon as possible. What is your status?!"

..."I must warn you, my lord! These devices will not function very well beneath the surface! I am sorry, praetor. You will be on your own."....

"Just be ready for us! We won't be able to elude them for long!

..."Un.........ood. ....aiting.......r.......urn!.........re.....ents....are on....ay!"...

"What did he say?!" Gilda voice echoed in the hollow catacombs.

Berhal wearily lifted his head, still being carried along by his two comrades. "I believe he said, "Understood. We will await your return." That second part I didn't get."

"How did you know that?" Gilda questioned.

"I've spent a lot of time in the mead halls," the Caprastian solider chuckled. "I've been around quite a lot of patrons that sounded eerily similar to that."

And energy blast arced into the cavern ceiling.

"Keep moving Gilda!" Phalanx shouted as a pack of Hircus-possessed timber wolves lunged toward them from the cave entrance.

Phalanx quickly released the wounded ram, took Gilda's mini-bolt side arm, and shot the lead wooden wolf with his own, shattering the wolf into pieces. "I'll cover your escape! No way we will out-run them otherwise!"

"Don't do this heroic last stand garbage now, Phal! We gotta get out of here in one piece! Just keep running!"

"Who says I want to die?! Just go and I'll cover you!"

"No use arguing with this one, Gilda," Berhal spoke up. "He's way too committed for that. I've known him too long to think otherwise."

"Just-" Gilda's typical bravado faltered. "Just don't be too long. Okay?"

Phalanx duel-wielded the two casters. "I'm always punctual. Now stop worrying and leave!"

Gilda smiled weakly. "I'm not worried." She and the weakened ram soldier hobbled away as more dimensionally possessed creatures flooded through the cave entrance.

Phalanx turned toward the oncoming attackers. "I know you hear me, false king! Speak!"

The seething Hircus soldiers halted.

"You dare address me in such a manner? What have you to say?" a voice reverberated through the stones.

"You are a liar and a thief. Nothing more. I secured your escape back into this world, and I can very well be the one to secure your exit."

"You speak bravely. Perhaps I will let you live, if not for anything else but to amuse myself by breaking you."

"Do what you will, but you will not have that pleasure."

"Ha ha! Your defiance amuses me greatly. Perhaps you are not worth the effort."

"I am finished with this. Attack me or don't, but do not waste my time."

"Very well, ungrateful son. Legions! Tear this impudent fool apart. For liberation from my rule, you will die!"

Spurred on by their master's words, the gathering forces charged toward the lone griffin. An entire pack of timber wolves surged forward, and a squad of various captured Liberation Alliance troops took up a position behind them.

Phalanx turned his head to make sure Gilda and Berhal had gone, then held up the twin mini-bolt casters as energy blasts and fire-bolts rained down around him.

"No. For liberation, I will fight."

***************

A human pilot and an earth pony exited the Greene family's home as the sun began to set, silhouetting the woods behind it.

Lime Tree put a hoof to his chin. "So the whole thing was all in his head?"

"Yep, the entire movie never actually happened," the young pilot spoke as the two made their way toward Lenard's car.

"Isn't that like just like a huge uppercut to the jaw for the viewers?"

Lenard unlocked the car doors. "Yeah, but at least it was tastefully done. It was still a pretty good story."

"But the fact that it didn't exist negates that entirely."

"Meh," Lenard shrugged. "I still thought it was good. Guess that's why I bought it."

"Well I'd get my bits back if I were you, or whatever your money is called," Lime Tree mumbled as he sat down in the passenger seat.

"Speaking of which," Lenard began as he started the car, turning the radio on in the process. "Do you have any money?"

"No. I didn't have the time to take much with me as I desperately galloped for my life, but it's on the list."

Greene backed the car out of the drive way and drove the car down the winding paths until the suburban roads met a more urban multi-lane street. "You know, we've got plenty of time to get to the dome. I could hit up a bank and get some stacks on the way over there."

"I don't want to be late for the princesses. Besides, something tells me that we need to minimize my exposure."

"Okay..." Lenard applied the brakes to stop the car at a red light. "-but I don't think that's an option anymore."

To the left of the car, a man stared in disbelief at the creature sitting in the passenger seat of Lenard's car.

Lime Tree put a hoof to his neck sheepishly. "Uh, hi there?"

His mouth agape, the speechless onlooker floored the pedal of his mini-van and burned his tires as he accelerated away, despite the red light telling him not to.

Lime Tree turned back to Lenard. "That's just perfect."

Lenard handed the stallion a pair of shades, which were comically disproportionate to the earth pony's face, then shrugged. "No worries. No one will believe him anyway. Well, at least until they watch the news. Just enjoy the ride."

"Let's just get out of here," Lime Tree mumbled.

The light turned green.

Lenard turned to the disgruntled stallion. "If you say so. Just stay down in the seat there and no one will notice. Though with that head of yours it might be kind of dif-"

If Lime Tree's glare had been just slightly sharper, it would have bore a hole clean through the pilot's head.

"Never mind."

Lime Tree turned to stare at the open road in front of them.

"Just make this thing go already."

***************

Applejack tapped on the metal doors of The Crate. "Twilight? Twilight? You in th'ere?"

"I don't think anypony's home, Applejack," Fluttershy answered.

"Do come out, Twilight!" Rarity added. "I have a simply gorgeous sweater for you to try on!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "I don't think that's gonna help, Rarity."

Rarity narrowed her gaze. "Keep talking, Rainbow. I've got one for you too."

Dash backed up without a word.

"Ah, this is ridiculous!" AJ shook her head. "We know yer in there, Twilight! You gotta come out eventu'lly!"

Dash scratched the side of her head in thought. "Didn't that one dude say that this thing is sound proof?"

"Yes, he did," Jake Baxton spoke as he walked up to the Twilight's small crowd of worried friends. "You girls need something?"

"Yeah. Twi's got herself holed up in there, and we're tryin' to get her out." Applejack answered.

"You're sure she's in there?" Jake questioned.

"This was the last place anypony saw her," Rainbow answered. "Can't you pry this thing open?"

"Oh it's really easy. You just pull off the padlock like this, and..." Jake tugged on the door, which did not even give the appearance of budging. "Hmm. Looks like it's been locked from the inside. Anyone got a blow torch?"

Pinkie Pie burst from the concrete floor once more, still wearing her miner's helmet and followed by Spike. "I don't have a torch, but I do have one of my new party poppers! It'll really bring the house down, hopefully not literally, but it's really great stuff, and it'll get any party started, and that's a guarantee from Ponyville's premiere pink party pony! So the question is, who's ready to party!?"

Bags developed under Applejack's eyes. "Pinkie..."

"Oh. Sorry! I'm just so happy and I ate like three energy cakes and then Gummy-"

"Pinkie..."

"Oh, yeah. I call this stuff P4 Party Explosive!" She tossed the pink clay-like substance on the Crate's doors.

"So, how do set it off?" Rainbow questioned cautiously.

"WITH SPARKLERS!" Pinkie yelled as she stuck a lit sparkler into the pink party explosive.

The pink mass detonated, launching a barrage of streamers, inflated balloons, and a sizable kinetic blast. Though the doors were scorched with an almost radioactive pink glow, they remained unopened.

"What if she's running out of air in there?!" Spike yelled.

"Holy hay bales! He's right!" Applejack realized aloud.

Rainbow Dash backed up to get a shot at the door. "We gotta bust that thing down, now!" Rainbow bellowed as she torpedoed into the doors at full speed. After harmlessly crashing into the impenetrable structure, Rainbow slid off of the door with a thud.

"We're, uh, gonna need some better ideas..." Dash muttered with the almost audible sound of tweeting birds echoing around her wobbling head.

Everypony started to beat at the door hysterically.

Fluttershy gingerly put a hoof to her face.

***************

Lenard Greene repeatedly banged his head on the steering wheel.

"Traffic. I've lived here more than twenty years, and I forgot about traffic. What kind of idiot expects to go anywhere during rush hour in a major U.S. city?!"

"I know I don't anymore," Lime Tree muttered. "How much further do we have?"

"Don't you dare start that again!"

"Well..."

"About two miles, and it's already 8:10! Your princesses are going to kill me!"

"Kill? No. Force you into slave labor in some distant geode mine? Maybe."

"I am seriously not in the mood for jokes."

"Who said I was joking? When they captured some of the traitors in Hoofston, nopony ever saw them again."

"You're messing with me."

"Am I?"

"Either way, in this kind of gridlock even two miles can take half an hour. We gotta get moving!"

Lime Tree shrugged. "Why don't we just get out and walk?"

"And leave my car?! I know you haven't known us for too long, but a real man never abandons his ride."

"Geode mine..."

"Well- I-" Lenard stared out at the wall of cars in front of him. "Hang on! I'm about to take this into my own hands!"

"Wait. What are you do- Whaaaaaa!"

Lenard tore into the emergency lane of the interstate highway.

"You're going to get us killed!"

"Better that than working in bomb mine!"

"I. Was. Kidding!"

"So am I! Hold on to you hooves, pony boy!" The car accelerated, just clearing the other cars by inches.

"You crazy flying flankin' idiot!"

"Ooh, you learn that in political school?!"

"I knew you were nuts, but-"

Blue lights began to flash behind them.

"Uh, oh."

"Are those guys, police?!" Lime Tree questioned with an expression of pure disbelief.

"Hmph. They weren't there when those dudes busted into my car, but they're here to catch me the one time I do something crazy?"

"The one time? That's not really being fair-"

..."Slow down and pull over!"... a megaphone filtered voice called out behind them.

"I'm already in the shoulder lane!" Lenard yelled back.

..."Then pull over into the dirt!"...

"Do you know how long I spent cleaning the undercarriage of this thing?! Not happening!"

"Are you serious?" Lime Tree asked with an even more incredulous look.

"I'm stalling. Just go along with it," Lenard answered. "We get to the base then I'll explain things."

"That plan makes no sense whatsoever! At what point do they start shooting at us?!" Lime Tree wondered out loud.

Lenard looked visibly scared.

"Let's just hope we don't get to that part."

******************

Phalanx held fast behind a large protruding stalagmite, his suppressive cover fire being the only thing keeping the attackers at bay. As Hircus's hold became stronger, the soldiers became bolder, throwing themselves out of cover in waves to be quickly struck down by the griffin warrior's dwindling supply of bolts. After firing one last belt clip, Phalanx's casters fell silent.

The eyes of the approaching soldiers began to glow a brighter blue than before. "Ah, so the predator finally looses his teeth," Hircus's voice echoed between the soldiers. "I cannot tell you how long it has been since I encountered an enemy so resilient. I must say, you have earned something that very few have ever seen..."

Phalanx tensed up behind his cover.

"...my respect. Legions, make his death a swift one. That much he has earned."

As the dark, seething troops slowly approached, the lone praetor drew his griffin war knife and took a deep breath.

"Let us be done with this."

The lead solders converged on the other side of Phalanx's position preparing to strike. He tightened his grip on his knife and prepared to make a surprise strike.

Had he peeked his head over his cover in that very moment, he would have noticed a ram soldier at the back of the pack suddenly disappearing into a sink hole.

"Come out, praetor, so that I might give you the death you deserve!"

"Perhaps I do deserve death..." Phalanx paused, then flung himself into the air. "-but it will not be by your hooves imposter!" Phalanx darted upward, disappearing into the shadows above.

"Do not let him escape!"

The ram soldiers began to blind fire into the darkness, while Hircus controlled pandragons and griffins took off after the lone praetor. The timber wolves could only bark and growl. Above, sounds of clashing blades and vicious strikes could be heard, but not seen in the darkness. The soldiers on the cavern floor began to feel the ground shift beneath them.

The ground began to rumble, and an arm burst up from the stone and pulled a timber wolf down with it. "My lord, we are not alone!"

"It would seem another element has become a hindrance to our plans. Do not let it-"

Three more Hircus soldiers sunk into the ground. "Great Hircus! Save us!"

Two more rams disappeared. Above, the air became quiet.

"More have come to dispute my dominion. Repel them!"

"We don't know who-" The last of the rams sunk into the ground.

The defeated forms of several griffin and pandragon minors fell to the cavern floor, followed by a very exhausted, but victorious Praetor Phalanx, who crashed to the ground in a heap. Battered, bruised, and lacerated several times, Phalanx couldn't stand, but he sat up and propped himself against one of the cavern walls. He glanced around, noticing that the enemy soldiers appeared to have gone, and that there was not a single conscious soul to be found, save one whimpering timber wolf, the last of his pack. Desperate, the creature charged toward the wounded griffin praetor with the full intent to avenge his pack. Phalanx lamely lifted his knife in one talon and prepared to do final combat with creature.

The wolf crouched mid run, and leapt into the air for the killing pounce. As it landed just inches away from the praetor's legs, the ground appeared to swallow the hapless creature whole.

Phalanx pushed himself away from the sink hole as it appeared to seal almost immediately.

"Is anyone there? Whose doing is this?"

Another hole opened, and a pair of paws came into view.

"Of course..." Phalanx spoke to himself

The paws grabbed onto the lip of the hole, attached to a grey canine figure holding a small spear.

"Timber wolves," the creature spoke as he sheathed his spear. "Not real dogs."

"Rescued by diamond dogs. I never thought such a thing possible."

"Heh. We hoped griffins and rams would keep their war above the surface, but it has come to our homes too. We prepose..." the diamond dog helped the griffin to his hind legs.

"...an alliance."

Phalanx offered a pained grin. "I'm sure that will not be a problem."

"Ah, good, good. There are more of us below. We can take you to your friends. They- she, sent us to find you."

As the dog helped the griffin into the tunnel below, Phalanx turned to his rescuer. "You said my friends sent you. How did you know where to find me? The Canterlot Underground cave system is extremely extensive."

"Heh. Who do you think made it?"

"You don't mean-"

"Our work. Ancestors to now. These caves once had so many gems, pack leaders needed sunglasses just to make tunnel checks, or that is what my father taught me."

"Regardless, your tactics we're quite impressive. Hircus's troops didn't know they were under attack until far too late. Just who are you, diamond dog?"

"The other packleaders call me Raleigh, but..." The dog helped the praetor into the main tunnel, filled with loyal diamond dog troops standing at the ready.

"...but everypuppy else calls me Rover."

Anomalous Energy Event Team Research and Development File# 672: Project Intrepid.

With procurement costs for top of the line fifth generation fighters soaring into the stratosphere, (no pun intended,) the U.S. Air Force began to look into ways to improve on more readily available fighters. Their studies were originally intended to work with supermaneuverability, as well as small improvements to decrease radar signatures. The result was Project Intrepid, and the costs were much higher than expected, but so were the rewards. Intrepid F-15 Eagles were given more powerful engines and acute aerodynamic adjustments for increased speed and stealth. Though not as stealthy as a full fledged 5th generation fighter, they are much harder to lock onto with most sensors, such as radar, and can reach a much greater top speed of Mach 2.9 in level flight, (at high altitude.) On a side note, three of these aircraft were further improved on for use for the Anomalous Energy Event Team, and have sacrificed their stealth qualities for an even higher top speed of Mach 3.12.

The other fighter to be improved on by Project Intrepid was the F-16 Fighting Falcon/Viper, which was modified with a very different fighter philosophy than the F-15. Whereas Intrepid F-15's are essentially stealthy high speed interceptors, the Intrepid F-16 are extremely agile dogfighters, capable of even matching wings with the likes of the F-22, thanks to a more conventional looking thrust-vectoring nozzle and small canards set just forward of the main wings. Other improvements include more sturdy landing gear to accompany the aircraft's new short take off and landing (STOL) abilities, and other various equipment from 5th gen-based aircraft designs, such as the "Glass Cockpit" and support for all standard fighter-based air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

Future Project Intrepid plans include advancing other 4th generation aircraft such as the F/A-18 and the A-10 to further optimize Air Force capabilities, and bring cutting-edge advancements to fighters and attackers that have served faithfully for decades. As the new Intrepid models go into mass production, they are expected to support the United States' 5th gen fighter fleet well into this current century.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Rough Night/The Cry For Dawn

Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Rough Night/The Cry For Dawn.

With a diamond dog to lean on, Praetor Phalanx limped into the central chamber of the Canterlot Underground, where Vhesk and thousands of Liberation Alliance soldiers, Equestrian refugees, human survivors, diamond dogs, and various other stragglers had made camp. General Locklear and the surviving members of Matchbox Battalion were busy preparing their equipment, having been the last to escape Canterlot.

The General approached the injured griffin. "Ah, Praetor Phalanx. Yet another person I need to remember to punch when this is all over."

The praetor groaned and shook his head.

Locklear continued. "We took back all of the supplies you stole when you captured us. They're patching up the wounded in that crevice over there. For your sake, let's hope griffins and humans have similar physiology."

"I will be fine," Phalanx spoke confidently. He turned to Rover, who still kept the griffin praetor from falling. "Diamond dogs deal with these kinds of injuries on an almost daily basis. They already treated me." Phalanx released Rover and stood on his own, then nearly doubled over as his legs nearly gave out underneath him. "Though, medicine for the pain would be appreciated."

The general smirked. "I think we can handle that."

Rover turned to the dogs following behind. "Let's move. We'll regroup here once we find all of the others."

"Others?" Phalanx questioned.

Rover turned back. "You didn't think this was it, did you? We dogs live underground, and Hircus and his goons just started to look down here. Most of us are still safe in the lower tunnels."

"Good, keep searching. We need every last bit of help we can acquire," Phalanx reminded him.

"We have more streaming in as well," Locklear added. "We caught a group from the very first team to go to Canterlot, trying to escape."

Phalanx nodded. "Excellent. What is the state of your forces here?"

"We're alive. Lost two guys in trying to get out of the city, but most of the wounded are still in fighting condition."

Phalanx nodded once more. "What about the Equestrians?"

"About the same. Major Bronze Leaf is recovering well, and after being locked away all this time, most of them are ready to destroy anything and everything that gets in their way. I'd steer clear of them for a while, if I were you. What about the Alliance? You are their leader now, right?"

"No, I am a-" The truth sunk in as Phalanx realized that the Liberation Alliance's central command could have already been taken by Hircus's forces. "As the highest ranking survivor, I could indeed be one of the alliance's last officers, but that would mean-" He looked up. "Yes. I- I suppose I am."

"Well then you have some troops to inspire, because they're dangerously close to losing all hope."

"What do you expect? Their homes are being stolen by an ancient conqueror, and their only way out is to flee into an enemy's territorial domain."

Locklear put a hand to his face and sighed. "Hircus is trying to kill all of us right now. Enemies? Allies? There's no time for that now. Focus on survival. Everything else can wait."

"Agreed."

Locklear turned to walk back toward his troops, then turned back to face Phalanx. "Don't get me wrong here. If you or any of your forces even think of stabbing us in the back, I'll personally make sure you don't even get the satisfaction of cracking a witty one-liner before you die."

Phalanx didn't break eye contact with the general. "Fair enough."

As the general walked away, FlockLeader Wingroot made his way toward a very tired Phalanx. "Praetor. We are pleased to see you alive. Lord Vhesk wishes to speak with you immediately."

"Thank you, Wingroot. Keep me posted on anything suspicious the humans do, but do not in any way draw suspicion to yourself in the process."

"It will be done, my lord."

"Oh, and Wingroot..."

"Yes, praetor?"

"Try to give the soldiers a little hope, if you can."

"I will try."

Wingroot flew off toward a higher level of the underground compound, and passed Gilda as she swooped in from above.

"Phal" She launched right into a diving bear hug without even touching the ground.

"Gilda? I couldn't be sure that you and Berhal escaped!"

"I'm just glad you made it. We both are."

"I'm not sure if I should be happy to see you, or worried that you sound surprised."

"Both, you overly heroic moron!" She yelled as she hugged him again.

"Gilda? Not that I'm complaining, but can you release me? I'm still a bit torn up."

"Oh." She backed up. "My bad."

"Trust me. That is not a problem."

Berhal entered the chamber from an adjacent one. "Ah! My friend! You're alive, so Hircus must be down very many soldiers!"

Phalanx turned. "You look well Berhal, especially for someone that fell from the sky."

"I am Caprastian. Nothing can keep me from my duties but death itself. Besides, you survived quite a harrowing encounter yourself."

"Indeed," Phalanx grinned. "-though the diamond dogs were quite the help. I wish they'd accepted our offer of alliance when we sent it two years ago."

"Like the changelings?" Berhal suggested. "They never even bothered to send word back."

Phalanx shook his head. "Chrysalis and her band of identity-challenged abominations will never work for anything but their own goals. Had we know they were going to attack Equestria early, we wouldn't have even suggested a partnership. They never stood a chance."

"They made a good show of it, though." Berhal began to laugh. "Our Equestrian agents painted quite the picture!"

"Maybe we should ask them now," Gilda spoke up. "You know, the changelings. They're probably pretty desperate by now."

"No," Phalanx answered confidently. "They would betray us as soon as help us. Our quota for betrayals has already been met."

Berhal nodded. "No joke there. It'll take all we've got to survive this one."

Phalanx bowed his head. "It will. Do not forget that."

"You don't have to worry about me. I know what's at stake here." Berhal turned to leave. "If you excuse me, I'm going to help the ram troops here prepare."

"Very well. Gilda, Vhesk wants to see us. Something about the machine I would guess."

The two began to make their way to the center of the chamber, where the pandragon scientist known as Vhesk darted from level to level of a large convoluted machine in the heart of the cavern.

"That thing creeps me out," Gilda whispered to Phal as they grew closer to the device. "It looks way to much like some crazy mad scientist's contraption outta some comic scroll."

"If it is our only escape, I welcome it," Phalanx paused. "You read comics?"

"Yeah, me and Dash used to-" Gilda grimaced. "It was a long time ago."

Phalanx knew not to continue the conversation, or pry Gilda any further.

The two griffins reached the center chamber that was now almost completely filled by Vhesk's creation. The strange device appeared to be large, ring-shaped mass of wires and pipes with what appeared to be a massive goose neck lamp above it.

"Salsiva, can you bring up that conversion spanner?" the scientist could be heard shouting from above.

"Vhesk! Where do we stand?" Phalanx called out to him.

"At the precipice of discovery, praetor. The crown you brought with you will more than suffice, though I'm having a hard time understanding how it's so powerful!"

"It's Hircus's," Phalanx answered as if that wasn't a cause for alarm.

"Excuse me?"

"Gilda didn't tell you? We stole it from Hircus."

Vhesk appeared to be about two shades of red lighter than before. "I suppose that's just more motivation to make our escape then! Once I activate the dimensional piercer, it'll rise through the tunnel above us until it reaches the surface. Can't have us emerging underground, can we? The second it comes into view, Hircus's soldiers will be on us like sharks. We need to orchestrate a swift and organized retreat, or a lot of us could perish in the process. Any suggestions?"

Phalanx put a talon to his chin. "We can't let the civilians go in first. They'd most likely be fired upon on sight. We'll split the soldiers into two groups: one to make contact with the humans at the front, hopefully with a minimum amount of bloodshed, and another to protect the civilians from the rear."

"It's a good plan, but how do we get the non-flyers through?"

"What do you mean?"

"The portal will be a horizontal disc, floating above us. Anyone escaping will have to fly up into it."

"I see. Berhal had a dragon-lift force set up to help us before. Have anyone with free time strip the BW's of any heavy components and we'll use them to transport any non-flying civilians."

"Yes, and I suppose the flight capable civilians could help carry any remaining stragglers."

"Indeed." Phalanx's face took a more serious expression. "How long do we have, Vhesk?"

"My machine, or Hircus's big bubble?"

"Both."

"At the rate of expansion I recorded earlier, the pillar will reach this area in four hours. We'll be long gone by then. What worries me is that anyone left behind is a good as Hircus's."

"We'll figure out how to stop this. Otherwise, everything we've accomplished will have been for nothing."

Vhesk noticed a change in Phalanx's appearance. "Praetor, if I may be so bold, I get the feeling that you feel directly responsible for all of this."

"Who else could be to blame? I allowed his escape. Now he'll stop at nothing to take all of us for whatever he's planning."

"We were fooled, sir. We couldn't have known who he really was without releasing him. This usurper would have escaped one way or another. At least we caught on to his schemes before it was too late. Of all the ways he could have chosen, of all the individuals he could have used, he made the wrong decision choosing us."

"Well said, Vhesk. Have you ever considered a military position?"

Vhesk offered a tired chuckle. "All sixteen of my brothers and sisters enlisted years ago. They are all stationed in Terodai. I thought I might choose something different." The lanky pandragon minor suddenly appeared to be very depressed.

It was phalanx's turn to see Vhesk's change of face. "They'll be okay, Vhesk. Terodai is quite isolated. It could be weeks before the pillar reaches the city."

"You would be right, but if my theory is correct, Hircus's ability to enslave the minds of others increases with every mind he takes."

"Then we will just have to be faster."

"Very well, my lord. We can leave in ten minutes to an hour, depending on how quickly we can get organized. Most of us are ready, but some will need pushing."

"We will be ready." Phalanx turned to leave. "Be ready when we are."

The large device in the center chamber began to hum. A black shroud grew from Hircus's crown, which had been very carefully attached to the very top of the structure. The shroud began to envelope the entire structure.

"Oh, I will be," Vhesk spoke confidently. "Question is, will the alliance be ready for whatever awaits them on the other side?"

Phalanx noticed Gilda had fallen asleep on a rock nearby.

"Most of us will be."

****************

A small blue sports coupe raced down the emergency lane of I-75, closely tailed by seven police units.

"Alright, Lime. We're cool. Almost there."

The green stallion was firmly pressed into the passenger seat, unwilling to speak. The car darted off into an exit ramp leading to large street.

"Alright, the base is just down this road. We'll just-" Greene stomped on the brakes to avoid crashing into a roadblock set up around Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

"We'll just stop in front of this wall."

A police helicopter rose in front of them, flanked by two Apache attack helicopters.

"That seems a bit... excessive," Greene mumbled.

...."Driver! You are encroaching on a restricted black zone created under emergency U.N. Resolution 54695-A to create a safe barrier region to protect incoming refugees. You will submit to examination. If you do not, you will be fired upon."...

"Wait a minute. That voice..." Greene stepped out of the car and began to wave his arms. Police and military personnel swarmed the perimeter.

"State your intentions!" a soldier yelled as he drew his gun. "Tell us what you're doing or the barrel of my gun will be the last thing you ever see!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Relax! I'm air force. I was just transporting a refugee back to the compound."

"You endangered lives and wasted our time- Wait. Did you say one of them is in there?"

"Yes..."

"It ain't in the trunk, is it?"

"Uh, no..."

The soldiers walked up to the side of the car, and opened the door. The commanding officer of the group put his radio to his face. "This is Major Cavere. We found the runaway. Repeat, we have the runaway." He turned to the frightened green stallion. "Assistant Mayor Hill. We've been looking for you."

"R-really?"

"Yes. The entire city's worth of police and military has been scouring the area to find you. Keeping the media from finding out cost us millions."

"I- I wasn't aware I was that important."

Cavere dragged a hand down his face. "Who you are doesn't matter. An equestrian disappeared, and you thought no one would notice?"

"Well-"

"If your kind wants our trust, breaking out of a contained area and sneaking around our city is not a very good way to go about it."

"My- my apologies. I am fully aware of what I have done, but pardon me for wanting to leave your little stockade."

"You know very well why we can't let Equestrian civilians roam free yet," Cavere rebutted.

"Yes, yes," Greene chuckled. "So, uh, can we go now?"

"You're lucky, Captain Greene. The president himself just ordered us to let you off the hook. Otherwise you be in a holding cell by now. We had guns on you ready to take you out if you turned out to be a threat. There are actually snipers holding out on you now."

Greene stepped back and looked all around, then turned back to the soldier. "I don't see anybody."

"Of course not, otherwise they wouldn't be very good and their job, now would they?"

"You're just messing with me aren't y-"

"Boo!" A marine carrying a Barrett M82A1 sniper rifle made his presence known behind the unpleasantly surprised pilot.

"Okay. Point taken," Greene whimpered.

"We're done here, sir. Moving out," the sniper remarked to Cavere.

"Good work, Stevens. RTB."

"Yes sir," Stevens answered. "Come on, boys! We're outta here!"

Several more snipers emerged from various other unlikely positions and rode off on a Humvee.

Cavere shook his head. "By the way, your leave has been cut. You will return to duties tomorrow morning and report to Colonel Halley in the morning."

"Heh heh! How convenient!" Greene nervously chuckled. "I was just getting tired of all the good food and respect! Well, me and my associate here will just hop in and go-"

"Actually, you're coming with us. Your car will be impounded."

"Tyrants," Greene mumbled under his breath. "Alright. Just let me say hi to a friend." Greene turned to the police helicopter, hovering just a few feet from the street."

"Hey, you're that police sergeant we met in front of the dome, aren't' you?!" Greene called out to the police chopper.

..."Greene? That you? Should have known. You make a ruckus everywhere you go, this planet or otherwise." The sergeant could be heard laughing over the helicopter's megaphone. "Now get outta here!"...

"Hey, don't shoot me and I will!"

..."Deal. By the way, my name's Vince. Vince Lawson. You can stop calling me "Police Sergeant" already."...

"Fine with me, *snicker* Officer Lawson."

..."Scram, kid, before we change our minds."....

Lenard turned to Lime Tree as the two were ushered into an APC. "Hmm. Nice guy. Wait, did he just call me kid?"

Lime Tree groaned, still shaking from before.

"Why didn't I sneak into Lieutenant Reed's car?"

***************

..."Moniker Two! Your bird's finished! Bail outta there before you go up with it!"...

"I'm punching out! See you guys in the officer's mess!"

..."Good chute! Good chute! Moniker Two is clear! Get somebody out here to extract him! Now let's clean these guys up before they get another one of us! Get on it, squadron! Now!!!"...

A beleaguered pilot fell into tree canopy of Xaysomboune, in Laos. After making sure his parachute didn't snag on any branches, he ungracefully landed in a small stream. With the sounds of an intense dogfight furball overhead, the young pilot pulled his radio unit from a pocket and put it to his mouth.

"This Lieutenant Michael Kaiser to Watcher One AWACS. I've been downed! Can I get an ETA for pickup?"

There was no sound from the radio.

"Hello? This is Moniker Two to any Allied forces! I need pickup!"

The sounds of footsteps in the foliage could be heard.

"AWACS?" Kaiser whispered.

A small team of Insurrection rebel soldiers stepped into the small grotto Kaiser had fallen into, speaking a language he couldn't understand. Finding nothing but an extended parachute, they began to look around.

Nearby, Kaiser hid behind a large tree. "Gotta stay calm. It's just like in training..."

The soldiers began to fan out to find him.

"Now why did they have to go and do that?!" He began to back away stealthily, but one can only be so quite in a forest. The soldiers began to point in his general direction, shouting something that could only be interpreted as "He's over there!"

"Fantastic."

Kaiser made a break for it, leaping over tree stumps, climbing over large boulders, and ducking under low branches until he could no longer hear the soldiers running behind him. He ducked behind a secluded outcropping of stone and drew the pistol that he and his fellow pilots carried for this very situation. Trying to stifle his own breath, Kaiser sunk behind his newfound cover, desperately trying to hold down a panic attack. He'd just calmed himself down when a soldier dropped down from the canopy above, landing just a few feet away. Mike's arms and legs froze up just when they should have sprung into action, and his mind paused along with it, as the soldier shoved the barrel of his riffle in the young pilot's face. Time seemed to slow as Kaiser watched the solider begin to pull the trigger in slow motion.

"You cannot stop what is coming. Even you must realize that," the soldier growled in perfect English.

Kaiser couldn't bring himself to answer.

A gunshot rung over the forest.

Lieutenant Kaiser woke to a hazy view of the ceiling of his apartment.

"Aw, man. I know I didn't drink that much."

"No, you didn't."

Kaiser snap-turned to see Gerri sitting next to him on the apartment floor. "Whoa! How long have you- Why are you- We didn't-"

"Calm down. You hit your head when you took a stage dive off of the couch after that touchdown. That was about four hours ago."

"Oh. Well did we win?"

"Nope. Tampa Bay by fourteen points. Time to pay up."

"I could have a concussion and you're roughing me for some cash?"

"Please. We checked your eyes and such to make sure you just knocked yourself out."

"Well still-"

"Just pay the woman already," Mace commented from the other side of the room.

"Steve? You're here too?"

"You hit your head harder than I thought," Mace mumbled.

Gerri shrugged. "He already gave me his fifteen bucks. You're up."

Mike sighed as he dug for his wallet. "That's it, I'm never betting against anyone I serve with again! You're all just too lucky!"

Gerri shrugged. "If we weren't, we'd be dead, so..."

"Just take the money," Kaiser sighed.

"You patronage is appreciated, LT."

"Ha ha," the now broke pilot growled.

A loud thump could be heard from the next room.

"Uh, what was that?" Kaiser questioned.

Gerri stood. "That's just Sabre and the gang. They've been watching a bunch of old recorded games all day."

"I'll bet they don't feel as bad as I do now," Kaiser mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Thought you were done gambling, Mikey," Gerri chirped as she flipped through her newly acquired bills.

Kaiser gave her an evil eye and stood. He dusted his leather jacket off and walked into the "living room" of his apartment, where Sky Blade, Star Sabre, and Crescent Skies were crowded around the TV.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," Star Sabre spoke with a snicker.

"Oh you're funny. How was the game?"

Crescent Skies looked up. "Excellent, sir! Say, this TV's pretty good stuff!"

Mike nodded. "Heh. Just wait til you watch it live."

"Speaking of which," Mace began "We recorded the game, so you can watch the part you were slumped on the ground for."

"Do I have bullseye on my forehead or something?"

"Human up," Sabre commented. "The alliance will be throwing things much worse than insults and jokes."

"Uh- Whatever. By the way, it's time to go back to the dome for "Story Time with Princess Celestia." Unless of course one of you let the air out of my tires for fun."

"No, but that's not a half bad idea," Gerri thought aloud with a wicked grin.

Kaiser looked like he was ready to cry.

"They're just poking fun with you, Lieutenant. Pay them no mind," Sky Blade reassured him

"Hey! Don't coddle me! I'm a man!" He clutched his head. "-a man with a serious headache. Let's just go already."

*****************

Major Classified angrily tossed a pile of file folders inside an improvised tent outside of Fort Benning Army Base, an hour and a half away from Dobbins.

"Someone tell me why we've got nothing on The Banded!" the major yelled at a pair of black-clad AOD stallions.

"Sir, we've checked thousands of refugees. There is absolutely no sign of any traitorous activity or of the so-called "suicide herbs" either."

"He's right, sir. We're completely baffled regarding the Banded's activities," the other agent added.

The first agent nodded. "Major, Affairs of Darkness is- well- in the dark."

Classified jumped to his hooves and put his face less than two inches away from one of the agents. "Listen very carefully. When Princess Luna became commander in chief of AOD, I was one of the hoof-picked soldiers she chose to protect our nation from the very enemies you're telling me you've lost. That is what you're telling me, right?"

Agent one shook his head. "Sir, if the Banded have successfully remained hidden all this time, I'm not sure what we can do to find them!"

"What do you want us to do?" Agent two added.

A vein popped in the major's neck. "I WANT YOU TO GET ME SOME RESULTS OR ROYALS HELP ME I WILL HAVE YOU BOTH PEELING POTATOES IN AN UNDERGROUND BUNKER AT THE SOUTH POLE FOR THE REST OF YOUR CAREERS!"

"But sir we're not even on-"

"I'M SURE THE HUMANS HAVE ONE TOO!"

"Yes sir! We will double our efforts!" Agent one responded.

"We will try out best," two added.

The two agents saluted and left the tent, just as a human black ops operative entered.

"Are you Major Classified?" the soldier questioned.

The major looked up. "Who wants to know?"

"Right answer. I have a message for you," the soldier spoke in an emotionless tone.

"Let me see it then," Classified responded with just a hint of annoyance.

The black ops operative held a small electronic tablet, on which Princess Luna's face appeared.

..."Major," Luna began, "I require a report regarding your investigation."....

"Princess," the major nodded with respect, "We were just discussing it."

...."What findings have you unearthed?"....

"I regret we've made no headway there. Everypony on this side seems to be clean."

..."And what of thy human allies? Dost they knoweth what has befallen us?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry, princess."

..."Major, we feel- I feel I should remind you of the pressure we have fallen under to secure this threat. My sister and I require progress to sway our newfound allies. You have shown skill before. Do not fail us now, major."...

"I understand, Princess. We are doing everything we can to root out any Banded traitors among the refugees."

..."Have you considered, perhaps, that these turncoats are not among the refugees?"...

The major bowed in regretful realization. "I understand, Princess Luna. I will employ more... thorough techniques."

..."Very well. I must take my leave of you. My sister and I have a meeting to attend. I have faith in your abilities, major. Carry on."...

"Thank you, princess."

Luna nodded and the screen faded to black. The black ops operative put the tablet into a hard case and left without a word.

Classy's assistant turned in his chair. "Generals Rock and Snow Wisp are going to want a report as well."

The exasperated AOD major stared down at the files he'd thrown. The faces of several familiar humans and ponies stared back at him.

Major Classified sighed.

"Then it's time to put the team together."

*****************

Though still beating frantically at the doors of The Crate, Twilight's small band of friends beat at a much slower pace than before.

"This-" *Pant* "Isn't working!" Rainbow commented as she lamely punched at the door.

"You're-" *exhale* "-tellin' me!" Applejack added as she bucked at the door tiredly.

Baxton finished blasting the door with a cutting torch. "Try it now!"

AJ and Dash gave it one last defiant push, but the door, and the vault like structure behind it, refused to budge.

"What's this thing made of?!" Dash questioned as she panted on the ground.

"It's a titanium-carbon fiber blend, set into reinforced concrete and held into place with a steel frame."

Captain Greene and Lime Tree Hill entered through the garage's main shop door, closely tailed by several police officers. "That sounds more like a bunker than a coms booth," Lenard commented.

Jake looked over to his old friend. "They were planning on air dropping it, apparently without a parachute," he joked. "Good to see you again, Greene. What's up with the army of cops? You guys get into some kind of trouble?"

Lenard and Lime Tree traded glances then turned back to the group.

"Don't worry about it," they both answered in unison.

"Well, all the same, we're gonna need an army to bust this thing in!" Jake answered.

"Wait," Lime Tree interjected. "Why would we need to break in?"

"Twilight has herself locked inside," Rarity answered. "We really don't know why."

"Did she call for help?" Lime asked.

"Well, no," Baxton shrugged.

Lime scratched his head with a hoof. "Did anyone actually see her go in?"

"No."

"So how do we know she's not messing with all of us?" Lenard questioned.

Everypony, including Spike, stared at the captain with disbelief, Rainbow Dash especially. "Twilight? Pull a prank? Come on, dude! I know you haven't known us long, but get serious! She needs our help!"

"Got it! Whats the plan?!"

"I've been going over the schematics for this thing and I'm pretty sure the hinges are here, here, and here!" Baxton pointed out. "But I can't figure out how to cut them!"

"Who's cutting what now?" Sergeant Mace asked, as he, Reed, Kaiser, Sky Blade, Sabre, and Crescent Skies entered the room.

Spike zipped up to the marine. "Trapped Unicorn, locked door, pink explosives, running out of air!"

Baxton shook his head excitedly. "I already told you, it has a ventilation syste-"

"Somepony has to save her!" Spike yelled.

Mace began to pace. "Gimme five minutes! I can get an marine insertion team down here and-"

"Now that's all crazy talk!" Applejack interrupted. She turned to Baxton and poked him in the ribs with a hoof. "Now y'all made this thing and y'all don't know crack it open?!"

"I didn't design it! I'm just here to monitor its use!"

"Wait," Kaiser interrupted. "You're in charge of monitoring it, but didn't know she went in there?!"

"Well why don't you try to teach an entire race how to use a digital watch?!" Baxton shouted.

"Well why don't you try to do your job!" Kaiser shot back.

The situation devolved into a shouting match between the pilot and the technician. Nearby, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Pipsqueak looked on with the technician's son, Brandon.

"What are they yelling about?" Scootaloo questioned.

"I dunno. Something about the power box thing," Pipsqueak answered.

"I think they're stuck outside," Sweetie Belle added. "Someone should open it for them."

Apple Bloom nudged the younger Baxton. "Hey Brando, why don't you show them that little trick you used to show us all them funny "Yoo-HooTube" thangs?"

Brandon shrugged. "I dunno know. I'm not supposed to know that..."

"Well clearly they don't," Sweetie Bell added.

"How'd you figure that out, anyway?" Scootaloo pondered aloud.

"Oh that's easy! I just read the quick start guide!" He dug into one of his pockets. "See, here! It's this little paper thing with all these instructions and stuff."

"So, now what do we do?" Pipsqueak questioned. "We gonna have that cowpony-pirate showdown or what?"

"Hold on, It'll only take a second," Brandon hopped down from the scaffolding they were all standing on, merrily skipped past the two grown men arguing like children, bounded past the bewildered friends of those two grown men, walked past the door that several of Twilight's circle of friends were beating at, pulled off an easily noticeable service hatch, and turned a small key.

The multi-ton doors of The Crate began to slowly fold outward.

"The door!" everyone yelled at once as they rushed to the large box's opening.

Inside, the interior of The Crate was dark, save for a single lit screen in the very center. Just below it, a lavender unicorn snored loudly and drooled over the center keyboard, surrounded by pamphlets, digital tablets, and several well-worn "Internet for Dim Wits" books.

"Twilight!" Five ponies and a dragon rushed up to her.

"She's... sleeping?!" Rainbow bellowed.

"Wh- what?" Twilight drowsily spoke, smacking her lips and yawning.

"Wait just a minute now!" Rainbow stopped everyone. "You're not in a coma?! Why didn't we hear you snoring, or you hear us bashing our way in?!"

"Uh- *yawn* "Soundproof. Remember?"

"Oh- But- Twi- Whatever." Rainbow collapsed in annoyance.

"Yeah. *long yawn.* Night girls." Twilight nodded off again.

Applejack shook her head. "Wow. Can ya believe it? Sleepin'."

"Yep," Brandon answered. "My work here is done." The young adolescent ran off with his friends, while his father still held a look of total confusion.

"So she's okay?" Baxton spoke with a slight twitch in his left eye.

"So it would seem," Rarity answered.

"I'm going to go lie down," Baxton mumbled as he left the garage.

Kaiser walked past the sleeping Twilight and took a look at main screen. "Wait a minute! There's six-hundred and seventeen internet tabs open on this thing! I didn't even know that was possible!"

Twilight stirred, half awake. "International e-book library database, scientific journals, memes... so many memes..."

"Twilight?" Fluttershy quietly asked. "How long have you been here?"

Twilight groaned and lazily taped a button on one of the keyboards, bringing up a large timer screen. "Thirty-seven hours, three minutes, and forty-seven seconds," Twilight mumbled.

"Oh. Thank you, uhm, I guess," Fluttershy affirmed.

Kaiser dug through the view history on the center screen. "Bio-mechanics theories, anomaly research, internal combustion, and- Whoa ho ho! Can't leave that up on the screen!"

"Oooooh!" Pinkie spoke with her head turned to the side.

"Calm down," Mace rolled his eyes. "It just looks like an anatomy site."

"Oh sure!" Kaiser spoke with a ridiculously sly grin. "Getting some hard-core studying there, purple?"

"Just a little- curious," Twilight mumbled from atop the stack of books on the desk.

"That's what they all say," Kaiser chuckled.

Steven shook his head. "I'm sure that's what you said."

"So," Lime Tree interrupted, "Should we just wait for the princesses to contact us, or do we invite them or something?" Lime Tree asked the group.

"I kinda want to know what went down here," Greene looked down at a barely conscious Twilight. "-but I guess that'll have to wait too."

Kaiser turned to the violet unicorn in question and shook his head. "Rule one of the internet and anything associated with it: moderation."

"I'll try-" *yawn* "-to remember that..." Twilight spoke distantly.

Greene looked down at his watch, which still bore flakes of dried mud from his swim to Alcatrotz Island. "It's 8:40 now, so the princess must have problems of her own to deal with," Greene suggested.

"Or not..." Kaiser turned away from the screen. "We got six missed calls here, all from some place called "Location Withheld."

"Nice." Greene scratched at his back. "Should we call her back, or-"

An annoying high-pitched ring tone echoed through the shipping container turned coms center. Twilight had dosed off again, and the rest of her friends waited for someone or somepony to make a move. As the ring continued, Greene began to look around at the others.

"So.... Anyone gonna pick that up?"

*****************

Lord Hircus sat alone in the darkness.

He closed his eyes, and the darkness turned into a rush of images.

A baby pony trotting alone in the snow.

A man with a bolt-shot wound to the shoulder.

A griffin running for his life into a cave.

An alicorn solemnly looking over an old book.

A young ram clinging to life in a dark street.

A pandragon minor fighting an armored striped creature.

A draconequus deflecting a dimensional barrier attack.

A changeling taking the form of a manticore to survive in the wilderness.

A dark king on his throne.

The images began to swarm around Hircus's head, becoming more intense.

A King and Queen rampaging to protect their kingdom.

An eternal twilight.

A nation on its knees.

A cold breath.

A cry of fire.

A dying world.

The cold, dark, tortured emptiness of the Sapphiron Void.

A single tear rolled down Hircus's cheek, quickly set ablaze and melted away by the dimensional energy surrounding him.

"The time for remembrance and hindsight is at an end. To all under the rule of Hircus, hear my words."

Millions or creatures, large and small, sentient and non-sentient, ceased what they were doing and turned toward Castle Canterlot and the pillar of dark blue energy surrounding it. A war march could be heard, softly at first, then stronger as the armies of Hircus grew.

The war march of The Banded.

"My kind have waited for millennia to strike back at those who would imprison us. Those who would destroy what is different. The time for retribution has come, and the reign of the dread princesses is at an end. Because of their actions, I lost what mattered to me more than anything else in this or any other world, and so did all who once stood up to their tyranny. Tomorrow, we shall avenge their wrongdoings, once and for all. It is a day long overdue, my legions. For all that can hear my voice throughout the convolutions of this realm, prepare yourselves. We attack at dawn."

The non-sentient creatures howled, screeched, or roared with the hopes of victory. For those that could speak, a voice echoed throughout an entire region.

"We attack at dawn!"

"To all that hear my voice, let all that live know!"

The creatures began to lift into the air, glowing a bright ominous shade of blue. Creatures far and wide converged around Castle Canterlot as the pillar-like gateway of the Realm Sapphiron began to expand. The armies of ancient and present time marched into the sky, and formed a massive cyclone around their master in more numbers than could possibly be counted.

"THE BANDED HAVE RISEN!"

Liberation Alliance Central Command Fact File #209: GR-5 Fire-Bolt Chain Caster

When the already impressive firepower of a standard fire-bolt caster just isn't enough, Liberation Alliance heavy troopers, (typically rams,) turn to the GR-5 Heavy-Bolt caster, or "Chain Caster" as it is typically known, to get the job done. In simple terms, the chain caster is an enlarged and reinforced GR-2 that has been re-engineered to make use of extended fire-bolt "chains," or large flexible belts that contain at least one-hundred individual fire-bolts. Fire-bolt chains can be connected to form even larger chains to make the GR-5 an efficient point-defense weapon.

Though GR-5's are typically too heavy to carry for anyone other than rams or the strongest of griffins, they make excellent primary weapons for pandragon mounts, and have been used to great effect protecting large ships from any flying target larger than a pegasai. If deployed in large enough groups, an entire cluster of these weapons could be a possible deterrent for human-designed flying weapons, shooting them down with an almost literal wall of flak.

Chapter Thirty-One: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part V- Descent

I just want to give a shout out to Innate Enigma (we call him Major Wheat) for coming aboard as an additional prereader/editor! Thanks, bro!

Chapter Thirty-One: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part V- Descent

Everyone inside the crate now bore looks of shock at Discord's unbelievable revelation, while the faces of the human onlookers bore only confusion. Celestia and Luna could be seen bowing their heads over the vid-comm, and Zecora stared at Discord as if he'd just sprouted another head.

"My dear," the grinning draconequus began, "If I had my powers, I would sprout another head, but for now, don't be so surprised that I know your secrets. It is why I brought you here."

"I believed this story to be lost, but if you knew, there will be costs," Zecora rhymed quietly.

Discord popped a few kernels of popcorn into his mouth from an unseen bag. "Welphff. Get on wiff it," He mumbled through his newfound snack. "We got a lot to cover here."

"I've got the time," Captain Greene affirmed. "By all means, continue."

Zecora closed her eyes.

"A war to rue, the kind untold. It begins anew, truth now unfolds."

*******************

A small, translucent violet orb floated in the center of a small room. In it, a ram known as Vance could be seen pulling the drawstring of his bow. He released it, bringing down a large ceramic jar on top a rather arrogant unicorn. The orb began to flicker.

An eerie hooded form watched as another figure looked over the orb. "He was not to become involved. Now I fear this will escalate before it is time," the onlooker commented.

"No. This is just. I see no harm in letting the Caprastian continue his crusade. It will benefit us all. This is a good thing," the orb watcher declared.

"If this is what you will have us believe." The onlooker removed his hood, revealing a black and white fur-covered equine head. "The Zebranni Consortium has endured only because we are but shadows beneath the overlords' notice."

"This is true." The orb watcher removed her hood. "However the time for subterfuge is at an end. The forces of our world grow too powerful. If we are to endure, we must become a part of that power. Come. It is time we make our report."

The two zebras left the small room, and entered a massive underground cavern, filled with other zebras going about their business. A wall, several hooves high, encircled the chamber. Upon its surface, millions of glowing carvings and writings made the wall appear almost as if it was one large canvas.

The orb watcher and the onlooker waded through the crowd of alchemists and scholars until they reached a rather regal-looking chamber entrance, then stopped in front of a pair of guards.

"You may enter," one of the guards spoke without making eye contact.

The two smaller zebras entered the regal chamber, a palace of stone. Pillars and pyres adorned its space. At the very end of the grand room, a much taller zebra sat upon a throne suspended several hooves in the air. Atop his head, a silver crown glowed a faint maroon color. Before him, a much larger violet orb hovered in air.

"Mitiri, Rongo, my most trusted seekers. What have you this day?"

The orb watcher bowed. "My liege. King Zeccor, we bring news of foreign activity."

"Yes," the onlooker continued. "The great rams of legend have returned. The Caprastians have risen again, and are preparing for full scale war with Eclipstria."

"Yes," the king began. "I have seen this. My gaze now turns to the one called Hircus."

"Who is this Hircus you speak of?" the orb watcher questioned.

"My Mitiri, have you lost your gift? He must be their king. He is unlike anything I have seen. So powerful that even one such as I must acknowledge his strength."

The onlooker shook his head. "Truly such a thing is not possible-"

The king cut him off. "It is. He speaks of a realm called Sapphiron, though I know not what that means."

The king's violet orb pulsated, revealing another king, a ram with a bronze crown. The image shifted to reveal two other rams trotting into a small village of ponies. Another image of two small alicorn fillies.

"As my trusted seekers, I am entrusting you two with uncovering his secrets. Find out what this Sapphiron means. Perhaps if the Caprastians have returned, then perhaps the bird-lions and dragon-wings of ancient times are alive and have returned as well. This is the task I give you. Will you accept it?"

"Yes, my liege," the orb watcher answered.

"It will be an honor, my king," the onlooker answered as well.

"Then the quest is yours and yours alone. You mustn't be discovered by any of them. Eclipstrians, Caprastians, and especially the Alicorns. None must be aware of your presence. Go now, and do the work of our people."

"It will be done, my lord," they answered in unison. The two seekers bowed and departed, leaving the king to his thoughts.

"If the great rams of legend have returned to wage war with Eclipstria, perhaps there is hope for us all."

*****************

Vance moved ever so closely toward the light of the enormous torches that lit the streets around Everfree Palace. It had taken weeks of preparation to get this deep within enemy territory. Weeks without the one he loved.

"At long last..."

He steeled himself for the coming confrontation. Though the guards could not see him in the shadows, he too was being watched. Being careful not to make a sound, Mitiri and Rongo watched from a jagged ledge above.

"A real ram, in the flesh. Fascinating." The orb watcher commented.

"Mitiri, he is just standing there," the onlooker spoke to the orb watcher.

"Quiet! He must not be alerted to our presence!"

Vance remained still, but one of the passing guards, a large earth pony, shifted his right ear as if catching a spare note on the wind. "Who is there?! Reveal yourself!"

The two zebras watching from afar stood in silence.

In what could only be described as a flash of movement, the ram struck with his right hoof, rendering the guard unconscious. He then pulled the unsuspecting earth pony into shadows out of view.

"Such grace... I wonder if all of his kind are artists in battle," Mitiri thought to herself

A few seconds later the guard returned to the lit area next to the castle wall, trotting slowly toward the entrance.

Rongo stepped back. "What is-" He stopped as he came to a realization. The two zebras both looked down at the same time to see a royal guard earth pony stripped of his armor.

"That clever devil..." Rongo chuckled to himself.

"Indeed," Mitiri answered with a hoof to her mouth. "Come now, let us find a better place to observe his daring exploits."

"You speak as though you fancy this ram, though you know him not."

"I admire his courage and cunning. That is all."

The onlooker turned his head upward in a coy fashion.

"Hmm. Of that I am sure."

______________

Having donned the armor of the Eclipstrian royal guard, Vance trotted casually toward the castle wall until he had reached the rearward gates. Having watched the castle many a nights, he was well aware that guards typically were not in any shape to scrutinize him at this hour. He had filled down his horns and trimmed his fur the night before as not to attract any attention, and his newly acquired helmet disguised the result.

"Stalwart, that you?" one of the guards at the gate mumbled sleepily.

Vance nodded confidently.

The guard yawned. "Go on, get some rest. Your watch just ended."

Pleased that this had gone so well for him, Vance strode inside, more sure of his plan than ever. That is, until he walked right into an older looking unicorn guard.

"Watch where thou art strolling about!"

"My apologies, milord!" Vance answered in a perfect noble accent.

The guard face-hoofed. "Ah, knave! Peon! Have you not even the sense to wear the correct dyes?"

Vance looked down at his grey coat. "Is there a problem with my... dyes?"

"Indeed! You wear the silver dyes of one of my stature! The Royal Unicorn Guard! Be gone from this place immediately, rock trotter! You are not even worthy of being in the presence of this sacred place!"

"If you say so." Vance turned to leave. "Though you might want to pick that up."

"Pick up what, simpleton?"

In a single motion, Vance swept the guard's hooves out from underneath him while bringing one of his own legs to the unicorn's head, slashing off the unicorn's horn with a hidden spur attached to one of his back hooves. As the guard fell to his stomach, he opened his eyes just in time to see his own horn land on the stone floor in front of his face.

Vance pulled the hornless unicorn back up to his level.

"That."

With a swift hoof strike to the head, he dropped the now unconscious unicorn to the ground. The Caprastian infiltrator removed his downed foe's helmet, wedged the horn into it, and placed it atop his head.

"What do you know? Guess I got the right 'dye' after all."

He hid the unicorn behind a large statue and continued on as if nothing exciting had just transpired. As he entered the main atrium, the number of guards increased. With a disguise that now held up to the occasional glance in his direction, Vance began to search for the palace dungeon.

"I will not be long, my love."

*********************

"I have lost sight of him," Rongo grumbled. "I heard a scuffle, then it got quiet."

Mitiri nodded. "No doubt he is too far inside for us to follow, unless..."

"Unless?"

"Watchers we, to wait and hear,

The gatherers, and patient ears,

To grant us sight of far and near,

Give us this gift, a world appears!"

As the zebra ended the rhyme, a large purple orb appeared.

"Excellent work, Mitiri!"

"Thank you. Now, let us find our Caprastian."

******************

It had been quite a while since Vance had been so close to an Eclipstrian. The inner halls of Everfree Palace were full of nobles and guards going about their business.

“Did you hear of that horrible accident that occurred earlier today?” one gossiping noblemare spoke to another.

“Oh. Do tell!”

“You haven’t heard? You know Lord Hark, Lady Hark’s husband?”

“I gathered that much, go on...”

“Okay, so he’s marching through the town this afternoon parading around that treacherous retch of an earth pony they found last week, when this jar comes crashing down on him from a balcony up above!”

“Oh! Did he parish from such a blow?”

“Oh no! He’s survived!”

Vance subconsciously bared his teeth.

“But I heard every bone in his body has shattered as a result!”

“Good heavens! How is he doing now?”

“Last I heard he has a long painful recovery ahead of him.

Vance’s bared teeth shifted into an indifferent scowl. “I suppose he still got what was coming to him…”

Having heard all he needed to know, the ram trotted onward guessing as to the whereabouts of the Royal Dungeons. Aimlessly trotting around, it seemed as if the palace was more a maze than a castle. As the same lamps and chandeliers kept finding their way in front of him, Vance could feel a wild restlessness building inside him.

“Got to find you, but I need a sign! Something to point the way! Got to keep calm. The more I wander about, the greater the chances of one of these rodents catching on to me.”

As he grew lost in thought trying to ponder a way out, he stumbled into a small unicorn filly.

“Oh, I’m sorry my dear,” Vance spoke using his impression of nobility. The small dark blue unicorn shook her head as if reorienting herself, then gazed up at him intently, cocking her head to the side as if in thought.

Vance could not help but think that somehow she was seeing through his façade, so he quickly began to think of ways to draw attention away from himself.

“Um. Where are your parents? What are you doing down here? Shouldn’t you be in bed or something?”

“You silly guardpony! I live here! Besides, I like nighttime. I think it is pretty,” the little filly answered with a youthful bounce.

“Oh. You are of the nobility?”

“What’s a no-bill-ity?”

“Uh, it’s-" Vance stopped mid-sentence as a quick glance away from the filly’s face revealed a pair of small furled wings and a small black tiara upon her head.

“By the ancients! An alicorn!”

“My dear, what is your name?”

“Woona!” She threw her hooves in the air as if this was a cause for celebration.

“I’m sorry, what?”

The filly licked her lips. “I said Luna! But Mommy and Daddy call me Lulu! But I don’t think you’re supposed to.”

“Uh huh?”

”That mark. She has to be in the royal family. But if I had no idea the royals had a daughter, what else could they be hiding here?”

“So Lulu, are your parents… uh…really big?”

“Huh?”

“Are they...” He waved his hooves in suggestion. “Let me put it this way. What do they look like?”

“There they are, right there!” Lulu pointed behind him. Vance spun around in sheer terror to see a large stain glass window with the king and queen’s royal image depicted in splendor.

“Oh. Yes.” Vance fought to keep his heart from exploding through his head.

“Well it was nice talking to you, mister, but I have to go see my friend now.” The little blue alicorn turned and merrily trotted away.

“Your friend?”

“Yeah. I think she gets lonely and stuff. So I go down to the dark room to cheer her up!”

Vance’s eyes widened.

“Your friend, she wouldn’t happen to have a light blue coat and a red mane, would she?” He questioned.

“Yeah! How did you guess?!”

“Uh, unicorn intuition. Say, how about you take me to see her with you? I’d like to cheer her up too.”

“Really? Most of the guards tell me not to go down there, but they cannot stop me! Mommy and Daddy said so.”

“They let you go down into the dungeons by yourself?”

“Well, Mommy and Daddy do not know I go down into the dungeons…”

“I see. Well I’d really like to meet your friend, so let’s get going.”

Lulu waited for the “unicorn” guard to get up and move, leaving the two staring at each other motionlessly.

“Um, why don’t you lead the way?”

“Okay!”

The little filly turned away from Vance and trotted toward one doorway he was sure he’d been through a dozen times. Lulu absentmindedly hummed as she trotted along, passing by several ponies that wouldn't dare tell her where she should be at the moment.

The hallways grew darker and darker, and the guards fewer and fewer. Soon, the Caprastian in disguise found himself alone with the little filly in a area of the lower hall so morose, it seemed even the guards did not wish to be there. Even so, the little filly did not seem to be bothered in the least by what should have been utterly terrifying surroundings. Two grim looking earth ponies in black armor stood watch over what must have been the entrance to the dungeons. They both wore an iron girdle on which a large axe was attached.

“So it is just through there, right?” Vance asked his little tour Guide.

“Of course not! That’s were all the little bad guys go. The real bad guys are in the secret dungeon.”

“Secret dungeon? There's another one?"

“Yeah, yeah! Me and Celly saw Mom and Dad go down into this weird hole that opened up in the floor! Celly does not know yet, but I went down there and found this lady that did not look like a bad guy, and she told me her name was AppleFlower and I said that was a pretty na-“

“Can you take me to her?!”

“Well duh, that is where we are going now, silly!”

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

“Do you know that lady?”

“Yes. Very well. I’ve been worried very much about her.”

“Well why have you not let her out then? You are a guard right? You can do that, right?”

“I- I- Why don’t we discuss it when we get there, okay?”

“Okay! You just go down this hall and there it is! The lower central hall! We call it the big room.”

Truth be told, the "big" room really was very large. In the very center, a large royal seal, an elaborate sun and moon, adorned the marble floor.

“There it is!” She galloped toward the center of the symbol.

Vance caught up with her and inspected the floor for any sign of a hidden entrance.

“I see nothing. You said it is under the floor, no? How do we get down there again?”

“Well Mommy and Daddy did some magic thingie to unlock the locks, but I know not how to do that yet.”

“So how have you been getting down there?”

“I can hear the locks! My teachers keep saying I have really good ears and I can hear the locks!”

“Oh, well then show me.”

“Why do you not just use your magic, mister guard guy?”

“Well, you see, I can’t use my horn right now. It’s… broken.”

“Well, it’s not a lie,” Vance thought to himself.

“Oh. Well gee, I am sorry, mister. I shall just do what I normally do then.”

Little Lulu began to stomp around seemingly at random on the polished floors. If one had not known what she was doing, it might seem as if she was dancing. Sure enough, after the wild dance was complete, a mechanical clanking could be heard below, and the circular royal seal began to rumble.

“Incredible,” Vance mumbled in awe.

“I know! I wonder how they keep the floors so shiny!”

Vance chuckled for the first time in weeks. “You are quite the adorable little kid- uh, filly.”

“I know! My servant lady tells me that every day when I wake up, though I think Mommy told her to say that…”

As the seal began to creep downward, Vance took the time to pause.

"I cannot bear to loose you. Promise that you will try not to get into trouble over me, please?"

"Ah promise. Please, stay with me."

"I will do anything and everything I can to return to you."

"Yeah. I know you well enough to say they'd have to tie you to a galleon to keep you from someone you care about."

A single tear fell from one of Vance's eyes.

The platform continued its descent.

*****************

"They're gone, Rongo. They're down in the bowels of the fotress, out of the orb's range."

"I see. Any other ideas, Mitiri?"

"Why yes. We have spent the better part of our lives learning to work from the shadows. It is high time we put our infiltrations skills to the test. A real test."

"I suppose you are right. I will gather our tools. The king will know of what will transpire today."

"Yes. This secret they go so far to protect will soon be ours."

*******************

..."Yes. This secret they go so far to protect will soon be ours."...

King Zeccor moved away from a purple orb of his own, too exhausted by creating it to sustain it.

The king sighed. "If I could increase the power of my orbs of sight, I would not need to risk my watchers like this," he thought.

"I might be able to help with that," a voice answered his thoughts.

"Who goes there?!" Zeccor bellowed.

Though the room was empty, one of the many silver-violet orbs that filled the room began to spin, twist, and pulse wildly until it resembled a cube, a diamond, and an orb all at once. It shifted into all manner of colors from all spectrums of light.

The king moved toward the strange floating mass of energy.

"What is this madness?"

"Madness? Madness?! Actually, I am rather mad. Then again, I've seen a lot of kooky stuff."

"What are you?"

"Now don't be rude. It's 'who are you?' Am I right?"

"Tell me what you are doing here! What are you doing to this orb of sight?!"

"Is that what this thing is? Well that's no fun. I thought it was a purple soap bubble. Oh well."

The orb then popped like a large misshapen soap bubble, revealing the form of one very odd looking creature.

"That better?"

The king stepped back in shock. "I don't believe it..."

A "teenage" draconequus yawned and stretched after what must have been a very long nap.

"Believe it!"

"A master draconequuan!"

"I prefer the term, 'Lord of Chaos,' but that'll do. The name's Discord."

"Legend has it you were killed trying to take revenge on the Eclipstrian Royal House."

"Yeah I have a tendency to get frozen, slash, locked away, slash, banished and such after my many schemes."

"How many times have you tried this?" The king inquired.

"Two thousand and forty-eight."

The king had a look of pure incredulousness plastered across his face.

"Oh, you meant this century? Twelve. I must loosing my touch."

"I can scarcely believe any of this."

"You have a hard time believing anything, don't you? Eh, doesn't matter. I get zapped with a magical mega-beam if I even get within 200 hooves of the place. True story."

"So... I... You..." the king stammered.

"So what am I here for? That what you were going to ask?"

The king nodded tiredly.

"Ah, that would be attempt number two thousand and forty-nine, and I've got the feeling that's my lucky number!"

"You can't mean-"

"That's right! We're going after the King and Queen."

"'We? What do you mean, we?"

*****************

Once more, all who had gathered in the large shipping container turned information center hung from every word Discord and Zecora spoke. Discord continued his tale.

"So then, our love-stricken hero Vance slowly descends into the secret dungeon and-"

An alarm began to sound in the distance. Afterwards, another much closer alarm joined in.

..."Would someone please answer the comm?!"...

Lenard Greene looked down had his comm unit. "Major Cavere? That you? What's going on?"

..."What's going on?! A non-natural anomaly is opening above the city, and we didn't open it!"...

Mike and Lenard exchanged a worried look. "Kaiser here, Major. You saying someone on the other side is coming through?"

..."I wouldn't go that far just yet, but- Uh oh."...

The radio went silent.

Greene began to adjust the settings on his radio. "Cavere? Cavere?"

..."You'd better get down here, now..."...

_____________

Major Cavere watched awe from the Dobbins Flight Control Center as thousands of griffins, pandragons, diamond dogs, and Caprastian rams onboard yoked battle wagons began to pour from a blood-red anomaly floating just above the Atlanta skyline.

"...Because things just got a lot more complicated."

Liberation Alliance Central Command Personality Report #6792 Praetor Phalanx

Few have spent their lives furthering the cause of Griffin kind more than the soldier and leader, Phalanx of House Kel. Believed to have been born into the same family as the legendary praetor and eventual Supreme Legate Kellinx, very much was expected of Phalanx even as a fledgling. It is said he enlisted into the Griffin Flight Reconnaissance Corps literally the very first second he was of age.

Learning to fly much faster than his peers, Phalanx would set a precedent for himself and others for early development, gaining the title of praetor at just the age of twenty-one, and being given command of his first flock just two years later. Now, many agree that he could very well become the youngest grand praetor in the history of the Sovereign Griffin Hegemony.

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #49287 Pinkamena Diane "Pinkie" Pie (ERP)

No logical information at this time. Revising evaluation parameters to allow comprehension of subject.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Personnel and Psychological Profile #4921 Private John Simms.

At the age of 20, this soldier is still young enough to be a carefree and happy-go-lucky individual. However, John Simms has seen far more than what would be expected of someone his age, and military life has not been particularly easy for him. Though missing out on the more recent engagements in south-east Asia, Private Simms's first tour of duty took him to the sands of Afghanistan, where things never quite settle down.

After pulling an Afghanistani civilian and several members of his own platoon out of a burning desert oil well, then helping evacuate an entire town to escape the fallout, he was given numerous medals and rewards in recognition of his bravery. Because of this, it is not much of a surprise as to why he was chosen to be part of the group of brave souls slated to enter the Anomalous Realm as part of the Anomalous Energy Event Team's expedition into what could be another dimension.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Collision

A/N

This installment of Heroes and Allies is brought to you by...

Chapter Thirty-Two: Collision

A small group of F-16's cruised over the jungle canopy of northern Laos.

..."Rider Three, you're listing off to the right. Hold formation."...

..."Trying, sir. I think I might have a slight flight control problem. I can't keep it straight."...

..."Try wiggling the control surfaces. With all that gum you chew, some of it might be jammed in the hydraulics.."...

..."Funny, Four. Somehow I doubt that's the problem."...

...."Go ahead and try it. I certainly don't want you to walk home from here. We'd be picking bugs off of you for months. We're only about thirty minutes away from Tall Sau- Uh- Tell soo-"...

..."Tan Son Nhut Air Base, sir."...

..."Thank you, Three."...

...."That's a fancy name, but anyone know why the Air Force is moving back into the place?"...

...."Apparently that's above my pay grade, and subsequently, all of yours. No one seemed to be at all against the re-militarization, and that in itself is odd. My guess is the top brass in 'Nam and back home know something we don't, and they ain't willin' ta share."...

..."Because that's not suspicious or anything."...

..."Quiet down, Four. Three, back to you. How bad of a malfunction we talkin' about here?"...

..."It's not a safety problem, it's a maintenance problem. I have control. I've got this, sir."...

..."Good. Cause I don't want you splashin' a jet on your first trans-continental flight, or scuffing up that pretty face of yours."...

..."Your concern is noted, Chief. Why do get the feeling you wouldn't be saying that If I was a m-"...

The jungle below erupted in a fiery shock wave, tossing nearby trees into the air like confetti. The surrounding clouds almost appeared to ignite, and a fallout of smoke and fire blanketed the surrounding area.

..."What in the Sam Hill?!"...

..."Rider Flight, this is Long Ear AWACS. Standby for course change and new orders."...

..."Rider. Acknowledged. You mind telling me what's going on?"...

..."Stand by for new orders..."...

..."Copy. Right..."...

Fire continued to descend on the wooded terrain like a hellish hailstorm.

..."That was quite an explosion..."...

..."Ya think, Robby?"...

..."Settle down. That wasn't some farmer lighting a trash fire, so who has an idea of what that was? It wasn't a nuke. None of the trademark signs are there. Could it be some kinda conventional weapon?"...

..."Conventional or otherwise, why is- was, anything like that there in the first place?"...

..."Good question, Three. I marked the coordinates, so someone's going to find out."....

..."Hey One, I know that blast signature anywhere. It's some sort of thermo-explosive."...

..."You suggestin' a farmer with a fuel air bomb?"...

..."Who in this part of the world would even know what that is?"...

..."Who knows, it's like I was saying. Whole world's going to sh-"....

..."Two, Four, that's enough from the peanut gallery. We got a report to make. Three and Four land at Tan Sun Nut."...

..."That's Tan Son Nhut, sir."...

..."Yes. Focus on getting that shaky bird on the tarmac, Three, and I'll worry about names. Two, you're with me. We're gonna get a closer look. Kiss that landing, Three. Good luck."...

..."Will do. I'll try to settle this thing down so I can- Wait. What's that?!"...

An ominous tone rung out from all the cockpits of Rider Flight.

..."Sam launch! Jink! Jink!"...

..."Three! Break right, now! Gerri!"...

Lieutenant Gerrianna Reed watched as a large surface to air missile flew up to eye level a thousand yards out and exploded, creating an aerial version of the devastation she'd just witnessed. A literal sphere of fire engulfed the air around Rider Flight, with Reed right in the very center of it.

..."She's breaking up! Chief! I gotta punch out! I gotta pouch ou-"...

Her canopy disintegrated as if it were made of cheap plastic, the air around her burst into flame.

The world melted away into blackness.

"Wake up, Gerri! We gotta move!"

"Uh, Chief?"

"Come on, get up!"

Alarms and the sounds of hundreds of shuffling feet filled Lieutenant Reed's head, accompanied by the face of a friend.

"Captain! What- Did I pass out?"

Greene lifted Gerri to her feet. "You fell asleep during one of the more obscure parts of crazy face's little story, but we don't have time to worry about that right now."

Greene began to climb a deck ladder to a window, with Gerri close behind.

"Okay, seriously. What's going on?!" Gerri asked loudly from below.

She reached the top of the ladder, then quickly began to piece the scene together.

"Well," Greene began, "It seems our friends from the other side decided to pay us a visit."

********************

"It has begun, sister," Luna solemnly spoke.

Celestia looked up from her desk.

"I know."

********************

"Move faster! They're gaining on us!"

From the rear of the long line of evacuees desperately trying to traverse the new anomaly, Praetor Phalanx could only watch as the sickly, almost undead appearance of Hircus's Banded Army closed in on them. If he squinted, his sharpened eyes could almost make out the Dread Lord himself, riding on a vortex of dread energy. Stragglers and Liberation Alliance civilians had already begun to flee for their lives up into the crimson, horizontally floating gateway ahead and above.

"Humans first! They have to know this isn't an attack!"

Following his orders, the pandragon minors piloting mounts with human survivors moved to the front of the line, their passengers either riding aboard a suspended battle wagon, or on the pandragon mount itself. As if almost anticipating this, Hircus's forces began to take aim at the forward escapees.

Dread energy blasts began to rain down on the survivors.

On board one of the rearward suspended battle wagons, Vhesk, Salsiva, Berhal, Locklear, and few other members of Matchbox Battalion held off any approaching enemies. Sitting at the back of the BW, the general couldn't help but notice a very odd looking rotating object mounted to the back of the vehicle.

"Locklear! General, use the turret!" Flockleader Wingroot yelled out from the retreating firefight above.

Remembering the reload method from the fire-bolt caster that he still had slung over his back, he cocked the fire-bolt cast-turret and began to unload a torrent of flaming metal at Hircus's airborne troops. On another pandragon just above, Rover and his pack of Diamond Dogs lifted Flare Spear Launchers and did the same.

"We are almost there! Fight dogs!"

Holding a steady pace, the flying wagon train neared the anomaly.

"Just a few more minutes!" Phalanx bellowed over the sounds of wings, energy blasts, and weapons fire.

The first few wagons passed through, along with most of the human refugees, though this did not in any way seem to deter Hircus's forces, who pursued them even harder. At the back of the line, a energy blast caught one of the BW's carrying a load of weapons, and lit it aflame. The fleeing soldiers could only watch as its volatile cargo detonated, blowing the wagon apart and sending shrapnel in all directions. Reeling from a searing pain in his left wing, Phalanx dropped from the sky. Locklear watched as most of Hircus's approaching army darted after the flailing griffin, rather than keep the chase with them.

The general watched as Phalanx fell, unable to do anything about it.

"They keep going for him. What is it that makes him such a valuable target...?"

_________________

Falling through several branches and tree limbs, the weary praetor crash landed onto the forest floor to the best of his ability. Clutching his wing and desperately trying to evade the what must have been an entire army of Hircus's timberwolves and banded Caprastian rams, the praetor's luck began to run out. Energy blasts arced past him at blinding speeds, and now without a weapon of his own, it was all Phalanx could do to stay out of point-blank range of their attacks. As the last of his will began to drain, the griffin officer collapsed to the ground.

He could hear the enemy soldiers catching up to him.

He lifted his head to see the face of those that would slay him, then reeled back in horror as the faces were not at all what he expected. Instead of the snarling maw of a timber wolf, or the stern lower jaw of a ram, his eyes met that of a human, rather a small task force of humans sporting the wild, glowing, dark blue eyes of Hircus's Banded. One of them shoved a M16 rifle in the praetor's face, then opened his mouth as if finding words to speak.

"Did I not tell you there was no escape from me?" The human spoke with the Dread Lord's voice.

"Hircus," Phalanx groaned.

"Then it is true. This is no magic. Hircus has gained power over a whole new source of energy and no one is safe from it, not even the humans," he thought to himself.

"You could have been king in my domain, to preside over your kind in the glorious Sapphiron Reborn, yet you defy me."

"A king? What would that have made you?"

"You would have been a king, and I, I would have been your god."

"So the arrogance has come full circle then. I'm going to tell you the same thing my ancestors told the alicorns..."

Hircus's human analog snarled in anger.

"YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A PETTY TYRANT!" Phalanx drew his griffin war knife and tossed it into the soldier's chest, surprising the Dread Lord and giving the tired griffin leader enough time to summon enough strength to jump to his paws and dart into the blackness of the forest.

"Destroy him!" Hircus commanded through a possessed pegasus nearby.

"He got the ponies too..." Phalanx thought once more.

Several blind volleys of energy blasts, Equestrian explosive arrows, and automatic gunfire ripped through the trees as Phalanx knowingly delayed the inevitable. His mad dash came to an end as he reached the lip of a large chasm at the edge of the woods. Turning to see the enemy surging out of the foliage, Phalanx knew his bid for escape had come to an end.

"If I die, it will not be by your your sword, Hircus."

The tired griffin's legs gave out, and with a defiant smirk, the praetor fell back and dropped over the edge.

"No!" The Dread Lord roared though his possessed soldiers at the loss of his greatest quarry. A kill he'd never make.

Just as one of the possessed humans reached the cliff side to look over, the sounds of beating wings could be heard from below.

"What is this?"

A blur of brown and yellow rushed from below right past Hirus's army on the ground. Two griffins climbed toward the heavens, one being held by the arm, as none other than Gilda pulled Phalanx away from certain destruction. As they rose, Phalanx offered one last mock salute to the Dread Lord.

"You can flee to the furthest corners of either Earth, but I will find you! There is no place in my universe you can hide from me!"

"I say again, his arrogance really has gone full circle, eh Gilda?" Phalanx spoke over the rush of the wind.

"That's two you owe me, Phal! If you don't start saving my life more often we're going to have to reevaluate the nature of our relationship!"

"That was almost humorous! Just fly us out of this place!"

Phalanx paused to look around for the group of fleeing allies ahead. After he realized that he could no longer see them, he looked back up to Gilda.

"Did they make it!?"

"Yeah! Just about everyone is through, but there are a few stragglers trying to make it in!"

"We must find a place to hide! Perhaps we can survive until they come back to liberate this place!"

"We're one of the last ones out! They're holding open the window for us!"

"What?! But Hircus's forces will get though right behind us!"

"Not if we hurry! As an old friend of mine once said, there's nothing you can't win with the right application of SPEED!"

"You better hope so! Can Vhesk close the gateway once we've passed?!"

"They were going to try blowing up the weapons wagon we lost! So I don't know!"

"Then it's time to find out! Do you have a caster on you?"

"Yeah! Here!" Gilda passed down her fire-bolt caster with her free arm.

"You focus on flying, I'll cover you!"

As the two of them closed on the anomaly, possessed griffins, pandragons, and pegasai fired everything they had to keep them from escaping. After downing quite a few of them, the flying pair finally reached the swirling reds and blues of Vhesk's creation. Rising up from below, the Dread Lord made his presence known, his massive pandragon wings easily keeping him close behind. Hircus roared like a lion pouncing on a baby deer.

"I cannot let you live!"

Phalanx unleashed every last round from the fire-bolt caster into Hircus's enraged form, slowing him but not appearing to do any real damage. A close energy blast seared off the feathers on Gilda's right wingtip.

"You will die for your transgressions, traitorous worms!"

"I can't get him off us! Do you have anything else?!"

Gilda handed him a small orange sphere. "That's all I got! Make it count!"

As time seemed to slow, Phalanx armed the magma orb and lobbed it toward the twisted form of the pursuing dark king. The orb shattered as it had been designed to do, drenching their would be killer in molten lava. Phalanx watched as Hircus writhed in unholy agony, his screams of torment and malice echoing throughout the land.

The Dread Lord began to burn.

"I will kill every last one of your kind for this! Your suffering will be tenfold of mine!"

Phalanx threw the fire-bolt caster, striking the already excruciatingly afflicted Hircus square on his face.

"Be quiet," Phalanx muttered as he and Gilda reached the anomaly.

More enraged than what might be considered possible, Hircus consolidated all of his power into a single blast of dread energy, a beam of pure horror that could seemingly level a small city. As Phalanx and Gilda watched the world fade away into a blinding light, the blast struck the anomaly.

"What did he just do?!" Gilda yelled out as they fell into the gateway portal.

"Vhesk's job," Phalanx answered with a smirk.

"NO!" Hircus bellowed as the anomaly almost collapsed right after Phalanx and Gilda entered its threshold, allowing only his sizable early invasion force through.

"RRRRRRRAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The Dread Lord regained his composure and turned to his troops. "Regroup. We shall enter the human realm on our own time. We will break the barrier with sheer might!"

Hircus turned to the destabilized anomaly. "You have not won yet."

**********************

Inside the temporary shelter the Georgia Dome had been turned into, humans and ponies alike scrambled around on various emergency tasks. Below most of the dome's structure, a small group of ponies once known as the "Bearers of the Elements" took shelter.

..."Twilight, are you all in a safe place?!"...

"Yes, princess. I am here with the others. Most of the soldiers went to fight. We're just waiting for- Speak of the devil..."

Sergeant Steven Mace entered the crate garage with a small team of marines and a much larger group of ponies and human civilians.

..."Alright. I'll get back to you with more information later. Don't leave that building, stay safe, my little ponies."...

Twilight nodded. "You too."

"Hello again," Mace called out to them. "This level and the ones below are our cover levels. Stay away from anything heavy and protect your head if the ceiling starts to fall apart."

Almost everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Mace stepped up to the crate wearing his full combat gear and cradling an M16. "Any news?"

"Not much," Twilight answered. "We haven't exactly been anywhere other than here."

Rainbow Dash angrily shook her head. "I don't like this. What's going on up there?!"

"We'll find out as soon as we hear back from the first wave of pilots they sent in," Mace answered quietly.

Applejack trotted over to a nearby grate in the floor, which Pinkie had just gone down, and tapped on it three times with a hoof. "What are ya doin' down there?"

"I almost got it!" Pinkie's voice echoed from below.

"Got what?"

A pillar of water surged from below, blasting the grate right off of the hole.

"Pinkie!" her friends called out all at once.

The surge receded, and Pinkie hopped out of the hole and shook herself dry. "There we go! Water for everypony!"

"Wait. You made a well?" Lime Tree inquired from his position high up next to one of the crate garage's windows.

"I hope that wasn't a sewer line..." Mace thought out loud with a unsure expression on his face.

"Oh no problemo! I tapped the water main!"

Mace nodded. "It's better than dieing of thirst down here, but I hope that doesn't come back to bite us later."

"Silly! Water can't bite you! Well, unless it's ice... or frost..."

Rarity put a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "Settle down Pinkie, conserve some of that youthful energy for when you might need it. Wait, what am I saying? I'm sure you have plenty to spare."

A marine walked over to Sergeant Mace. "Sir, General Highlander is waiting to speak to you on frequency twelve. Over here, sir."

"Wait. Did you say, General Highlander?" Mace questioned.

"I'm sure he can explain it better than I could."

Mace nodded and walked away with the messenger, leaving Twilight and her friends to think to themselves for a moment.

"So..." Twilight chuckled. "How does this rank on our list of adventures?"

"Too high," Fluttershy mumbled.

"She's right," Rarity added. "How do we always manage to find ourselves in these predicaments?"

"Unlucky, I guess," Rainbow commented.

"Nah, we jus' lead very intrestin' lives," Applejack added.

"Yeah, but this time it's not about us," Twilight spoke as she dragged a hoof down the side of her face in exhaustion. "We're talking about two worlds in jeopardy now, and we're powerless to save either of them."

Fluttershy gazed down at the floor.

"Ah wouldn't say that, we jus' have to fight harder this time. We ain't got the Elements to cover our backsides. We gotta win our homes back th' hard way."

Rarity obsessively pawed at her mane. "But it's like Twilight said before, we're not soldiers. We're cold, tired, hungry and homeless. Without the Elements..."

Rainbow Dash got in Rarity's face. "Without the Elements, we're six girls with a mission, and a lot of friends! And a bunch of them are out there trying to save us all, so just maybe you could stop complaining!"

Rarity and Rainbow Dash stood face to face, scowling at each other, while Fluttershy retreated to a small corner and sobbed quietly into her hooves.

"Look, ah know we're all a bit rough 'round the edges right now, but we gotta keep it together now!"

"And why should we?!" Rarity began to comb through her mane in a more manic fashion. "We've lost everything."

"Not everything." Mace entered the room once more. "I know we're all on edge. But we're not unprepared this time. I've been informed that we have reinforcements from multiple military outposts and bases already en route. We have help coming from all over the region, maybe even the world. Seems your princesses' pleas to the United Nations have payed off. We're pretty much guaranteed help if this escalates into a global drama."

Rarity seemed to calm down a bit. Fluttershy lifted her head.

Twilight, nodded in response. "That's good to hear. What is the condition of-"

"Have you heard from Greene?" Rainbow butted in.

"Captain Greene? He should be up by now. I'll listen out on the comm for any updates, but I would be surprised if any of them have time to relay information to us."

"Oh. Okay." Rainbow answered.

..."Crate-Com, this is Major Classified, can you hear me?"...

Mace let his rifle rest on its straps and began to type on of the Crate's keyboards. "Sergeant Mace here, we read you."

..."Good. I've already told your superiors this, but I thought you'd want to know. What's left of the Equestrian armed forces here is headed your way. We've managed to construct a few battle wagons as well, but that's about all we have to offer you."...

"You built a battle wagon in the span of a day?"

..."Multiple battle wagons, in the span of two days. They're not very hard to manufacture when you have engineers with a good century's worth of technological advancement to help. Besides, they're pushers. They didn't have time to fabricate our vapor-suspended steam engines."...

"More the merrier I suppose. What's your infantry looking like?"

..."We have two platoons of Earthfantry forces to deploy at this time, along with, and this is good news, a small squadron of pegasai that have managed to gain flight readiness."...

"I suppose that is good news."

..."The bad news is that Unicorps forces are virtually useless here, though they are reevaluating their tactics. With a few re-specializations they should work well with the Earthfantry."...

"Alright. I need to go. Just let us know when you have new information."

..."Well... there's something else I need to tell you, in private."...

Mace looked over to Twilight and the gang, who took the hint and left the crate. Mace locked the large steel doors behind them.

"Alright. Spill it."

..."Do you remember what we and some of the others talked about that one night at the rec tent back at Zero Base?"...

"Yes." Mace paused. "You know who the traitor is, don't you?"

..."I've narrowed it down to three. I'll show you their identification sheets."...

Mace watched as a human marine turned the camera down at a desk in front of the major's stack of files.

..."These three."...

Steven's eyes widened. Before him were three identifications sheets with the faces and names of none other than Sergeant Sky Blade, Corporal Star Sabre, and Private Crescent Skies.

..."Do you know them?"...

"Yes," Mace answered quietly.

..."Well I'm here to tell you, one of them is a traitor."...

*********************

Lenard pushed open the door to the main hanger's men’s room and walked over to the sink. He splashed a few handfuls of cold water into his face and stared intently at his own reflection. His face had a few more bags than he was used to, and his eyes seemed a little more tired than what would be expected of someone his age.

“Who is this guy looking back at me? That can’t be me...”

A flood of memories entered his mind: his first flight into an anomaly, the strange dreams he’d been having recently, and the very first time he’d splashed water on his face in this room, years before. All the anxiety he was trained to ignore tended to bubble up before and after flights, and now was no exception.

“Did I really trade clean-up patrols over Laos for this?”

“Green!” Major Cavere’s voice rung out from outside. “Get whatever crisis you’re going through together and report to your station! You’re no good to anyone down here!”

Internally, the man known on late night TV as ‘Lean Mean Lenny Greene’ felt like throwing up, but he knew he was needed, so he straightened himself up and marched back out of the bathroom toward a very overstressed Air Force major.

..."All personnel report to assigned stations immediately! This is not a drill! Repeat this is not a drill!"...

Major Cavere turned away from a stack of monitors to find yet another winded pilot running toward him for assignment.

"Greene! Get over here! NOW!."

Captain Greene dashed over to where the major was standing, already half into his full flight gear.

"Sorry sir! I just had to deal with something real quick. What's the situation here?"

"The 94th is already mobilizing, and most of your squadron is already up. We're having to deal planes like cards with all the confusion right now. Your aircraft is prepped and ready outside on the tarmac as we speak. Figures they'd attack right before the Project Intrepid aircraft were completed. We're short fourteen planes and we can't even find a quarter of our pilots! Look, you're one of the few guys we got that's even seen these things before. They need you up there!"

"How did the Alliance even get through?! The arrays were fried days ago!"

"Take it up with Commander Stuart when the Minnesota gets back! In the mean time, you have a plane to catch!"

"Yes sir!" Greene gave a quick salute and sprinted toward the open hanger doors, bounding around a corner and readying his flight suit as he made his way. Grabbing his helmet from a desk and attaching all of the associated wires and tubes, Captain Greene prepared himself for combat.

"Sir, she's ready!" a tech yelled from outside the hanger.

"On my way!"

"We took care of most of the pre-flight checks for you. Just get in there and test the flight surfaces and you're good to go!"

Greene stepped out into the light to find an almost mint looking F-22A Raptor sitting ready on the tarmac, with techs closing up the service panels and moving out of the way.

"Stop staring and get in the saddle!" Cavere shouted from the other side of the hanger.

"Kid acts like he's never seen a Raptor before," Cavere muttered under his breath.

Greene climbed the ladder into the cockpit, where most of the cockpit had already been set for low altitude combat conditions. One of the techs climbed up to help fasten the harness.

"Captain!" the tech yelled over the engines spooling up, "In case you missed the briefing, you got four Sidewinders and your gun. We were told not to bother with the AMRAAM's. Get out there and give em one for us, okay?"

"You got it."

The tech gave him a thumbs up and backed up as Greene pulled the canopy lever. As the transparent glass shroud surrounded him, Greene became acutely aware of the radio chatter racing back from pilot to pilot and other forces in the area.

..."Here they come! Through the portal!"...

..."Hold formation! If they get mixed into the civilian population it'll get a lot harder for our boys and girls down there!"...

"To all aircraft, this is Captain Greene. I'm about to take off. Listen to me very carefully." He looked over to see the marshaller directing him not to taxi yet. "Hold back until I get up there. Put yourself between them and the city!"

..."Cap? Kaiser here. Reed and I are forming up with the rest of the squadron. Get up here as fast as you can!'...

The marshaller began to pull his wands back toward him, signalling for Greene to begin moving toward the taxiway.

"Rolling..."

As the jet slowly turned onto the main taxiway, the marshaller stood back, gave Greene the signal to proceed onto the runway, saluted, and moved away.

"Tower. Captain Greene here in Raptor 4194 on runway 29. Requesting permission to take off."

..."Roger, Raptor 4194. Captain Greene, your call-sign is WarSparrow One. We're still organizing the squadron into teams. Stand-by for assignment. You are clear for take off."...

"Roger. Launching..."

Greene pushed the jet to full throttle and the engines roared into action. The Raptor lurched forward and quickly reached take-off speed. Lifting into the sky, Greene could see the anomaly beginning to surge.

Greene pulled the '22 up to altitude, and barreled straight toward the blood-red anomaly.

"This is WarSparrow One to all forces. Follow my lead."

..."Cap? This is Reed, er- WarSparrow Two. Good to see you made it."...

"Well it's good to be flying with you all again, WarSparrow Two and Three. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have guests to greet. Form up on me."

..."Yes sir. It's me, Kaiser above you, Cap. Hmm. WarSparrow. I could get used to that."...

"It'll do," Greene answered.

Greene craned his head toward the disturbance, then shook his head as he took in the incredulity of the situation.

"It's bonafide alien invasion. It just figures I'd live to see something like this."

Kaiser and Reed formed up on Lenard's left and right wings.

..."The rest of the squadron is already forming a defensive formation, boss. Major Cavere is supposed to join us up here soon."...

"Roger that, Two. We'll need everyone we can get."

..."What do you think they're trying to pull? I mean we managed to beat them back at that landship while we were severely outnumbered. Surely they don't think they can take us on a good day, right?"...

"I don't know what they're playing at, Kaiser. I just know we are here to stop them."

..."Hmm. Maybe tenacity, or desperation of some kind. Maybe it's some desire to conquer everything in their path."...

"Maybe. Something is off about all of this, though. Our arrays are down, and as far as I know, Earth- our Earth, has never been invaded by talking animals before. So either there are forces we don't know of yet taking shape here, or the Alliance is far more advanced than we thought."

..."Well, Star Sabre and I were talking not too long ago about the significant cultural differences between the two of our societies, completely drunk no less, and he said that to them, magic is their technology. Maybe we were wrong to consider ourselves more advanced."...

..."You considered them less advanced, Kaiser?"...

..."You telling me you didn't, Gerri?"...

"Settle down, you two. We have a possible Earth-shaking crisis to deal with here. At least pretend like you're concerned."

..."I am. Star told me all that he could think about the last few nights was his family. They lost their homes in Cloudsdale on the day of the first attack, then in Ponyville the very next day. I don't even want to think about allowing that to happen here."...

Gerri could be seen looking around her cockpit.

..."We won't. We were mixed up in someone else's war before. Now it's personal."...

"Personal or otherwise, it still doesn't make sense. What I'm starting to piece together from the big story here, is that this war was never about us. It's about taking something back. It could be land, dignity, or something else entirely, but they're trying to regain something. What possible reason could they have to come here?"

Kaiser could be seen shrugging behind the canopy of his aircraft.

..."Maybe they're coming after the ponies? Or revenge? Maybe our fast food?"...

"That's possible, but to just storm in here, into the unknown? They spent decades, if not centuries planning this war with the ponies. They know next to nothing about us, and they think they're ready to just charge right on in?"

..."That does seem a bit fishy, Cap, but the waypoint is coming up sir. We don't have the time to discuss it. Time to clock in."...

"Heh. Roger that. You're about to get a taste of what I saw on the other side."

Gerri shook her helmeted head

..."With all due respect, sir. I hope not."...

"Well then hope it goes better than what I saw."

..."Understood. Pulling into circular formation."...

Ahead, multiple fighter squadrons had been arranged in a loose holding formation around the anomaly, with a steadily increasing number of creatures from the "other side" forming in the middle, appearing not to be in any hurry to attack. Around that, a massive formation of AC-130 gunships and C-130 transports from the 94th Airlift wing operating from Dobbins flew in a counter clockwise pattern, bringing their weapons to bear and waiting for the call to deploy their onboard infantry units. Below, the newly reformed Matchbox Battalion stood at the ready, prepared to unleash unholy revenge on those that had nearly destroyed it.

Humanity would not be taken by surprise again.

"If this is an invasion, why haven't they opened fire yet?" Greene thought aloud.

..."No clue." Gerri thought aloud. "Maybe we scared the fight out of them."...

..."Nah." Kaiser added. "They didn't come all this way just to- *ahem* chicken out."...

..."I swear Kais-"...

"Stay focused, you two."

..."Two, copy."...

..."*Sigh* I'll do my best, sir."...

"That's all I ask."

Greene lifted his helmet visor, squinting to make out single forms in the mass of creatures flooding through into the realm he'd called home all his life.

"Just what are they planning?"

*******************

"Major, I've known Sky Blade and Star Sabre since literally the moment I climbed out of the shuttle capsule that took me to your world, and you're telling me one of them could be a spy?!"

..."What about Private Skies? What have you seen of him?"...

"I don't know much about him, but Lieutenant Cleaves told me he fought bravely alongside one of the last tanks we had in Equestrian territory before we were forced back here."

..."Alright, let me explain. Our plan, tracking down the special 'suicide herbs' we found with one of Hircus's Equestrian double agents led me to this lead. The three of them helped escort a group of Equestrian civilians, a small family I believe, to the shelter here. All three of them left their packs in lockers in the makeshift barracks. Trouble is, I have no clue as to whose is whose. Other than the incriminating herbs, they all have standard rations and equipment in them."...

"And I suppose we can't just ask because that could tip off the spy?"

..."Exactly."...

Mace somberly put his head in his hands, then looked back up with a expression cold, detached look chiseled onto his face.

"Tell me what I have to do."

..."Alright. Listen very carefully."...

********************

Phalanx and Gilda watched as reality itself seemed to come to a standstill as the pair fell through the inter-anomalous abyss. There was no sound, only brilliant nearly supernatural color. Their motions slowed to a crawl, as if in slow-motion. Then, just as suddenly as they found themselves in this strange realm, reality returned, and they now found themselves on a totally new Earth.

The griffin pair could now see that the escaping military and civilian refugees now found themselves completely surrounded by human forces. A multitude of strange machines with spinning wings hovered around them, forming an airtight perimeter. Squinting, Phalanx could see that further back, more of the faster flying machines like the one his reoccurring human adversary flew, held a more distant circular flight path, sealing them in. Finally, below, the two griffins could see that an even larger number of human ground forces had already converged below, complete with more war machines and human infantry than either of them dared to count.

"What happens now, Phal? We're stuck!"

Phalanx looked back at the anomaly, which hadn't seemed to collapse fully yet.

"By the ancestors, they don't know there are humans with us!"

"But that means..."

"That means it will not take long for them to come up with a reason to sho-" Phalanx grabbed for his human communication device. "Locklear, do you hear my words?!"

All Phalanx got in return was a high pitched crackling noise that seemed to coincide with the anomaly's pulsing form.

"Curse of black stars! The gateway must be interfering with this blasted device! Everyone! Put down your weapons! Do not make any threatening actions!"

A massive blast of dark energy shot out from the anomaly, and came within inches of shooting down one of the larger flying machines. Hircus's early invasion force emerged from the collapsing anomaly, energy blasts blazing.

Phalanx's head sunk.

"No... Everyone, pull back! Use Hircus's forces as cover. We must survive or no one on either planet will!"

_______________

WarSparrow Squadron looked on as energy blasts began to rain down from the anomaly.

..."To all forces, they have opened fire! Repeat, the invading forces have opened fire on our assets in the area! All forces return fire! Take them down!"...

Greene armed his onboard weapons. "You heard that, flight! Press the attack!"

The surrounding fighters from other squadrons rolled and dived down towards the chaos as the new, glowing Alliance forces began to swarm the perimeter. Greene, Kaiser, and Reed descended in formation.

"Stay with me! Help me blast a hole through that formation other there!" Greene ordered.

Energy tracers streaked overhead as the three fighters brought their guns to bear and ripped through a small group of glowing blue pandragons. Dozens of them began to fall from the sky as the three pilots and other allied fighters began to engage the enemy forces.

..."Sir, enemy flyers flanking us from the left!"... Gerri called out

A pair of pandragons from the formation they'd just attacked took to the chase, bearing down on them from behind.

The afterburners on all three fighters lit up, quickly carrying them out of harm's way.

"Keep an eye on the anomaly, they might have airships on the way!"

..."Roger that,"... Gerri answered.

..."Understood! Sir! Something's following us!"... Kaiser warned.

"Seekers! Evade!"

..."What?!"...

"They're like missiles! Break left! Break left!"

The three F-22's banked sharply to the left, dodging the seekers, but giving them an almost perfect shot at one of the AC-130's. Two of them missed, but another tore through the starboard wing of the 130, violently lurching it to the right. The craft stubbornly refused to roll completely over, but was clearly headed for the ground.

..."This is Vulture 927! We are going down! Repeat we are going d-..."...

The large aircraft pulled sharply upward right before it hit the deck, making for a very hard landing.

"Command! This is WarSparrow One! An AC-130 just crash landed near my coordinates! Scramble SAR to their location! That looked survivable!"

..."Copy, WarSparrow. Sending SAR teams now..."...

Greene slammed his fist on the cockpit frame. "Those things are supposed to track using some kind of magic energy! How are they working here?!"

..."Captain! Greene is that you?"...

"Dr. Harrison?"

..."Yes! Yes it's me! Listen! I can't answer your question, but I can bring you news! Something is seriously wrong with that anomaly!"...

"We noticed, Doctor. Can you tell us what's going on?"

..."Yes! Whatever or whoever opened that anomaly did so with a completely different method than we. I'm getting some unbelievable signals from it! They match up with the strange ones I received just yesterday! It's clearly collapsing, but not in a closing sense, more like a really small star going into supernova!"

"You're telling me it's going to explode?!"

..."Yes! And it could very well take this entire city with it!"...

"You wouldn't have contacted me if you didn't have some plan! Tell us what can we do about it!"

..."We're working on an answer for that as we speak! We believe some sort of missile strike may be in order, but they would have to be very powerful weapons indeed to outright kill an anomaly of that size."...

"Sorry Doc, we're not carrying anything that remotely matches what you need!"

..."I might have an idea,"... another voice called out over the radio.

..."Who is this?"... Dr. Harrison asked.

..."This is Commander Stuart aboard the USS Minnesota. We are off the coast and well within cruise missile range. Our skipper, Admiral Graham, has instructed me to tell you that we have been authorized to fire if we have too."...

"Are you nuts?! We're in the middle of a heavily populated city!" Greene yelled over the radio as he dodged a flare spear from above.

..."It's our only option,"... Harrison answered. ..."The anomaly could rupture the very second a weapons detonation occurs, killing anyone near it! We don't have time to bring any manned vehicles into weapons range. A missile might be our only option!"...

..."I agree."... Stuart continued. ..."I've studied these things long enough to know that this one is one home-wrecker of an anomaly. We can detect it from here! We are arming all non nuclear cruise missiles and preparing to receive targeting information for missile guidance."...

"We don't have any launch sites closer than your sub?" the captain wondered.

..."Long story short: This sub has been outfitted to hunt down anomalies in locations that may or may not be permitted to travel to. Although we barely had time to leave port, we can use our data from previous scouting missions to make our missiles more effective."...

"Wait wait wait. Previous missions? Are you saying you've detected anomalies in other locations in the past?"

..."We can explain it later! Focus on the task at hand! We'll need the exact coordinates of the newly formed anomaly before we can launch our cruise missiles safely. Captain. We're running out of time. Do you think-"...

"I'll do it. Squadron, cover me, but disengage once I get within range of the anomaly!"

..."Two, Copy!"...

..."Three copies!"...

..."WarSparrow. Watcher One AWACS. We have confirmation of civilian evacuation around the anomaly's position, and we are prepared to perform electronic support to clear up the signals. WarSparrow Lead, get your data and relay it to us. We'll take care of guidance."...

"Understood."

WarSparrow One broke formation and turned toward the surging anomaly. Kaiser shot a glowing blue pandragon off of Greene's tail as a small flock of similarly colored griffins met their end from Reed's guns.

Gerri squinted from the cockpit of her F-22. ..."They've spotted you gunning for the portal, captain! Get the coordinates before they converge on you!"...

"Copy! I'm making my run now!" the captain declared through the radio.

For what was definitely not the first time, Captain Lenard Greene bore down on the dimensional anomaly. As he dropped toward the fierce ground battle raging below, a round from an Abrams tank disintegrated a dark pandragon-battle wagon combo right as it was about to ram him.

"I don't know who made that shot, but thank you!"

..."WarSparrow One, Lieutenant Cleaves with Matchbox Battalion here. You're welcome. Now go get those coordinates before we all fry!"...

The shifting vortex of reds and blues grew larger in Captain Greene's HUD, invoking an unerring sense of Déjà vu. This time, however, Greene made a hard left banking turn before entering the anomaly's event horizon, lingering just long enough for the onboard instruments to record the anomaly's position.

"Watcher One, do you have the data?" Greene yelled as fire-bolts from a Hircus-possessed pandragon minor arced overhead.

..."Affirmative. Minnesota, confirm acquisition of target."...

..."Affirmed. We read optimal targeting location as exactly 33.981517 North, -84.649773 West. We'll get back to you with the course."...

..."Copy, Minnesota. Standing by. WarSparrow, Watcher One is now running ESM for all allied forces."...

"I'm- uh, sure that'll help, Watcher. I'm getting back into the fur-ball. Warn me when the missiles are on the w- I don't believe this. It's him... again."

..."Say again, One?"...

________________

Phalanx and Gilda rocketed through the swirling torrent of weapons fire now localized around the dimensional anomaly. As they finally caught up with the front of the pack, Vhesk's pandragon-battle wagon caravan could be seen attempting to fend off human aggressors, on which Berhal and General Locklear could be seen holding onto to the vehicle for dear life.

"Locklear! I have finally found you! They have us outnumbered and surrounded! We'll die if they don't relent soon! Use your device to order your comrades to cease this attack!"

"I'd love too, but your bootlegged radios aren't even close to powerful enough to cut through all this interference!"

Vhesk shook his head in agreement. "The gateway. I have been tampering with my designs but I cannot make contact due to the gateway's resonance field."

Locklear shook his fists in rage. "I can't believe this! We're going to have to get close enough for someone to spot us from a window before they know they're shooting their own guys!"

Berhal held his possibly fractured leg. "I'm guessing that would be well within weapons range of their vehicular weapons?"

"You better believe it! One of the helos will nail us with a door gun before that!"

Gilda nested her head in her arms. "Fantastic. I always knew this is how I'd die!"

Phalanx stood up on the back of the Pan-wagon. "Blast it! We have civilians with us! Thousands of them! We can't risk them simply killing us all! We have to warn someone of Hircus's intent!"

The griffin praetor began to quickly survey the area then hardened his face.

"I need a mount."

Gilda's eyes widened. "What?! You can't be thinking of-"

"Gilda..."

"But you have a hole the size of a crest coin in your wing!"

Gilda's voice, along with the thunderous sounds of battle slowly began to fade. Time seemed to slow once more. Tracers and blasts moved at a snails pace around the griffin praetor, and an ethereal voice spoke for the distance.

"It is your time, warrior. Will you prove your worth this day? Will you show your foe the ultimate strength?"

"Hircus?"

"No. Though I am of his time."

"Who are you?"

The voice chuckled. "Heh. We met once before!"

"Wha-" The world at war came alive again.

"Phal! Can you hear me?!"

"Gilda! Pull the General as far back to the rear of the line as you can! I think- I think there is something I have to do."

Defiantly, and with a blood-curdling scream, Phalanx threw himself into the air, bullets and anti-air fire surrounding him.

************************

Celestia and Luna watched the battle from multiple screens from an undisclosed location.

"Sister, I can almost feel his approach. The gateway is not closing."

Celestia nodded. "They are running out of time."

One member of a group of human agents monitoring the nearby systems looked up.

"It's time to leave. Come with us, please."

Celestia bowed her head with stress.

"Very well."

*********************

Cruising at low throttle, Captain Greene watched as a very familiar griffin leapt off of a flying contraption attached to a pandragon mount. The clearly wounded griffin shoulder-tackled a glowing blue pandragon minor off of his saddle, and commandeered the flying beast.

Greene banked to the left, momentarily loosing sight of his adversary of two previous duels.

"Incredible. How did I just know I'd run into you here?"

..."Perhaps it was destiny."...

"What-" Greene snapped his head to the right, finding the griffin leader flying alongside him on his stolen mount and clutching a radio-looking device in his left talon.

"How did you find this frequency?!"

..."I do not know what you speak of, but listen to me! You must stop this attack!"...

Greene shook his head angrily. "That's a nice joke. I heard about what you did to Matchbox Battalion! Do you do standup comedy when you're not moonlighting as a murderer?"

..."Human! There is more occurring here than you can comprehend!"...

"Alright, I'm done talking to you. This is my city! You and your people are done!"

Greene pulled down his visor, barrel-rolled over the the enemy griffin flyer, and climbed for superior altitude. Tracking his opponent below, Greene reached the top of his climb, then dumped the stick over for a killing dive. Bearing down on the enemy bird, Lenard Greene opened up with the Raptor's cannon.

______________

Phalanx watched as the human flying machine swooped down on him like a hawk preparing to steal away a baby mouse. As fire-bolt like objects rained down from above at impossible speeds, he pulled sharply on the control bars attached to the reins, turning toward the enemy human pilot to force him to overshoot.

"Human! You must hear me! The Dread Lord is coming!"

...."...."....

There was no response.

"Vhesk's hypothesis must be correct. Under these conditions these devices can only work at extremely close range," Phalanx thought calmly as tracers tore into the webbing of his pandragon's wings. The mount, clearly under Hircus's nearly hypnotic influence, did not seem to notice.

"He is getting better..." Phalanx thought to himself.

Taking advantage of the pandragon's superior maneuverability, Phalanx just barely avoided the hostile flying machine as it roared past him, its wake spinning the mount like a rag doll.

"No! Hold steady!" He arbitrarily shouted to the beast.

The mount and its jockey began to fall uncontrollably toward the ground.

______________

From the cockpit of his F-22, Captain Greene could clearly see the griffin and dragon fall into a flat spin, tumbling out of the sky.

"Nothing less than you deserve."

..."Cap... What was that about?"...

"Nothing, Kaiser. Just dealing with a very small prob-"

A pillar of blue fire erupted from below, blackening the underside of Greene's Raptor.

____________

As Vhesk's dimensional gateway began to surge, the pandragon seemed to find a new strength to fight on. Beginning to glow an even bright distinctive blue hue, the mount angrily speared upward, breathing a blue fireball the size of a small house toward the human aggressor.

"The irony. Hircus's strength has become my own."

Following Phalanx's guiding talons, the mount rocketed upward on a wave of dimensional energy, zipping past the human and his flying machine.

Phalanx looked down at his adversary below.

"If I must fight you to stop this, I shall."

______________

Greene watched astonished as the now bright blue dragon almost out-climbed him, passing him by as if strapped to a rocket.

...."...f....ou....st....is...all...".... the radio crackled.

Greene ignored the fractured message and took to the chase.

The two fighting pilots rose into a classic rolling scissors maneuver, each trying to pull behind the other as they climbed upward into the clouds.

"Oh you are not pulling that one on me again!" Greene shouted to no one in particular.

Making sure not to take his eyes off his enemy for a second, Greene avoided losing his prey in the cloud cover. The dragon appeared to be losing steam, slowing in its ascent. Riding his jet on the knife's edge of stall speed, Greene slowed enough to finally get a shot.

_____________

Knowing that his mount could not out climb the human contraption, Phalanx brought the pandragon into a labored hover before pitching over toward his climbing foe.

"The tables have turned, human! If you will not hear my words, then you will receive my bolts!"

Phalanx pulled the lever to arm the mount's onboard fire-bolt casters, streaking down fire on the human flyer while simultaneously taking fire from his weapons.

"This will end today. One way or another."

_____________

..."..h.is..en...oda..ay...ano..."...

Projectiles of the flaming variety struck true on the Raptor, peppering the airframe with small holes, but not doing any critical damage. The flying monster zoomed past him once more.

"You're going to have to better than that!"

..."Greene! This is Dobbins Air Command! What are you doing!?"...

"Command, I am engaging an enemy ace over the anomaly! I can't chat right now!"

...."Ace?! What are you talking about?! Greene! We're preparing for the missile strike! Our forces are retreating to escape any secondaries from the anomaly! You need to vacate that airspace, now!"...

"Retreating?! We can't brake the line now! The Alliance might get into the city!"

..."We're holding close enough to box them in! When the missiles enter the airspace we'll let them do their work!"...

Fire-bolts traced past the canopy. "Copy! I'll leave the airspace! Right after I finally take care of this guy for good."

____________

Phalanx leveled out the pandragon mount, putting him on a flight path away from the human flying machine. The anomaly seemed to grow weak momentarily, lending Phalanx a small window in which to speak with his arch-enemy.

"This has gone on long enough! We have human survivors with us! End this pointless struggle!"

..."You're bluffing. You can't possibly have hostages."... he could hear the human flock leader speak.

"Hostages!? No! That is not what I me-" The anomaly grew strong again, cutting out his ability to communicate.

____________

..."Greene, this is Stuart on the Minnesota. We're at launch depth and ready to go ahead with the strike. You have about ten minutes before impact with the anomaly. You'd best get out of there ASAP."

"Copy that, Minnesota."

..."WarSparrow Lead, Intelligence suggests you put at least a five mile radius between you and the anomaly. We can't know what to expect when detonation occurs. You're wingmen have already left the area. You are to rejoin them immediately."

"WarSparrow copies! Just give me a minute to finish this fight!"

..."Get out of there, Greene! Now! That's an ord-!"... As the anomaly intensified, the signal dropped out.

From just ahead, Lenard could see the object of his hunt literally in his sights. The bird must have been trying to escape, as his dragon appeared to be taxed to the limit, flames spewing from its mouth.

"And that, was your last mistake."

A tone sounded in Greene's ear, indicating that the onboard Sidewinder missiles had gained a lock.

Lenard smirked.

"Fox two."

_______________

Two large projectiles streaked out from the human flying machine, bearing down on Phalanx and his dragon. Having seen this weapon used on one of his more unfortunate wingmates before, he knew good and well what they could do. As one of the deadly tubular weapons approached, Phalanx twisted the rein controls to force the dragon to roll away from it's predicted path. The weapon continued to bear down on him, adjusting for his change in course.

"Blast!"

Just as it flew to within just a few mount-lengths away, the deadly pointed tube exploded, sending large pieces of shrapnel into the mount.

"Don't die on me now, creature..."

Bleeding, but steadfast in its purpose, the mount refused to fall. As a second projectile rocketed toward him, Phalanx gritted his teeth and swung the pandragon around 180 degrees to face it, still carrying his forward momentum. Just as it entered lethal range, Phalanx stamped on a small wooden metal pedal attached to the mount saddle, which in turn depressed a muscle in the creature's back, coaxing it to breath a plume of blue flame into the incoming human rocket. The offending flying weapon disintegrated in the extreme heat, and Phalanx rocked the dragon to the left to dodge the flying debris.

"Ha ha! Excellent!"

Phalanx turned the mount back around to avoid loosing his forward speed, finding himself still at the human's mercy. He turned his head and stared down the helmeted human in his cockpit.

"Make your move."

____________

Greene could not deny his adversary's skills. Amazingly, the griffin had managed to avoid both of his missiles, and now his dragon had cooled enough to no longer hold an IR lock for the onboard missiles.

"Alright, see how well you can dodge this!"

Greene went full throttle once more, effortlessly catching up with the griffin assailant and putting him into a point-blank position to fire his guns into the clearly exhausted dragon.

..."And here we are. What will you do?"... he could hear his adversary speak through the com.

Greene held his finger on the trigger.

"I know what I should do."

..."I see. You do what you must. I will do what I must."...

The griffin did not attempt to pull away. The pandragon remained square in his sights.

"What I must..." Greene spoke aloud.

Greene pulled the trigger.

_______________

The human had made his choice.

Phalanx made an almighty tug to the rein controls of the pandragon mount, pulling it upward sharply enough of flip over entirely. The world slowed once more as the two passed each-other. The human looked up at the griffin, the griffin looked down at the human. Phalanx watched as the glass canopy of the human's machine passed just under the the glass lenses of the goggles on his own head. The pandragon pulled forward once more and leveled out just behind the machine's flaming tail end. As the saddle sights lined up, Phalanx pulled the latch for the fire-bolt casters, bathing the enemy vessel in flaming metal. In that split second, the praetor's casters were lined up perfectly at the pilot in his seat. Time still seeming to move at a crawl, the ethereal voice returned.

"Can you show your foe the ultimate strength?"

Phalanx closed his eyes and sighed.

"Yes."

Phalanx lowered his aim away from the canopy.

________________

Greene looked back in horror as enemy fire struck the tail of his aircraft. The electronic components began to die down and a black cloud of smoke began to billow from what was left of the engines.

"This is WarSparrow One! I have sustained heavy damage! I'm- I'm punching out!"

There was no response.

Knowing that there was little time left to act before the aircraft would be consumed, Greene reached for a small handle below his seat.

_______________

In an instant, the human seemed to burst from the saddle of his machine and into the sky with a small jet of flame. His mount rolled over and careened into a row of pan-wagons below, completely destroying them. After watching him fall for a few seconds, Phalanx squinted to see the human deploy, for once, a device he was familiar with: a parachute.

Phalanx dived down toward his human sparring partner, hovering with a slight descent to keep up. After a rather coordinated fall, he was now eye level with his greatest foe.

The two descended in silence, staring at each other, until the human finally spoke.

"So this is how I die. I was the guy in the 200 million dollar jet, and I lost to a bird on a flying lizard. This just figures."

"Are you ready to listen?"

"I don't see any way not to at the moment. Oh, wait..." Greene grew his pistol and fired, missing most of the shots, but sinking one of them into a vulnerable spot the pandragon's head, free of its usually protective scales. The mount dropped from the sky. Unable to muster the will to fly with his injured wing, Phalanx would have fallen with it, had Captain Greene not grabbed his arm. Holding the griffin with one hand and pointing a pistol at his face with the other one, Lenard's popped his neck and narrowed his eyes.

"Now, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

*******************

The two mortal enemies descended toward the long caravan of refugees and survivors from the Liberation Alliance and beyond. Using his good wing, Phalanx guided them toward a rather large pan-wagon, still dangerously close to the churning anomaly.

"Phalanx!" Gilda shouted from the wagon's defense fire-bolt caster. Greene released the praetor over the wagon, letting him fall to the wagon's deck. "I thought you were dead, Phal! And- You..." Gilda stopped to look up a the Captain.

"You were with Dash..."

"Where's the general?" Greene asked as he touched down unceremoniously on the deck of the pan-wagon.

A middle-aged man climbed out of the wagon's lower cabin. "Right here, and let me just say it's good to see you."

"With that blast... We thought you were all dead! Doesn't matter now. We have to get all the survivors out of here before the missiles get here!"

"Missiles?" the general asked with a worried expression.

"The anomaly's going critical! It could take out who knows what down there! We have cruise missiles on the way to kill it as we speak!"

The general sat back. "My God... Then- They really don't know we're here!"

"No! They don't! Can we get this group moving to- anywhere but here?!"

Locklear shook his head. "From what we've seen they've been ignoring us in favor of utterly destroying the attacking Hircus forces. If we make any kind of advancement, they'll shoot us down like the rest."

"I keep hearing that name! Who is Hircus?!"

Phalanx rolled his eyes. "If we survive, I will tell you. For now, living is our primary concern."

Gilda began to scratch at her crest feathers. "Okay, Brilliant plan time! Someone? Anyone?!"

From the jockey's seat at the front of large dragon's back, Vhesk turned. "The dragons are exhausted! They'll drop out of the sky if we keep waiting."

The general turned to the captain. "Greene, do you have a radio? The ones they whipped up aren't working. Something about interference. Anything would help right now!"

Greene shook his head. "Already tried on the way down! Nothing!"

"Well I'm not going to take your word for it when we're all about to die! Try it again!"

Captain Greene deployed his field radio and began feverishly adjusting the knobs and switches to no avail.

"See?! I'm not making this stuff up!"

Vhesk fluttered over to the group, leaving the mount to fly itself. "Might I have a look?"

Greene could swear he could make out the tell-tale contrail of a cruise missile in distance. "Give it a shot!"

Vhesk pulled the case off of the device and began to attach the internal components to a small ceramic pot.

The pilot shook his head. "Not that I doubt your ability to work with technology you know nothing about or anything, but what are you doing?"

Vhesk continued on without a word. Then, as he made one final connection, the radio sprang back to life, with a faint conversation in the background to boot.

Locklear and Greene stared at the bookish pandragon minor in bewilderment, then the general grabbed the radio and dialed it in.

"Can anyone hear me?! Anyone?"

..."This is Dobbins Command. Can you identify yourself please?"...

"This is General Johnathan Locklear! Call off the missiles, now!"

..."Confirm, did you say General Locklear?"...

"Yes! I'm with the aliens near the anomaly and so are the survivors from my battalion! CALL OFF THE MISSILES!"

The radio was silent for few seconds.

"I can see them!" Greene shouted.

"Dobbins Command, did you hear me?!"

The missiles could now be seen streaking toward them.

"Command!?"

Greene dropped to the deck of the wagon. "Get down! Everyone get down!"

Everyone else followed suit. A spread of three Tomahawk missiles bore down on the anomaly and the pan-wagon train hovering near it.

"We're out of time! Incoming!"

Chapter Thirty-Three: Dread Intrusion

A/N

Wow. What can I say? I've been gone a while. Fim's changed a bit since I was last here, but I see the people have not. Please welcome Velkaden as yet another editor here to keep the story at its best! Fair warning though, this one's not too long, but it's part of a series, so don't worry to much about it. Good to be back, everyone. Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Thirty-Three: Dread Intrusion

He could hear voices, sounds, the nearly silent hum of metal moving through water, the sounds of true power, but could not see.

Twenty-seven miles off of the Georgia coast, a lone Virginia-class submarine sailed towards King's Bay Naval Station, having just launched a cruise missile strike in an attempt to close the dimensional super-anomaly forming over Atlanta.

"Admiral! We just received an emergency message instructing us to terminate the missile strike!"

"What? From who?"

"General Locklear, sir."

The admiral quickly made his way to the communications station,

"Are you absolutely sure?!"

"It's confirmed, sir! We have friendlies with eyes on the general. Do we kill it or not?"

Commander Stuart jumped from his chair. "The general must be mixed in with invading forces! There might be other survivors from the first attack with them! We have to call off the strike! Now!"

"We have to call off the strike! Now!"

He could hear the distant, warbling voice all around him. He could hear the muffled blast. He could hear them cry out in fear... but he could see nothing.

Captain Greene lept into consciousness, finding himself lying on the ground. It was oddly quiet.

"Wha..."

As he stood and stared upward toward the sky, he realized that it was beneath him. Above, the ground hovered weightlessly across a noir canvas of matter. The shock of such a sight made him dizzy, then immediately brought him back to the ground.

"Argh," he groaned as he pulled himself to his knees. "What... what is this?"

In his left ear he could hear something, or someone stirring nearby. A passing cloud adorned with marble tile drifted below. Resting on it, a feathered animal began to toss and turn as if in a nightmare. He squinted to make out the rather odd form.

"You! It's you!" Greene shakily rose to his feet, the seeming nonexistent ground beneath him somehow supporting his weight. He stepped into the air, as if wading into a otherworldly sea. He glided to the cloud without so much as thought, simply willing himself toward it.

The tumultuously slumbering form of Praetor Phalanx could now be clearly seen. Taking his feathered shoulders in his hands, the captain began to violently shake the griffin war leader.

"Wake up! I need you to tell me where we are!"

Phalanx's arm shot up toward the captain's face, as if he was desperately trying to reach something. His eyes shot wide open.

"Gilda! Gilda! You have to-" His pleas were met by a strange creature, rather than his mate. The talons that had reached out in longing now moved to meet the creature's neck. "Where are we?! Where have you taken me!?"

Lenard kicked the griffin praetor away and began to rub the side of his neck. "I don't know! I thought maybe you could tell me!"

Phalanx's arms began to tremble as he stared at the man. "I know you... But... I don't know you."

Greene shook his head. "What? That doesn't make sense! I mean I know who you-" He became silent, as if deep in thought. "I understand. I can see pictures of you in my head, but nothing makes sense."

"It is the same in my case, though I remember we were not allies. We fought... once. This I know."

"Something isn't right here. I'm getting that vibe from you too, but that doesn't tell us where we-"

The tiled cloud began to crumble as its matter became caught up in some kind of violent pulling force. A hole opened up in the ground-sky, and nothing appeared to be beyond it. The hole coalesced into the form of a monster. It had massive draconic wings, mighty curved horns, and a body covered with black feathers, silver fur, and red scales. As the rest of cloud was consumed by the beast, Lenard and Phalanx found themselves helplessly floating before its terrifying majesty.

"Yes! At long last they see! They see my world for what it is! They finally know my power! They see what I have become, and will worship me for it! For ten-thousand years my plan has festered, and for ten-thousand years I have waited for them to bask in my glory! Now, I command them to know fear! For I am Hircus, and this is MY realm! The Realm Sapphiron!"

Hircus' world bent to his will and began to shape itself around him.

Lenard turned towards his fine feathered adversary.

"Well, I sorta remember now."

********************

The U.S. Navy submarine Minnesota slowly approached the American east coast.

"Can anyone hear me?! I need confirmation on missile impact or anomaly closure!"

"Sorry admiral," Commander Stuart began, "None of our assets in Atlanta are responding. It might just be interference. Anomalies have been known to wreak havoc on our comms systems."

"But this long? It should have dissipated by now, wouldn't you think?"

"Not sure. I'll keep trying to raise them."

******************

Steven Mace pushed off a rather large piece of foam paneling from on top of himself. Even at the lower levels of the Georgia Dome, the shock waves from a distant explosion had been felt.

"Everyone okay?"

"Fine, sergeant," another marine answered. "Just the blast wave from- well it sounded like a missile strike."

Lime Tree Hill began rising to his hooves. "Calling. It's... calling."

"You okay, Lime?" Mace turned and asked.

The green stallion didn't answer, rather he began to frantically look toward the ceiling.

"Lime Tree. Lime Tree!" Mace shouted, trying to get his attention.

Ponyville's mayor's assistant stopped and began to vacantly stare into space, then took off in a full gallop. Mace caught up to him and tapped him on the skull a few times, shaking him from whatever had vexed the green stallion.

Lime Tree shook his head and looked up toward the befuddled marine.

"Sorry, were you calling me?" He spoke up.

"No. It's fine. Just- uh, stay with us a sec, okay?"

Lime Tree shrugged. "Okay."

"Listen. I have something I need to do. Keep an eye on the others. Oh, and let any of the personnel here know if you have any more, uh... problems."

"Sure," Lime Tree answered as the soldier began to hurry away.

"Lime Tree!" Twilight called from across the room. "Help me get this workspace clear."

"Sure," Lime answered, then looked in Mace's direction.

"Wonder what he meant by that?"

________________

Mace hurried along through the dome's lower corridors, taking a second to look at his watch.

"Geez! I don't even remember that last hour!"

He grasped for his comms unit. "Major Classified. This is Sergeant Mace. Any updated info on the location of Sergeant Blade, Corporal Sabre, or Private Skies?"

..."Good to hear from you, Sergeant. There was some kind of blackout just now. The three you're looking for are most likely nearby. Look for Platoon Four, part of the 5th Equestrian Brigade. Most of our forces fell back to the dome for the strike."...

"The strike?"

..."Human forces attacked the portal with heavy weaponry."...

"Is it still up?"

..."Seems to be. Either way, Alliance forces are surrendering en masse. It's like they didn't even want to fight."...

"Good news I suppose. Thanks for the intel, Major."

..."My pleasure, just end this threat before we lose more to our own forces. Any Banded agents you discover must be quickly and silently eliminated. I've dispatched AoD Team Echo to assist you. You won't know they're there until you need them."...

"Understood. Mace, out."

*********************

"Move! Move!" Greene shouted as their shared nemesis reared for an attack.

Captain Greene and Praetor Phalanx stood before Lord Hircus, who quickly brought a hoof down in anger, sending waves of dark energy toward the pair. The pilot and griffin flailed helplessly in the suspended air until the avian member of the duo appeared to be swimming through the air. Lenard quickly caught on and did the same. Hircus took off after them, launching attack after attack after them.

"I can't believe this is working! Never thought I'd get to fly my own body!"

"Just keep moving, human! We are in his domain! Remember that!"

"I get it now! We're inside the anomaly. Actually inside the space between the two openings!" Lenard explained.

"How fascinating! Keep moving!" Phalanx sarcastically ordered.

"Question is, how could a salvo of cruise missiles be responsible for this?"

"STOP TALKING! We are running for our lives here!"

An energy blast hurled between them, nearly singeing the pilot's clothes.

"Right! Got it!"

As Hircus began to lose focus, the world around them began to fluctuate. Various and random items began to appear. Lamps, a cabin, a case of vases, a lemon tree, a large boulder directly in their path, and many other things seemed to appear from thin air.

"How is he doing this?!" Lenard yelled.

"If my studies of Hircus' ancient writings are any indication, this realm is as its creator wishes it to be."

"You mean Hircus made this place?"

"Yes."

"But that means..."

"No time now! Our only hope is to play this chaos to our advantage! He's losing control of it all! Look for something to hide behind!"

"Will that do?"

Phalanx turned to see a large, ornate mansion floating in the distance. "Worth a try. Use all of this refuse for cover. Stay out of his sight!"

The two remained silent, making short jumps to each floating item large enough to hide them until they reached the massive house.

"Do you truly believe yourselves equal to me? I, the conqueror of Yette and Erokhiln? This is but a game for my amusement! I will be sporting and give you the chance to make a challenge out of your sorrow."

"How nice of him," Lenard whispered as the two made the last jump to the house.

"Quickly, if we are to survive this we will need to learn all we can of this realm and how it functions. I believe this structure may contain information we need."

They stepped through the doors, gravity returning as they touched the floor. The foyer was just as one would expect it. A sitting room with Victorian chairs, a fainting couch, a fireplace with a lit fire, and a bookshelf filled with very old looking books.

"The tomes," Phalanx pointed out. "Take as many as you can. Hircus will no doubt follow soon."

"Weapons would be nice. Something to fight back with. Look for that too."

The human and griffin began to dig through the books, tossing aside any that didn't appear to be useful and stuffing those that could into a hastily fashioned bag made from one of the Victorian curtains.

"Is it just me, or is there a lack of any important literature here?" Phalanx questioned.

"What were you expecting? Quantum Sorcery for Dummies? There's gotta be something useful here!"

"Assuredly."

"I think he's getting closer. This place is huge though, at least a few square miles. We could run deeper into this place, read these things, search this place for a way out."

"There may be a plan there," Phalanx thought aloud.

Greene put the improvised sack on his back. "Right. Let's get lost then."

An energy blast incinerated the door and melted the crystal and gold-laden chandelier above their heads.

Phalanx pushed the captain in the direction of a large winding stairwell.

"Preferably as quickly as possible!"

*****************

Celestia and Luna sat at an ongoing political debate regarding what was starting to be known as the Transanomaly War. As a human politician took the floor to bring up the fiscal concerns of such an engagement, Celestia stood and left. Worried, Luna got up and followed her to the atrium of the undisclosed meeting place.

"Sister. We do not yet have the full support of our allies. There is still much to discuss."

"Then discuss it. I have to go back to them."

"I see. Do you not see the pitfalls of that course of action? Do not our enemies seek to destroy us with our own kind?"

"The Banded's continued existence was our failure. We owe it to our subjects to fight alongside them."

"Very well. Where do you intend to go?"

"Atlanta. If the news is any indication, it will be the heart of the coming invasion."

"You are sure of this?"

"Luna, when the Alliance captured me, I saw him."

"Him."

"Yes, him. The Dread Lord. At first I thought it was simply the substances they had me on. But it was him. I know it."

"You think he is coming here? To the human world?"

"He will conquer both our worlds if he isn't stopped."

Luna sighed.

"I understand, sister. I most certainly do, but we have much healing to do. We will not regain our powers for some time."

"Indeed. But powers or not, I want to be with our ponies, and the humans who valiantly serve with them. To aid them any way I can."

"Go to them then, sister. The subtle nuances of political discourse are within my power. I will speak for us both."

Celestia made a weak smile. "Thank you, Luna."

Luna grinned. "As it stands, you always did find this, the most mundane type of work, to be interminably dull."

"Yes," Celestia chuckled. "Very much so."

"I will do what I can here. May royal's fortune become you, Celestia." Luna turned to leave.

"Until next time, Luna."

Luna tightened her necktie and realigned her formal suit jacket, then reentered the meeting room.

Celestia turned to see several heavily armed humans in suits and ties. The leader stepped forward.

"Leaving so soon, princess?"

"I suppose you'll try to stop me?" Celestia muttered.

"You can't fly as of yet. So what, were you going to swim back? We're on an island-"

"Let me past, or shoot me. Either way I'm not going to pretend that people aren't dying for me."

"If you would let me finish, I was going to say that our aircraft would get you there much faster. We are here to protect you, and if we have to do that in a war zone, so be it. They need as many leaders as they can get."

Celestia bowed her head.

"Thank you. Just- Thank you."

"The jet's this way. We'll brief you on the current situation on the way."

Celestia followed, longingly looking out over the sea.

"I'm coming, my little ponies."

Anomalous Energy Event Team Personnel and Psychological Profile #4 Colonel Timothy Highlander.

Born and raised in a secluded but well-to-do community in Maine, Timothy Highlander found himself constantly looking for something to fill his rather boring upbringing. At the age of twenty one, and completely against his parents wishes, Highlander joined the U.S. Marines to be trained as an officer. Always the sharp knife in the drawer, Highlander used his strategically oriented mind, sharpened on thousands of chess matches and other strategy-based games to shoot through the ranks and gain the attention of the top military brass.

Now older and more experienced, Highlander hasn't slowed down. Now working closely with the Anomalous Energy Event Team for a mission into unknown territory, Highlander is on track to be one of the youngest generals in U.S. Military history.

Liberation Alliance Central Command Personality Report #5729: Gilda.

Something of a mystery among griffin kind, the house-less hen-griffin known as Gilda has spent a large portion of her life running. From what or who could very well be known only to her. Raised with the common belief that the griffin nation as a whole was virtually extinct, Gilda actually attended an Equestrian flight school, where she met and befriended a pegasus by the name of Rainbow Dash, who would later become one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. The two became like sisters until eventually parting ways upon graduation of that very same flight school.

Not long after Gilda left Equestrian territory she encountered a loyalist and griffin army officer Phalanx, who introduced her to the rest of her kind. Finally finding something to believe in, Gilda has only just begun learning of her heritage and past. And though not yet an official part of the Griffin armed forces, Gilda has finally stopped running.

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #49246: Rainbow "Danger" Dash. (PGS)

Though her nickname is entirely self-given, Rainbow Dash has proven herself a valued part of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Tough, energetic, and tenacious, Rainbow Dash's almost overenthusiastic pursuit of a challenge has put her in more than her fair share of trouble, and though raised in the more sheltered contemporary Equestria, she has, along with the other bearers, faced down some of its more fearsome beasts and villains.

One of the more fascinating pieces of this subject's history is her friendship with the griffin Gilda, at the time one of the few griffins known by name to have lived in Equestria. Her knowledge of other griffins could be made very useful if the past avian adversaries ever pose a problem to Equestrian security.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Nightmares Abroad

Chapter Thirty-Six: Nightmares Abroad

The sun began to rise.

A pulsing mass of energy continued to churn over Dobbins Air Reserve base, Atlanta, Georgia. Down below, conditions grew more and more tense as the escaping forces of the Liberation Alliance intermingled with the panicked population, as thousands fled from the building surge of energy erupting from the rogue anomaly.

Above the chaos below, a single man watched from the relative safety of the A.C.S.D. Array control tower.

"Mason, I'm telling you we are running out of time!"

"Try to stay calm, Dr. Harrison. I just disembarked from the Minnesota along with Admiral Graham. We aren't beaten yet. The situation is still manageable."

"With all due respect, Commander Stuart, you aren't looking at the same picture that I am! There are people fleeing the city in droves, and creatures from another dimension or something running alongside them! There's a massive amount of damage throughout this part of the city and I'm sure the looting has already begun-"

"Doctor. Breathe! We'll get through this! We're already working on a plan to collapse the portal as we speak."

"What about Captain Greene? He's still missing somewhere in that area. We can't just launch another strike with a man still-"

"Judging from the results of the missile strike, blowing it up outright isn't an option anyway. If anything, the energy mass has gotten larger."

"So- so what are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting you wait patiently while we come up with an plan."

"That's not good enough!"

"Then my suggestion is that you suggest a better option. Quickly."

"Okay, okay. Most of our equipment was burned out when Zero Base evacuated to our side, but if we can get any of the micro-radiation generators working, we might be able to use what's left of the array to at least slow the anomaly's growth."

"Slow it? So it is getting bigger?"

"Yes. And at this rate we won't be able to counteract its destructive force if we allow it to expand! Commander, this situation just got a lot more complicated."

"More than you think. I'm getting word back that there are several human survivors amongst the aliens that just came through."

"Survivors? From the lost forces? We assumed that anyone left out there during the mass energy event was gone. You saying people survived that?!"

"You tell me, you're a lot closer to the action than I am."

"Right. I'll have whoever we have left confirm that. They might be soldiers lost or captured during the earlier stages of the battle on the other side."

"Please do."

"And Greene?"

"We lost contact with his aircraft as it passed close to the anomaly, about twelve minutes ago. We have heard nothing since. We might have to assume the worst."

Harrison sighed. "We might."

"Try to hold on down there. If you can re-fire the array then at least we stand some kind of chance. We can't let those energy creatures come through again. We lost an AC-130 to those.. things."

"I'll do everything I can, commander."

"Thank you, doctor. Stuart out."

"Everything I can... That isn't much," Harrison thought.

"Captain Greene, this is Marc Harrison back at Dobbins. Please respond. We need your intel!"

No reply except for the crackling hiss of static.

"Well, worth a shot. Wherever you are, Greene, you better have some sort of plan."

The doctor looked down at his watch.

"Because I certainly don't."

*********************

"Looks like your plan failed, human. Or was there ever a plan to begin with?"

Lord Hircus watched as his shapeless minions brought in the barely conscious forms of Captain Lenard Greene and Praetor Phalanx and dropped them at his feet.

"I must admit, this chase you put me on was some of the best entertainment I have enjoyed in quite some time."

"Va..." Greene attempted to whisper.

"In fact, it is almost regretful I had to use the Sapphirites to end our little game. I would have enjoyed trading wits with the likes of you a few centuries. But alas, my time table has gotten away from me. The conquest of another world take priority."

"Van..." Greene mumbled.

"What are you trying so desperately to say, human?"

Captain Greene looked up from the marble floor.

"Vance."

Hircus' gleeful expression faded.

"So you know who I am. I must say, I was not sure you two were capable of finding that information. All a part of the game, I suppose."

Phalanx looked up at the dark king.

"Why are you doing this? Our world lies in ruin because of you. Thousands dead, millions subjugated under your unholy influence." "You-" The gryphon coughed "-you have what you wanted."

"What I wanted?"

Hircus narrowed his mismatched caprastian and lizard eyes.

"What I wanted was to get married, settle down with the love of my life. Perhaps have children. But as you are both well aware, that right to happiness, a normal life, was taken from me. So much was taken from me. So no, good praetor, I do not have what I want. But I will have retribution. I will end those responsible for my loss."

Greene shook his head.

"Then why invade my world? We had nothing to do with your loss."

Phalanx shot a cold look at the human captain.

"Just thought I'd ask. I'm still with you on this."

"Be silent, human. I invade your world because I have the power to do so. When I am done, there will be no more wars, no more killing or hatred or destruction. When I have finished, I will remake both halves of Earth in MY image."

Greene mustered a strained chuckle.

"And you still won't have Appleflower."

"Raaghh!!!"

Hircus grabbed the human pilot by the head and hurled him several feet back onto the floor. The circle of Sapphirites looked on in quiet reverence.

Phalanx shook his head. "Does that make you happy? Crushing those who cannot fight back? Being the same kind of abomination that destroyed your loved one?"

Hircus snarled.

"Does it make you proud to inflict the same fear she felt when they took her? Beat her? Left her to die in a cell?"

Hircus reared on two legs, roaring in the way only a enraged animal could.

"Do you think you can undermine me you lowly pigeon?! Death is too kind a gesture for you and your human friend! You have defiled my home long enough!"

Hircus stamped down with all his might, crumbling the floor and casting forth a massive blue shock wave of his dark energy.

Phalanx picked himself up, only to see Captain Greene staring back at him, eyes cold, blue, and soulless. The human pilot quietly rested on his side, as if clutching for some comfort that could not be found.

"What did you do to him?!" Phalanx questioned.

"The same I will do to each and every living soul, including you."

The dark king lifted a hoof, and that last thing Phalanx saw before the rising darkness was a ray of blue piercing light.

*****************

Micheal Kaiser inserted a magazine into his M1911 handgun, then immediately pressed the release and pulled it back out. After staring at it for a few seconds, he slid it back into the weapon. He then removed the magazine once again.

"Would you please stop doing that? You're going to bore a hole through that thing!" Lieutenant Reed quietly scolded him.

"I will, when the captain comes back."

"And if he doesn't? You gonna sit there doing that in a padded cell somewhere?"

"Yep, with a plastic gun."

"Mike..."

"I know, Gerri, he could be in pieces somewhere, but I'm not just going to accept that. As soon as they say we can go back up, I'll already be gone lookin' for him."

"Hey, you're not the only one worried."

She let out a long, hard sigh.

"You know Mike, after we stopped fighting the insurrection, we all thought we'd patrol over the states like heroes at a parade. No one knew this kind of thing would happen. It's not like you or any of us could have stopped this."

"Who cares. It did. Now you just have to deal with that."

"Hey, I'm on your side here. Just trying to keep up a little hope."

"Hope? Let me break it down for you. Greene went down in what's now ground zero, nothing we do seems to stop that black hole up there from eating our home town, an army of some crazy alien's mind-controlled legions is coming, and instead of having the dignity of dying in the cockpit of my aircraft like a man, I get to die with the rest of us of down here in this hell hole that the city of Atlanta calls a water treatment plant."

"We're not going to die here, Mike."

"Well communications are practically gone, we have no way out of the city, and the anomaly is almost here! You want to tell me what that looks like?!"

"Settle down, they can hear you..."

Gerri pointed over towards the huddled forms of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike, who clasped the small revolver he'd taken from Private Simms' bag, making sure to keep it just barely visible in a small sack.

Kaiser ran a finger though his military issued haircut.

"Well maybe they need to know. We're all mixed up in this mess together anyway."

"Mike, I need you to stay together for me here. Our lives might depend on it. If we do get orders to go back up, I don't want to have to tell our superiors that you've lost it. You get me?"

Kaiser sighed. "Yes. I get it. I get it."

Mike turned to see Spike walk up to the two of them, clearly wanting to ask something.

"There something, you need, kid?"

"Y-yes. The others were wondering if your Sergeant Mace found Lime Tree yet, w- we were just wondering, that's all. We haven't heard anything."

Gerri knelt down to the little dragon. "I promise you we'll find him, and we'll let you know when we do. It'll all be alright soon."

Spike lowered his head. "Don't do that."

Gerri looked puzzled. "Do what?"

Spike narrowed his eyes. "Lie to me like that. I'm not a kid anymore, well... not a little kid anyway. I have this now, and I'm going to keep Twilight and everypony else safe with it."

Lieutenant Reed almost jumped when she noticed the black revolver by the dragon's side.

"Where did you get that?!"

"I found it. Then I took down one of those freaks with it. Though I sorta don't remember that to much..."

"Oh. I see," Gerri answered, visibly surprised. "May I see it?"

"You're looking at it."

"No I mean-"

"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE IT!" Spike screamed, He was panting wildly now, his eyes seemed to gloss over and become much more reptilian in nature. His right arm flexed as if he was thinking about raising the gun.

Gerri held her arms out in a disarming gesture. "No, I just wanted to... Please try to calm-"

"Spike!"

The little dragon instantly settled down at the familiar tone of his caretaker and surrogate sister. Twilight slowly trotted up to them and lowered the dragon's arm.

"I'm sorry, he's just scared. He won't hurt anypony."

"Fine. I won't take it from him." Gerri looked over to a soldier polishing a knife in a quiet corner of the underground facility. "Dempsey, can you show him how to use that thing?"

The soldier nodded. "Sure thing, Reed." He lead the dragon away and began discussing the finer points of revolving firearms.

Twilight sighed. " I really am sorry about this. None of us are used to these kind of conditions."

Gerri turned to Kaiser, who simply turned away. She sighed, then looked back up at the violet unicorn.

"Neither are we."

********************

Sergeant Steven Mace dashed through the panic streets of downtown Atlanta, a few terrified citizens between him and a dark green earth pony stallion. Cars slid down the sidewalks. Small shops began to shed their ornaments.

"Lime Tree! Where are you going?! The base is back this way! We have to get out of here before the anomaly gets here!" The marine cried out at the mayor's assistant.

Lime Tree Hill galloped onward in silence, seemingly unaware of anything around him.

"I know you can hear me, man! Stop!"

It all started to make sense to the young marine.

"It's Hircus, isn't it?! You have to stop listening to him and turn around!"

Pushing himself to the limit, Mace managed to get close enough to the stallion to grab one of the belts on his saddle bags. Lime Tree froze, then turned around to face his pursuer. Mace quickly noticed that his eyes were not the glowing blue he'd seen in the frenzied faces of Hircus' indoctrinated armies.

"Snap out of it, Lime! You're going to get us both killed!"

"No. I have to do this."

"Wait, what? Why? That is you talking, right Hill?"

"Yes. I know what I'm doing. Someone is telling me to go. I know it's not Hircus. Someone needs my help."

"How could you possibly know that?" The sergeant yelled.

"I just know this is what I am supposed to do. I can't explain it any farther than that. By the way, someone wants to convey a message."

"What?" Mace coughed, short of breath from chasing the stallion.

"The nightmare speaks of Hircus' rise."

"What does that even mean?!"

"I don't know. I'll be going now, sergeant."

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but I can't just let you run off into that thing!"

Lime Tree nodded.

"I wish that were up to either of us."

A glowing pillar of orange and blue erupted from the approaching anomaly and quickly overtook the green stallion. In an instant, he was gone.

Mace picked himself back up, still reeling from the sudden shock.

"I hope he knows what he's talking about."

****************

Deep underground, but far from safety, Gerri Reed looked over to a disheartened Micheal Kaiser.

"I've been thinking about something."

"Plenty of that going around, I'm sure." Kaiser mumbled.

"Have you been having any... nightmares? Recently I mean. Like the last few days or so."

"Maybe. Why?"

"I don't know. Just passing the time. So have you?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

Gerri rolled her eyes. "Well don't leave me hangin' here, what was it about?"

Kaiser coughed, then turned to his fellow pilot. "It was about me, back in Laos. When I got shot down, but it was... different."

"What do you mean?"

"They got me."

"What?"

"My gun jammed. They shot me dead."

"I'm guessing that didn't happen for real, right?" Gerri commented, only half jokingly. "You, uh, you don't talk about that mission much."

With a cold glint in his eyes that proved that his characteristic sense of humor was gone for the time being, Mike raised his hand and pointed his fingers like a gun.

"One chased me through the forest. He caught up to me, lowered his weapon."

He pretended to pull a trigger.

"I shot first. He died."

"I heard a lot more happened than that-"

"It's not important," Mike cut her off.

"Well, maybe it is. Because I had the same dream."

Mike appeared to be interested again.

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's sort of the same, but mainly different- I'll just tell you the story, okay?"

"Bullet points, Gerri. Not like the world's ending any time soon, right?"

"Right. Well before there even was a 'South-East Asian insurrection,' my squadron and I were ordered to deliver a small flight of fighter aircraft to an old U.S. base in Vietnam. All we were told was that they were reactivating the facilities there, but we were never told why. Anyway, everyone heard about the opening strike. A large salvo of fuel-air weapons that devastated the area near Xaysomboune. To make a long story short, one detonated in close proximity to my plane. I actually flew through the fireball. To this day, I still have no idea how I survived that. Chalk it up to someone watching over me, I guess."

"It's great that you didn't die there, but what does that have to do with my dream?" Mike questioned.

"I was getting to that... In my dream, one of the FAE bombs detonated at lot closer than just 'close proximity.' The blast melted my plane with me in it. Imagine how relived I was to wake up from that!"

"Hmm. Two dreams, both having to do with a pivotal moment in our careers that nearly killed us, but didn't."

"More than just a little odd, don't you think?"

Mike's face creased. "Yeah. Almost like someone's trying to demoralize us."

Gerri looked Mike in the eyes. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so."

Gerri put her head in her hands. "We have to ask around. I'm willing to bet a lot of other people are having dreams like this."

Mike stood up.

"If they are, then we don't have much time left."

*******************

Deep within the Realm Sapphiron, Lime Tree struggled and squirmed, desperately trying to escape Hircus' grip. Beside him, Captain Greene and Praetor Phalanx floated motionless in a blue aura.

"A human, a griffin, and now a pony. Another addition to my collection. I must ask, though. Why would anyone willingly travel to my realm? What brought you here?"

"I know you aren't the only thing that lives here. Something, somepony else is here trying to stop you. Whatever it is, it brought me here."

Hircus' eye's widened, and he looked off into the distance. "After all this time... Still defiantly resisting me. Hmm, but why you, earth pony? What makes you special...? "

He turned back to his captives. "As much as I would like to carve out your memories and browse through them like a book, I must deal with the entities that facilitated your arrival. I won't be long."

With a wave of his hoofed arm, the three new arrivals to the Realm Sapphiron fell into an azure abyss.

Equestrian Catalog of Information Fact File #32: Shatter Shard Detonators.

It is a well-known fact the presence of magic has stifled the development of tangible weapons within the Kingdom of Equestria. However, recent designs have proven quite promising, few as positive as the Equestrian Shatter Shard Detonator. About the size of a small grapefruit, this thrown explosive device consists of a small pre-split blast geode encased in a shell of imperfect gems. One needs only to pull out the small tab of Equestrian silk that separates the two halves of the blast geode inside to arm the weapon. Because of their smaller size, the mini geodes only have a fuse time of approximately six to eight seconds, so it is important to run in the other direction after arming and throwing these surprisingly lethal weapons. Also, the weapons cannot be disarmed once primed, so there is no place for second guessing when using this weapon.

Upon detonation, the small blasts the geodes create send gem fragments in all directions, though this fragmentation has been known to be unpredictable. In the small number of trials that have been carried out with this experimental weapon, some close range targets managed to completely avoid injury, even well within the blast radius, while others have been unfortunate enough to receive the full extent of the weapon’s capabilities. In light of this, newer designs were sought, and have virtually eliminated this flaw. On another note, the same low velocity explosions created by blast geodes that make them such efficient demolitions explosives, also make for an interesting weapon to watch. Many have claimed to actually witness shards of glass-like gem shrapnel traveling through the air after they detonate, hence the name, Shatter Shard Detonators. Don’t let this fool you, however. The shards don’t need to be traveling very quickly to do massive damage to soft targets. You have been warned.

A/N

Yehaaw! Back on the horse! Um, no pun intended. In other news, the story's group, Heroes and Allies: The War Room, is now officially in service, starting with this chapter. So if you have questions, friendly suggestions, or just want to chat with me or my loyal crew, this is the place to do it. It's been fun. See you out there!

-Lynolius

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Banded In Blue

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Banded In Blue

Phalanx could see him now.

He could see the human's projectile weapons streaking past him. His Pandragon mount began to whine, releasing small jets of flame from its mouth. He turned to face his tormentor, effortlessly gliding behind him in his brilliant flying machine.

"This is our world! You have no claim to this place!" the praetor bellowed at the top of his lungs, knowing full well that his pursuer most likely could not hear him.

He turned towards three smoldering pits in the jungle below.

"Is there nothing we can do to stop them? I suppose I must try."

After all three of his flock-mates had been cut down by the human champion, he now realized that he alone was left to thwart whatever these strange creatures and their allies had planned for his world.

Every evasion tactic had failed. The human was simply too fast.

"Too fast," Phalanx thought. "This is- not right..."

The human machine and its occupant shot past, climbed into the sky and dove back down. Phalanx seized the moment and banked his mount away from the descending hail of projectiles. He snapped his mount around, managing to bring his heavy-bolt casters to bear on the enemy.

"Burn," the praetor hissed under his breath.

The bolts met their target as the human machine blasted away from his grip and turned about, weakened, but clearly still intact.

"Like the phoenix," the praetor mumbled.

As the machine turned to face him head on, a strange voice rung out in the praetor's head.

"You can't stop what you don't understand."

"Greene," Phalanx thought. "That voice... His name- is- Greene... How do I know that?"

The human did not fire his weapons as the two warriors of the sky converged. Silently, Phalanx prayed that they were depleted. Opening fire with the remainder of his heavy-bolts, the griffin poured his soul into the pursuit of glory. The human machine soldiered on, damaged, but undeterred.

"He's mad... He's going to ram me... Yes... The wing... He'll shear off the wing with his own... How do I know of this?"

Clearly not having time to dwell on this strange forethought, the praetor banked sharply to the left, and the human machine passed by just inches from its intended target.

Phalanx grinned. "Ha ha! Desperation will not save you this time!"

The praetor paused.

"This time?"

"You can't escape your fate. Not now, not in a thousand lifetimes."

Before the praetor could answer, the human machine had already found itself at his tail.

"How-"

The machine smashed into the mount, crushing the mighty beast and it's rider. Mortally injured and far beyond flying, the praetor descended towards the unforgiving Earth.

"No... This is not right! I cannot die here! I did not die here! I- The Alliance-"

The griffin and his mount met the ground with a thunderous crash.

*****************

Lime Tree Hill awoke to the sounds of warfare. Sirens, screams, and exploding arrows were now his sudden reality.

"The Gala... "

"Assistant Hill! Move!" an equestrian soldier yelled as the world suddenly moved into focus.

It was the night. The night that everything had changed. He was in Ponyville. Denizens had marveled at a strange red comet traveling through the night sky. Almost appearing to be falling toward Canterlot. It was a dazzling spectacle, until everypony realized that it was far more.

"What is that?" he had heard others asking amongst themselves.

"Run away! Get out of here! Flee for your lives!" had followed.

The green stallion stood to his hooves and looked around. The wave of energy that had tossed pegasai from the skies and brought unicorns to their knees was just a pale red tint in the sky. Most of the town's population was in full retreat from whatever caused this chaos.

"I have to help secure the town. Mayor Mare needs me," Lime Tree thought to himself, his duties surprisingly taking priority over his instinct to flee. He began to gallop towards town hall when a sudden thought became the focus of his mind.

"The travelers. The one's called humans. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They were going to Canterlot... For the Gala..."

He turned back towards the mountain capitol, only to see that it was now covered in a thick red fog. A slight whistling could be heard from the distance. He turned to look in all directions, but the origin of this sound could not be found.

"Almost sounds like a strong breeze... but there's no wind..."

Inwardly, Lime Tree chastised himself for being so easily distracted when clearly there were more important things to be done, but there was something that, for whatever reason, kept his attention.

"What is that?!"

As the perplexing sound became louder and louder, something caught the green stallion's gaze. At first, he could not make out what it was, but it was falling... directly toward him.

"That's... that's a carriage!"

It quickly became clear that his instinct to flee was not being ignored, it was being suppressed. Paralyzed by a fear he could not understand, the stallion remained perfectly still.

"I can't get away! I see it right there in front of my eyes! Why can't I move?!"

A voice answered, the voice of Twilight Sparkle.

"You know it ends here, don't you? How does your impending demise make you feel?"

"What? Where are yo- How did you- Twilight?"

"Fear does funny things to you. I've read all about it. Now I want to see it in person. This will be very... educating."

"I don't understand! What's going on? Is that you in the carriage?"

The voice didn't answer, but Lime Tree could now make out a royal carriage, dressed up for the Grand Galloping Gala plummeting towards him. The pegasai pulling it appeared to be unconscious, and those on board could do nothing to save themselves. For a brief moment, he could almost make out the face of a terrified human on board.

"Greene... His name is Gre-"

The carriage hit its mark.

*****************

The blue had become everything. An all-consuming, omnipresent, and absolute, blue.

"Where am I? Do I have a name? Yeah... I do. It's Greene. Lenard Joseph Greene. Captain... Right, that's it..."

Lenard Greene opened his eyes and found himself sprawled across a very strange patch of black grass. There didn't seem to be a sky, but rather a blanket of blue fog. The mist in the air was so heavy that anything beyond a yard or two simply could not be seen.

He pulled himself to a sitting position.

"Hircus. Vance. The same. Nightmare."

"What are you yammering on about, human?"

Lenard turned to see Phalanx propped up on a small boulder nearby.

"You weren't there a few seconds ago..." The pilot scratched his head. "Not that I know where here is."

"Go on, human. What were you just babbling about?"

"I had this dream again. I was killed on a mission in Laos and-" He sighed. "You couldn't possibly know what I'm talking about."

"Perhaps I do. Tell me, on this mission, did the events of the dream differ greatly from the sequences from your memory?" the praetor asked.

"Uh, yeah, considering that I'm not dead."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes. Things were different. Wrong even," the pilot uttered, staring at the ground.

"I experienced something very similar."

"Really? Just now? Because I've been having that dream for few nights... A lot of nights, actually, I think. I can't really remember now."

Phalanx frowned. "This cannot be a chance happening. Hircus is and has been slowly working his way into our minds. Trying to break our spirits from the inside out."

Before Greene could answer, a voice rang out in the mist.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

The fog began to disperse, and a green stallion with a just barely tamed mane stepped from the blue shroud and onto the black grass.

Greene shuffled back. "Lime Tree?!"

"Yeah, it's me. Any clue what this place is?"

Phalanx stood up. "Sapphiron."

It all began to come back for the bewildered pilot. "Hircus. We're still stuck in Hircus' place. His 'realm.'" He turned to face Phalanx. "He got us, right?"

"He most certainly did," Phalanx answered. "Dead to rights."

Greene put a hand to his chin. "Right. So what about Lime Tree?"

"Most likely a trick. Hircus must be trying to get some sort of information or reaction from us."

"Yeah." Lenard shrugged. "We were the only ones near the portal. No one else was even close. Sorry Lime Tree, looks like you aren't real."

Lime Tree's eyes widened. "Wait, what?! What are talking about? I'm right here! What's going on?!"

"What should we do about him?" Phalanx asked Greene, as if the green pony wasn't standing just a few yards away.

"I don't know," Greene answered. "I say we just play along with it. Maybe we'll get some information out of him."

"Guys... I'm right here..." Lime Tree cautiously spoke.

Greene held out a hand. "Hold on a sec. The real people are talking."

With a look of pure bewilderment, Lime Tree sat back on his haunches and waited while Lenard began to think aloud.

"This is Hircus' place... So where's Hircus?"

"Watching or waiting for something I would presume," Phalanx answered with a shrug.

Lenard shot Phalanx a worried glance. "You don't seem too concerned about this. We're trapped in another dimension- or something- that is completely controlled by a psychopath with world bending magic powers! Maybe show some emotion over this whole thing!"

"Hircus does not wield magic. He wields the power of this realm."

"I don't care if he wields Mr. Rogers's tennis racket! We are going to die in here if we don't figure this out!"

"Guys," Lime Tree tried to speak up. "You might want to look at-"

"If he wanted us dead, we already would be," Phalanx cut in.

"Guys..." Lime Tree mumbled.

Greene shot to his feet. "Oh then please tell us Mr. Owl, just how do we get to the center of this insanity!?"

"Owl? What are you talking about human?"

Lime Tree put himself between the two arguing sky warriors and pointed a hoof upward.

"Why don't you ask him?"

Greene, Phalanx and Lime Tree turned to see that they were not sitting in a small patch of black grass, but rather sitting in the hairy paw of an enormous Lord Hircus.

Lime Tree turned to Greene. "You know, I wouldn't be upset if that fog rolled back in right now."

Lenard nodded incredulously.

"I second that."

**************

Gerri Reed and Micheal Kaiser burst into a small improvised office where Generals Rock, Snow Wisp, and Highlander issued orders to Major Classified, Lieutenant Cleaves, and several other human and Equestrian officers.

"Sirs," Kaiser started. "We have a bit of a development."

Highlander removed his cap and ran a finger through his hair with exhaustion.

"It better be worth something, we're up to our ears in this mess! I've got twelve reports of rioting in the last hour!"

"Rioting?" Gerri asked.

"Yes, rioting," Cleaves answered. "People are starting blame the military and the AEE for all of this."

"He's right," Highlander continued. "There is a growing sentiment that if we'd just minded our own business and studied the anomalies from the safety of our side that none of this would be happening. Sadly, I'm starting to agree."

"I do not," General Snow Wisp started. "I believe our fates were meant to be intertwined in this way."

General Rock stared at his bandages. "I don't like thinkin' about what might have happened had the human forces not shown up when they did. It's just too perfect not to be fate."

"Well," Kaiser interrupted, "Fate or no fate, I don't think it would have mattered. We'd all be in this mess one way or another."

Highlander narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at, Kaiser?"

"Me and Gerri have been having some strange nightmares."

Cleaves shrugged. "So?"

"In these nightmares, our darkest, most haunting, or otherwise pivotal moments are relived, only this time, they go horribly wrong, resulting in our deaths. Have any of you experienced something like that?"

Highlander looked at Cleaves. Cleaves looked at Snow Wisp. Snow Wisp looked at Rock. Rock looked at Highlander.

Highlander set his pen down on the office desk. "How do you know- Yes. It was me back in Afghanistan. I got caught in a car bomb blast. What does this have to do with what's going on right now?"

Gerri stepped forward. "We believe that the big anomaly outside, or maybe even all anomalies, are a result of this Lord Hircus's attempts to invade Earth."

Highlander shook his head. "What?"

Gerri continued. "He started with the other side, attacking the ponies and dethroning the princesses. But I think his plan was also the conquest of our side as well."

Cleaves squinted an eye. "And just what makes you think that?"

Mike lifted a finger. "The anomalies themselves. Now we've been talking a lot with Dr. Harrison, and some of the stuff he says makes a lot of sense."

"Such as?" Highlander asked.

"The anomalies, sir," Gerri answered. "They connect both sides together using the same weird energy this Hircus guy is using to invade with. I mean, all this time we've been acting like the other world is just that, another world. But what are the odds of two planets with the same name, same languages, same customs and designs?"

"It's simple," Kaiser explained. "Two sides, same big blue coin."

"You're saying they're connected by more than just the anomalies?" Highlander stated.

"They have to be, " Kaiser answered. "And I bet only the big bad up there really knows how."

"Just what are you insinuating, Lieutenant?" Snow Wisp inquired.

Kaiser looked over to Gerri for reassurance, then back at the generals.

"I'm insinuating that the guy attacking us is the only reason our two worlds ever met."

********************

......ae32##oUDAGH-----"CIA"-----35.23a_Break_sg243df1#$$@>...."Major Classified"... akdlj34##)$942-Entry....

Dear Princess Luna,

Our human allies have assured me that this message will reach you. Enclosed is my report on the Liberation Alliance's IEMP weapon. The Implosive Elemental Magic (or Mageitc) Pulse. Though much has occurred in recent days on both sides of the portals, the true enemy, this "Lord Hircus" is still in possession of the Elements of Harmony. Even worse, he has shown little restraint in their use as weapons of mass destruction. If Hircus is not stopped, the recent event that forced us from our homes (in which the Elements were not at full power or even fully harnessed,) will be nothing more than a prelude to the destruction he will wreak in the future. If this IEMP is ever completed, many more could, and most likely will, suffer the consequences. As for our human allies, the threat is not averted here either. If, for example, a piece of high yield, human, nuclear technology was to meet the finished IEMP device, it could quite literally be the end of the world as we know it. Our highest priority should be the recovery of the elements and the destruction of all schematics for this device. This is all we have currently on this subject.

As for our continuing investigation on the Banded traitors, our operatives have exposed the ones we've found so far, but they've all eluded our capture, or ended their own lives. The only partial lead we currently have is that one of three of our finest is a Banded criminal. The three are as follows: Arch-Sgt. Sky Blade. (ERP), Cpl. Star Sabre (PGS), and Pvt. Crescent Skies (UNC). We currently have a human operative that is close to these three conducting the investigation. I must stress that this is a partial lead, nothing is certain with the Banded. We will be on our guard. I will contact you again when I have more relevant information.

-Major Classified.

....2L#JOFU#(H----"United Nations"---FIO)W---END---aqj;33j2j2;werj;--00----"Princess Luna"---'af'232r......

********************

Greene, Lime Tree, and Phalanx stared up at behemoth before them.

Greene stepped forward. "Lord Hircus. You've put on some weight."

"It is all quite relative, child. Have I grown larger, or have you grown smaller?"

Phalanx cut at the air in protest. "Spare us the overly verbose psychological banter you have planed for us, Hircus. Tell us why we are here."

"Yeah, and why you created a resemblance of Lime Tree Hill."

Lime Tree sighed. "I'm not fake..."

"That one simply wandered into my clutches. I assure you he is just as real as you and me."

Phalanx narrowed his eyes. "I asked you a question, Hircus. Why are we here?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose you are now wondering why you aren't another mindless drone or another casualty of my glorious ascendance. That is simple."

"I'm not one for dramatic pauses," Phalanx snarled.

"Then I will be brief. You see, in a world where every creature is a soulless shell, life as the Earth's undisputed ruler could become quite... monotonous. I will no doubt require intellectual stimulation, so I have decided to preserve a selection of each species to act in that capacity. You and any others I collect will remain here, in my realm, where you will not age, sleep, or even grow hungry. Sapphiron will sustain you as it has sustained me."

"At what cost?" Lime Tree asked.

"Of course you will go mad eventually. Without the power I wield, your bodies will become more and more a part of this realm until you can never leave it. When that time comes I will dispose of you."

Greene folded his arms. "Looks like you have it all figured out then, huh?"

"I have had centuries to formulate my plans."

"Well," Greene put his hands at his hips. "If we're going to be here the rest of our natural, and apparently, unnatural lives, we might as well finally know the truth. What turned you into someone capable of doing this? How did you wind up looking like a living Picasso?"

Hircus appeared to be taken aback by the sudden interest in his own history.

"When the princesses are my personal chambermaids and the Earth becomes my seat of power, there will be no time for stories, so I will grant you this. The princesses began the story, the chaotic one continued the tale, my orbs began to sow this great tapestry together, and now, with their help, I shall fill in the final pieces.

Lenard, Lime Tree, and Phalanx exchanged glances as the world of blue began to shift into something very different.

"Unfortunately for you, I am not much of a story teller. So I feel a more... personal touch is needed here."

The world began to settle. Hircus could no longer be seen, and the trio now found themselves standing on a green hill overlooking a stunningly scenic valley. The sun proudly hung in the sky. The birds chirped their enchanting songs.

"So... what just happened? Where are we?" Greene wondered aloud.

"I have no idea. I've never even seen a place like this," Lime Tree answered.

Phalanx seemed unnerved. "I have. In a book. A book long forgotten."

Greene began to sweat. "What book?"

Phalanx continued to stare into the valley. "In that book we found in Hircus' library; Black Sun, Red Moon."

Lime Tree took note of the griffin's growing facial expressions. "Why does he look so nervous?"

"Phalanx... What part of the book was it?"

The griffin turned to his counterparts. "The bloodiest chapter of the Great Continental Wars between the ponies and rams..."

Lenard and Lime Tree sat back on the newly formed ground.

"...The Fall of Eclipstria."

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #33012: Rarity (UNC)

Cultured, vain, and utterly obsessed with everything that is high fashion, Rarity is a bit of an anomaly in her current hometown of Ponyville. Whereas her borderline elitist personality would lend itself more to a up and comer in Canterlot, she seems to get along famously with the more agricultural minded folk of rural Ponyville, though records indicate that this may not have been the case at first. Recently, both she, and her boutique, have risen to prominence due not only to Rarity's new status as a bearer of the Elements of Harmony, but her successful entry into the Canterlot fashion scene.

Personally, Rarity is actually quite selfless at times, particularly with her family, which often leaves her to take care of her little sister, Sweetie Belle. She is also known to help others with little or no gain to herself, and can often be found cleaning up after others mistakes (primarily fashion mistakes.) Either way, for a mare with a reputation for being a bit stuck up at times, she seems to have made up for it with a heart of diamond.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Research And Development File #17-Z : Project Phoenix-Valkyrie

With the emergence of trans-dimensional anomalies here on Planet Earth, the Anomalous Energy Event Team, a newly formed bureau with these anomalies as its focus, has determined that the optimal speed that an aircraft can enter a naturally forming anomaly is Mach 3.1. This speed, though attainable by some of the more high performance military and experimental aircraft, is still beyond conventional aviation. For this reason the AEE has been working closely with the U.S.A.F. to discuss a possible partnership to build a small fleet of re-purposed transport variant of the experimental XB-70 Valkyrie bomber. The XB-70, a hypersonic cold war era prototype, of which only two were made, showed great promise at first, but technical, financial, and doctrinal limitations at the time as well as a tragic crash of the second vehicle quickly brought an end to its development.

Similar to NASA's now retired space shuttle fleet, the plan was to have three or four of these redesigned aircraft active at a given time to run various missions into the world beyond the anomalies, which at this point, has been photographed and heavily analyzed several times by AEE sensor probes. Though the project has been more or less sidelined due to the possibility of stabilized anomalies, the concept of a large, mach 3.1 capable aircraft for use in transporting personnel for emergency missions into destabilized anomalies is still on the table. In related news, Boeing's single use Shuttle Capsule concept based on the 747 may achieve this desired goal.

A/N

For once, I've actually got a chapter out relatively quickly. Good for me, right? In other news, I was delighted to check out the story's Tv Tropes page, which is now much, MUCH, bigger. If you like this story I would recommend giving it a look through. It's pretty neat. You can check it out HERE. Anyway, it's been fun as usual! Until next time!

-Lynolius.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Traitors Amongst Friends

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Traitors Amongst Friends

Sergeant Steven Mace slowly walked back to the Camp outside of the Georgia Dome, still reeling from the sudden disappearance of Lime Tree Hill.

"I just don't get how it got to this point. Is it possible to have a dream that lasts this long. I've got to be crazy. That's it. I'm on a gurney somewhere. Maybe an IED got me or something. Which means that all of this is an elaborate fantasy created by a comatose mind..."

He turned to see the swirling vortex still festering above the city.

"Right."

"...Sergeant Mace, can you hear me? I believe I've got the hang of this now..."

His thoughts now interrupted by this sudden call on his radio, which he knew he had no choice but to answer.

"Major Classified..." A sigh. "Mace here."

"...I trust you haven't forgotten about our lead concerning the Banded traitors amongst us, correct?"

"I wish I had," he thought grimly.

"No... I haven't. Listen Major, surely you can find a more capable operative for this investigation."

..."How about you listen, Sergeant, admittedly you know Sky Blade, Star Sabre, and Crescent Skies only fairly well, but you've served with them most recently, and that means you have a unique angle on them almost no one else has."...

"And that's the only reason, right?"

Major Classified could be heard groaning over the radio.

"...For centuries the Banded have managed to escape the Equestrian military and police. Centuries, Sergeant. That's hundreds of years escaping even the princesses' notice. That takes skill. That takes guts. But most importantly, that takes an unbelievable level of subterfuge the likes of which nopony has even come close to matching..."

"With all due respect, Major, can you just tell me where I come in on this? What exactly do you want me to do?"

..."All right. Here you go. One of them, if not more has served a cause that is directly destroying everything we- you, hold dear. They trust you, and that is why you were chosen, not just by me, but by your superiors in your military service. Now I know you don't directly take orders from me, but I'm asking you to do this. Not just for me, but for all our sakes."...

Mace sighed.

"Yes... sir."

********************

General Highlander sat up at his table, appearing to almost stare through Mike Kaiser and Gerri Reed. Sitting next to him, Cleaves, Snow Wisp, and Rock appeared to be equally confused.

"Let me see if I understand this correctly. You think both our planets are the same planet?"

Dr. Marc Harrison quickly burst through the door, an unstable stack of papers spilling onto the floor.

"I have been studying this very theory, one I'd hoped Mr. Kaiser and Ms. Reed would have waited for me to explain..."

Highlander sat back down. "Please Doctor, by all means, please elaborate."

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, the word of the day is dimension. It's not a very reliable science, but for lack of a better term, this is what we will call our two worlds."

Lieutenant Cleaves shrugged. "Break it down for the more scientifically ignorant, will ya doc?"

"Two dimensions of the same world," the doctor answered.

"Mind going a little further into that?" General Rock stated flatly.

"I believe, and this is only a theory, that this dimension has a twin in your dimension, one that should be completely isolated from ours. Something had to weaken the walls between them, and judging by recent history, and word of mouth from some of our more recent guests, I am willing to believe that the only reason out worlds have crossed, is because of this Hircus's power."

Highlander nodded. "Fascinating. How do we stop it?"

"I'm not sure we can. Transdimensional science is still a very new subject, but my instruments are showing that our two dimensions are converging at quite a steady pace an-"

Mike stopped him. "Woah, woah, woah... Converging? What do you mean converging?"

"What I mean to say," Marcus continued, "Anomalous energy is growing stronger not just in this region, but my evidence says that this phenomenon is growing in strength all over the planet."

Gerri scratched her head. "But anomalies have only been recorded in this region, I've heard nothing about them popping up anywhere else."

"Exactly, 'not recorded'," Harrison continued, "But if left unchecked, we do know that events will start to appear in other locations, the results of which I cannot say."

General Snow Wisp slapped a hoof on the table. "Then we must put an end to the source."

"Hircus," the doctor answered. "But I'm afraid there's more."

Everyone looked at the doctor, and then everyone else, as if taking a silent vote as to whether or not they wished to hear anymore.

Highlander sighed. "Go on, doctor."

"I have been collaborating with many other scientists with the Anomalous Energy Event Team, as well as a host of Equestrian scientists, and I can now tell you that the connection between our two Earths is clearly greater than just these anomalies. Certain trends have appeared in both our histories that line up too well to be coincidences."

Mike shrugged, "Like..."

"It is generally accepted that this planet's mean temperature has risen in recent history, whether this is due to human-affected global warming or simply a period of climate change can be debated endlessly. But according to the Equestrian Ministry of Sciences, the mean temperature on their world has been slowly declining. This became even more suspect when we realized that this rate is exactly the same for both worlds."

Highlander groaned. "Please cut out the exposition and just get to the point, please, doctor. We're in the midst of a war, remember?"

Harrison frowned, "Fine. We believe that energy is flowing from the Equestrians' world into this one. Possibly due to anomalous events."

Gerri raised her hand. "I'll bite. Why?"

"I don't wish to spread doom and gloom, but if you had the ability to control energy, and were planning on invading a planet, how would you do it?"

Cleaves shook his head. "Despite my evaluations from various superiors, I am not a megalomaniac, and I don't think any of us here are either, so please don't tell me you were asking that question because you don't know the answer."

Marcus lowered his head. "That, uh, was the reason actually, but I have a few good guesses. One possible plan is that Hircus intends to neutralize both our worlds by routing energy from one to the other, cooking one and freezing another."

General Rock shook his head. "If he wanted to kill us all, I would think he would have had an easier time of it."

"He's right," Mike added, "What good is a kingdom with no subjects?"

Harrison slapped a clipboard onto the table. "Well the only other option I can think of, is that Hircus is trying to terraform our worlds into something else, using the anomalies."

Highlander removed his cap and ran a hand through is hair in thought. "But the million-dollar question is, into what?"

"I don't kn-"

A small, red, lizard-like creature in a lab coat unceremoniously entered the room, his arms folded behind his back in a scholarly manner.

"The 'thing' to which he is referring, human, is the Realm Sapphiron, and should we fail to prevent this affront, that will be the only realm there is."

*******************

Mace slowly crept back into the improvised Equestrian base outside of the Georgia Dome. A small Equestrian family could be seen casually trotting by the fence. After holding short to evade their notice. Mace slipped into a small barracks tent.

"Not home. Curfew is in effect. Where would three Equestrian soldiers be at this time of night?"

The sun had long set in the western skies, and the barracks were eerily silent. Mace began to rummage through a small stack of crates in the corner of the room. A sudden crash drove Mace to reflexively point his rifle towards the sound.

"Just a box of books."

He breathed a sigh of relief as he put the stack of what appeared to be Equestrian comic books back on the shelf it had tumbled from.

"Hardly incriminating," he mused out loud.

"If the Banded has been hiding for centuries, they aren't going to leave evidence just lying around. Searching tents like this is usele-"

A sharp impact drowned his sight with darkness. As Mace slowly lost consciousness, a faint voice could be heard behind him.

"Is he dead?"

Low growls echoed through the darkness.

"Then finish the job. Nopony can know of our activities here."

The mysterious growls grew in volume.

"Dispose of him."

****************

Princess Celestia gazed upon the masses of ponies gathered under the lights of the Georgia Dome. A tired, but relieved Twilight Sparkle trotted up to her.

"It's really good to talk to you in person, Princess. I trust you are well?"

The princess remained silent.

"Princess?"

"T-Twilight. My apologies, I was in thought."

"I understand. It's hard for me to look at it too."

The princess lowered her gaze. "I am at a loss as to what to say to them. They have all endured so much, and now I must ask more of them."

Twilight smiled. "They'll- we'll understand."

"My sister has made progress, but there is much more to go. The vast majority of humanity does not trust us. I can't say I blame them. We haven't exactly been forthcoming about what has occurred as of late."

"What do you mean, princess?"

"Princess Luna's affinity for darkness made her the ideal choice to become the director of the Affairs of Darkness forces. If you get the chance, confer with her."

"About what?"

"You will know."

Below, a unicorn, a pegasus, and an Earth pony trotted away from a poker game with a pair of humans. Celestia's gaze followed them.

"You've got the most shifty poker face I've ever seen, Baxton. Your son however, he could freeze dragon's tonsils with that stare."

"You still lost four hooves to me Blade, don't act like you weren't fooled," the human retorted.

The earth pony rolled his eyes. "C'mon Star, Crescent. Let's get back to base before they court martial us."

Celestia leaned to her young apprentice. "Have there been any disputes or fights between humans and ponies?"

"A few spats here and there, nothing serious," Twilight answered. "I think it's starting to settle down outside."

"I can almost feel their restlessness." Celestia sighed. "I don't know how much longer they can stay so high spirited with this disaster unfolding. They need to know that we can push Hircus' forces back, that we have a plan to retake our world."

"Do we?" Twilight asked without a forethought to how it might sound.

Princess Celestia looked away as a distant explosion rocked the dome.

"Not yet."

*****************

Sky Blade, Star Sabre, and Crescent Skies made their way back to the small barracks tent they called home.

Star Sabre galloped up front.

"I know I could have beat him, Sarge. I mean we're Equestrian soldiers... our game faces are supposed to be legendary."

Sky Blade shrugged. "The most emotionless Royal Guard face imaginable doesn't help if you have a tell a blind pony could expose."

The white pegasus stopped in his tracks. "Tell?" What tell? What are you talking about?"

"The same one earth ponies such as myself have been exploiting since the beginning of time..."

Crescent Skies raised a hoof. "If I may sir, he's talking about wing twitch."

"Get the flank out of here. My wings don't twitch."

Sky blade and Crescent Skies exchanged looks.

"You do, sir," The private Skies mused.

Corporal Sabre sharpened his gaze.

"I've lived around pegasai my entire life. Nopony has ever mentioned anything like that."

"Of course not, it's a secret Earth ponies and unicorns have been hiding from the wingies for decades, right Skies?"

"Absolutely, sir. Supposedly it has something to do with the sensitive tendons under their wing root."

Star Sabre let out an audible groan. "I am NOT taking pegasus biology lessons from an unicorn or his Earth pony collaborator."

Sky Blade shrugged. "By all means, don't believe us. Just more bits for us later."

"We'll see about that, si-"

Star Sabre suddenly stopped again, and his ears turned sharply to the right.

"You hear that?"

"Hear what?" the older Earth pony answered. "I don't hear anything."

"I'll say, the place sounds deserted," Crescent chimed in.

Star Sabre sped up into a light gallop towards the camp. Outside their barracks, a large man and a male pegasus stood outside the entrance to their tent.

"Hey now, what are you two digging around for in here?"

Neither turned or acknowledged the question in any way.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!"

The sergeant and private quickly caught up. "Star what are you-"

Sky Blade turned to the odd pair. "Can I help you?"

The human and pegasus slowly turned to face them.

"Leave," they both groaned in unison.

Star Sabre backed up a few paces. "Alright, who are you?" He stopped and focused in on the pegasus. "And why are you wearing a Wonderbolts uniform?"

"Leave. Now."

Sky Blade stepped forward. "This is our barracks. I would rather think you should leave."

Crescent leaned towards the sergeant. "I think we can take them, sir," he quietly.

Sky Blade raised up a hoof in caution. "Now now, I think we can all leave this without having to bash each others' skulls in-"

"I don't think so." Star Sabre pointed out a pair of booted legs splayed out under the darkened tent flap.

The human and pegasus stared daggers at the three pony soldiers, then let out an unintelligible growl.

The three Equestrian soldiers drew their concealed hoof bow sidearms and quickly brought them to a stand of position.

"All right, you two," Sky Blade spoke around his bit trigger, "I don't know what happened here, but nopony needs an incident right now. Just back up and let us take a look at him."

"Crescent. Go check him out," Sky Blade ordered without taking his eyes off of the odd pair before him.

The unicorn nodded and galloped up to the downed human soldier, who remained motionless. "He's breathing, sir. Nasty bruise on the back on his head. And- it's Sergeant Mace, sir!"

Star Sabre pointed his bow downrange. "All right, I want an explanation. Now!"

The human and pegasus strangers traded glances then turned back to them. their hands and hooves beginning to take on a dark blue glow.

Star Sabre jumped back. "Whoa, whoa! What exactly are you two?"

"His will," the simultaneous voices answered.

The pegasus dashed into the air, tackling Star Sabre and tossing him into a nearby row of barracks. Sky Blade deftly rolled out of the way but was soon caught by a charging lunge from the human, sending him reeling.

"Sarge, Corporal!" Crescent yelled, fired off several suppressive shots from his side bow and galloped toward his fallen comrades.

"I'm alive," Star Sabre muttered as he hastily crawled out of a crushed tent. Sky Blade quickly hopped back to his hooves and joined him.

"Still think we can take them, Skies?" Sky Blade muttered.

"The odds are different, I'll tell you that," the private answered.

The two glowing strangers began to fire streaks of blue energy from their hand and hooves, lighting a row of barracks on fire. The three Equestrian soldiers instinctively took cover behind a small rock wall.

"We can't engage them like this!" Sky Blade yelled over the deafening sound of burning energy.

Star fired several shots over his cover toward the strange invaders. "Why isn't anypony coming out the barracks to help us?!"

"I'll bet it has something to do with our friends here," Sky Blade growled. "Crescent, do you know where the Major's tent is?"

"Affirmative," Crescent quickly answered.

"The Major's tent has a human communications device. If the Major is... unable to help you, use it to get an alert out! We'll cover you!"

Crescent saluted and bolted off toward the center of the base as the remaining two war ponies took sporadic shots over the cover wall.

Sky Blade ducked to avoid a particularly low energy blast. "Star, we'll have to hold off these two jokers until help gets here, then we have to get Mace out. You up for it?"

Star Sabre nodded calmly. "Always."

Sky Blade took a moment to calm himself. "All right then. Change your sling mag and buck up. We're going to charge them."

Star Sabre removed a nearly empty arrow magazine from his weapon and inserted another. "Let's take 'em!"

******************

Anomalous Energy Event Team Research And Development File #568-2: Pandragon Aerial Performance

One of the more surprising forms of resistance being encountered by AEE expedition teams upon entering into the Anomalous Realm, are the fearsome Pandragon mounts and their pilots, known as Pandragon minors. Much like the pegasus, griffin, and other winged species, Pandragon mounts are inexplicably capable of reaching high subsonic speeds under the unique conditions of the other Earth. Curiously, Pandragon minors do not seem capable of reaching the same velocities, which may explain why they prefer to ride their larger less intelligent "cousins" into battle.

According to our liaison with the Equestrian Affairs of Darkness special forces, A mount and minor combination typically brandishes a much more powerful version of the standard fire-bolts weapons the infantry uses. These weapons don't seem capable of critically damaging armored vehicles, but seem completely capable of inflicting fatal damage to a more vulnerable airborne target. Pandragon minors themselves are reported to carry a small mini-bolt side arm, as well as a few magma orbs to disrupt enemy armored divisions. Finally, Pandragon fighter mounts are one of the more exclusive users of the magnetized FSL's or Flare Spear Launchers which could be described as primitive metal-seeking rockets.

Scientists are still scrambling to find an effective defense to these weapons, and the Pandragon fighters that bear them.

Chapter One: Anomalies

Preface: The Authors Notes. (You can skip this.)

I wrote this story to combat the notion the Human race has to be portrayed negatively in stories. Frankly, I grow tired of stories where human characters leave their families behind, (who presumably grieve over their disappearance for the rest of their lives,) just to live in a fantasy land. I also grow tired of fics like The Conversion Bureau, where humans are looked down on as inferior, so you won't find anything like that here. There, I said it. In this story I endeavored to show the real Equestria, the world the Equestrian Department of Censorship would never allow to get into the show, and when two great worlds meet, they meet as equals...

-Lynolius

I don't own MLP or anything related to it. That goes to Hasbro and Studio B. I don't own any media linked to, or featured in this story, and don't claim to. Sue me, and friendship goes out of the window! I mean it! I am not a nice guy when you sue me!

Three small scout fighter jets soared over the peaceful plains of rural Georgia, on the eastern seaboard of America, on a planet called Earth.

…“Dobbins Command, this is Sparrow One. It's happening again.”...

…“Come again, Sparrow?”....

…“We think we've detected an anomaly. Bearing 101, at 42,000 feet, about two miles south-east from our current location.”...

…“Are you absolutely sure!? Does the rest of your flight detect it as well!?”...

… “Hold on... Yes, confirmed. There is definitely something up there. Should we investigate?”...

…“Immediately! This is the closest we've ever come to catching one this early! Your squadron is the only one in the airspace, so get up there ASAP!”...

…“You've got it command.”...

…“If what we think is true, who knows what it could mean for all of us. Your fighters have quite the sensor suite, and I'm not sure if it's blind luck or a miracle that you are all so close, but go on and start scanning.”....

…“Yes sir! Looks like we have some work to do. Flight! Follow me up!” ….

Chapter one: Anomalies

It was the black of the night in the city of Canterlot, in the Kingdom of Equestria, on a planet called Earth.

Celestia, the ever graceful monarch of the land, woke in a strange fright. This was odd, because the alicorn princess hadn't had very many nightmares since her sister's return.

“I don't remember dreaming of anything,” she thought out loud. “-and certainly nothing unpleasant.”

She paused to think to herself. It was almost like some force had awoken her, yet her bed chambers were empty.

“Perhaps this is one of Luna's tricks,” she thought, but there was no sign of her either. Celestia reached out with her magic and felt a strange feeling of sickness creeping over her. Not a physical illness, but one of an almost magical nature. Worrying that something was amiss, the princess couldn’t help but dash out of her famous Canterlot Palace and take watch over the night, as she had done many times before when her beloved sister couldn't.

After a few minutes of brisk flying, she noticed there was no immediate threat to be seen. No monsters harassing the locals. No heinous crimes being committed. No unimaginable horrors being unleashed. There was, however, a pair of foals throwing rocks into a stream that ran by the palace. She would have worried, if she hadn't noticed that their parents were standing nearby, talking and watching over them.

She landed, and walked over to what looked like a small family. "Perhaps they felt this strange energy," she thought.

“Greetings.” she said in a friendly but concerned tone.

A very excited stallion quickly ran toward her and bowed deeply. “Hello princess! It is an honor to finally meet you! I am Rain Strike, your humble subject, and this is my wife Whistle Willow.” proclaimed the stallion, a pegasus, who she figured was the father of the foals.

The stallion gave another short bow, and turned just in time to keep one of his children from pushing the other into the pond. His greeting sounded as though he was an official greeter, one that had been waiting his entire life to use those skills with someone as esteemed as her.

With a much more worried look, the mother, a unicorn mare, quietly asked, “Is something the matter? Are we doing something wrong?”

Internally, Celestia wondered why a family was throwing rocks into a pond at three in the morning, but she didn't want them to think that they were guilty for no reason. After all, it is certainly not illegal to toss stones into a pond, regardless of the time.

“Oh no,” she quickly answered. “I felt like going out for a walk, or fly, as it were. I noticed your family enjoying themselves, and I came to say hi. It's nice to spend time with my subjects without a parade being set up in my honor, though I must admit that this is a strange hour to be out.”

The family looked at the princess with an almost dumbstruck expression. It's not every day that a princess and co-ruler of Equestria shows up just to shoot the breeze, but more or less, it was happening right in front of them.

The family explained that they were coming home from a family visit to Applelanta, and that they had decided to rest at this calm point on their journey and set up a camp. Appeased that nothing seemed to be wrong in the area, at least for the time being, the princess began a playful competition with the foals to see who could hit a small lily pad with their rocks, and the young ones all warmed up to the idea that their princess could be a normal pony too, just like them. The parents even joined in at one point.

"My! My! That's three!" Celestia chuckled. "I must say, this has all been quite refreshing, but I must take my leave of you now." The princess nodded.

Remembering why she left the castle in the first place, Celestia said her goodbyes and prepared to go back, she stopped, and turned back to face the family.

"You wouldn't happen to have felt anything strange during your journey, would you?" Celestia cautiously spoke.

“My wife said she felt odd earlier, said something about a stomach ache,” spouted the father, “Dear, do you still feel ill?” he asked.

The mother thought for a few seconds, shook her head and said, “Come to think of it, I feel fine now. It was probably something I ate along the way.” She smiled contently. “Is there something we should have noticed?”

“No, not really, I was simply wondering,” the princess quickly answered. She still felt a bit odd herself, but regardless, she gave a dainty wave and bade them goodbye once again.

With that, she was off into the night.

******************

A lone earth pony trotted along a deserted path towards his home in Ponyville.

Lime Tree had always felt... out of place. As an earth pony, he found himself trapped between a silly, misguided jealousy for the other pony races, and pride for his strong earth pony heritage. He didn't hate unicorns or pegasai, but he did envy them at times. It was true that earth ponies were physically the strongest, and had a deep connection to the land itself, but unicorns could do some of the same things they did with their magic.

"That never did seem fair," the earth pony thought to himself.

As a foal, he had always wondered why earth ponies did the farming and unicorns were of the rich and famous nobility. In his mind, it made a lot more sense for the earth ponies to make laws, seeing as you don't need a horn or wings to do that.

He typically went into deep thought when on trips, to pass the time. But today, he was coming home from a trip to Canterlot, where he had proposed the very same ideas he was thinking now. He wasn't actually a senator, but he had friends who were. The nobility had chuckled at the thought of mere commoners making national law.

“That must be how they see us,” he thought. “-lowly peasants.”

There were earth ponies in Pony Parliament, but there weren’t very many, and they never seemed to be able to get any say in decisions, not that parliament had much power anyway. He was no noble, but he had learned a lot from his friends in government, who had encouraged him to study law in school. Maybe he could change things.

The earth pony shrugged. “-or at least restore some balance.”

His philosophical thought process was cut short by a loud inhaling sound, as if some beast was preparing to utter its worst roar. He had taken a shortcut through a small section of the Everfree forest, as he often did, and realized that the sound he'd just heard could be one of the forest's many fearsome creatures preparing to devour him whole. He looked up, and saw something far more terrifying. This terrible beast opened its gaping maw right in front of him. It opened its mouth farther than he had seen any creature do so, short of a dragon. The worst part of it, was that this creature was a sickening, almost tooth decaying shade of bright, hot, pink.

“Limey! You're back!” the beast roared.

“Yes Ms. Pie, I have indeed returned.” the green earth pony stated in a clearly fake noble accent; one that Pinkie Pie found extremely amusing. While she laughed, Lime Tree beat her to what he was sure she would say next: “You think you should throw a “Green-earth-pony-acquaintance-has-finally-come-back-to-his-home-town-party?” the young stallion suggested.

The pink “beast” had a look on her face that could only betray that she was completely amazed that somepony had actually suggested that she throw a party. She quickly snapped out of it.

"One, super, awesome, welcome home party, coming up!" and with an excited nod, she ran away at a speed that made Lime wonder if she ever ran the Running of Leaves Races in the fall. Shaking his head in wonder, he took stock of his surroundings. It seemed that he had been in such deep thought, that he hadn't even realized that he'd unwittingly trotted right into Ponyville square.

“Home.” he thought. “It's about time.”

**********************

A while later, Lime Tree trotted up to his humble abode, and was about to open the door when he realized that a certain pink party pony could be waiting behind it, ready to surprise him. “Not this time!” he smugly thought to himself. He swung the door open, ready to be assaulted by streamers and balloons. He braced himself, just to see that his home, a small cottage near the edge of town, was exactly as he had left it. Utterly amazed at the sheer lack of partying in front of him, he regained his composure and went inside.

“Pinkie must be going soft,” he mused. He put his bags down, and walked upstairs to his bedroom. As he opened the door, an explosion the likes of which he had never seen before detonated right in front of him, an explosion of ponies, some of which he considered his friends, all yelled,

“SURPRISE!”

And he had never been more surprised in all of his life.

********************

“Luna, I’m glad you're awake!” the princess of the sun spoke urgently.

“You are aware that I'm almost always awake at night, correct? It's kind of my element.” the night princess uttered matter-of-factly. Her face then lit up. “I have just used two contractions! I have endeavored to speak more modern vernacular recently, and this week I have devoted my study to contractions!”

“As proud as I am of you,” Celestia began, “I came to ask if you felt any strange disturbances tonight.”

“I fear not, though I must admit I did suffer from a bit of indigestion earlier, I assumed it was that guest chef from Prance, but I just could not stop eating, it was most delicious! Do tell, did you ever get any of-”

Luna stopped as she noticed her sister's worried look. “Pray tell, sister. Is something bothering you?” the midnight blue alicorn asked.

“No, maybe I... I am not sure. I think I’m just tired.” the exhausted alabaster alicorn spoke.

“Well I’d say that it'd be best if you'd try and get some sleep. See what I did there?” the now bubbly moon princess proudly spoke.

“Yes Luna, more contractions.” a very tired Celestia muttered. Luna wasn't done. “I'm most exited!"

"Don't you mean exc-" Celestia tried to correct, but was cut off.

"I'd think not. There! I have done it again! Ha!” Luna exclaimed.

Celestia figured that if there was ever a time to be unconscious, that time was now.

“Good night, Luna,” she sighed, and went up to bed. Hoping that she was worried over nothing.

******************

… “Sir, the phenomenon is gone, but we got some really cool readings off of it.”...

… “What'd you get?!” …

… “If I’m reading this right, there is a double radar reading in the vicinity of the event. There were also some really strange energy signatures emanating from it.”...

… “You can't mean...”

… “Yeah, it's like there’s something inside it.”....

… “Are you saying that it's some kind of portal?”...

…. “Um, no, but it really did seem like you could just fly into it.”...

…. “Return home Immediately. We need to further debrief you. Good work, boys and girls, you may have just made one the most important discoveries in human history!”....

…. “That'd be something. Alright sir, we're on our way.” ….

Chapter Two: Mirror Or Window?

Chapter Two: Mirror or Window?

A lone griffin soared over a forest, just outside of Equestria's borders.

If you were to look at him, you might think that he wore an expression of arrogance, but if you knew him, you would see years of frustration, stress, and maybe even a little hope.

As Phalanx flew, he couldn't help but wonder what he was doing. He knew what was coming, what must be done to free his people, but he just couldn't think clearly. He realized exactly what freeing his people would mean, and what would have to be done to do so.

He landed in front of a small tree house near a clearing in the forest, and ruffled his feathers. He knocked on the door and heard the rasp of a very familiar female voice behind it. If griffins could blush, you wouldn't have noticed him doing so because his feathers. He could hear the faint clicks of the door's locks being undone, and the source of the female voice behind it was now visible.

“You look great Gilda,” the hardened griffin, timidly squawked. Phalanx had nearly choked on those words. “How could a warrior such as I, be so scared to take someone I find attractive out for a social excursion?” he thought.

It was true, Phalanx was indeed a warrior. One of the most respected even, and the irony of his situation was clearly noticed by his date, whose beak formed a grin.

“Chill, dude. I'm glad you asked me out, but I can tell that you'd be less nervous fighting a team of Celestia's royal guards,” Gilda, jokingly spoke.

“Yeah, my poker face isn't what it used to be.” the male griffin replied as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Relax,” Gilda whispered as she playfully wrapped her arm around him. “This might be the last time we can enjoy ourselves before the world becomes a lot more hostile; and by the way, you look good too, Phal.”

Phalanx's face seemed to brighten, and he spoke in a much more confident tone, “You were always fun to be with Gilda, should we go off now?”

She nodded, and the two took off together, both smiling now, wondering what was to come.

*****************

The Sun rose over Dobbins Air Reserve base, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, Earth.

Most of the base's staff was wide awake already. Having heard the news that an anomaly had formed, most of the base's pilots, officers, and even civilians quickly dashed around to find out what had happened. The entire base was buzzing when three small fighters zoomed overhead.

…. “This is Sparrow Flight requesting permission to land.”....

…. “You've been cleared for landing on runway 11, repeat runway 11”...

…. “Understood. See you guys on the ground.”....

The nimble fighters daintily landed as instructed, then taxied to an open hanger, where a team of scientist was already assembled. The pilots locked their landing gear, and powered down their engines. Maintenance technicians began to service their planes, plugging in the hanger's computers into ports on the fuselages of each of the planes. The pilots opened their canopies and hopped out of their fighters as they had done many times before.

“Sir, Commander Stuart wants to see you,” one of the technicians dully remarked to the flight leader.

The pilot looked annoyed. “Just me?” he asked.

"The three of you,” the technician answered.

The three pilots nodded then climbed a few flights of stairs in the direction of the command center. From what they knew, this Commander Stuart was a high ranking navy scientist, with quite a reputation for being almost overzealous in his work. For whatever reason, he had been given command over all anomaly related operations, and his work had led him to the base they now served on.

“You look like you're walking toward an execution man,” the leader remarked to one of his wingmen.

“Sir, you know better than anyone that we're going to be doing a literal mountain's worth of paper work.”

“That's not true, and we'll probably be celebrities on base for, I don't know, the next twenty minutes?” the pilot leader retorted. His uniform looked slightly more distinguished from the others.

“I think we'll be alright,” a third pilot, a female, interjected. “Boss, what happens now?”

“I'm sure we'll be going up soon for more scanning. For now, Commander “science guy” Stuart wants to see us.” the leader responded,

“I'd rather not call him that when we meet him." the male wingman added. "He's supposedly a high ranking scientist in this field. Maybe he knows what going on.”

“Yeah, maybe. But I’m not sure I want to know what's going on.” the Leader quietly spoke.

They walked in silence until they reached the commander's door.

“Everyone put on your best smile,” the leader began. “I have a feeling that strange things are on the way.”

“Was that an attempt at being dramatic?” the female wingman joked as the leader opened the door. The look the leader gave the woman almost specifically told her that he was not amused, and the now nervous wing-woman instantly stopped talking.

The pilots entered, then took seats in front of the officer's desk, a look of wonder on each of their faces as they looked at what seemed to be a massive collage of pictures, radar readings, and video displays.

“It's nice to meet you all,” the officer spoke in a surprisingly friendly tone. “I am Commander Mason Stuart of the United States Navy. But don't get intimidated, right now, I’m your friend."

The pilots all exchanged curious looks, as if to say that they all found this man rather odd.

“As you know, NASA, as well as the military, has been investigating anomalies like the one you all saw earlier today. You must all be wondering what they are, exactly, and what we plan on doing to learn more about them.”

He paused and started digging into his desk. “To explain things, I'd like to show you just what we've been doing around here recently.” He then passed out a packet of documents, and instructed the pilots to read them. They were titled:

Studies of Anomalous Energy Events, or AEE's,

A Report by Dr. Mason Stuart.

Day one,

This is the first official entry into this document, but you probably already knew that. Our goal here is to determine what these random energy surges are, and if they are dangerous. So far, our only knowledge of these events is based off of eyewitness accounts and bad pictures. We really don't have any theories whatsoever as to what could be cause of these events. So for now, all we can do is wait for one to appear so we can scan it. I will only make new entries into this journal when something of interest has occurred.

Day Eight,

We've spotted the first anomaly since this investigation started. It appeared just outside Washington D.C., about ten miles or so south. It was only around for about two minutes, but I saw it with my own eyes. It was blue in color, and looked to have electromagnetic energy encircling it. Unfortunately, the anomaly was too high up to get any readings from ground based sensors, and we were unable to get any sensor planes in the area in time, so our intel is still pretty weak. I apologize.

Day Nine,

In light of what happened yesterday, it was agreed upon that small fighters should be sent up on patrols, in order to increase the likelihood of a plane being nearby when an anomaly occurs. They seem to be popping up most frequently around the south-eastern region of North America, so my team will be moving to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia. In fact, two anomalies have already opened within 100 miles of the place, so I'm confident that we'll finally get something.

Day Eighteen

An anomaly appeared right before we were going to send up the first flight of our enhanced sensor planes. I'm much too annoyed to write anything else.

Day Thirty-two,

CONFOUND THESE ANOMALIES! Why must they always appear when were not ready to scan them?

Day Sixty-seven,

Unbelievably, we came within minutes of scanning an anomaly, when I realized that all of our planes were being serviced! Why do these anomalies tease me so? Regardless, I've been told that such mistakes will be avoided in the future. At least I know that I made the right decision to set up my operation here, as long as they keep appearing, it's only a matter of time until we get a hit.

Day One Hundred and Six,

At long last we have success! A small fighter squadron was nearby when the 79th confirmed anomaly appeared. We have started analyzing the data, and cannot wait to see what we find. According to the flight leader, one Lieutenant Lenard Greene, they detected some kind of “double radar signal.” I don't even have to tell the reader what that could mean. I am more than just a little curious to find out what that could mean myself, and I will report on our findings as we look over the data.

The three pilots all seemed to look up at the same time.

“Sooooo, what do you think?” the commander wondered out loud.

Lieutenant Greene looked at his wing-mates, as if desperately asking for help. “It's, umm, interesting? Wait. You wrote that last entry in the time it took for us to land and walk here?”

The commander quickly answered, “Why yes, these were certainly not all of them, but we don't have time to read the ones in between. Now follow me, we have much to discus.”

****************

The commander walked the three pilots to the most secured hanger in the entire base. The guards allowed them entrance, and the group walked in, with a very excited commander leading them.

“We got these babies from NASA. They were originally designed for low Earth orbit space flights. Behold! I give you...” He paused for dramatic effect, “The DeltaScout Extra-planetary probe, Mark one!”

The pilots' faces brightened up when they saw it. It was like almost every kid's dream, a massive remote controlled rocket.

“This baby sports some of the most advanced sensor systems we've ever designed!” the obviously proud commander stated. Lieutenant Greene could have sworn he saw the officer wipe a tear out of his eye.

“That is really cool,” the female pilot stated, “but what's it for?”

The commander's excitement levels doubled, as if he had been waiting to answer that question for months. It seemed like he was about to literally burst from raw anticipation.

Greene wondered if anyone could be as excited about anything as the commander was now. Surely, he was the most hyperactive man in any military in the world. At least he wasn't demeaning, like other higher officers he knew. The flight leader stopped thinking for a moment, so he could actually hear the commander's description of the planes purpose.

“So.... What is it for?” Lenard asked the officer again.

“I am so glad you asked!” was what came out of the jumpy military scientist. “You see, we believe these disturbances to be much more than just random energy fluctuations. We believe that they are localized punctures of space!

“But they're not in space. There down here on earth”, the wingman stated.

“Like worm holes,” the flight leader curtly replied.

“Why yes Lieutenant Greene,” the Commander spoke, almost sounding impressed.

“Uh Lenard, how did you know that?” the wingman inquired with a worried look on his face.

“Honestly, Mike, that was kind of a wild guess,” Lenard answered. “Guess I watch too much Sci-fi on leave.”

“Really? I didn't peg you for a sci-fi kind of guy,” the female pilot spoke with a smug grin on her face.

“Gerri, did we just get completely off topic here?” Greene wondered.

“I believe we did boss man,” she answered.

“THE POINT,” the commander loudly interrupted, “-is that we intend to send this probe into an anomaly and see what it senses.”

“Into? So you ARE suggesting that there is something or some place behind them?” Lenard asked.

“The double radar images seem to say so, but we won't know until we try it. For now all we can do is wait.”

Lenard could think of nothing he wanted to do less.

*****************

“Sir we've done it!”

“What!?” the commander shouted, as he woke at his desk.

He didn't like to wake up like this, but this time he could make an exception. It had been weeks since Sparrow Team had scanned the Anomaly and any excitement was well received.

“I can't believe we've done it. We've cracked the code, decrypted the enigma, solved the Rubik's cube!” came the excited chatter of a bubbly female scientist.

“WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY!” shouted the commander, who really wanted to know what was going on, and had no time for these games.

“Oh. Sorry sir. We have successfully found the pattern that these anomalies operate under!”

“That’s great!” The Commander’s sudden rage had turned into complete joy. “When will the next one occur?”

“If we're correct, two days from now, Wednesday around 3:00 pm.” the scientist explained.

“Send the order down to begin readying the probe.” The Commander's expression was now much more serious. “I don't want to miss this chance.”

****************

The days passed slowly as everyone on base worked to prepare the DeltaScout for its mission, and at long last, the time had come.

The Scout was thoroughly checked and taxied into position on the base's main runway. The anomaly wasn't scheduled to appear for a few minutes, but the flight control team wanted the probe airborne and ready when it did. Several civilians had gotten wind of the event, and there were thousands of people waiting to watch it as it unfolded. The DeltaScout flight controllers ran their final checks and broadcasted over the radio, as well as speakers that had been recently set up:

…. “This is Delta. Permission to launch?” …..

…. “You've got it Delta. Everything looks positive. Good luck.”....

…. “Alright, control. This is DeltaScout flight Team, launching.”....

The probe's engine roared to life, and the small aircraft slowly made its way down the runway. It reached liftoff speed and gracefully lifted into the sky. The officers and civilians sounded a round of applause, and those that had binoculars or small telescopes could keep track of the small craft as it flew higher and higher toward its target altitude of 45,000 feet. Those that didn't could still see the Delta's con trail. The anomaly ETA slowly counted towards zero, and the crowd teemed with anticipation.

Everyone nervously awaited the emergence of the anomaly

...“Alright Delta Command, we are now in the green zone. That anomaly is due any second now.”...

…. “Roger, Dobbins, we are holding a traffic pattern around the contact zone.”.....

There was a slight flash.

Anyone who hadn't been looking up at the time would not have noticed it.

Calls rang out from all of the circling sensor aircraft, saying that their sensors had just lit up like Christmas trees. The multi-aircraft sensor system was working. These aircraft provided electronic support with the command center, and the DeltaScout itself, in order to keep connections as strong as possible. They also had the same advanced sensor systems that Sparrow Flight had when they encountered that anomaly. No matter what, Commander Stuart there was going to get plenty of data to look at later.

… “This is Delta command, target acquired. Anomalous event, bearing 2-6-9, 39,000 ft. It's directly ahead, 1.5 miles away..... ETA to contact is 37 seconds”.....

… “ETA is 10, 9, 8, 7,” ….

... "6, 5, 4,"....

… “Contact in three, two, one!”...

…."----------".....

… “CONTACT! We have contact!”....

There was a large Explosion.

*********************

Day 209,

Our first attempt at sending a probe through failed... dismally. The Delta Scout exploded just after making contact with the anomaly. Don't get me wrong, it picked up quite a lot of data before it exploded, but since it never actually made it in, we have no readings from inside the event. At first, we began to question if this “hole” is even a hole at all. We wondered if perhaps it was a simple mirror like structure that leads to nowhere. We even considered shutting down the Delta program, that is, until we analyzed the very last second of the Delta's transmission. The probe underwent extreme g-forces, in excess of 150 g's all centered in one spot, the nose. The forces seemed to coincide with the speed the craft was traveling when it contacted the anomaly. Suddenly, it occurred to us that maybe the Scout's entry was too fast, or to slow. The only way to test a theory like this would be to begin work on a DeltaScout MK. II. The work has already begun.

******************

The Sun started to set over the Everfree forest.

Two griffins were perched high up on a mountain ledge, having competed their meal.

“How's home these days?” Phalanx asked, preparing for an answer he didn't really want to hear.

“It's seen worse,” Gilda replied in a tone that betrayed a bit of disbelief in her own statement. “How have you been?” she quickly asked, trying to move the subject to something, anything, other than the troubles of the homeland. “I take it that things went well?” she asked.

“If you mean the operation, then yes. According to our home grown operatives, Equestria's only reactions to the IMP test were head aches and indigestion. Both of which could be easily explained by some case of food poisoning, or a common cold."

“Cool,” Gilda responded with a smirk. “We might actually pull this off.”

“All I know, is that is if the IMP works, Equestria will have been brought to its knees without a single battle, and many lives will be saved,” Phalanx stated.

“That's if they surrender, and knowing those bull heads, they probably won't.” Gilda reminded him.

Phalanx held Gilda in an embrace.

“Then we can only hope they surrender.”

Chapter Thirteen: Affairs Of Darkness. Part IV

Chapter Thirteen: Affairs Of Darkness. Part IV.

A small team of AOD and Black Ops troops hid behind a cratered building in the royal city of Canterlot.

"You're sure you saw something?" one AOD pony asked another.

"The castle was glowing! How could I miss something like that!?" another pony answered.

"I saw it too. I'm pretty sure that's not natural." a human commented.

"Let's not get off track." The AOD Major spoke. "There are too many lives at stake here. Focus on the mission. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Understood sir."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Glad to hear it. Now, we still have a few miles to go."

The soldiers darted out of cover and into another shadowed building. The walls were covered in various propaganda posters and degrading pictures depicting the royal sisters.

"Tyrants, thieves, monsters. What could have possible lead them to say all of these things?" a blackened pony spoke.

"I don't know anymore." The major answered. "I'm not sure what to believe, but for now, I will stand by my Princesses. Lieutenant, what is the best way to get to the target?"

A mare dug into her saddle bag. "AOD records say that there is a direct route to the location of the internment camp from here, but you wont like it."

"What is it?"

"The sewers, Major... uh..."

"Classified." the Major answered.

"Oh. Well the sewers are our best bet." she replied.

"Lieutenant Fawkes, Grain Rain-"

"Yes?"

"Yes Sir?" The two soldiers in question answered.

"See if you can get that pony hole cover off. Dew, double check those maps. I don't want any surprises. Commander Stuart won't be able to risk getting that flying machine back here, so once things heat up, we'll be doing this on our own until we spring our own backup."

"Understood."

One of the human soldiers lifted the heavy cast iron cover out of the ground. "Who's first?"

*********************

The town of Ponyville had been all but destroyed. Once proud shops lie in ruins. The familiar landmarks of the town held no joy. Squares once filled with commerce were now filled with Liberation Alliance troops, marching into the city.

"Gripftor, Rahn, report." an L.A. officer spoke to a griffin and ram. The two soldiers saluted, bringing a hoof and a paw to their chests.

"The town has been abandoned, m'lord." The ram answered. "We may set up camp, the enemy has been successfully routed." the griffin added.

"Excellent." the officer nodded. "Make sure patrols keep it that way. You two have seen your fair share of battle. You may rest now."

"Thank you, my lord." The two soldiers spoke in near unison. They bowed, saluted and went on their way. As they walked through the abandoned town, a small dark shape caught the griffin's eye.

Both soldiers quickly leveled their weapons. "What was that? I saw something behind that tree."

There was only shadow.

"I see nothing there." the ram impatiently commented.

"I know I saw something." the griffin answered.

The two soldiers slowly moved closer. The ram silently gave the griffin the signal to circle around to the other side of the structure.

The two met on the other side. "There's nothing here. Stop wasting my time with your jitters." the ram scolded.

"I am not jittery!" the griffin retorted.

"Whatever you say, Grip."

As the ram began to trot away, the griffin looked up into the tree. His eyes met a pair of glowing, green slitted ones.

The ram heard the indisputable sound of a screaming griffin. "Rahn, help me!"

The ram turned around to see a flailing griffin several yards away, feathers set ablaze by green flame.

"Hircus's horns! What happened Grip!?"

"There's something in the tree!" the griffin yelled as he tried to extinguish the flames.

The ram galloped toward his downed comrade and pointed his weapon into the tree. Just before he reached him, a small, scaled creature dropped down from the tree, landing square on the griffin's chest. The creature hissed and wiggled is forked tongue.

"Get this thing off me!" the griffin shrieked. The creature raised one of its arms and bared it's claws, it's hand silhouetted in the moonlight. It brought down the claw, and the griffin stopped flailing, still smoldering.

"Gripftor!" Still galloping toward the burning griffin and it's assailant, the ramb opened fire, knowing now that there was no saving the griffin.

Lethal firebolts rained down on the small creature. "Die, foul beast!" the ram yelled, then uttered a war cry. "Hyaaaah!"

The creature leaped onto the ram's back, swinging wildly with its claws. The ram bucked the small creature off, then shot down at him. The creature rolled, missing the firebolts by inches, then lept into the surrounding foliage.

"You are not getting away that easily! Come out and face me!" the ram shouted.

The creature did not reappear.

"Fine, coward! Then I shall hunt you down!" the ram charged into the brush. It stampeded, madly knocking down small trees. The ram shot at anything that moved, but after a minute of blind fire, there was no sign of the tiny beast. That is, until the ram came face to face with the barrel of a small revolver.

Behind the gun, that same scaled creature grinned a twisted toothy grin. It hissed its forked tongue. Its slitted eyes glowed ever brighter.

Then it pulled the trigger.

The small creature dropped the gun and put a clawed hand to it's head. He looked down at his dispatched foe in horror. "I- I can't believe I just did that." the creature mumbled, dumfounded by his very own actions.

"Spike?" a hushed voice spoke.

The creature picked up the gun and quickly swung around, nervously shaking the lethal weapon. An armored stallion emerged from the brush.

Spike dropped the gun again. "I remember you. Your name is Sky Blade, right?"

"Yes." the stallion replied. "I was sent to find you, and anyone else that straggled behind. Where did you get that weapon?" the soldier eyed the small revolver curiously.

"I found it in a bag." the dragon replied.

The stallion looked over to the dead ram just a few feet away. "Looks like you put it to good use. I'm sorry you had to do that, son."

"Hey, I'm not a hatchling anymore, I can take care of myself. I know how to use this thing. I saw a human use one before!" the dragon spoke, still shaking. "The bag is over there, somepony, or someone must have left it."

The dragon pointed towards a pack he'd found in the grass. The stallion gave the bag a look over. It was camouflaged, and had several pockets. Printed on the top of the bag were the words "J. Simms."

"You found a soldier's pack, lucky for you. We'll take it with us. Now come on, there's a very worried purple unicorn that will be relieved to see you're alright. Have you seen any other stragglers?"

The dragon shook his head.

"Then we have nothing more to do here, come along little one." the stallion motioned for the dragon to follow him.

"I just beat two bad guys! Who are you calling little?!"

Sergent Sky Blade gave Spike an extremely sharp look.

The young dragon lost all of his machismo. "Ahem, uh, coming." Spike coughed out.

*********************

The ponies and humans had been slowly trudging through the filth of the Canterlot underground for hours.

"For such a clean city, there sure is a lot of junk down here." one of the soldiers remarked.

The Major nodded. It was true, the city had seemed quite clean, normal even. Other than the fact that nopony was around. But unbeknownst to the majority of ponies, even possibly the Princesses, the under-city was not a pleasant place to be. "Yes, but we should stay quiet, you never know if..."

The major stopped at a suspicious clanking noise. He put a hoof to his face, signaling silence. The major snuck forward then quickly dashed into a small tunnel. When he came back out. He was dragging an earth mare behind him.

"Please don't hurt me! I didn't mean to break curfew! I just uh, well I...."

A human turned on his hand-cranked electric lantern, literally shedding light on the situation.

"Oh, you're not Alliance soldiers!" the mare could barely contain her excitement, but tried to anyway. "Are you here to save us?!"

The major scratched his head. "That depends, who do you mean by, us?"

"I'll show you!" the mare answered.

The mare lead them down several tunnels, reflexively checking behind her every few seconds. She eventually let the small group to a large wall.

"So, uh what are we looking at?" the Major cautiously wondered.

The small group looked on as the mare pushed in a brick in the wall and whispered something into the hole. Suddenly, the entire wall folded inward like the two large doors of the royal throne room.

A bright light flooded their vision. As their eyes adjusted, the small group of soliders realized what they were looking at. Before them lay a large chamber, filled with busy ponies rushing back and forth. Some carried weapons, other wielded clipboards. There were desks, chairs, and officers to sit in them. A few turned their heads, others simply went about whatever tasks they were doing.

The major looked quite surprised. "What is this place?"

Before the mare could answer, a teenage looking colt and a filly galloped up to her. "Bonbon, you're back! Did you find it?"

The mare dug into a small bag. "I did. Found it right where you said it would be." The mare grabbed a small metal object in her teeth and gave it to the two teenage ponies.

"A coil spring! Now we can finish our bows!" as the two teenagers ran off, a small group of much larger stallions and mares approached them.

"Well, If it isn't Major Classified. What did they used to call you? Major Class, wasn't it?"

"Prince Blueblood?" the Major questioned.

"Indeed! And it is General Prince Blueblood now." the stallion replied. "Good to see somepony that knows my acquaintance."

The Major shrugged. "I don't see how anypony could mistake you. You're still the only pony I know that would wear a cape in the sewers. What exactly is all this?"

Blueblood threw his hooves up in fanfare as the stone doors slowly shut behind them. "Welcome to the Liberation Resistance! Anypony that escaped the invasion met up and came here, to fight the tyranny of the Liberation Alliance's martial law! We have soldiers, scientist, even humans!" The Princely stallion pointed to a busy group of humans standing in a small work space. "It is all very exciting!"

One of the Black Ops humans nodded. "It looks like the AEE guys made it out okay. Sir, I wouldn't surprise me if they had some useful information on this whole thing."

"Right. Lieutenant Fawkes, see if you can get some answers."

The Black Ops marine began to jog in the direction of the scientist, then stopped. "Wait. So you're name is Classified?"

"Yes, my name is Classified." the major answered calmly.

The human slowly shook his head, and rubbed his scalp. "Okay then." the soldier walked away, clearly confused..

"Why does everypony have such a hard time understanding that? My mother and father were both in the military and "Classified" seemed like a good name. Why does that confuse everypony?"

Many of the human and pony members of bravo's insertion team shook their heads and rolled their eyes.

"I'm not sure," Blueblood's expression changed to one of caution. "So how did you get here? We didn't think anypony knew of our little operation."

"We didn't-" Classified answered. "-until that mare lead us to you. We were sent to Canterlot to bust into the internment camps and rescue as many soldiers and civilians we could. We had no idea it was being done for us!"

"Glad to be of assistance." Blueblood answered. "If you're going to go through with your task, we will join you! And by we, I mean the other soldiers here. We can resupply you, and tend to any medical needs you might have. We also have food if you should require it. Though I'm afraid it's not quite up to par."

Several stomachs cried out, almost simultaneously.

"That won't be a problem." one of the human soldiers answered.

The major agreed. "Soldiers, disperse and resupply. We will make camp here and resume the mission tomorrow."

The various members of the insertion team split up, they, and the mare that lead them there, went about their business.

"Excellent. Now where did you say this team is from?" the Prince wondered.

"We never told you. We were based in Ponyville- well at least we were."

"What has befallen the town?" Blueblood asked, raising a recently arched eyebrow.

"We heard it was captured."

Blueblood looked down. "Oh."

"Is something the matter Prince?" the Major asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's just.. well... Somepony I know lived there." the blonde stallion turned away, then stopped and turned back.

"You wouldn't happen to know a marshmallow-white unicorn mare with an eloquent violet mane, would you?"

At first, the major bore a look of amusement, then noticed the Prince's somber look. "Marshmallow? I don't think I've ever heard anypony use that description before. I'm sorry, but we didn't spend too much time in the town. We were with General Rock's forces from Sesaddle, And those humans were with the more recent arrivals, so I doubt they know her either. I'm sorry."

"It is alright," the prince sighed. "I doubt she would wish to see me anyhow. There are more pressing matters to attend to though. I bid you good..."

"I believe it is night, sir." the Major explained.

"Then I bid you good night."

******************

A door slammed and an earth pony was flung to the floor, leaving the room in darkness.

"So... How'd it go?"

The earth pony recognized this as the voice of the griffin he'd been cell mates with before. If Bronze Leaf could talk, he would have told the griffin that he was in extreme pain. As the pony opened his mouth, all that came forth was a pathetic wheeze.

"I take it that it didn't go well." the griffin answered himself.

Another wheeze.

"I have questions, but I suppose I can wait."

"...wanted.... information... hurt...." the pony managed to speak.

"It's pretty clear they hurt you, but what kind of information did they want?"

".....Humans."

"The interlopers. Ah, I see. What did you tell them?"

"....not....much.....that's why... hurt...."

"Hmm. That's distressing. I think the council fears them. The council always gets what it wants. It destroys anything that gets in the way of that. I only wish they would listen to reason." the griffin gave a mirthless laugh. "I suppose that's why I'm here."

"....huh?..."

"I suppose I have a story to tell, don't I? Very well, you're not going anywhere, and I suppose someone should know."

The griffin paused in thought.

"Let's see..."

It started about six years ago. I, Veltor, was a commander in the Griffin League, a proud and statuesque warrior. The Griffin League had been preparing for it's ultimate revenge on Equestria for years, and with the signing of a pact between the Griffin Protectorate, and Caprastia, the kingdom of the Rams, it was finally starting to take shape. And we were all there to watch it. For hundreds of years prior, neither nation could find a feasible method of attacking Equestria and surviving. Every plan, every action, every option would lead to an untimely defeat if executed. So a council of the greatest individuals of both countries quickly rose, uniting the citizens, and making a strong central government. It was they, that decided that the only way justice could be served, was to fight fire with firebolts, and magic with more magic. We, the Griffin League, were sent to the far corners of the globe to find runes, amulets, and any other items of extreme magical power, strune throughout the land. We were out there for years, trailblazing though lands that hadn't been traversed in centuries. Turning over every rock, flying through every cave, navigating through every temple we found. Over that time, we found many things. We returned with a magical bounty the likes of which had never been seen before. And with it, we summoned the most powerful mages, the most intelligent scientific minds, and made a weapon powerful enough to finally defeat our centuries old foes:

The Alicorns.

They called it the The Implosive Magical Pulse Detonator, though most simply call it the I.M.P. or "Imp." A weapon of obscene amounts of magical power; enough to overwhelm all of the magic in your nation, and weaken the Alicorns enough to finally defeat them.

But at what cost? We were raised to hate the alicorns, but as for the ponies under their protection, we were taught that they were just unwitting pawns, completely unaware of the travesties their leaders were responsible for. Truly, there was no hate for them- you. But the council had it's weapon, and with our new allies, the Pandragon Empire, they felt no hesitation to accelerate their plans. When the IMP finally came down, many ponies died, but the Princesses were finally beaten. Finally stripped of their power, only now do they finally understand.

But that wasn't enough for the council.

They would not rest until every citizen, large and small, fell into their grasp. I spoke out against this, saying things like, "Let us move towards a better future where we all live in peace!" and "Only now is democracy finally possible!" Eventually I dared to speak before the council itself! Can you believe that?! You have met them after all. Suffice it to say, they did not partake my philosophy. I was stripped of my rank, arrested, and put in this prison, just a few days ago. At least I think it has been a few days. It is hard to tell without any light. Anyhow, they locked me up. Me, a Commander!

"Just because I wanted peace."

"But... I don't understand." Bronze Leaf struggled to speak. "What did the alicorns do to make you hate them so much?"

"Ah, that is a story for another time. Hopefully, I will live long enough to tell it to you, and you will live long enough to hear it." The griffin pulled out a small stick-like object from a corner of the cell and scraped it on the floor. Slowly, the small object began to glow until there was a dim blue light around it, just enough light for the two warriors to see each others faces.

"I was a Commander, they should have known I had a few tricks." the griffin halfheartedly boasted.

"I- I suppose." Bronze Leaf coughed. "I'm going to t-try to get some s-sleep."

"And so you should. If I know my leaders right, they are not done with you yet."

"And I'll- *cough* -I'll be ready for them."

The griffin laid back in his space and quickly fell asleep. The pony, too grievously injured to even think about sleep, chose to think instead.

Peace. I hope he gets his wish.

The stallion took himself back to the night he was captured. The memory had been a complete blur, leaving off with the flying machine landing, and picking back up with the soldiers dragged him away from the wreckage, and stepping over the soldiers who hadn't been as fortunate as he. But just as the memory brought a small tear to his eyes, one last memory shone through the darkness of his situation. The memory between the landing and his capture. If he just focused just a little more on that memory... Yes, there was something! He saw someone standing. Not the solders which took him away, but...

A realization brought a different kind of tear to the stallion's eyes.

"They survived!"

Chapter Seventeen: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part III- Interuptions

Chapter Seventeen. Black Sun, Red Mo- Interruptions

"So what happened next?!" Pinkie demanded, her caffeinated cupcake rush reaching its peak.

Surprised by the pink pony's sudden outburst, Princess Luna cleared her throat. "What happened next, was a battle that some might have called glorious, and what some would call disastrous."

Celestia nodded. "You see, our parent's plans did not go quite as well as they'd hoped..."

****************

"Tribune, tribune! Pegasai have spotted a large resistance force surrounding the city! Shall we go on with the strike?" a messenger cried to Eclipstria's supreme military commander, a pegasus many knew only as Crest.

The tribune seemed unaffected by what should have been distressing news. "This is unexpected, but we will not be intimidated by this enemy. Tell the strike pegasai to target only the resistance force. The faster we can be done with it, the faster we can move ahead with the city's capture. Earth and unicorn warriors will attack the city once the defenders have been destroyed."

"Understood, Sir Crest."

Crest watched as the messenger flew into the ordered formation of strike pegasai. They were much slower and much lower than usual, due to their unusually heavy payload of a single melon sized geode strapped to each pegasus' armor. The were not however, carrying any other weapons, as they were already over encumbered as it was. Heavily armed, but a little less capable of defending themselves as they would have liked, the formation held course for the budding enemy fortress city of Vertaigh.

The tribune turned to the ground to take stock of his land forces. As the tribune recalled, earth pony infantry carried several weapons, but favored large blades that ran down the length of their forelegs. They also wore iron horse shoes, worn on the hooves for added ferocity. Unicorn swordponies carried a single large blade to maximize magical concentration and strike with as much force as their magic would allow. Surprising as it was to most, well trained earth pony warriors had been known to best them in sparring competitions, fueling a rivalry that was known to cause quite a bit of trouble. Today however, they seemed to have completely forgotten their petty antagonism, and were ready to serve as one.

Tribune Crest wouldn't have it any other way.

****************

"Alarm! Alarm! The enemy approaches! It appears to be a formation of pegasai bearing right for the city!" a ram atop a spotting tower called down. "Contact the High Constable!"

In a nearby tent, High Constable Feeres shook his head. "They're really going through with this?!" the city's chief ram officer questioned.

"Yes my lord! They are on an attack course! What are we to do?"

"These ponies are daft! Lord Hircus has ordered that if a single blade of Caprastian soil is stirred by these animals, we are to strike back without mercy! Prepare the anti-air weaponry!"

Several rams rushed to armored catapults and arrow launchers stationed around the city.

Feeres kept focused on the approaching wave. "Wait for my order...."

***************

Just a few hundred feet in the air, the strike pegasai closed in on their targets.

"By Soltaire's beard! Those land ships are massive!" one of the winged ponies commented.

The pegasus flight leader nodded. "Come, we will make those our targets," The mare ordered.

The pegasai half barrel rolled and dove down on their selected prey.

"Ready!"

The pegasai put the release strap for their geodes in their mouths.

"Mark target!"

The swooping equines lined themselves up with the leviathans.

"Relea-"

A cascade of brightly colored feathers and wooden arrows exploded where the mare leading the flight had been.

"Break off! Break off! We've been tricked! They've got defenses under those nets! Break away! NOW!" a pegasus shrieked.

The pegasai quickly broke off their attack, frantically trying to order themselves without a flight leader. In the chaos, more and more of them fell. A few of them managed to release their weapons, but without proper formation, the explosives missed their mark. Beaten and wounded, the tumultuous band of pegasai finally managed to escape the ambush from below.

Tribune Crest stamped a hoof in anger as less than half of the strike team he'd sent out limped back overhead.

"Well played. They knew of our scout sweeps and hid the bulk of their defenses. No matter, we shall send an even larger force against them. Summon the heavy craft reinforcements, and send in our ground forces. Simultaneous attacks will overwhelm them."

"It will be done, Sir Crest."

****************

Several Caprastian soldiers cheered.

"The enemy has been routed, my lord! We are victorious!"

High Constable Feeres hit the scout over the back of the head with a hoof.

"Are you mad?! This has just begun! Now that they know we have the capacity to fight back, they will be sending their full force against us! Come, I will lead the battle from the leviathan Providence. Tell the others to position themselves behind it."

The scout rubbed the back of his head. "Yes. My lord."

***************

Several large flying carriages flew over the forest. The bombing craft, laden with blast geodes, were so heavy that each had to be yoked to ten pegasai. Five in front, Five in back. A small pegasus escort was all that could be afforded. As they approached the city, several fire balls hurled over them, missing by several hundred feet.

"Looks like we'll get through this without a scratch, colts!" a pegasus howled. "I know blind ponies that have better aim than that!"

"Sad thing is, I don't thank they we're aiming for us," A mare pointed out.

Several of the fire balls made contact with an Eclipstrian ship making its way down the river. The fiery projectiles punched multiple holes in the hull, setting it ablaze. The pegasai above could only watch in horror as the vessel exploded and the remaining wreckage sank beneath the waves.

"By the queen's holy flanks! They sunk the Belle Mare!" one of the yoked pegasai shouted.

"Then we get even," another answered, baring his teeth.

The geode carriages picked up speed under the extra adrenaline coursing through the pegasai pulling them. Sight officers, riding in the carriages and armed with spotting scopes, singled out the leviathan responsible for the fire attack.

After adjusting the flight path just so, the chief sight officer gave the order. "Range is sufficient! Release the weapons!"

Several boulder sized blast geodes rained down from all but one of the bombers, as a well placed fireball managed to knock one from the sky. Several rams galloped for cover as the deadly hail descended upon them. The geodes hit their mark, cratering through the outer hull of the targeted leviathan, and sending several ram warriors flying in the concussive shock waves. Out of the land ship came several rams, fleeing from their critically damaged vessel. One such warrior found that his coat had caught fire, and the ram wildly galloped around until mercifully, he found a small pool to jump into.

Witnessing the halted land ship burning before them, the pegasai whooped and hollered in excitement. The chief officer held his cap in the air. "Excellent shot! They shall not be using that vessel against us any time soon! However, that was the last of our ordinance. We are to return to base."

The battle carriages and escorting pegasai turned away.

*****************

Yet another scout glided toward the deck of one of the three Eclipstrian ships making their way down the river, and landed near a fancily dressed unicorn.

"Commodore Shell! The land ships are on the move and the Pegasus forces report that they are out of aerial blast geodes!"

"Then tell command that the UES Equinox and her escorts will engage from the banks of the river."

"Very well." The scout flew off.

The helmspony turned around. "Sir, if we engage from the river we won't be able to maneuver freely. We already lost the Belle Mare, should we continue?"

"We don't have a choice, we are the only Eclipstrian force present that can engage that monstrosity now. Crew, you have your orders, now make it so. Battle stations! Full sail!" The commodore ordered.

"Aye." The stallion turned the wheel and the crew extended the remaining sails to move the ship forward on the light breeze. Below deck, several earth ponies began to row large oars extending from the hull of the ship. Large swiveling arrow launchers were loaded with large simplistic spears. Behind the vessel, the other ships of the group began to do the same.

"Distribute weapons to the crew. If they try to board us, they will be met with quite a challenge," The commodore ordered.

The crew made sure that everypony on board had a blade of some kind.

"We are prepared, sir," a crewpony declared.

The Commodore nodded. "Then onward we go."

*****************

A helicopter full of attentive listeners found themselves closely wrapped in the princesses' story, as the flying machine sailed over the forest towards the array site, and the makeshift base built near it.

Twilight nearly burst under the suspense suspense. "So... What happened then?"

"The shots the Equinox and the Providence exchanged were the opening shots of the beginning of The Continental Wars." Celestia answered. "When the King and Quee- Our father and mother ordered that attack, they were not expected heavy resistance, let alone an entire standing army opposing them. The plan was sweep the Caprastians away by destroying the fortress at Vertaigh, but our arrogance causes us to fall right into their trap."

"Then they fought back," Luna added

"I'm guessing that's not the end of the story." Captain Greene spoke, a puzzled expression about his face.

Celestia nodded. "Of course not. That's just where the story, and this war begi-"

A large, close proximity blast shook the helicopter.

"Kaiser! What was that!?" Greene yelled into the cockpit of the helicopter.

"Unsure sir!" The startled pilot put a hand to his radio.

...."Flight, this is Bravo. Looks like we might have some resistance ahead! And by the looks of things they have already spotted us!"....

Lenard growled in annoyance. "Looks like that story will have to wait."

Outside, the Apache and Black Hawk rushed forward, the crews firing anything they had into a small group of griffin scouts ahead.

Steven Mace unbuckled his harness and got on the cabin floor. "Everyone, try to stay as low as possible! Keep your head down!"

Just as he spoke, an arrow speared right through the metal frame of the Super Stallion helicopter and embedded itself in the opposite wall taking a fairly large section of the fuselage with it. Suddenly, everypony heeded the Captain's suggestion and crouched to the floor of the packed helicopter in any place they could find.

"Least it wasn't one of those firebolt things." Mace muttered to himself, his own wound getting more and more painful as time dragged on.

"Hit the deck! Batten the hatches! Everypony for themselves!" Pinkie screamed in her typical brand of confusion.

"Everypony calm down!" Celestia cried out over the pandemonium, just as several pinging noises rung out around the helicopter, the recently learned tell tale sounds of small arms firebolts striking the frame.

"Mike, take us trough before we find ourselves riding in a hunk of metal Swiss cheese!"

"Too late for that sir! But barreling through enemy opposition anyway, now!"

The helicopters surged trough the small band of enemy scouts flying just outside the cabin, the gunners on each of the copters making short work of the feathery attackers and breaking through the enemy line.

"Let's just be glad there weren't any of those stupid dragons!" Star Sabre panted with relief. Spike gave the white pegasus a frowning, disapproving look.

"Uh, Pandragons. Stupid Pandragons," Sabre corrected. The non-pandragon's face straightened out.

The sights of the Ponyville remnant filled the windows. The sleepy farming town was a shadow of its former self. The houses had been converted into crude barracks for the Liberation Alliance soldiers, there were several fires burning out of control, and LA soldiers doing their best to extinguish them. Not a single living pony or human could be seen. The line had moved considerably since the last time the group had been there, revealing that the relentless enemy forces were still making their way to the array site.

"Sorry sir, looks like the LZ is going to be a little busier than we'd like! Hold on!" Kaiser called out from the front of the chopper.

Greene nodded. "Alright then, keeping my head on the floor it is!"

The helicopters increased to maximum safe speed, swerving left and right to throw off any anti air on the ground. They rushed over the deserted town and headed due west. Slowly but surely, Tree House and a shantytown of what had been saved from Ponyville (Know simply as Zero Base,) filled the windows of the helicopters. The array site now had a small archway still under construction, built next to the large upward facing dish that created airborne anomalies. Just a mile from the grounds, several enemy soldiers appeared to be quickly heading in the opposite direction of the base.

"I don't want to jinx us or anything, but I think we're in the clear. The enemy seems to be retreating," Steven cautiously added. "See if you can raise Tree House."

Kaiser nodded from the front. "This is Bravo to Tree House..."

No answer.

"Tree House, this is Bravo flight, you read?"

Still no answer.

"Tree House. Please Respond."

The helicopter's inhabitants exchanged worried looks, as the radio remained silent. Kaiser fiddled with the radio controls.

"Charlie, this is Bravo. Gerri, you there?"

...."Here, a bit shook up, but here. You hear from Tree House?"....

"Nothing. The base looks okay, but I don't see anyone around."

..."I recommend we exercise extreme caution. This might be some sort of trap."....

...."Or... ....A bunch.... ....of busted... ....radio equipment. This is Tree House. Sorry for spooking you, Bravo. Those yahoos did a serious number on the tower. I think the sight of all those choppers scared them off, for now. Bring it on in Bravo, welcome back."....

Several humans and ponies climbed out of hiding spots around the shantytown, and several soldiers cautiously emerged from behind cover.

Captain Greene sat back down in the cabin seat and breathed a sigh of relief. "There's all our friends. Looks like they held out okay. Take her down Mike, the closer to the base the better."

One by one the helicopters touched down next to the large redwood tree that stood as Tree House's control tower. As the doors opened, several friendly soldiers and civilians sprinted/galloped up the large flying machines. Out of the crowd, one pony stood out amongst the others.

"Sis, ya made it!" Big Mac nearly tackled his younger sister. "Me an' 'Bloom were worried sick!" The aforementioned filly, perched on the large stallion's back, hopped down and held Applejack in tight embrace. "Ahm- *sniffle* so glad you're okay!"

"Ahm glad to see you two too, but ya'll are crushin' me!" Applejack squeaked through the constriction of her brother and sister's hugs.

"Uh, sorry," The two farm ponies spoke in unison. "C'mon. a'hm sure Granny will want ta see ya" Mac added.

An orange and purple filly stiff-hoofed her way through the hug and and stopped in front of the helicopter. "Out of the way! Yes! I knew you'd make it Dash! No way a bunch of beak-heads and curly-horns were gonna stop you!" Scootaloo cheered. "I bet you socked ten of em' right in the jaw! Didn't you Dash?"

"Yeah, uh, sure kid," Dash spoke with a sheepish grin.

"Get out of my way!" Rarity shrieked as she uncharacteristically pushed the two pegasai aside to climb out of the chopper. "I have been cramped into that machine for hours! I want to see my sister, my parents, and good bottle conditioner! Now stand aside!"

"Over here, Rarity!" A little white filly jumped up to make her presence known.

"Sweetie! And you brought my beauty bag! How thoughtful!"

"Well actually Scootaloo, Applebloom and I were gonna see if we could if we could make rockets with- Uh, yeah! Here you go Rarity!"

The white unicorn glared, but couldn't stay angry. The two hugged, then the older of the two attempted to regain her lost poise.

"So it looks like the Cutie Mark Crusaders live to fight another day, eh?" A older stallion from the approaching crowd spoke.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie Pie shouted, still hyped up on her cupcakes, cheered.

"Yep," Mrs. Cake answered. "It's good to see you too Pinkie, though we could use some help."

Mr. Cake nodded. "What do ya say Pinko, you up for some baking? There's a lot of people to feed."

"Sure!" the pink pony answered. "I've got a new recipe that'll really shake your fur off!" The Cakes exchanged a nervous glance. "You see there's these cans I found in a case that the humans brought and it has got a real hum-dinger-doosey of a kick and-"

Pinkie's voice faded off as the bakers made their way towards the shantytown. A little white bunny gave them an almost confused look as they passed him by, then nibbled on a carrot.

"Angel?" The bunny snapped around and pointed the carrot towards whoever had dared speak his name. With the sight of the butterscotch yellow pegasus that he'd roomed with for quite some time, he lowered his weapon of vegetable destruction and gave a toothy grin.

Fluttershy's eyes welled up with heavy tears of joy. "It really is you!" She scooped the bunny into her hooves and held him so tight he nearly passed out. The bunny hit her over the head with the carrot to keep her from squeezing him to death, and the mare put him back on the ground. He scowled and dusted himself off.

"Oh. Sorry."

The bunny gestured as if to say, "There are people you could be helping right now! Move your flank, mare!"

"Oh I'm sorry, Were you saying something, Angel?"

The bunny facepalmed, then hoped up and spanked the mare on the rear. Fluttershy went redder than a ripe apple from the farms in Appleoosa. The bunny pointed the carrot toward a group of injured ponies, humans and other assorted creatures in need of care.

"Oh." Fluttershy answered. The bunny hopped onto the back of his caretak- roommate, and the timid pegasus trotted away to do what she did best, care for the sick.

Twilight and Spike climbed out of the helicopter and looked over the crowd. "Well I guess Ponyville wasn't a total loss," the dragon spoke, trying to maintain as much positivity as possible. "In a funny way, it's almost like they never captured the town."

Twilight sighed. "I suppose, but what if they come here? How will we hold out against them?" The purple unicorn under him asked.

Spike shrugged. "I dunno."

"There is only one thing we can do...."

Twilight and Spike turned around to see The princesses, Captain Greene and the rest of the small band of soldiers climbing out of the helicopter.

Princess Luna trotted up to the purple mare and her draconian friend.

"....We must fight."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Lenard interjected. "But I guess we'll see."

The Captain notice Lime Tree, sitting alone with a bored expression on his face. The pilot walked over to the lone stallion.

"Where's your welcome party?" Lenard inquired.

"Don't have one," the green stallion curtly responded.

"You don't have a family? Or any friends."

"I do, but they must all be doing something else."

"Okay.... I'm sure the Mayor will be happy to see you're alive..."

"Yeah, so I can deliver some papers or something."

"You okay, Lime?"

"Look. I'm an orphan in case you didn't know, okay! I don't have anyone to miss me! Maybe that's why I don't have a mark or anything! You wanna know where I got my name from? The orphanage gave it to me! Lime Tree Hill, because that's where they found me! Under a lime tree on a hill! So no, I'm not okay!" The stallion panted from his rant.

"I didn't know that, actually. Look man, you're tired, exhausted even. We all are. I'm going to brief the staff, then I'm crashing in whatever bunk I can find. You should too," The human explained.

"I guess you're right. I'm clearly suffering of heavy stress. Funny, it's so much easier to spot it in others. I'll take your advice and crash for the... whatever it is."

"I'm pretty sure it's still night."

"Whatever. See you later Greene."

******************

Star Sabre slowly trotted out of a small, hastily built tent.

"Corporal. Wait up."

The pegasus in question jolted out of a daydream and turned his attention to the large earth pony trotting up to him.

"How you holding up, Sabre?" Sergeant Sky Blade questioned.

The pegasus shook his head. "Sorry sir, I was a bit out of it. Did you need something?"

"No son, just wanted to see how you were doing," Sky Blade answered.

"I'm in top condition sir. No need to check up on me."

"Son, you haven't slept or eaten in two days. You are not in top condition."

The pegasus scowled. The older soldier noticed the younger guard's change of face.

"Something bothering you?" Sky Blade inquired.

"It's just... Well that's twice now that my folks have had to dodge a city's destruction."

"But they're okay, right?"

"Yeah, they're fine. I just need to clear my head."

"Sleep would be a good way to do that you know."

"Can't sleep. Not yet. I won't have one of those flank-spanking feather-faces get me in my sleep!"

"Sabre, you can't just... not sleep for the rest of this... whatever it is."

"I know, but I just- I just can't let my guard down. Not now."

In the distance a rainbow maned mare hopped into the air, briefly holding herself aloft before touching back down.

"I almost got it! The Dash will soar again!" the mare's voice echoed from afar.

"See, somepony's in a good mood. I don't know how pegasai think, but maybe getting back into the air will do you some good. Get some grub, then you can have a some time off to practice flying again."

"Yes sir! Gladly Sir!" The pegasus galloped toward the small shack the Cakes were now operating out of.

The Sergent shook his head and sighed. "That colt is gonna drive himself crazy."

*********************

Celestia made her way through the shantytown, taking a moment to gaze upon every wounded soul, to every crying child, to anypony that needed reassurance that there was hope.

"Their princess hasn't abandoned them," she thought to herself.

She turned toward a injured human solider. His eyes were forced shut in agony. The wounded man clutched his arm and hyperventilated as doctors treated a deep firebolt wound in his left shoulder. The soldier open his eyes and stared in her general direction. As their eyes met, she recognized the soldier as Steven Mace, who had helped save her, and now had to endure the removal of a firebolt out of his arm for his trouble. She could not bear to look at him any longer.

"I'm sorry."

The soldier realized who was in front of him. "N-no p-p-problem. G-guess it wasn't a flesh wound after all. I-I-I'll be f-fine."

Celestia solemnly nodded and turned away.

"It's not their fight," She thought. "Why am I allowing them to get hurt?"

"Because we need them! Without their help, pony kind could be extinguished!" She argued with herself.

"And whose fault would that be? They don't have any reason to side with us. IT'S NOT THE HUMANS' FIGHT!"

"Then why do they fight so bravely then?"

"The fight to protect themselves! They are caught up in your mess and are forced to fight for you!"

"NO. They care. I don't know why, but they care! I can see it! There is a friendship. Forged by fire, but legitimate all the same! Besides, if the enemy believes we are allies, I don't see why we can't."

Pleased with herself for sorting that all out, Celestia put on a brave face and trotted toward the center of the makeshift base. She entered a large square filled with ponies and humans, busy working on whatever their duties determined. Off to the side, Luna sat on her hunches, a sling cradling one of her wings and several bandages covering various scars.

Celestia sighed. She too had scars and bandages, a constant reminder of the torment of last few days that she was now slowly remembering. As she made her way toward the crowd, she noticed several other of the humans who had rescued her, including Captain Greene, the first human she'd ever known. She trotted into the square and sat down next to Luna.

The Princess of the Night turned. "If I recall, thy presence givith them a balm of comfort. Perhaps thy subjects require a "cheering up."

"Not like this." Celestia shook her head. "I see the way they look at us."

"How so?"

"They seem to loose hope every time the look at us. Their strong, immortal guardians are now beaten and weakened by some terrifying enemy."

"My dear sister, we are not immortal-"

"But that's how they saw us! That's how they've always seen us! Now they're force to see us... Like this! It can't be helping morale!"

Celestia calmed down. She could still feel the remnant of the drugs in her system, trying to push her over the edge.

"Perhaps they will understand how similar we are to them?" Luna calmly spoke. "Right now, all they want is to know that we haven't given up, that we shall never give up."

"You are right. When did you become so wise, Luna?"

Luna deadpanned. "I had a long time to think."

Celestia failed to suppress a smirk at her sister's attempt at dark humor. The Sun Princess stood up and cleared her throat, instantly attracting the attention of those around the shanty center.

"You might be expecting a long, drawn out speech, but I have only one thing to say..."

"...For the fate of our world... Have hope."

******************

Dr. Marc Harrison, supervisor of the facility designated "Two Array," hunched over the various displays jerry-rigged into the array control system. Despite having consumed several "Energy Cakes," which Pinkie Pie and the Cakes had somehow managed to mass produce in just a few hours, he was about to nod off. Just as he was about to slip into sweet unconsciousness, one of the communications panels lit up and beeped, jolting him awake. He groggily put one of the speakers of his headset to his ears.

"Yes?"

...."This is Major Classified from the special forces team infiltrating Canterlot! We felt we should warn you of an enemy plan!"...

"Enemy plan?" Harrison spoke, barely holding focus.

...."Yes have reports of heavy magical activity up here! Apparently, the enemy was not retreating away from our bases! They were evacuating before the use of some sort of heavy weapon!"....

"What kind of weapon?"

...."We don't know, but we have reason to believe it has something to do with the Elements Of Harmony!"....

"That unicorn and her friends?"

..."No! The actual magical artifacts themselves!"...

"So...." the exhausted scientist yawned, barely following the conversation.

..."Let me break it down. They're about to send weapons of mass destruction your way! And they're powered by six of the most powerful sources of energy known to exist!"...

"Oh."

Marc Harrison was suddenly much more awake.

Chapter Twenty-One: The Excrement Strikes the Ventilation Unit- Part II

Author's notes.

Funny, I said there weren't going to be any more A/N's. Guess I lied. Hi there, readers! I'm going to start adding in little factoids at the end of every chapter, starting with this one! Look out for them and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Twenty One: The Excrement Impacts the Ventilation Unit- Part II

Discord strode into a darkened room.

"Ah, chaos bringer." A gruff and terrifyingly deep voice spoke. "I was wondering how long it would take you to find me. Tell me, why have you entered my lair?"

"I come with a warning." Discord calmly spoke. "To save many a lives this day."

"You?!" The voice erupted into laughter. "-come with a warning? Surely you jest! When have you ever cared for anyone other than yourself?"

"I know what you are planning. I know what you are willing to do, and I'm here to tell you that if you continue, you will unleash more chaos than even I could survive." Discord spoke with a halfhearted chuckle.

"You truly believe that, chaos bringer. Come now, are you frightened?"

"Celestia, Luna and I have witnessed many things in our time. The forces you stand ready to unleash are not to be trifled with! Celestia fears it. Luna fears it. I fear it. As a fellow demi-mortal, I urge you to reconsider this course."

The voice grew louder. "Pah! Trickster, you dare come to my lair and tell me what I am to do? It is only our past cooperation that kept me from crushing you for your betrayal! Now you have put yourself in mortal danger!"

Discord shook his head and picked an apple from a nearby table in the dark room. "Tisk. Tisk. It seems you are even more foolish than I remember. There really isn't anything going on beneath those horns of yours. I stood by the alicorns' side because your tricks would have destroyed us all! Even now you plot to destroy two innocent races that had nothing to do with our battles before. Leave them be."

The voice grew angry. "I will assume your pathetic devotion for them is only there so that they may amuse you later. Sadly that time will never come. The time of your friends, the alicorns, is over. Your time is over. You were foolish to come here. With your power intact you were no match for me. Now I will destroy you, these interlopers, and equine kind like the vermin they are!"

Discord chucked and bit into the apple. "We will see."

********************

The general and colonel watched the last of the large convoy of tanks, battle wagons, and personnel carriers roll down the hill.

"I think we'll show our friends over there some good old fashion military hospitality," The general grunted. "Lets see how they like a few thousand tons of metal headed their way!"

The colonel didn't look convinced. "Sir, with all due respect, I think you aren't taking this seriously."

"What exactly do you mean?" The general thought out loud.

"Sir, I've seen what they are capable of. I've seen "griffin" sharpshooters land a shot on a man two thousand yards away with a single fire-bolt. I've seen these "ram" soldiers take 7.62 rounds at point blank, then proceed to trample the person that shot them. I was there when dragon mounts literally melted one of our helicopters from the sky with just their breath, then strafed an entire team of soldiers with bolt-fire. If anything, these experiences tell me that we are facing an enemy that is anything but primitive. We are facing an enemy that is adaptive, adjusting their tactics at ever turn. We can give them no quarter if we want to live, and anyone dumb enough to underestimate them now will be the first to go home in a box, if they leave anything to send home. They'll stop at nothing to beat us, and to top it off, they have the home field advantage."

The general hiked up an eyebrow. "Look, before, you were out numbered, uninformed. and on the run. Now you have full military support. Like you said before, we're going to take their best shots and come up standing. Now I have to leave. Try not to let the enemy worry you too much."

Colonel Highlander watched as the general climbed into the Abrams and directed the crew to drive it forwards.

Tim sighed. "I get the feeling that's what they want us to do." The colonel made his way to his vehicle.

******************

An 120mm anti-tank round speared through an alliance battle wagon, practically dissolving the craft.

"That's another one! That makes five BW's and a dragon!" A crewmen declared.

"And our losses?" Another crewman asked.

"That would be none!" The other crewman answered, forming a zero with his fist.

"I just bagged me two griffins!" The man on the tank's 50.cal shouted.

"Quiet down for a second, I'm trying to get in touch with command!"

"Sorry Lieutenant."

"Zero, this is Lieutenant Cleaves of the AEE Battalion, call-sign Matchbox. General wants me to tell you that the town is directly in our sights, and we are going in blazing!"

..."Matchbox, Zero. Understood. Is the general available?"...

Lieutenant Cleaves looked at the other occupants in the tank. "He's busy, but he told me to tell you the assault is going well."

..."Very well. Coordinate with Steele Hoof and prepare to blitz the town center."...

"I'll tell him. Matchbox Nine, out."

"Why didn't you tell them, Charley?"

Lieutenant Cleaves sighed, "The general's affairs are his own. I can't do anything about it. If the old goat, no pun intended, wants to get himself killed, that's his choice."

"Chill out, sir. He's got one of the best tank crews I've ever seen rolling with him. He's in good hands."

"He'll need it if he's going to be at the front of the line."

****************

At the front of the line, General Locklear's tank was being pelted with enemy fire. As fire-bolts pinged harmlessly of the hull of the Abrams, the crew inside remained at high spirits.

"Hey sir, that sound kinda reminds me of my four year old nephew banging on the pots and pans in the kitchen back home."

"Well I'd say he's a very good drummer then, because it's music to my ears."

"According to these maps the Equestrians made for us, we're getting pretty close to the town."

"Excellent. Keep up on the 50. look out for anything that tries to hit us from the sky. Targets?"

"Yes sir. Squadron of dragon mounts. Five, from what I can see. Griffins flying along side."

"Take 'em out!"

The space in front of the general's tank lit up like a box of firecrackers. Rounds from the large machine gun tore into the wing of one of the mounts, knocking it into a swooping spiral.

"Can you slow down a bit? I'm running out of places to mark our kills!" A crewman spoke with a sarcastic grin.

The general chuckled. "No holding back now. That's what got them into this mess. Mains, tag anything with wheels that gets too close."

"Yes sir," The main gunner answered. "Reloading," He called out as he helped insert a shell.

"BW, behind that shop!" one of the operators yelled out.

A large battle wagon lumbered from behind a small building.

"Cut it down!"

Almost as soon as he spoke the words, a shell made a supersonic beeline through the battle wagon's main structure.

"I'm serious sir, I'm almost out of space for these symbols."

"Cut that chatter. Stay on target here," The general warned.

"Yes sir. More flying lizards. Put them asleep for me will ya, 50.?"

The 50. Cal lit up once more. The pandragon mounts held formation, bobbing and weaving left and right to avoid the incoming fire.

"Stay with them, 50.!"

"Trying sir. It's like they went to school for this or something!"

"Less talking, more gunning. Tell the others to move closer to us, they're falling behind. Don't want to get singled out here."

"This is Matchbox One to all Matchbox forces. Try to keep up with us," a soldier spoke over the radio.

..."Will do. It'd be easier if you'd slow down. This ain't a race."...

"But it is a battle. Don't bog us down," The general barked.

..."Understood, sorry sir."...

"Take out those blasted flying rats already! They're scratching the paint!" a crewman complained.

"Be glad that's all they're scratching." Another answered. "We're closing in on their fortifications!"

"Keep up the pace. They're doing a lousy job at holding us back, but don't give them an inch!"

A loud clanking sound rang out over the all too common bolt-fire.

"That didn't sound like an arrow."

"Fire-bolts aren't arrows. Still no damage though," the driver responded.

....".... -To Anyone who can hear us! We're in a humvee near the back of the line and we're under heavy fire! They ain't shootin' arrows sir! We lost a wheel! We're pinned down and need assistance asap!"...

The driver rolled his eyes. "I just said they're aren't arrows."

The general shot the driver a mean look, then leaned back toward the radio. "Calm down son. What's your location? We'll get someone out there to help you."

"I don't know sir! We're taking hits! They're advancing on us! Seriously, we need some assistance!"

"Steele Hoof, this is Matchbox. Can you get to them?"

...."Wisp here. We have eyes on a downed human vehicle. Trying to push the enemy back so we can get to them. Downed vehicle, can you hear me?"...

No answer.

..."Hayseeds! I'll send somepony to get them, I promise. But for now, everypony keep pressing toward the center of town!"....

_____________

General Snow Wisp put her radio down and turned to a stallion occupying the same battle wagon she currently commanded from. "Sargent, see if you can get at them. They sounded like they needed help."

Sky Blade saluted. "Yes ma'am. Sabre, form on me and let's get in there!"

"On your back, sarge."

The two former royal guards leaped off of their battle wagon and charged towards the wrecked humvee. Lethal fire raced by just inches from their heads.

"Keep your head down Sabre!"

"That's it up ahead!"

_____________

A human scout looked through her binoculars. "I see a pegasus and an earth pony charging up to the wreck. Looks like they found someone alive in there," She spoke through her radio.

..."Keep the enemy off of them long enough to pull them out of that mess."....

The scout set down her binoculars and began to assemble her sniper rifle.

_____________

"Great, now we're stuck here!" Star Sabre yelled as he shot his Earthfantry bow around the side of the downed humvee."

"C-could be w-worse!" a human occupant painfully mumbled. "You could have a shattered leg!"

"Calm down soldier, we'll get you out of this." Sky Blade spoke as he tossed a blast geode over his cover.

"Squad's gone! We're gonna get crushed! I don't want to go out like this! Get me out of here!"

Sabre crawled over and shook the man. "Hang in there human! Don't snap on us now, we need you to calm down!"

A group of daring rams climbed over the humvee and leveled their weapon at the three soldiers behind it.

Sabre sighed and set his weapon on the ground.

"Flank."

_____________

"Our boys have been cornered. Looks like about five goat- ram things," The scout commented.

...."Salvo Seven, would you kindly level the playing field for them?"....

"Yes sir. I can do that."

____________

"Come quietly equines. Give us information and we will not execute you, or the interloper with you," One of the rams commanded.

Star Sabre bore a confused look. "Interloper?"

"I believe he's talking about the human." Sky Blade clarified.

"Let me make you understand. Come with us, or perish here."

"Can I get a third choice? I'm not liking these options." Sabre quipped.

"Last chance." The ram raised his weapon.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I got a family back home! Let me go with them!" The wounded marine stammered.

"You lost a lot of blood, soldier. You're not thinking clearly." Sky Blade warned.

The ram pointed his launcher at the Sergent's head. "If the human would speak for himself, let him speak."

"Y-yes, and let me just s-s-say that-"

Several supersonic zips, followed by several loud bangs sounded out over the area. The offending rams collapsed to the ground.

"-say that you s-should have ducked. L-looks like s-s-sniper support is up, f-friends."

"I see," Sky Blade answered with dumbfounded expression. "I guess it's time to leave then. Let's get you to a medic."

____________

"They made it back to the wagon, sir. Moving to secondary location."

..."You do great work, Salvo. I'm sure your friend Mace will be thrilled. Stay on your toes out there."....

"Got it chief. Staying frosty."

*******************

"Mr. Greene. I was told you wanted to see me?"

"Oh. Hey there, Twilight. Seriously, you can just call me Lenard, or Lenny like everyone else here does. And yes, I think you might be able to help me figure something out."

"Well figuring is one of the things I do best! What do you need help with?"

"You're a unicorn, right?"

"Uh. Yes?"

"And you've used magic, right?"

"Under better circumstances, yes."

"Then maybe you can tell me how a piece a simple piece of metal and wood chased me at super sonic speeds."

"I don't follow."

"When we hit the leviathan to spring the princess, a dragon launched some kind of weapon at me. I though it was just some normal spear or something. But it followed me, kinda like the kind of weapons we build. Now, I've been looking through that stack of files we brought back from the leviathan, and among about twenty different schematics for battle wagon wheels, I found something called a "Magnerite seeker." You know what that is?"

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "I don't know anything about the spear, but I do know what magnarite is. They're what we make magnets out of. Great for working with metal."

"What would it be used for?"

"Well, construction ponies use it to pick up heavy things with cranes."

"Magnets? So, theoretically of course, could it be possible that somehow they built weapons that seek out metal objects?"

"That's a bit far fetched, but if they were to use magnerite's natural magnetic properties in conjunction with some kind of magic, it's possible that the could have-"

"-made magically magnetic missiles. Great. Sounds like something some bored teenager would dream up in a trump contest. Who knows what else they've got waiting for us."

"I can take half of that back with me to study, if you'd like." Twilight offered.

"Why not. We all know you love to bury yourself in books, so by all means, go ahead, knock yourself out. You might find something useful in that mess."

"I might."

"And Twilight,"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

*****************

Trying their best to ignore the distant sounds of warfare, the various residents of the Ponyville shanty tried their hardest to occupy themselves.

"You got any fours?" Lieutenant Mike Kaiser questioned the others at his table.

"You best start breaking out the ole rod," Lime Tree started. "-cause you're going fishing!"

Mike jumped to his feet. "Gah! That's it! Ponies don't even eat fish! How are you so good at this game?! Either you Equestrians have a different number system, or you're flat out cheating me under the table!" Kaiser screeched.

"You accuse me of lying about my hoof of cards? How would that work?" The green stallion cocked his head to the side.

"Accuse? We all know you're doing something fishy! "

"Was that pun intended?" Lime Tree questioned.

"As a matter of fact it wasn't! Now play fair already!"

Mace shook his head. "I know you're just jealous that he's stomping your title of Go-fish king, but you don't have to hate on the stallion."

"I am not a hater! I am a seeker of truth! The router of lies and deceit!" Kaiser proclaimed with a manly scowl plastered across his face as he struck a heroic pose.

Stuart looked up from his hand. "Hey Mike, could you go seek some soda from the back? We're running low over here and Mac says he isn't going to give us anymore freebees of Apples' cider."

Mike shrugged. "I guess." He got up from his seat, carefully concealing his hand, then slowly made his way to the back of the shanty commons toward the storerooms.

"Kaiser, do this! Kaiser do that! I out-rank the lot of them, so why do I listen to them anyway?" he mumbled to himself.

The young pilot walked up to the storeroom and quickly noticed two things: One, someone had left the electric lantern on; and two, the lock to the storeroom door had clearly been forced open. Mike snatched the lantern off of the wall and held it high, partially illuminating the room.

"Anyone in here? Come out, come out, whoever you are." Kaiser nervously spoke. He almost swore he saw a set of large, orange eyes staring back at him through the darkness. "Now what do we have he-"

The lantern, and all of the air in his lungs was suddenly lost to him as something forcefully shoved him into a wall. The figure, whatever it was, wore a cloak and carried a large case in its mouth. The shadowy figure charged towards the nearest exit, nearly running the pilot over in its mad dash for the exit. Kaiser got back to his feet shook off a bout of nausea. Whatever had struck him had hooves. Big hooves.

Mike's eyes went wide. "We've got rams in our base!"

The young pilot took to the chase.

****************

Flare-detonators rained down around Steele Hoof battalion.

"Snow Wisp here! I've lost three transports! Tell me you're getting close to the town center!"

..."Not to much farther, ma'am. We're almost there. Air support should be there to aid you soon."...

"Right. Don't wait too much longer or they won't have anyone to help!"

...."Understood. Tree House, out."....

****************

"I'm trying sir, but the engine just won't spin up!" A technician tried to explain.

"How is that possible?! We just serviced them a few hours ago to prep them for this very battle!" A Tree House operations overseer shouted.

Another technician climbed out from under the helicopter. "Sir this isn't some random equipment failure. It's pretty obvious we've been sabotaged."

"Sabotaged?! Are you absolutely sure?" The overseer questioned.

"Sir, this helicopter has several broken linkages, all sheared at just the right point to make it very difficult to repair. In addition to that, the on board computers have been seriously tampered with." The second technician answered.

"They vandalized the computers?"

"Not vandalized, sir. They stole them- well, parts of them anyway. Who ever did this knew that the loss of these parts would cripple us, and would be hard to replace."

The overseer put a hand to his face. "It's obvious this was an inside job. The perpetrator must be human."

One of the technicians stepped back. "Who? And why?"

****************

Luna found Celestia sitting quietly on the cliffs of Zero base's large hills.

"Sister, I am pleased to have finally found you. It would behoove you to remain in a single location."

"Luna, Is something wrong?"

"Discord is nowhere to be seen. No pony claims to have encountered him throughout this place. This is more than slightly troubling. I fear he is plotting against us in some way, and we must find him before he can succeed!"

Celestia sighed. "He is not plotting against us. He's plotting with us."

"I am most certainly not in need for thy cryptic responses. Please elaborate the meaning of these words."

"He is off negotiating with our enemies."

"Please forgive me. I must be in need of a ear cleansing. Would it trouble thou to repeat thy statement?"

"He is speaking on our behalf."

"You cannot mean-"

"Yes."

"He will be killed! Why would you allow this without my shared agreement?!"

"Try to understand, Luna. We must stop them from using these new weapons at any cost. We have lives in our hooves!"

"Doth thou expect thy enemy to show mercy?!"

"No. But we both know Discord was once in league with these monsters. Perhaps he can give us the time or means we need to prepare a defense against them."

"Pray you know what you are doing here, sister. I feel you have put both him, and us, in grave danger."

The sounds of gunfire began to echo from below.

Celestia frowned. "Maybe so, but we have more pressing matters to attend to."

*****************

...."Steele Hoof to any allied forces! Air support is unavailable and we are taking heavy losses! We need assistance!"...

"Get Tree House on the line." the general ordered.

"Yes sir. Patching you through to Tree House ops."

..."Matchbox One, Ops here."...

"What happened to the air support?!"

..."We just received disturbing news that base has been infiltrated. We've already alerted everyone here and in the shanty, but no one has seen anything suspicious. As it stands, almost all of our aircraft are down for the time being."....

"What, did we not have guards protecting them?"

..."The chief here thinks we might have traitors among us."...

The general bared his teeth in anger. "That would explain why no one noticed. Listen to me very carefully. I want every single major asset we have on this rock under constant surveillance. Someone in our own ranks doesn't want us to succeed. Let's not give them what they want."

…“Will do, sir, but how do we know who’s in on it?”…

“We don’t, but we can’t just pretend that whatever it was, didn’t happen. We’ll find out who’s responsible, but in the meantime, you need to lock the base down. No one in or out without direct authorization from your commanding officers on base.” The general motioned for the operator to shut off the radio.

One of the soldiers in the tank turned his head to the general. "A traitor? What reason would anyone on our side have to betray us?"

"I don't know, but Ops is no longer a safe place, it would seem."

“Sir?” Another occupant shouted over the constant banging from bolt fire. “You think that guy might be behind it, and he’s just throwing us off?”

“No. Let's not get paranoid.” The general answered. “After spending more than my fair share of time around politicians, I know when someone’s lying. You can hear it in a person's voice, so he’s either an amazing liar, or just caught up in this like we are. We’ll just have to take those odds.”

“Understood sir! According to the maps, we’re here. This is the center of town.”

The almost overly stylized houses and shops of Ponyville appeared in the scopes.

“Hmm,” The general hummed.

“Something wrong, sir?”

“No, guess I was just expecting straw huts or something of the like. That looks like what’s left of a quaint little town in England or France.”

“Believe me, sir. I came in on the Shuttle-capsule before this whole mess started, and let me tell you, that town has definitely seen better days.”

“I’m sure. Get Steel Hoof on the line. It’s time to take it back.” The general ordered as he stared through the scopes.

“Steel Hoof, this is Matchbox One. Acknowledge.”

Static was the only answer.

“Steel Hoof, Matchbox. Please respond.”

Again, there was only static.

General Locklear frowned. “I don’t have to tell you how I feel about this.”

“No sir.”

The general leaned toward the radio. “Matchbox Nine, One here. We have a task for you.”

…“Matchbox One, this is Nine, Lieutenant Cleaves reporting.”…

“Charley, I need you to find Steel Hoof battalion. They aren’t responding to communications. General Snow Wisp’s BW had a transmitter fitted to it. We’re not picking up the signal, but that could be for a number of reasons. I’ll send their last known location to you. Find out what happened to them. How copy?”

…“Solid, sir.”…

“Private, put Tim on for me.”

“Tim, Sir?”

“Colonel Highlander.”

“Oh.” The operator flipped a switch on the comms unit. “Ops, this is Matchbox One. Is the colonel available?”

…”You’re speaking to him.”…

“We might have a problem.”

…“That’s two of us, sir. You first.”…

“Steel Hoof isn’t reporting in and we’ve reached to objective point. This may be highly irregular, but you have experience with this enemy, what do you suggest we do?”

…“You’re asking me for help? That is highly irregular. I would suggest eliminating the patrolling Pandragon mounts first. I suspect they may pose a risk to your forces, maybe even a high risk.”

The bolt fire went from an annoying pinging to something that sounded like two gorillas fencing with steel girders

…”Am I hearing their ordnance bouncing off of you?" the colonel asked in disbelief. "Is that what that noise is?”…

“That, or Private Solidad’s nephew.”

…“What?”…

“Nothing. We can handle it. Keep the channels clear in case Snow Wisp tries to contact us. Matchbox out.” The operator flipped the radio microphone off again then turned to the general.

“Getting pretty thick out there, sir. We might want to hold back.”

“No. It’s time we gave these freaks a show of strength, show them they can’t push us around. Forward.”

“Understood.”

One of the other occupants turned to the general. “Hey, Sir? Am I hallucinating, or is it getting really warm in here?”

****************

"Praetor. Contingency is ready. HailFire is ready to launch."

Phalanx turned around. "Excellent. Is Heart Wing flock ready to escort it?"

"Yes, my lord. The council has given you the sole honor of giving the order."

"What? Me!?"

"Yes, my lord. The council was most impressed with your actions in the sacking of Canterlot, and the covert siege of New Yoke. They have given you command over the mission to repel the enemy."

If you could see under Phalanx's feathers, you would have seen his skin go pale.

"This is, a grand honor! I am not sure I deserve this."

"My lord, If I may be sold bold, it would not surprise me if the council may be finally considering advancing you in rank, an honor which you most certainly deserve."

"You truly believe so?"

"Yes, and I am not the only one."

Gilda swooped in. "We'll follow you to the moon and back, Phal. And If my luck holds out the way it normally does, we all might actually have to."

A ram officer trotted in. "As would I. You have proven your mettle, griffin."

A distinguished pandragon minor strode in. "Indeed. The Pandragon Empire has made great strides as a member of this alliance of liberation. We are honored to serve with such a decorated warrior as yourself. Emperor Bane of House Pan sings praises of our combined efforts here to the rest of the council."

"My friends! You honor me with your words. Come now, I have heard news that the great lord himself will be coming soon. We mustn't fail him this day. We must repel this enemy. The ponies think we are evil incarnate. The humans believe us to be mindless savages. We will prove to them both that we are so much more powerful than any of that. The council gave me the right to give this order, so here it is-"

The building shook from a distant explosions.

"The enemy grows close. They will overrun us if we don't counter attack soon."

Another explosion dislodged several pieces of tile from the ceiling.

Gilda stood by Phalanx's side.

The griffin captain sighed. "The time is now. Who will rain down a fiery hail on our oppressors?!"

Every griffin, pandragon, and ram in the room stood at attention.

"We, the chosen few!"

*****************

Equestrian Catalog of Information Factoid #15: The "Equestria" Bow.

Nicknamed the "Equestria Bow," the EDF-3 Earthfantry Crossbow is a class of mass produced arrow-arms used as a primary armament by the vast majority of Equestrian forces. Though originally designed for Earth pony use, lighter versions of this versatile weapon have gained just as much affection amongst unicorns and pegasai. The EDF-3 can be crafted from a variety of different materials, from cast iron, steel, and sometimes even wood, each with it's own strengths and weaknesses. The bow was designed to attach to the universal combat harness that all Equestrian military operatives and law enforcement officers wear on the saddle area of the back, and is fired by a "bit trigger," which can be held one's teeth like a straw.

The EDF-3 features a magazine of sorts, which contains five arrows loaded onto a set of metal springs. When a bow is fired, the bowstring strikes a lever which allows the springs to "pop" the next arrow into firing position. Then, one only has to pull the string back to fire the next shot. Veterans of the weapon have been known to be able to fire a shot every second with solid accuracy, even in the heat of battle. Several arrow designs have been thought up over the years, from the lightning-fast and almost completely silent standard metal combat arrows, to the much more expensive and dangerous explosive types. Because of the bow's ease of construction and simplicity to use, the EDF-3 can be found in virtually all law enforcement and military applications in Equestrian territory, giving it its nickname.

Liberation Alliance Central Command Factoid #29: The GR-2.7 Fire-bolt Caster

Contrary to popular understanding, fire-bolts are not arrows, rather very powerful, miniature, rocket like projectiles about the size of a cigar. The original design was based on the same technological ideals that have been said to have given birth to modern human rocketry in ancient Asia, (whatever this "Asia" is.) The bolts themselves are small metallic tubes, filled with a solid propellant and are fired with gun-like devices known as a casters. Inside the caster, the projectile is lit by a heated pin and allowed to accelerate through a barrel, releasing the very hot metal bolt tube downrange. (Hence the name, Fire-bolt.) Another possible weakness of Fire-bolt design is that the bolts themselves glow a dull yellow color in flight, making them easy to trace back to the shooter.

Depending on who's using the weapon, several different types of casters can be used, from more conventional talon held styles, typically used by griffins and pandragon minors, to the larger saddle-mounted, bit-trigger versions used by rams. Harnessing the bolt's firing recoil allows the weapon to be made into even more deadly fully automatic variants. Earlier fire-bolt designs were known to stay hot in the wounds they create. Ironically, this could cauterize the injury, keeping the target from bleeding to death. Newer designs use a more tempered metal that cools down faster, to retain lethality.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Settling In

Chapter Twenty-Five: Settling In

The faint light of the early morning began to rise over the horizon, shining through the windows of the sky scrapers like polished crystal.

What had been a caravan of Equestrian refugees was now more of an ongoing parade, slowly carving its way through downtown Atlanta. Some of the city’s inhabitants made their presence known on the street corners and cheered, while others ran to their houses and apartments to watch from afar. As the procession made its way through the wide streets and intersections, police officers redirected traffic around them.

“What are all these metal vehicles everypony seems to be riding around in?” Twilight inquired.

“Cars,” Kaiser answered wearily.

Twilight shook her head. “Care to be more specific? I’m beginning my studies now.”

“Look. I’ve devoted the vast majority of my brain power into staying conscious, so don't take offense when I say: ask somebody else!”

The violet unicorn turned to Steven Mace.

“Pass.” The solider mumbled.

She looked over to Gerri.

“Try again.” Lieutenant Reed sarcastically chirped.

“Okay.” Twilight turned to Captain Greene. “Can you explain?”

Lenard walked just behind hunched over and with his arms practically dragging the ground. “Thass a shtop sign. Thass over t’er is a manhole co’er. And look, a tree! Wisth leaves!”

“Okay.” Twilight nodded. “Similar to equines, humans display a near drunken behavior when reaching dangerous levels of sleep deprivation.”

“Ee-yesiree!” Greene suddenly exclaimed.

Kaiser sighed. “Can somebody take care of that?”

Fluttershy doused the practically crawling captain with a bucket of water.

“Eeyow! Cold! Cold! Okay! Sorry about that,” Lenard sheepishly spoke.

“You've been like that most of the trip,” Gerri added. “We’re almost there, actually.”

“Good for me.” Greene answered. “Oh, and for you guys too,” He corrected.

“Is somepony going to answer my question?” Twilight interjected.

Greene shrugged. “No idea what you’re talking about, but I really wish I had my car. This walk is ridiculous.”

Twilight’s face nearly tied itself in a knot.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Are ya feelin' okay, Twilight? Ya seem mighty peeved.”

“Fine,” she gritted her teeth. “Just fine.”

“No, seriously. Why couldn’t we have roped in some buses for this?” Greene wondered aloud.

“Where were we going to find enough free buses to shuttle seventy-nine thousand ponies?” Kaiser quietly questioned.

Greene took a misstep. “79,000?! That can’t be right! I don’t remember that many at zero!”

“Sounds like a lot, but the city made the count as we left the base. It’s not an exact figure, but it’s close enough.” Gerri answered.

“Wow. That’s a sizable amount,” Mace thought aloud. “How many of them are actually here with this group?”

“I'd say only approximately one-sixth of us went to other facilities after arriving here," Twilight answered.

“That’s a lotta ponies,” Applejack thought out loud. “There weren’t that many ponies in Ponyville before, they musta come from all over th’ place!”

“Yes, from many of the surrounding territories I would think.” Twilight added. “I was thinking. You said that the weather here is self-regulating like in the Everfree Forest. We always thought that was some bizarre anomaly against the normal workings of our world, but it’s normal for you, right?”

“Yeah,” Greene answered. “Self-regulating weather and the Sun and Moon rising by themselves is the norm, it would seem you guys are the exception.” Kaiser answered.

“Fascinating,” Twilight mumbled through the quill in her mouth as she attempted to walk on three legs while holding up a notepad with the other one, and balancing a sleeping Spike on her back.

“So do animals take care of themselves?” Fluttershy quietly inquired. “I just wanted to know, no offense or anything.”

Gerri shrugged. “Yes, and no. Most of them go about their business just like we do, living their lives without any need of help from us, but there are plenty of domesticated creatures that are just fine with being taken care of. My family has a dog at home named Gomer, and Mace has this chicken that he and the others in his platoon call-“

“Story for another time,” Steven interrupted.

“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy nodded.

“That’s not suspicious or anything,” Lime Tree commented as he trotted up to the front of the parade of ponies.

“That’s what I was thinking too,” Lenard added.

Applejack turned to Rainbow Dash. “I notice you’re usin’ yer legs. Why aren’t you pointlessly hoverin’ a couple hooves off the ground like ya usually do?”

“Hey, I can! It’s just that I’m too tired right now, and flying after the big red comet came down is a lot harder than normal! Heck, flying now, is like flying through water. My wings are gonna be so strong after this! It’s like a flight trainer’s dream!”

She then demonstrated by pointlessly hovering a foot or so in the air.

“See?” Rainbow boasted proudly.

“Yep.” Applejack shook her head.

Twilight did the same. “Okay, back to what we were talking about before. These "karze" zooming by, what are they?”

Greene nodded. “Think of them like metal carriages, without the ponies, and not made of wood, and with closed cabins, and a lot faster, and a lot more technically complicated, and-“

“Hold on, let me get all of this down,” Twilight spoke with the quill whirling away in her teeth.”

“I could just show you.” Greene commented. “Later on, after things settle down, I could demonstrate a lot of stuff to all of you. Kinda like-"

"Like a Worlds Fair?" Gerri suggested.

Greene nodded excitedly. "Yeah, like a worlds fair! It beats having to sit here and explain internal combustion.”

Twilight fumbled with the quill, barely holding on to it with her lips until she finally dropped it. Forgetting the sleeping dragon on her back, she leaned over to pick up the quill. Spike tumbled over her head and landed on ground in front of her in a heap.

“Spike! Are you okay?!” Twilight asked her lifetime roommate.

The dragon remained fast asleep, snoring all the while. "Rarity," He mumbled unconsciously.

“I guess he’s fine then.” Twilight rolled her eyes..

"I'm sure he is, if he's dreaming of me." Rarity added with just a slight hint of arrogance. "Wait! That little rapscallion is dreaming of me!" Rarity's face went red once more with embarrassment.

Pinkie couldn't hold back a snicker fit.

"Give the little guy a break, he's seen a lot," Sergeant Sky Blade commented from the front of the caravan.

"Oh I bet he's seeing a lot right now, Rarity!" Pinkie exploded into a full on eruption of laughter, deepening the shade of red that already inhabited the white unicorn's face. Rarity didn't even answer as the pink earth pony rolled about on the asphalt, laughing uncontrollably.

"Not going to lie, that's pretty hilarious," Mace spoke as he undid some of the velcro on his sleeves, making a sharp tearing sound.

“Whah!” Spike gasped, suddenly launched into consciousness by the subtle noise. “Why does it feel like I’ve been sleeping on rocks?” The young dragon wondered as he rubbed his back with a claw. “Are we there yet?”

“Yep, he’s alright.” Applejack rolled her eyes.

Mace nodded. “We’re close. You’ll see it any moment now.”

“Awesome.” Spike popped a ruby into his mouth, climbed back onto Twilight's back and fell asleep once more.

Gerri raised an eyebrow. “Are those gems he keeps eating worth anything? Seems strange to just let him chow down on precious stones.”

Twilight's face bore curiosity. “Usually not, but I swear these look a lot more expensive than the ones we normally get. That might explain the large hole in my savings.” Twilight shrugged. “What can you do? He did save the money I guess.”

“It’s just, well, gems are really valuable here. I’d watch myself. Some unsavory character might decide that he can put them to better use, especially if Spike keeps eating them in front of everyone.” Gerri explained.

“I know, even the common ones can fetch some big bits on the Manehatten black market. That’s why we kept them locked in a magic-proof safe in the Library basement. I bet there are still some down ther-"

Twilight stopped. “None of you heard that.”

“Heard what?” Kaiser asked innocently.

“Exactly.” Twilight answered.

“Woah! There it is!” Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom suddenly emerged from whatever section of the caravan they’d previously been playing in.

“It looks like an upside down bowl with snow on top!” Sweetie Belle stated.

“No, no, no. It looks like one of those round cooking pan thingies without the hole in the middle.” Scootaloo argued.

“Yer both wrong! It looks like th’ top of an almost finished vanilla ice cream cone, ya know, without the cone?” Applebloom explained. "Horse feathers, now ah want some ice cream."

“I say it looks like a large round building with a white dome on top,” Green commented. "And I'm sure someone in there will be more than happy to give you some ice cream."

"Yay!" The three crusaders cheered in unison.

“Is that the dome? It’s bigger than I thought it would be.” Twilight thought aloud.

“Yep. The Georgia Dome, where sporting legends have been made for over 25 years, or something knowledgeable sounding like that.”

Kaiser nodded. “It can seat well over 70,000 during a football game, but I guess with the open field and the seats, you ponies should have some relative comfort. I’m sure they’ve cleared most of the space.”

“Neat.” Rainbow added. “As long as it’s got some food and a nice high-up place to nap, I’m fine with that.”

Greene swatted a fly, which had obviously been awakened by some random rise in temperature earlier, just to be met with the cold once more. "Yeah, I'm sure that won't be a problem."

***************

Celestia and Luna stood before a large door, each wearing stylized dress suits, which had been quickly cobbled together from existing clothes that a female dignitary would typically wear.

The soldiers leading them stopped, spoke to the soldiers guarding the entrance, then turned around. "The dignitaries have already assembled inside. You can go ahead in."

Celestia nodded. "Thank you."

The soldiers opened the doors, revealing large room which was dominated by a large black table in the center, and by the multitude of chairs taking up its perimeter. In each of the seats, a dignitary from various human nations spoke back and forth.

"I say it's madness, all of it," An ambassador from the U.K. spoke. "-But it is still quite a fascinating account, none the less."

A representative from Australia put a hand to his head. "He's right. An alien war? It's the stuff of my worst apocalyptic nightmares. We need to get a handle on this."

"Nightmare or not, we are now involved." France's ambassador added. "The damage has already been done."

"Be that as it may, I'm not entirely convinced we can trust a nation we have only known existed for a few hours," China's representative stated.

The president of the United States nodded. "I agree, but I believe we have a responsibility to-"

The arguing leaders stopped as they all began to notice the two alicorn princesses. Each began a quiet golf clap in recognition of their esteemed guests.

An Equestrian royal guard stood at attention. "I present to you, Princesses Celestia and Luna of The Sovereign Kingdom of Equestria."

A gentleman stood at the end of the table. "On behalf of the various national representatives in attendance, we welcome to this emergency assembly. We reserved a pair of seats for you," The speaker of the meeting spoke. "We ask that you be seated so we can begin to settle this debate."

"Thank you," Celestia spoke as she and Luna took their reserved seats. "May I question as to the nature of the discussion?" The princess of the Equestrian daylight calmly asked.

"Most certainly." The speaker answered. "The representatives were stating their personal opinions regarding humanity's role in this new found conflict between your kingdom and the Liberation Alliance."

"Indeed. What are thy contested stances?" Luna asked the assembly.

"Most agree that we should give you aid, but the representatives have been arguing as to how or in what way we should assist. Some suggest full military support. Another stance is that we should act as negotiators between the warring nations. Others suggest humanity remain a neutral party entirely."

"Are you considering pulling out of the military aspect of the conflict?" Celestia asked. "I cannot even begin to describe what that would entail, for both of our kind."

Luna nodded. "My sister speaks truth. If the bastion of our nation's forces remained a solid entity, perhaps we could wage a winning war against the enemy alliance by ourselves. Unfortunately, our enemy has uprooted our defenses and sabotaged our strongest weapons of war. Though we are not beaten, we have become severely crippled, and are in dire need of assistance."

Celestia sighed. "I agree. Though I will not beg, I do come to you as a fellow leader. I ask you to aid us in our time of need, and in return, we will rush to your side when you would need us to do the same."

The U.K. ambassador nodded. "It is not my intention that any innocents burn because of this assembly's stagnation. I will return to my country with the intention of joining you."

"We will wait until the official meeting of the United Nations to make any final decisions," The Chinese representative spoke.

"I'm on board. If extraterrestrials are coming to us for help, I see no reason why we can't. I'll see what I can do back home." Australia answered.

"I concur," U.K. added. "You will have our support."

"I want to hear the full story," France's representative stated. "I can't agree in good conscience until we have been given the facts."

The president put a hand to his chin. "I agree. The loss of the anomaly control system has given us plenty of time to become acquainted with the history of this engagement and the events that led to it. According to Dr. Harrison, the arch system on our side can be repaired, but we will have to wait until the next natural anomaly before we even have a shot at getting back to your planet, let alone repairing the second arch. Seeing as that's weeks away, we have plenty of time to clear things up."

Celestia rolled up her dress shirt sleeves and loosened her tie.

"I see. Let us begin then."

**************

Up close, the dome was much larger now.

Multiple entrances had now been cleared, and a line of soldiers kept any overly curious civilians from standing in the way. A police sergeant hustled up to the approaching caravan, a megaphone grasped tightly in his fist.

"OKAY NOW. IN ORDER TO PASS OUT THE SUPPLIES WE COLLECTED, AND TO GET YOU IN THERE SAFELY, WE'LL NEED YOU ALL TO FORM YOURSELVES INTO ABOUT TWENTY LINES OF FOOT TRAFFIC- ER- HOOF TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF THE GATES. WE HAVE FOOD, WATER, AND BASIC NECESSITIES."

The police sergeant put the megaphone down and pointed to a group of ponies near the front of the caravan. "You! In the purple fur!"

Twilight froze and pointed a hoof towards herself if as to ask, "Me?"

"Yeah! You with the curly horn thing! Are you Ms. Spar- Sparr-kel?"

"Twilight Sparkle, yes," The purple unicorn answered.

The sergeant appeared to be trying to keep his lunch down with that answer. "Y- yes. *omph* Yes, I have a shipping container delivery for you from a- Ms. Cell-es-tea-uh, waiting for you inside."

"The Princess sent you mail? Why didn't she give it to you in person?" Greene thought out loud.

"He said it's a shipping container. Must be to big to carry I would think."Gerri answered.

"She's probably up to 'er ears in work right now anyways." Applejack suggested. "Ya know, with all that's goin' on right now?"

"Does Celestia usually send you stuff in large crates?" Kaiser asked.

"No, but now I really want to know what it is. May we go in now?" Twilight asked the police sergeant.

"Not until we process you and give you your provisions," The guard answered.

"Process? That doesn't sound too good." Greene commented.

"Calm down. We're just going to be adding their names and basic info into the ID system. That way, we don't have to find someone with just their color to go on."

Greene nodded. "Oh."

"Begin your line at that first table over there." The police sergeant lifted and set his cap. "Have a peachy day."

The group moved up to the table. A government worker walked over with a stack of identity forms and stamps.

The government worker sat down behind one of the many tables set up in front of the dome entrance and began to scrawl on a identification form. "Okay. Name?" He pointed to a white unicorn.

"Rarity," The white unicorn answered.

"Okay. Rare-et-ty. Got it. Color scheme?"

"Scheme?! I'll have you know my coat and mane are not some cheap paint job!"

"Sorry! Sorry! I'll put you down as white and purple."

"No-no-no-no. I believe you mean alabaster and violet."

"Of course." The government worker nodded. "White and purple it is." He looked back up. "Age?"

Rarity's mouth dropped. "Well I never-!"

Greene facepalmed and sighed. "We're going to be here a while."

****************

A small group of lab coat-wearing humans and ponies quietly conversed inside a small office room.

"Ah, Dr. Harrison. Come in," An Equestrian physician asked the man standing at the door.

"Thank you. I don't believe we've met," Harrison answered.

"Oh, yes. My name is Winter Willow, Doctor Winter Willow, and we need your help."

The human doctor shook the mare's hoof. "I'm more of a physicist, but I'll do what I can. How can I help?"

A human doctor walked up to Harrison. "The Equestrian Ministry of Magic and Sciences has teamed up with the CDC, that's Center For Disease Control, on a most important subject."

"Whether or not we are at risk of a major decease outbreak," Willow Wisp stated.

"You mean between planets?" Harrison asked.

"Yes," Willow answered. "I would think that there would be a few illnesses both sides would have that the other wouldn't, and that could cause some major problems."

Harrison nodded. "I see, but I'm not sure what help an astrophysicist could give you."

Willow took out a clipboard. "Ah, yes. We need you, because the bulk of Equestrian diseases are linked with the magic that binds our planet, and there are few that have become more knowledgeable about that subject than you."

"What she's saying," The human doctor added, "-is that we may have a problem, and we need you to help us to make a determination."

The physicist shrugged. "Okay, let me see,"

Willow hoofed over the clipboard to Harrison, who cocked his head to the side upon looking at it.

"Oh, that's certainly... Interesting."

***************

The elements, and the humans that had helped save them, stood at the entrance to the main stadium inside the Georgia Dome.

Mike outstretched his arms. "Welcome to the Georgia Dome."

"That's a lot to take in!" Twilight thought aloud, as the group entered the main floor. The entering ponies stared at the massive digital displays and all manner of advanced human technology that now lay before them. Thousands of construction workers went about their duties, most cleaning up and leaving. The event seating, which had taken up the majority of the dome's interior space, had been repositioned to form makeshift couches and beds, and had also been used to divide up the dome into several living sections. In the center, a large four-sided screen dominated the scene.

"What does all this do?" Rainbow questioned.

Kaiser looked around the small town that had been quickly constructed inside the dome. "Looks like hundreds of TV's, refrigerators, portable stoves, you name it. I'd say someone wants you all to be very comfortable."

Gerri held up a large fold-out diagram. "Let's see. Looks like they decided the place up into a grid. Twenty-six columns, thirty-two rows, with several tents and appliances set up per grid space. Someone reserved one large space for all of you... A-29."

The group climbed up the stairs until the corresponding grid block came into view. Several sleeping bags, a couch, and a recliner had been built using the sporting center's readily available furnishings. Hundreds, if not thousands of similar living spaces now filled the stadium. Many of Equestrian refugees had already begun to settle in.

Nearby, Lyra merrily trotted over to one of the recliners and plopped down into the seat. After a moment to enjoy the recliner's plushy goodness, she instinctively grabbed for a small black rectangle with buttons, sitting on one of the armrests. Though she wasn't sure of what the device was or what it did, she felt a strange need to press the red button near the top. She shrugged and pressed it, making a nearby black box flicker to life.

"Ohhh!" Lyra cooed.

A nearby technician, who had been assigned the task of demonstrating the new appliances to the new guest, threw up his hands. "Let it be known that Lyra Heartstrings was the first Equestrian to ever turn on a TV! Didn't even have to show you that one."

"Jake? That you?" Lenard called out to the technician.

"If it isn't Gang Greene! Long time no see," The technician answered.

Lyra broke her focus away from the screen. "You know Captain Greene? The legendary savior of Ponyville, sorta?"

Greene nodded. "Yep. Jake Baxton and I went to college together- well, the few months I was there." Lenard spotted a young boy hiding behind his college friend. "Is he your-"

"-son? Yeah, I guess I settled down, if you can believe that. Introduce yourself little dude," Baxton spoke to the kid.

"Hi, uh, my name's Brandon," The little boy mumbled.

"Wow. Jake "The snake" Baxton finally settled down." Greene shook his head. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"Maria. You remember her?"

Greene's eyes wind wide. "You married Maria Fayst?! Man, she was way out of you league! She didn't even acknowledge your existence if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, I got lucky. By the way, I was just introducing some of the aliens to the set up. Harder than you might think, by the way. Well, there was that weird guy that seemed to figure it out almost instantly."

Greene put his hands to his chin. "Let me guess. Grey fur, mismatching horns, wings, a paw on one hand, talons on the other, dragon scales-"

"That was him," Baxton answered. "Said his name was Disco, or was it Destro? Something like that."

Twilight nodded. "That was Discord. You wouldn't happen to know where he is now, would you?"

"Over there," Baxton answered.

Unbelievably, Discord had been sitting right next to the group the whole time, watching the same TV Lyra was.

"But how did we not see y- Forget it." Twilight sighed.

A small group of guards walked up to the draconequus. "You are Discord? We've been given explicit orders to keep an eye on you."

Discord didn't answer.

"Mr. Discord?"

The lord of chaos had his eyes glued to the screen.

"What's he watching?" Gerri questioned.

On the screen, a particularly large human male wearing red gym shorts was demonstrating his preferred brand of body spray.

Youtube Video

The man declared to another man that his brand was capable of giving one the feeling of near supernatural ability. The man then demonstrated this by casting forth the body spray from his lungs, instantly exploding the second man's clothes and replacing said clothes with that of an ancient king's.

After admitting that this getup did indeed make him feel more powerful, the second man watched as the first man declared, "Potato chips!" instantly turning the second man into a vending machine in one massive explosion. The first man then punched through the vending machine glass, and retrieved his aforementioned snacking material. After eating one of the chips, the first man stood there and shrugged. A picture of the body wash then appeared then, of course, exploded.

Discord rose to his feet and pointed the TV remote toward the heavens. "I have seen the promised land-" He wiped away a tear. "-and it is good!" Discord then broke down into joyful weeping. Greene could have sworn he saw a shaft of heavenly light illuminate the draconequus and the TV set.

"Figured he'd like that," Baxton remarked.

"What is that thing?" Applejack wondered. "How did they 'git tha tiny people in there?"

"That is called television. I'm sure you will all become quite accompanied with it. All of the new equipment will be explained in time." Greene explained.

Discord wiped his face and put his feet up on a ottoman. The sated draconequus reached into a small cooler, picked up an oddly beer-like bottle of chocolate milk, popped the cap off, downed half of it in one gulp, and began excitedly changing channels. "I truly have come home. I do not wish to ever leave this place!"

___________

Somewhere in low Earth orbit, an astronaut servicing a satellite could have sworn he heard someone scream, "Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!" echoing from far below. He shook his head and got back to work.

___________

"Was that really necessary?" Gerri asked a nearby human soldier.

"You weren't part of the task force Celestia and Highlander charged with keeping up with him before," The soldier answered.

Rainbow shrugged and leaped onto one of the makeshift couches. Within seconds, she had already fallen asleep.

"Well she made herself at home real quick," Kaiser commented.

"I suggest all of you do the same," Greene added. "I'm not sure how long you all will be here. I wish we could give you the same hospitality you gave us, but there's a lot more of you here then there were of us back on your world."

Twilight smiled contently and sat down on a purple sleeping bag. "It will do fine. I'm just happy to be safe."

"Me too," Kaiser muttered.

Nearby, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and a small team of other familiar fillies and colts were busy building a second crusader club house, which they'd named " The Cutie Mark Crusader Castle of Doom!" The title was no doubt a compromise between the male and female members of the group.

Greene brought a hand to his chin. "Someone here knows who you all are. There's a bunch of your stuff from the other side over here. Someone even color coded your sleeping bags."

"And left me a sowing machine!" Rarity added.

Applejack nodded. "And a crate of "as-sort-ed" apples products."

Kaiser scratched his head. "I'm guessing that hammock attached to the rafters is for Dash."

"I got a box of supplies to take care of the animals that came with us," Fluttershy added. "They even made a small bed for Spike."

Spike had already joined Rainbow Dash in the land of slumber, having curled himself into a ball in the small round bed left for him.

"What did you get Pinkie?" Greene wondered.

"I got a weird oven thingie!" Pinkie Pie declared.

"Good lord, they gave her a microwave!" Kaiser recoiled in shock. "Who's idea was that?!"

Greene rubbed the sides of his head, preparing for the immanent stress that clearly was to come. "I don't know, but I'm guessing Twilight's gift has something to do with that package from the princess."

Baxton slapped his forehead."Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that! I've got to show you "The Crate."

Greene looked unsure. "The Crate?"

"The Crate," Baxton answered.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let's go see!" Pinkie put a banana into the microwave and began randomly pressing buttons.

"Yeah. Ah think we should go check it out," Applejack commented. "You watch the camp, Dash."

Rainbow's answer came in the form of a loud snore.

***************

Baxton, Greene, Kaiser, Gerri, Mace, five of the elements bearers, and Lime Tree Hill gathered in front of a large shipping container.

That same police sergeant from before took off the lock. "Alright, go ahead."

"This is a little somethin' the boys back at the AEE were planning on sending through the portal, but it's a pretty big help here too," Baxton explained.

The group entered the dark shipping container.

"You just flip this switch and..."

"Welcome," A synthesized computer voice spoke.

Fluttershy began to tremble. "Uh, who said that?"

Baxton put his hand to a small scanner, and the makeshift room lit up with several large 3D screens and back-lit keyboards, which emerged from multiple hidden compartments. On the largest screen, mounted in the middle, words began to appear.

[User "Jacob Baxton" verified. Full feature access granted.]

Celestia's face then appeared on the largest screen.

..."Greetings, my students."....

Twilight bowed her head. "Good to see you princess." She paused. "How exactly are we seeing you?"

...."My image is being captured using a motion picture camera, and being relayed to you via a wireless radio link."...

Twilight was clearly impressed. "That's incredible! How far away are you?"

...."I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Luna and I regret we can't see you in person right now, as we are conducting business in a facility of which the location of cannot be revealed. But enough about us, how are you? I trust you and your friends like your gifts?"...

"Yes. We are fine, and the gifts were very thoughtful," Twilight answered.

..."Not all of it was my idea. Mr. Highlander helped me select some of them."...

"I'll make him a thank you cake in my new portable oven!" Pinkie cheered.

"About that..." Kaiser started.

"So princess, what is all of this?" Twilight wondered.

..."Since we can no longer communicate using magic, our human allies have set up this "Secure wireless video connection" for us to speak in private."....

"Excuse me, princess, but wouldn't a cell phone be more efficient?" Kaiser asked.

..."I was told this was set up to prevent any kind of eavesdropping. The container is sound proof as well."...

Greene walked up to one of the control panels. "This is pretty advanced stuff. There's three dimensional geographic displays, thousands of volumes of resource material, what looks like science equipment, and of course, access to the internet."

...."Yes. This resource station is for anypony that needs it. It was originally intended to be sent to Canterlot as a gift, but it will be just as useful to you here."....

"Wait, what's the internet?" Lime Tree asked.

"Everything." Kaiser answered.

"He means- well-" Greene stopped. "Yeah. The internet is everything. The sum of all human knowledge, all accessible from any device capable of connecting to it."

"The sum of all human knowledge? I would very much like to see that," Twilight spoke.

"It would take about a few thousand lifetimes to see all of it." Gerri commented. "But hey, don't let that discourage you."

...."Do try to share, Twilight."....

Luna appeared next to Celestia on the screen. ...."Sister, the session has begun anew. Our attention is required."...

...."I see. Time for me to go. Twilight, Captain Greene, bring your friends back here tomorrow at precisely eight-thirty. It is time we continue our story."...

"Very good, princess. I will try to remember that," Twilight answered.

"I was wondering when we would hear the rest of that dramatic tale," Greene added.

...."Indeed."... Luna spoke.

..."Yes." The white alicorn began. "We are working to bridge the gap between our peoples. Try to enjoy yourselves in the mean time. Celestia out."....

The screen dimmed to black.

"I guess we should go on home now," Greene spoke.

Gerri stood back up. "Yeah, but before we do, I happen to have a few gifts of my own for all of you."

****************

Back at Ponyblock A-29, Gerri pulled out a box.

"I managed to get the government to foot the bill for these. They're mobile phones. They work just like those old fashioned two-piece phones you have back home. This particular type is usually used by older folks, but I figured the big buttons would be more useful for those with hooves."

Gerri passed out the cell phones to each of the elements. "Sorry Lime, I only got six."

Greene dug into his pocket and tossed his phone at the green stallion. "Here, you can have mine. I picked it up back at the base."

Lime Tree fiddled with the device. "Thanks!"

Greene nodded. "We're going home now, but none of us live too much farther than thirty minutes away, so it's not a big deal. If you need us, or I guess if you just want to hang out, just call."

"The phones already have our contact information stored inside," Gerri added.

"Excuse me, but how does this fancy do-dad work?" Applejack wondered, holding her phone upside-down in one hoof, scratching her chin with the other.

"Well-" Gerri started.

"No." Twilight stopped her. "I want to figure it out by myself. That's the fun of it."

"You're a mare after my own heart," Greene chuckled. "Between Twilight and Lime Tree, someone will figure out how to use those. If you give up, I'm sure Baxton will help you."

Baxton performed an elegant bow. "Yep. My team and I will be here at the dome if anyone needs us."

Rainbow yawned. "Sure. Sure."

"Just remember to come back on time," Twilight reminded them. "We can't leave this place yet, so you have to come here. Try not to be late."

Greene grinned. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it."

The overhead lights of the dome dimmed, and Princess Celestia and Luna's faces appeared on the massive set of LCD screens hanging over the center of the dome.

..."My little ponies," Celestia began, "I'm so proud of all of you for being so brave in these tough times..."...

"I thought she had to go," Kaiser commented.

Greene nodded. "Must be a prerecorded message."

...."We wished for all you to know this, for we have had little time to converse," Luna started. "As you witness the images before you, know that thy princesses continue to work on your behalf, and are working with human government establishments to further our cause, and are seeking out ways to end this plight."....

...."All Luna and I require of you at this time, is that you stay close to this facility, in order to prevent any awkward situations that may occur otherwise. When the time comes, you will become the first of our world to explore this new one. Stay strong. We will get through this, together. I promise that we will not fail our subjects again, and we know you won't fail us. Good fortune, my subjects, my friends."....

Every Equestrian face stuck on the screen until the image of the princesses faded. Some faces bore the weight of the losses they'd all felt. Others bore the indisputable look of hope, seeing a bright future ahead. Others still felt only pride, pride in their nation, its leaders, and themselves. The pony population returned to its previous tasks, all except one.

Twilight sparkle continued to stare at the blank screen. "Friends," She thought to herself. "So wise, so powerful, yet she considers us- me, her friend. Her equal."

Twilight's friends, old and new, human and pony, stood by her side.

"Very inspirational," Rarity started, "-Though the outfits need a bit of work."

Greene crouched down next to Twilight. "Chin up, Twi. I don't know what the future has in store for us, but they were right about one thing."

Twilight snapped out her her internal thoughts. "What?"

Greene stood back up.

"We will get through this."

**************

From one of the many spires of Canterlot Castle, Praetor Phalanx watched as a torrent of storm clouds gathered over Ponyville. As one massive bolt struck from the town, Gilda entered the chamber, wearing the elegant trappings of a Canterlot noble.

Phalanx turned away from the grand window of the royal quarters. "It's time, my dear. Come watch with me?"

Gilda snuggled up next to the griffin grand praetor. "We worked so hard. We've all waited so long for this."

Phalanx sighed. "If only our ancestors could see this. I- I just wonder what they would think. You know Gilda, what we had to do to get here. All those we hurt.. I keep trying to tell myself it was worth it."

Gilda frowned. "I'd be a liar if I said I didn't have that moment too, but every time I think like that, I remember that they didn't have a problem doing it to us."

Phalanx's mood improved. "You're right. Odd, you usually come to me for advice. I'm happy to see you have some for me."

Gilda gave him a playful nudge. "Well, I guess you chose your mate well. Now cheer up, the boss is on the way. We got front row seats to see what rams and griffins have waited centuries to see."

Phalanx held his head high. "Yes. It is a great honor."

Out of the great energy sphere came a chariot of onyx, to which two black pandragon mounts were yoked, driven by two black pandragon minors. The chariot, as well as those who pulled it, were both bathed in a bright blue glow.

"Incredible! I wasn't aware that anything other than him had been inside the void all this time! " Phalanx exclaimed.

Gilda shook her head vigorously.

"Guess he's been busy."

***************

Anomalous Energy Event Team, Research and Development Department Factoid #43: Magma Orbs.

Though we managed to bring one back with us, we still know very little of how these things work. What we do know, is that Magma Orbs are quite possibly the most lethal weapon that an alliance solider would carry, and could represent the extent of Liberation Alliance weapons science. Essentially a highly engineered glass sphere filled with what we would call liquidized thermate, this weapon is extreme dangerous to anything it touches.

The orb itself appears to be made by combining several different types of glass, minerals, and gems, some of which supposedly can only be found in alliance territory. An unarmed magma orb looks like nothing more than a round glass snow globe filled with a sticky orange paste, and are quite hard to break, having been designed to withstand great physical and heat damage to protect the users from unintended thermate leakage. However, slide the metal ring that encompasses the orb, and you will have adjusted it in such a way that will allow the orb to separate under even a slight impact. When broken apart, these orbs release their deadly payload, the liquidized thermate, a compound that burns hot enough to melt its way through solid titanium in seconds, and is almost instantly lethal to a living tissue.

Very little is known about the process involved in making this "liquidized thermate," or the orbs themselves, but it's no secret that every soldier and citizen in Griffin, Caprastian, and Pandragon territory knows that you don’t fool around with one, because even when they’re not armed, magma orbs are truly terrifying weapons.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Chosen Few

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Chosen Few

It was cold. So very cold.

The air began to freeze as Phalanx and Gilda watched the chariot of onyx barrel toward Castle Canterlot, bathing the city of New Vertaigh below in an iridescent blue light. The chariot sped up and began to orbit the city, eventually spinning so quickly around the capital, that the chariot and its path looked more like an enormous black ring rather than a single flying object. The wind followed suit, buffeting and lifting any structure unfortunate enough to be in its path.

Phalanx grabbed onto a metal fence to keep from being swept away. Gilda managed to catch Phalanx's outstretched talons. "What is that?!" she shrieked.

"Just hold on!" Phalanx answered back. "His power must be truly incredible!" he thought to himself.

The black ring began to pulse, projecting a sapphire pillar of energy into the sky. As the pillar began to grow taller, a small grey spec rocketed out of it. Phalanx squinted his eyes in an attempt to follow the projectile, as he and Gilda held to the fence like a banner on a flag pole. His eyes went wide as the object appeared to change course, and began to fall right toward them.

"Gilda! Something is bearing down on us!"

Gilda turned her head. "Phal?!"

The object did not appear to be stopping.

"Move! Move!" Phalanx yelled.

The two griffins released their grip, and were flung through the air by the wind, just as the object crashed right into where they'd been just fractions of a second earlier.

Phalanx and Gilda found themselves several feet away, lying in the settling dust. It was in fact this dust that led to the realization that the wind had completely stopped blowing around them. The birds and other assorted creatures dared not make a sound.

The air now hung in absolute silence.

The shroud of dust lifted, revealing a creature that quite literally radiated a dark presence. It had four herculean ram legs, and at the end of each, a split metal hoof met the ground. The massive wings of a pandragon mount adorned its sides, and atop its royal Caprastian head lay two curved horns. Seated around them, a crown of pure black onyx glowed with a dark hum.

Phalanx looked on in awe. "I've read the legends, but something is... You aren't....."

"Silence, chosen son of freedom."

The creature lowered its gaze, and stared at Phalanx and Gilda with two crimson eyes: one bore the sage wisdom of a Caprastian scholar, the other bore the fire of a griffin warrior. A row of black feathers, scales, and silver fur grew around them. The creature opened its mouth.

"For millennia have I waited for this moment. From my eternal shackles have I witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties and thrones, of kingdoms and nations. From my imprisonment in the world between worlds, the fate of millions appeared before me on a celestial stage. The fate of two worlds, brought together by the energy you see before you. Rise, my subjects. The time of reckoning has finally come!"

A thousand years of mental preparation couldn't have held back Gilda's fear. "Who- Who are you?"

"Who am I? I am the force that binds the two worlds of sapphire! I am chronicler of this and every age! I am the one fated to become the true master of this Earth, and the Earth that has been revealed to me by the dark light of the realm between realms! Tell all, far and wide that I-"

The creature began to pulse with dark blue energy, whipping up whole trees in the resulting torrent. Six familiar glowing crystalline jewels, without their usual gold settings, rushed toward the towering creature from several different directions and began to orbit the terrifying figure.

"I, AM THE DREAD LORD HIRCUS!"

The Earth began to tremble. Phalanx and Gilda were knocked to their knees.

"I am Phalanx, My-" He coughed. "-my lord. It is an honor to finally meet you." Phalanx stood back up and looked around. "What magic is this? How is such dominion over the forces of nature possible?"

"Magic?" The dark king uttered a laugh that bore both malice and amusement. "Magic?! My son, there is a power far greater than any power this world or the other possesses. It is what has brought your enemies together."

Phalanx narrowed his eyes. "Your enemies? With respect, my lord, do you not mean our enemies?"

"No. Humanity and Equinity must witness the blazing light of my freedom soon. This "war" you wage is beneath me, and so shall it be for any who embrace this power!"

"I am sorry, Lord Hircus. I am not sure what you mean."

"Are all my champions not well versed in the ancient texts? I speak of the realm I call Sapphiron, my new celestial kingdom!" Thousands of ancient rams, griffins, pandragons, hydras, ursas, and other assorted creatures from one's worst nightmares began to pour out of the pillar of energy, all enveloped in an eerie blue glow.

"BEHOLD!" He reared into the sky. "THIS IS THAT POWER!"

Phalanx and Gilda stood in amazement as the ancient army nearly blotted out the Sun with its vast numbers. "Wait," Gilda cut in. "They were in there with you? How did they survive?"

"Who speaks to me? What is your name, daughter griffin?"

"Gilda."

"Yes. You, your kind, and the others that stood with you have given me my greatest triumph! Hark! The time of trial is over for you. You have been relieved of all of your duties. Go now, and spread word of my ultimate victory!"

Thousands of ancients began to collect in the surrounding fields of Castle Canterlot. Phalanx and Gilda traded unsure glances.

"It will be done," Phalanx bowed. "We go in victory."

Gilda performed what appeared to be a half bow, half curtsy. "Yeah, what he said."

The two griffins quickly took to the skies, not sure of what to do next.

**************

Dr. Harrison jumped from his desk as several alarms began to ring out from the One Array control center just outside his office. He carelessly flung his office door open as he quickly made his way into the control room.

"What's going on out here?!"

A technician turned around at his console. "Anomaly emergence warnings, but no anomaly sir!"

"Is the array acting up again?"

"No sir. The array is quiet, but we're getting readings from an outside source! I can't determine where!"

Harrison turned around and ran up to the top of the flight of stairs leading outside. "I'm going to confer with my superiors. You keep a handle on those readings, you hear me?! I want you to notify me if this gets any more severe! I get the feeling this isn't just a random series of fluctuations anymore!"

**************

The sun continued its natural journey through the heavens, casting the nearly nonexistent shadows of high noon.

Phalanx sat in a large chair in one of Caste Canterlot's many suites, with a book firmly grasped in one of his talons and his chin in the other.

The story of the Great Purge is not a proud tale. It never was and never will be. What it is, however, is the final chapter in the most horrible time in our history. I am Celestia, princess of the sovereign Kingdom of Equestria, and I have written this document for those who will live in a time that I won't. If you are reading this, you are clearly a being of immense magical power, for the magical seals built around this text are far too strong for any normal being to break.

"Unless you are a being with the right tool," Phalanx thought to himself. "The IMP did its job well."

It was a very different time. The forces of magic were split among many nations, and an eternal struggle for dominance raged on through many centuries. My father, King Soltaire, and my mother, Queen Noctau ruled the land with a firm, but just ho- .

Gilda suddenly burst into the room, nearly causing the Praetor toss the book out of one of the castle windows, and making him instinctively draw his mini-caster. "Oh, Gilda, it's you. You should try more subtlety next time."

She shut the door and rushed over to him. "Phal, something's wrong."

Phalanx's face hardened. "What is it?"

"Those new soldiers are still coming through. There's got to be millions of 'em Phal!"

"Why would this be a problem, love?"

"Because they ain't right in the head, if you know what I mean. I tried to talk to one, and he didn't even seem to notice me!"

Phalanx chuckled. "He wasn't guarding the castle, was he?"

"No. I've seen the ponies' royal guard before, but these guys were different. Phal, it's like they weren't even there. You know, nobody home?"

"Hicus's ancient armies have endured unimaginable conditions. Who knows what that would do to a being's mind."

"No, no, you don't get it! I saw some of our guys who got trapped in that huge blast come out of that blue tower of his! They were normal before. Now there all quiet and shadowy! It's creepy, and I'm pretty sure it ain't natural!"

Phalanx shrugged. "What do you suggest?"

"I just think we keep an eye on things is all. I don't want to wind up like that."

"Then don't get caught in any explosions," Phalanx answered.

"Funny. This is serious, Phal! I don't like this at all."

"Then I'll look into it." Phalanx put the book back to his face. "-after I finish reading this most fascinating text."

"Phal, we can't just-" Gilda stopped as she noticed a pair of ram guards enter the room, seething with dark energy.

"Praetor, a wire message has arrived for you."

Phalanx noticed that neither of them attempted to make eye contact with him. "A telegram? I wasn't aware the cables had been laid out this far. Where are my normal guards?"

One of the guards spoke up. "The Equestrian lines were cut during your invasion. Our machinists have repaired them and merged them with our own. As for your guards, they have been relieved."

"On whose authority?" Phalanx questioned.

The guards turned to face Phalanx and seemed to stare into his soul with their glowing blue eyes. "The highest authority there is, Lord Hircus himself."

Phalanx nodded. "Very well, I will see this message now."

It is from a "Lord Vhesk," addressed specifically for you, Praetor, transcribed by the pandragon operators as soon as it arrived." The guard pulled out a clawritten parchment from a folder, and gave it to the griffin in question.

Phalanx held the parchment to his face.

Greetings, Praetor. I am called Vhesk, head scholar of the IMP directive, and chief overseer of the project. I have made a most interesting, if not distressing, discovery that I am quite sure you will be very interested to see. I would elaborate, but I would much rather meet you in person to discuss such things. I have had my laboratory equipment moved from the pandragon capital of Terodai to Canterl- New Vertaigh, to further my studies. I would meet you in person, but I am quite busy at the moment. Please come to my new laboratory as soon as possible using the instructions laid out below. This is a matter of great importance to all of us. Please do not tarry.

-With honor and respect,

Lord Vhesk, of House Teero

Phalanx put the note on a nearby coffee table, "Interesting. If he believes it is that urgent, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to pay him a visit. Guards, thank you for bringing this to my attention."

The two dark rams left without a word.

"I'm coming with you," Gilda insisted. "You know, maybe this guy knows what's going on."

Phalanx sighed. "Fine. Just don't disturb him with your suspicions. I'd rather not start some kind of panic among the troops."

Gilda made a mock two-armed cross-chest salute.

"Whatever you say, Praetor."

***************

A lanky pandragon scientist with a white cloak stepped down the stairs into is laboratory. After putting on his tiny spectacles, he began to pace around the room

"Now where is he?! This cannot wait forever!" he thought. "Salsiva, the message was sent, correct? I'll peel off my own scales if they take too much longer!"

A female pandragon minor in a crimson dress slip stepped down the stairs, the scales on her head forming a shoulder-length hair-like appearance. "Yes dear, I sent it more than an hour ago. They must have received it by now."

"Alright then. Now we wait."

The two stood in silence for a full minute.

Vhesk turned to his wife. "So dear, the dress. Isn't that a bit... excessive?"

"Grand Praetor Phalanx is coming to our home. You cannot overdress for such an occasion."

"Overdressing isn't the problem," Vhesk muttered to himself.

Salsiva cocked one of her eyebrows. "What was that?"

"I said, put something over that outfit. I would rather force the good praetor to use more of his imagination."

"Excuse me if I want to look nice for a most important guest! You should have done the same!"

"I wore my best lab cloak! Is it not enough for y-"

Vhesk froze as he noticed two confused looking griffins at his door. He rushed over, opened the door, and gave an elegant bow. "Ah, greeting my honored guests! Praetor Phalanx, Mistress Gilda. We've heard the stories! It is not so often I have such esteemed figures in my home. Well- my home away from home here in this newly acquired city."

"I am honored to hear that," Phalanx answered. "What was that discussion you were having just now-"

"Nothing, my lord! A tiny debate with the wife." He reached out and pulled his wife to his side. "Speaking of which, this is Salsiva, my wife!"

"And they say we make an odd couple," Gilda mumbled under her breath.

"Regardless," Vhesk continued. "Welcome to my humble facility!"

"Humble? This is quite the operation you have going on here," Phalanx commented. "Are the others outside your staff?"

Vhesk nodded. "Indeed. We need all the help we can get to run our experiments."

"Fascinating." Phalanx put a talon to his chin. "Perhaps I will take a look at some of them la-"

"Excuse me," Gilda interrupted "-but wasn't there some urgent thing you wanted to show us?"

"Oh, yes." Vhesk put a hand to the back of his scaled neck. "I'm very sorry. What is wrong with me? Wasting time with frivolity while calamity begins to fold down upon us all! Follow me. We will need to go to the more- hidden section of our facility."

"Very well," Phalanx nodded. "Let us see what you find so interesting."

*************

"Where are we?" Gilda's voice echoed in the dark cavern she now found herself in.

"This is just another large chamber in the rather extensive Canterlot underground cave system. It stretches for miles, so we thought it would make a great place for our larger equipment."

Phalanx looked over a guardrail. Down below, a whole team of specialists busily worked away at a complex system of pipes and wires which connected to a large vertical ring in the center of the cavern.

Phalanx turned to the pandragon scientist in question. "Lord Vhesk, what is all of this?"

"What is it indeed? Allow me show you." The pandragon minor walked over to a large table covered in various devices of unknown origin. "This is the bulk of what we recovered from the human forces that recently occupied this area."

He moved to a small table.

"We believe these to be some sort of large area speaking devices, designed to allow seamless communication over long distances. Annoyingly, I was already working on such a device. I was going to call it the "Wireless Telegram system", but the humans beat me to it apparently." Vhesk ran his claws though his crest scales in annoyance. "Like most of the various objects recovered, we can't yet reproduce them, but we have been able to modify them to work with our lightning turbines. They are re-energized and ready to function for at least eleven or so hours. Here, take it. It is a rather simple device. We've taken out the more advanced components for study. I'm sure you will be able figure it out."

"I'm sorry, is there something I have missed?" Phalanx questioned. "Why do we need these again?"

"Ah, I supposed I should explain what this facility is really about."

"Yeah, I guess you should," Gilda added gruffly.

Vhesk sighed and turned his back to his guests. "When they said that we were going to capture the famed "Elements of Harmony" to release The Dread Lord Hircus from his prison, I said they were mad. When they signed me onto the IMP project, I wasn't sure such a thing was possible. A device of such magical power that it could overwhelm the abilities of so many was nearly unthinkable." He turned back around. "To be honest, we've done quite a lot of "Impossible" things. Even so, I wasn't sure a device like the one before you was even possible until the humans proved that my concept works."

"A device like what? What are you getting at, Vhesk?" Phalanx questioned.

"I'm talking about much more than puncturing the barrier into the Realm Sapphiron. I'm talking about crossing it completely to reach into the other world."

Phalanx stepped back. "You mean the human world? This device is... some kind of portal machine?"

"Yes, thought it was nonfunctional before we discovered the solution the humans developed. It was all a matter of concept. We envisioned the portal as a tunnel through an enormous mountain. The humans saw as more as a bridge over a vast canyon. I sent scouts, surveillance crews, and my best scientists to observe the human's work. We now have the means to finish my designs. Well- once we can find a suitable relic to act as a power source. We planned on using the Elements themselves, but Hircus has them now. This is where you come in an-"

Phalanx stopped him. "Vhesk, what are you talking about? We have no reason to invade their world. This whole war, from beginning to now, was all about retaking what was once ours. We have no stake in their domain."

"Invade? You don't understand. This is not for some kind of invasion. With this machine, we can flee the approaching freedom and regroup."

Phalanx looked over to Gilda, then back to Vhesk. "I think I speak for both of us when I say, you've lost us."

"Yeah," Gilda added. "I think you should start explainin'."

"Allow me to put it simply then," He paused to adjust his specs. "Hircus wants nothing to do with our petty war."

"That much he told us," Gilda added.

"You fail to understand. We have unleashed an unimaginable terror. I advised the council not to do this, but alas they did so anyway. Phalanx, Gilda, I believe you can be trusted with the truth. The true soldiers of the Banded are what you see coming out of the Sapphiron Pillar. My lords-"

"-we are being betrayed."

*****************

Far below the streets of Canterlot's New Vertaigh district, a patrol of glowing griffin and ram guards methodically marched past General Locklear's cell.

"Excuse me, I'm trying to sleep here, and your "glow in the dark" routine is cutting into my nap time," the general spoke sarcastically to one of the guards.

The seething patrol soldiers did not so much as turn their heads.

The general cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. The silent treatment. That one of your best torture techniques?"

Again, there was no answer from the guards.

"Wait, what's wrong with you guys? Feeling... blue?"

Still no answer.

"Heh. The old guards were more amusing. At least they'd hit you with the blunt end of their weapons when you told a bad joke."

Nothing.

"Ooh, tough crowd. Fine then, team glow stick! I guess I'll just have to get used to you all being complete and utter a-"

The familiar crack-whoosh sound of exploding fire-bolts filled the echoing chamber, waking the other inmates in the cell block.

Major Bronze Leaf rushed to bars of his cell. "Lock, what's going on?!"

The general looked around the dark chamber. "No idea!" His gaze lowered to the prison floor. "The guards, they're all... dead!"

The elite griffin operatives of Flock HeartWing dropped down from the ceiling, followed by their leader, Flockleader Wingroot.

In the darkness, Locklear managed to make out the face of the griffin leader. "You! You were the one that destroyed my battalion!"

"Human, I do not have time for your accusations. Do you wish to be free or not?"

"I'm sorry, what now?" Locklear spoke in confusion.

Wingroot face-taloned. "Must I break it down for you, simpleton? We. Are. Breaking. You. Out!"

"Start at the beginning," Locklear answered coyly.

"Gah! There is not time for such games!" Wingroot pulled a magma orb from his bag and armed it.

Locklear jumped back in his cell. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing with that?!"

"The keys to these cells are located in the central prison complex under Canterlot Castle. We have no time to fight our way there. I'm going to melt you all out."

"You still haven't explained why yet! Is there some kind of mutiny going on?" Locklear wondered as the griffin team leader began to melt the bars with magma from the orbs.

Wingroot stopped for a moment. "I suppose you could say that." The cell lock finally broke free. "Come now, help me free the others."

Locklear kicked open the cell door, knocking Wingroot to the floor. "Let me get one thing straight right now. I haven't forgotten what you did to my men. I won't ever forget." He offered a hand to help the leader off of the ground. "But if you're helping us get out of this miserable hell hole, you have my thanks. For now."

The griffin flockleader wiped a small thread of blood of his beak and stood back up on his own. "Hmm, I think I like you already. We will fight alongside each other for now, then settle our quarrel in single combat like true warriors!"

"Fair enough," Locklear growled. He turned to the other captured human troops. "Listen up, men, we're busting out of here. No matter how much it pains you, I want you to listen to what this griffin tells you. He knows more about this place than we do. I guarantee we'll find out what's going on later. For now, let's mount up and get outta here!"

A human private walked up to the general with a small group behind him, including the three members of Matchbox One's crew and the other survivors. "We're with you, sir."

Bronze Leaf limped out of his cell. "Stallions, mares, fall in and get ready to leave this moon pit and never even consider looking back."

"Yes sir," a host of other Equestrians answered.

Bronze turned to Lock and Wingroot. "I was starting to lose all hope of ever leaving this place. Though I never imagined it would be alliance troops that would facilitate our escape. Is this some sort of power play? Are you using us to create some kind of coup?"

Wingroot shook his head. "I only wish it could be that simple. The matter that has forced us to be allies is a terrifying turn of events indeed."

Locklear turned to Wingroot. "Be that as it may, we're going to need weapons."

Wingroot loaded a new belt into his fire-bolt caster. "That is part of the plan. The armory is this way. Hurry up now, it won't take too much longer for their reinforcements to arrive."

"Hold on a moment." Locklear turned back to his cell to face the old griffin commander that had tough him so much during his stay. "Veltor, wake up! Looks like you aren't crazy. You're "friends" are here. Get up off of the floor and come on!"

"I do not know them, but they must have been sent by those who chose to listen to my warnings. My allies have come through for me, and all of you. Two months ago I told them what I told you. For a hundred generations the Liberation Alliance has risen to defeat one great tyranny, and the fools in the council would rather unleash another one. They must be stopped. He must be stopped. Go forth, human. Help them spread the news of our true enemy, and you will be heroes unlike any other."

Lock crouched down. "You're not coming?"

"No. My duty is done. I am a warrior no longer. I would only slow you down."

"I don't know what they told you about humans, but we don't like to leave a man behind if we can help it. You're coming with me, and I don't think you're in a position to refuse."

Veltor narrowed his eyes. "Very well, Jonathan Locklear. I will aid you on your quest. As it is, you will need all the help you can acquire."

"Good to hear. Now let's get moving."

Wingroot dug in his bag for his new piece of human equipment.

Lock put his head in his hands. "Great. Bad enough you had to humiliate us, but now you're stealing our gear? That's just great." He sighed. "At least that means we'll have decent equipment. You wouldn't happen to have an M16 in that bag, would you?"

"Quiet human, I am trying to "make a call," as it were." Wingroot answered. "Phalanx, do you hear my words? This is Flockleader Wingroot."

"I can show you how to use that..." Lock offered.

"I am more than capable of handling it myself," Wingroot growled before beginning to press random buttons.

****************

A dread guard entered Castle Canterlot's main throne room.

"Great master, you have summoned me?"

The dark form of Lord Hircus materialized in front of him. "Yes. I have felt death touch my sons at the dungeons. Something, someone is opposing my will. Take your forces and eliminate whoever is the cause."

"Yes, my lord. It will be done immediately."

*****************

Phalanx and Gilda held a pattern over Castle Canterlot. The blue pillar of dark energy continued to send forth a steady stream of ancient soldiers from inside its seemingly infinite maw.

"So you think everything the pandragon said was true?" Gilda asked her companion.

"If we truly have made a grave mistake, I feel a fool for not realizing it sooner. We have been lied to, hopelessly caught up in a centuries-old torrent of deceit!"

"But... the whole world? Does he really plan on-"

"Gilda, these skies could have ears. We'll talk about it later. For now, we have a mission. Vhesk needs a power source of immense magical energy. If there is one to be found, it will be in the Canterlot vault. According to the royal library, it is where items of untold power have been stored for centuries by the princesses themselves."

Phalanx's cobbled together radio began to crackle to life.

..."My lord, it is I, Wingroot. I have single talonly managed to get this infernal device of Vhesk's working. I can report that we have freed all of the human and Equestrian prisoners from the main dungeons. We are proceeding to the armory to rearm and prepare for the coming battle."...

Phalanx pressed a large mismatched button on his radio. "Excellent. Inform them of the situation."

..."They already are."...

"How so?"

...."Seems Lord Vhesk had allies in the upper workings of the council even before now. The old griffin commander Veltor is here."...

"The traitor?"

...."That's what the council called him anyway. Apparently, he uncovered this plot long ago, and warned Vhesk of the danger."...

"Commander Veltor planed this?"

..."Indeed, the old man set our plans in motion before we even made them."...

"Very well."

Sounds of shuffling could be heard coming through the radio.

..."Well hi there, Phalanx wasn't it? It's your favorite nemesis."... The voice could be heard groaning through the com channel. ..."It's me, General Locklear Here. I should have figured you'd be behind this. Fate seems to be forcing me to team up with everyone I hate today. Now then, I expect you have a plan to get us all out of here alive?"...

"Indeed, though it is not my plan."

...."Don't bother wasting the time explaining. I'm not sure I want to hear it over the radio. Hint, hint."....

"Oh, yes. Can you return the device to Flockleader Wingroot?"

..."Sure, whatever you say..."...

..."I am here, my lord. May ask a favor of you? We will need assistance to take the armory. Can you route some friendly forces our way?"...

"That is just what I was about to tell you. A friend of mine is on his way to assist you now."

..."Just a friend, my lord? Do you not mean friends?"...

"He will be all that you need. Anything more would tip off Hircus's armies and I have dragon-lift battle wagons at the ready if you require them. May fortune smile upon you, flockleader."

..."Thank you, my lord. I wish the same for you. You have not failed us, Praetor. I wish to remind you of that. I will trust your judgment, no matter how odd it may sound. We will begin now."...

"Very good. I will leave you to your work." Phalanx placed his radio back in a pocket in his combat harness.

Gilda shook her head. "This is nuts! Didn't the big bad king himself shack up in the castle?! You know, just a few miles away from where we're headed?!"

"Lord Hircus was last seen there, yes. We just need to work quickly before he catches wind of all of this."

*****************

Wingroot, Bronze Leaf, General Highlander, and a small force comprising of Flock HeartWing and the escaped prisoners waited in the shadows near the entrance to the Canterlot Central Armory of the Grand Army of Equestria. A small team of blue, seething guards stood watch. Having being converted for use by the alliance military, the tables beside them were covered with both Equestrian and Liberation Alliance weaponry.

"So what's the plan?" Lock whispered to Wingroot.

"Simple. They believe me to be on their side. I will use this to my advantage." Wingroot confidently strode out of the shadows.

"Stop. What is your business here, griffin?"

Wingroot didn't skip a beat. "I am Warden Tacticus! I am tasked to keep watch over this facility! What is your business here?!"

One of the guards glowed much brighter than usual. "Fool! Did you think you could hide from my gaze?"

Wingroot froze in his tracks.

"I see through my sons and daughters! You are not of my loyal followers, traitor! I know what you are trying to do! Warriors, slay this turncoat!" The guard returned to normal and pointed his weapon at the griffin flockleader, along with all of the others.

Surrounded, Wingroot put his talons in the air. "This plan did not proceed as I'd hoped. Guess it will be plan b then."

"Take 'em!" Locklear yelled from the shadows. HeartWing flock burst from the darkness, weapons blazing. Wingroot took advantage of the sudden confusion to blast the lead guard with two bursts from his mini-bolt caster, then rolled over to one of the weapons tables.

"A chain caster! Ancestors be praised!" While HeartWing covered him with suppressing bolt-fire, Wingroot loaded the large shoulder-mounted fire-bolt caster. "Now we see who the true warriors are!" He opened up with the large weapon, quickly spreading the continued fire from the caster through the ranks of Hircus's guards.

"They have Reinforcements!" one of the HeartWing troops called down to its leader. "Strange. They don't appear to be carrying weapons, sir!"

A new team of Hircan troops dashed into the room in a row by row combat formation. The reinforcements, a team of dark seething rams, griffins, and pandragon minors, held up their hooves, talons, and claws, and let loose with blasts of raw dimensional energy. The first volley managed to claim one of the HeartWing warriors, burning through his combat harness completely. The second volley came within inches of taking WingRoot's head.

"Don't just stand there and let them destroy us! Return fire!" WingRoot ordered.

A HeartWing soldier tossed a magma orb into the incoming Hircan troopers. "Die abominations!" The orb sent the Hircan troops diving for cover behind another set of armory tables.

"Now's our chance!" Bronze Leaf yelled. "Secure a weapon before they reorganize!" The prisoners, human and Equestrian charged into the room, grabbing as many tools of destruction as they could.

Locklear leapt from his cover and dived for one of the weapons tables. Making sure he didn't expose anything other than his hand, he grabbed the nearest weapon and pulled it down. With energy blasts zipping overhead, the general frantically tried to ready the strange weapon. A HeartWing griffin ducked behind the same table the General used for cover.

"That's a GR-3. Nice model. Allow me." He pulled a lever on the caster down and to the left. "Now, to battle!" The griffin swooped into the air and dive-bolted the line of energy infantry as the general looked on.

"Right." The general popped his neck. "To battle." He jumped up from behind his cover and unloaded a full belt clip of fire-bolts into attacking Hircan forces, breaking their lines, but drawing their fire. Locklear ducked as energy blasts singed the weapons table above, igniting a small fire.

"Great. This place is about to go up!" He made a run for it as ammo crates full of fire-bolts and explosive Equestrian arrows detonated, filling the entire room with smoke.

"The weapons caches are on fire! Get back!" Bronze Leaf called out from somewhere within the smoke.

The two opposing sides quickly began to back up as multiple explosions rung out through the large chamber.

Lock and Bronze regrouped with the other escapees on one side. "The room's filling up with smoke, but we can't backtrack!" Bronze warned.

"Ideas?!" Lock questioned.

Wingroot emerged from the smoke, violently coughing. He took a moment to recollect himself as more energy blasts struck their cover. "I have a suggestion!" he coughed again. "We go up! Does anyone have a concentrated power weapon?!"

"I do!" a human marine with an Equestrian JSL answered.

"Attack the ceiling human! Bring it down or we'll be trapped here!" WingRoot ordered.

The human marine held up the over-sized explosive arrow launcher and hastily pointed it at the highest point of the room.

"Simmons, shoot it already!" Locklear shouted.

"I can't find the trigger. sir!" the marine yelled back.

"It's the stem with the latch on it!" Bronze Leaf called out from behind cover as he took sporadic shots with an Earthfantry bow.

The marine did what came naturally and put the newly found bit trigger in his teeth, then bit down on it. The massive projectile careened into the large cavernous ceiling above the armory, setting off a cascading set of blasts throughout the entire chamber.

"Not again!" another marine groaned. "What's with this place and collapsing caves?!"

Locklear, Bronze Leaf, and Wingroot fled back into the detention area along with the other escaped soldiers as the caves finally gave way and came down on top of the attacking Hircan forces.

A piercing white light filled the caves through a hole to the surface. Bronze Leaf averted his eyes. "It's... the sun! It was night when I was captured! This is a good omen!" Everyone turned their heads, their eyes having been long adjusted to the darkness.

An Equestrian solider turned to Bronze Leaf as they both shielded their eyes. "Sir, does that mean the princesses have been rescued?"

Wingroot clenched one of his talons. "Yes and no. They escaped to the world of the humans."

"You lie, griffin. How has the sun risen if the princesses are not here?" Bronze Leaf questioned the griffin flockleader.

Wingroot shrugged. "Do not ask me. I know very little about such things."

Locklear checked the debris for signs of Hircan survivors, then shouldered his fire-bolt caster. "Perhaps it simply rose all on its own? You know, with gravity and all?"

"It is no matter! If what Hircus said through that soldier was true, we will have an entire brigade on our heels in a few moments! I suggest we vacate the premises! Now!"

"And I suggest we use the hole in the ceiling," Bronze Leaf added. "Stallions, Mares. By show of hooves, how many flight-ready pegasai are with us?"

Seven or so pegasai raised their hooves.

"Alright, get ready to-"

..."HeartWing, this is Vhesk! Scouts are telling me there is a large force of Hircan warriors gathering at Fortress Canterlot! You have approximately ten minutes before they reach you! Oh, and we have eyes on Lord Hircus himself! Strange. He's not heading toward you..."...

"Thank you- whoever you are, but we'll take care of it." Locklear jumped up on top of a large piece of the cavern wreckage. "Alright, listen up! We need griffins and pegasai to begin lifting our operatives to the surface! One by one if you have to!"

Wingroot narrowed his gaze. "And how did you get in charge of this force, human?"

"You want to argue, or you want to live? I'm technically the highest ranking officer here anyway!" Lock answered.

"So you are now familiar with our ranking system then?" Wingroot questioned.

Locklear rolled his eyes. "Enemy troops are getting closer by the seconds! You really want to do this now?!"

Wingroot sighed. "I'm in command, but I will let you take point in this matter. HeartWing, pegasai, do as he says! Begin lifting the non-flyers to the surface!"

Everyone turned their heads as a lone griffin made his way from the detention area. Veltor noticed all of the eyes that were suddenly upon him as he stepped into the light.

"What? Did I miss something?"

**************

Phalanx and Gilda landed at the entrance of a large unassuming structure several miles south of Castle Canterlot.

Gilda touched down first. "Is this the place? It doesn't look very important."

"Then it is doing its job. Come, the entrance is on the roof."

..."Praetor. It is I, Vhesk here. You're elite warriors have done well. I just received reports that they are escaping with the prisoners into the Canterlot "Old Quarter" district, though this comes with very- negative news."...

"Out with it, Vhesk. We have a mission to continue," the praetor growled.

..."I'm sorry, my lord, but I've just received information that Hircus's pillar is increasing in size! It has already enveloped our entire central base at New Vertaigh! At the rate and direction it is increasing, Gryphonii, Terodai, and Kas'vernan are next if we can't stop it! My lord, Hircus is making his move!"...

"Then we make ours. How long until you can be ready to activate this device of yours?"

...."I am ready, praetor. All I need is a power source. An amulet, rune, or anything that once possessed great magical power."....

"Didn't the IMP neutralize magic in this part of the region?"

..."I said, once possessed, didn't I? I only require a relic that can focus the dimensional energies. It doesn't have to be magically active."...

"Very well. Gilda and I are about to enter the vault. We will find a relic for you to use."

...."Many thanks. By the way, praetor, that mysterious "friend" you contacted wasn't needed at the prisons, so he is en-route to give you assistance should you need it."....

Gilda raised an eyebrow. "Who exactly is this guy they keep mentioning?"

Phalanx clicked off his radio. "A warrior that I trained beside. I'll explain later, Gilda. I promise." He reengaged the radio. "Thank you, Vhesk. We will be done here shortly."

..."Define shortly."...

"I'd say about-"

The air stirred up again with a touch of frost. Silence reigned as the world seemed to come to a halt around Phalanx and Gilda, and a dark seething energy began to surge.

"So, the leader of this coup is none other than my very own champion. A pity, you would have done well to stand by my side. The power of the realm between realms could have been given to you as a reward."

"Hircus."

"Very little escapes my sight, fallen son. Though I am at a loss as to why you hath betrayed me so quickly. What has that pandragon whelp told you that has you so worried?"

"I know what you intend to do. The council made its last mistake ordering your release."

"Indeed they did. The fools claim authority, but have none. I have them now, along with all of thy great armies. Now, you haven't answered my question. What have they told you?!"

"It doesn't matter, because we all know you are not the real Lord Hircus. The real Lord Hircus stood for honor and justice! The real Dread Lord was dread only to those who fought for prejudice and foolish superiority! Your approaching freedom is really nothing more than an eternal void. You would enslave us all! You are no better than those you claimed were tyrants!"

"You knew this, but you summoned me anyway? You contradict yourself. You will tell me why."

"Well I-" Phalanx stopped.

"You do not know! Ha ha haaaa! What are you fighting for, fool?! What purpose have you?! For what reason do you do such things?!'"

Phalanx turned to take a quick glace at Gilda. "Because I will stop at nothing to give my kind a better life! Just like those you once served beside during the ancient wars! I believed you were like the great lord of legend! The one that stood for freedom, not senseless conquest!"

"Senseless conquest? Then now you will die as one I have conquered!"

..."Phalanx? Gilda? Praetor, are you still there?"....

"Not now Vhesk," Phalanx spoke without breaking eye contact with the beast before him.

..."Scouts have pinpointed Lord Hircus himself near your location!"....

"Oh really?"

..."Yes! I suggest you flee immediately!"...

"That is no longer an option for them, flying swine. Soon, I will be visiting you as well!"

..."Oh dear. *click* "....

"Now, shall we finish our business here? If so, then I believe the time has come for your final words."

Gilda stared down the enormous dark king. "Last words? Really? You really are ancient."

"Ha ha! You two bring great amusement! You will make great companions for Lord Discord's family in the afterlife!" A surge of energy gathered around Hircus's horns. He stepped toward the two griffins. "Now, about those final words!"

"Wooo hoooo!" a voice called out from above.

"By the blood of the ancients-"

A ram straddling a large pandragon mount with a battle wagon secured underneath roared in from the glare of the sun. "Here's some words for ya! Die, freak show!" The pandragon and the heavy alliance vehicle below it crashed directly into the dark king, creating a massive plume of dust and flying debris.

As the dust began to settle, Gilda stared in amazement. "What just hapen-"

The ram stumbled out of the cloud of dust and held a hoof in the air. "Wait for it..."

The battle wagon's heavy-bolt ammunition detonated in all directions, sending multiple blasts into the surrounding area.

The ram put his hoof down. "I'd brought the dragon-lift battle wagon to help the prisoners, but I see you needed it more! Let's go! The rest of the free Caprastian forces are waiting just over the hill!"

"I- I-" Gilda stuttered. "Who are you?!"

Phalanx kept the ram from stumbling to the ground. "He's the only ram fool enough to ride a pandragon into battle! My old friend Berhal! It has certainly been a while! I'm afraid we have not time to catch up, as we need to find a relic and leave! Preferably now!"

"What about this? Our friend there dropped it." The ram held up a black onyx crown. "Will this do?"

The wreckage began to stir.

Phalanx grabbed the crown. "It will have to!"

The two griffins grabbed the ram by the shoulders and tore into the air.

Phalanx grabbed his radio with his spare talons. "Vhesk, do you hear?! Prepare your machine! We are on our way!"

..."I hear! We are already prepared!"...

The dark king's armies swarmed in from all directions to come to their king's aid. Dark blasts hurled past the escaping griffins and their Caprastian savior.

"Vhesk, we are making a break for it! Gather every single free solider and civilian we have left! We won't have long to make our escape!"

..."In that case, I bring some good news this time! Hircus didn't bother with most of the civilians! There are thousands of confused alliance citizens and Equestrians that have already gathered around to see the pillar! We are bringing them underground as we speak!"

Phalanx ducked to avoid an incoming blast. "Excellent! We will meet you in the caves as soon as we can! Protect the civilians at all costs!"

..."I understand! We will be waiting!"....

**************

Commander Stuart entered Dr. Harrison's office. "Can you make this quick? The North Dakota is leaving port at King's Bay in three hours and I'd rather not be left behind on my own mission."

Harrison looked up from his paperwork. "If you're out searching for more anomalies, you might not have to go far. Take a look at these." He handed the commander a manila folder filled with spread sheets and data tables.

"What's this? More sensor results?"

"Anomalous readings. Funny thing is, the array is still completely offline and the next natural anomaly isn't for two weeks."

"I'm going to assume you have some kind of theory for this?" Stuart suggested.

"No, and that's what worries me. First the array cracks to life completely unexplained, then we get anomalous readings without any actual anomalies appearing."

"I can see why that would be frightening, but what exactly do you want me to do?"

"I want you to tell Admiral Gates to keep that sub of his near the coast. I get the feeling he won't have to go very far to find some answers to all of this."

"I'll ask very politely. Is that all?"

"Yes." Stuart put his hands on his head in exhaustion.

"I take it you didn't get much sleep last night."

Stuart chuckled.

"Heh. Things are getting a bit too weird around here for that."

****************

Liberation Alliance Central Command Requisition File #305: Leviathan Class Airships

Few objects in our history have been as intimidating as the sight of a Leviathan Airship rising over the horizon. Based on the magnificent land based warships from our ancient past, griffin airships form the strong arm of the alliance fleet. The original design was developed in conjunction between the Griffin and Caprastian states, in what was actually the first joint operation between our two nations in the last two centuries. The very first of the class was serial number LAAS 0001, The Reckoning, of which the keel was laid more than thirty years ago. Boasting twelve heavy magma orb main cannons in four turrets, and more than three hundred fire-bolt caster deck turrets for defense against flying adversaries, this prototype airship is easily the single most powerful ship in the entire Liberation Alliance fleet. The ship itself is twice the size of the more common behemoth class airships, and was built to be a city-crushing, world-beating dreadnought. The bridge tower, which is slanted backward at an eighty-three degree angle for aerodynamic efficiency, is a proud symbol of Liberation Alliance strength and engineering spirit.

Though its power was unquestioned, Reckoning has never fired its weapons in anger. The amount of water required to create enough red cloud matter was impractical at best, and bankrupting at worst. Small lakes were drained to fuel the ship's massive vapor engines and create enough of cloud matter to keep the vessel positively buoyant. Eventually, these gross figures became too much for the early alliance military to afford. The vessel was mothballed and is currently berthed at Lake Avio in the griffin capital city of Gryphonii. Recently, talks have begun regarding the possible refitting and recommissioning of this massive ship.

Personnel: A Look Into The Backgrounds Of Our Operatives

A/N

I don't have a new chap for you guys at the moment, so I though I would put some of the future "factoids" together into a crew dossier for the more hard core fans of the story. It's not a new chapter, but it'll give you something to read at least. No spoilers or anything. They're just some background files I found in Dr. Harrison's desk. Enjoy!

-Lynolius

P.S. Please don't kill me. Black Sun, Red Moon -Part IV- is on it's way.

Record holder’s note: Dear potential reader,

The following entries are not current, and have yet to be updated. All information herein is to be considered potentially void. Forthcoming information may change this data at another time.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Personnel and Psychological Profile #11: Captain Lenard Greene

To those that knew him before his more recent exploits, the seeds of heroism in Lenard Greene were not especially obvious. Having failed in a bout with college life, and a dismal high school life before it, no one really expected him to achieve anything beyond mediocrity. However, after taking an ASVAB exam on a whim, another door opened for the young man. After deciding to enlist in the Air Force, Greene tested well in physical resistance, specifically to air sickness and g-forces. This was perhaps his saving grace from having a similar experience as his educational career, as was his natural skill, which was intensely hated among his peers. Many aspiring pilots in his group found themselves losing their lunches while the plucky young pilot survived the “trials” with flying colors.

After his squadron was deployed to Laos during the South-East Asian Insurrection just three years ago, Greene found himself in actual air combat against imported Ex-Soviet fighters, and scored his first confirmed air-to-air kill, only the second of the brief engagement. However, after an unfortunate lapse in judgment that would haunt him for years, Greene returned to the states to fly patrols for the newly created Anomalous Energy Event Team, under the direction of Dr. Marcus Harrison. As one of the few pilots with actual combat experience, many felt that Greene’s involvement with AEE was a gross waste of his talents.

Intelligent, easygoing, and generally considerate of others, Greene is a valuable asset to any team, and a very skilled pilot. Having volunteered to lead the upcoming transanomaly flight, the first manned flight trough and anomalous energy event, Greene was promoted the rank of Captain, and now awaits the mission that could change his career, and his life, forever.

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #767: Arch-Sergeant Sky Blade. (ERP)

A veteran of the Equestrian Military and Royal Guard, Sergeant Sky Blade was just 17 when he first saw combat during the Hoofston attacks by the secret cult of ponies disloyal to the throne, know as The Banded. Having seen the more violent underbelly of Equestrian Society that most never see, the then inexperienced soldier survived guerrilla attacks and sieges with only his own wits to depend on. After a particular engagement, in which he and four surviving members of his squad held back an entire hit team of Banded operatives from taking Hoofston Capital building.

Just a few days later, he and each of his squad mates received "The Star of Equus," a medal of the highest honor in the Equestrian Military, in a ceremony presided over by Princess Celestia herself. In light of his service, he was offered the position of Royal Guard, a rare occurrence for an earth pony. In fact, his induction into the guard was a major step for the pro-earth pony movement. He gladly accepted and has been stationed in the royal city of Canterlot ever since, protecting the land in countless engagements and creating a more earth pony friendly mindset for the nation at large.

Sky Blade has proven to be selfless and brave, even in the most dire situations, and more than just a capable solider. He carries the rank of Arch-Sergeant, an Equestrian rank with no specific correlation with human rank, and can be put in command of a variance of strike forces and operations teams at any notice.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Personnel and Psychological Profile #12: 1st Lieutenant Gerrianna Reed.

Having a privileged upbringing from the very start, Gerrianna Reed, or “Gerri” as she typically goes by, could have pursued many more prestigious careers then military service. That being said, her family was not entirely supportive of her choice, and Reed was more or less forced to leave her home much earlier than would have been expected. Because of this, Gerri became fiercely independent, and uses this as her motivation to serve the Air Force and her country faithfully.

Once considered for the world famous Thunderbirds demonstration team, Reed’s talents as a pilot are not to be disputed. As an extra step in the typically overachieving young woman’s career, Reed trained to fly both fixed-wing aircraft and most helicopter configurations, and has proven to be proficient in both roles. Though she never saw actual combat during the Insurrection, she did fly reconnaissance sweeps before the fighting began.

Strong willed, and very sure of herself and her decisions, Lieutenant Reed is an ideal leader and well learned pilot in a variety of roles.

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #12497 Corporal Star Sabre (PGS)

Few things matter to Corporal Star Sabre more than being a solider. After seeing his home town of Hoofston disintegrate under the attacks of The Banded, Star Sabre wanted nothing more but to wreak havoc on those that all but destroyed his home. As a young colt, he met the gallant Private Sky Blade, who with a rag-tag group of other soldiers, saved the city from total annihilation. Aspiring to be just like his childhood hero, Star Sabre enlisted into the Equestrian military as soon as he came of age, though by then fighting was long over.

Though he could not fight for the crown, Star Sabre trained endless for the day when he would. A trained marks-stallion and a soldier of unyielding loyalty, Star Sabre wants nothing more than to prove himself worthy of his mentor and childhood here, the now Sergeant Sky Blade, and would later earn a place on the royal guard for his commitment.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Personnel and Psychological Profile #13: 2nd Lieutenant Michael Kaiser.

Anyone that has ever met Lieutenant Kaiser has come back in a good mood. Considered to be very outgoing and humorous, (sometimes to the dismay of others around him,) it is believed that Kaiser carries physiological trauma of some kind that he actively suppresses with humor as a coping mechanism. Though the nature of this trauma is unknown, it may be linked to Kaiser’s very first deployment to South-East Asia during the Insurrection, in which he was shot down by enemy fighters while defending a task force of American marines. Kaiser was rescued by that very same task force two days later, but has refused to tell anyone of what happened, even to this very day. Determined not to let those events, whatever they were, break his spirit, Kaiser has adopted a very joking personality that usually serves to act as comedic relief for those he serves with.

Despite being shot down that day, Kaiser is still considered to be a fine pilot. Much like his then soon to be squadron-mate Lieutenant Reed, Kaiser is trained in both fixed wing and rotor bases aircraft, including the V-22 Osprey, in which he has shown much affection for. After returning home from the combat overseas, Kaiser was signed on with the fledgling AEE Team flight patrols to hunt down the elusive “Anomalous Energy Events” that had begun to appear around the south-east coast of the United States. He’d hoped this would be a more peaceful position.

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #274925 Private Crescent Skies (UNC)

Young, green, and a bit naive, Private Crescent Skies joined the Equestrian armed forces for no reason other than to do something with his time. Though he legitimately cares for his position, he has quite a long way to go before he can truly prove himself to be an asset to this army. That being said, the young private has shown enough physical prowess and magic potential to gain the attention of the AOD Clandestine Sect. as a possible candidate for special enlistment, though whether that will happen remains to be seen.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Personnel and Psychological Profile #49 Sergeant Steven Mace.

Steven Mace’s upbringing in the rural southern region of the United States, specifically the suburbs around Anniston Alabama, has left him with a strong set of morals and ethics, as well as an almost nonexistent and unofficial ”code of honor” which he seems to apply to everything from combat to everyday life. Though, quiet, reserved, and even a bit shy at times, Mace is no rookie, having served in both the war in the Middle-East, as well as a lengthy tour of duty through the war-torn military states of South-East Asia during the Insurrection, during which he was severely wounded.

Though he would be the last to boast, he has survived some of the worst war zones and environmental conditions the world has to offer, from the exasperatingly arid desserts of Iraq and Afghanistan, to the vermin infested jungles of Laos, Vietnam, and North Korea.

At 6’ 9” and 230 pounds, Sergeant Mace is a very imposing figure, and has a habit of unintentionally intimidating others around him. Though mentally tough and battle hardened, not even the grueling crucible of marine corps training could completely erase Mace’s naturally caring nature, though no one would dare say that to his face. Having long proven his value as a soldier and an inspiration to his fellows, it is no wonder that Mace is slotted to travel into the Anomalous Realm onboard NASA’s Transanomaly Shuttle Capsule (TSC), should Captain Greene and Intrepid-Sparrow Flight need any assistance.

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #257830 Major Classified (Pony Type, you guessed it, classified.)

As a high ranking agent in the legendary black ops team known as "Affairs of Darkness" (AOD,) most of Major Classified's background, service history, and current assignments, are- well, classified. Be that as it may, the major, or "Classy" as his teammates have been known to call him, is a highly trained tactician, solider, spy, and any other type of operative that anypony could possibly want. The only publicly known operation he was a part of was a mission to thwart an assassination attempt on Prince Blueblood, the royal nephew of Princess Celestia. The assassination attempt, which was rumored to be a Banded operation, was also believed to be part of a larger campaign meant to destroy the entire royal family from within. Because of this, the shadowy agent is one of the few individuals that the prince considers a friend, and it is possible that Blueblood uses his influence to aid him with insider information from the very top of the Equestrian Hierarchy.

Though his current location is- well, you get the idea, we do know that he is out there somewhere, defending the kingdom from threats most will never even know about.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Personnel and Psychological Profile #2 Commander Mason Stuart

As a co-founder of the Anomalous Energy Event Team alongside Dr. Marcus Harrison, Commander Stuart has known of the strange “Anomalous Energy Events” or simply “anomalies,” longer than the vast majority of the military and civilian population, and was one of the first to study them. Because of the strange tendency for the first anomalies to appear in bizarre or restricted locales around the world, the commander was given a position as chief science officer aboard the USS North Dakota, a brand new and extremely advanced model of the cutting edge Virginia Class of submarines.

The sub was refitted with the best sensor suites and scientific equipment available, and sent off on a clandestine mission to observe and study anomalies wherever they might form, including the coasts of countries considered enemies or non-allies of the United States. After multiple failed attempts to fully scan an anomaly, Stuart would go on to conclude that they could not be studied fully from the ground or sea, and was the first to suggest the famous “Anomaly Patrols” that would later be the first to fully study the singularities that had evaded him so long. After that first data came in, the AEE began to design prototype devices that could potentially manipulate the energies emitted by anomalies, and is currently overseeing the construction of a massive array of sensors and emitters known as the “ACSD” array. The true purpose of this undertaking is still classified.

A true scientist at the heart, Commander Stuart is often seen as overzealous about his work, but is known to be dependable and very hard working, even to the point of exhausting himself.

Affairs of Darkness Department Clandestine Sect. Character Evaluation File #6 Prince Blueblood. (UNC. Possible ACN)

As the nephew of Princess Celestia, and possible heir to the throne, Prince Blueblood has the authority to command Equestrian Troops and has received basic officer training. Though he comes off as a bit conceited and pushy at times, he has been known to show legitimate skill in the art of formulating plans, and can be a skilled tactician if given the chance. Raised in the sheltered world of the Canterlot high society, Blueblood has been almost completely spared of the horrors of crime, poverty, and disease, and as a result of this, he has developed the sense of entitlement of a king, and is not afraid to show it.

As a royal, there is always a considerable amount of ponies, (as well as those of other races,) that wish to do him harm, as attacking Princess Celestia or her newly arrived sister Princess Luna would most certainly be suicide. Of course, Blueblood's status as prince has not only attracted the attention of assassins and ransomers, but of the civilian population as well, and the young prince has become something of a romantic fantasy for almost every mare and filly across the land. However, years of paparazzi attacks and multiple attempts on his life have left the royal stallion with a cold attitude toward anypony he doesn't know implicitly, and he has been known to revert into a protective emotional shell of arrogance when nervous, even around those he cares about.

Chapter Thirty: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part IV- The End of the Beginning

A/N

Heroes and Allies has a TV Tropes page! Read it! Add stuff! Profit! Well, not really.

Celestia and Luna stared down at a large camera at an undisclosed location.

"Six times," Luna commented. "Perhaps something has befallen them?"

Celestia turned to her sister. "Possibly. I'll give it one more try."

______________

A rather annoying sound echoed through the walls of the crate.

"Go ahead, lieutenant. I think you might want to pick it up," Greene suggested.

Mike nodded. "Got it cap, linking us into a private chat... done."

The large center screen lit up with the faces of the two royal sisters.

..."Greetings all. It is good to see you all again. I hope we weren't interrupting any-".... Celestia lifted an eyebrow. ..."Why is Twilight sleeping on a pile of books?"....

Everyone turned to the once again unconscious unicorn.

Greene spoke up. "She's had a bit of a rough night... and day for that matter. Apparently she's been diving into her research head first. Including her arrival here, I don't think she's slept in three days."

..."Could you wake her? This is rather important,"... Celestia suggested.

"We tried. Have you ever seen her like this before?" Lime Tree questioned.

Celestia smiled as if recalling a fond memory. ..."The day Twilight first gained access to the Royal Canterlot Central Library she stayed up for four days... and she was a filly then. My student must be losing her touch."...

Kaiser chucked. "What, did you guys not have beds back then? That's ridiculous."

..."Indeed. Allow me to remedy this situation. *Ahem* TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"...

Twilight jumped a full three feet into the air. "I didn't enchant the doll! I swear it! Please don't send me back to magic kindergarten!" She took stock of her surroundings and turned red as a beet. "Oh. Hi there, princesses."

Luna chuckled. ..."Welcome back to the land of the living, student. You may wish to partake in the consumption of a "double-caffee-mocha-late". It is a fine human brew that has done wonders for my disposition."...

Pinkie hopped into the air and prepared to gallop away. "Ooh! I'll do ya one better! I just put in a new batch of enercakes in the oven underground! I'll be right back!"

Celestia shrugged. ..."I suppose we could wait for her to-"....

"Back! Here ya go Twilight!" Pinkie shoved four of the quite literally sparking treats into the drowsy unicorn's mouth. Twilight's hair spiked upward as if she'd just been the lucky recipient of several thousand volts of electricity, then settled back down with an audible poof.

"Wow," Twilight coughed out a puff of smoke. "That... That was... *cough* interesting. What did you say was in these?"

Pinkie put a hoof to her chin in contemplation. "Flour, sugar, water, raw guarana, more sugar...."

"I'll take your word for it," Twilight interrupted. "I'm sorry about this, princesses. We won't interrupt you again," Twilight added with a sharp eyebrow to those around her.

..."Nonsense! You lot are quite amusing,"... Luna laughed.

..."Good to see you haven't lost your gift for hijinks," Celestia added. "Now, sit down. There is quite a lot to-"...

Discord strode into the Crate. "Celly! Lulu! It's been quite a while since I've seen my two favorite duarchical overlords! How have you been? What are you up to?"

Celestia sighed. ..."Discord, it's been three days."....

"Well, being frozen in stone for a millennia makes you impatient. But hey, you still didn't answer my question! What's up, Cello? Ha. Cello. Because that would be spelled just like- never mind. So what's with the little dinner party in here?"

...."I do not believe that happens to be any of your business,"... Luna answered.

"Testy. Ah. I like that side of you. You wouldn't happen to be telling a certain story, now would you?"

Celestia groaned. ..."And if we are?"...

"If you are, you'll need me to fill in all the spots you're bound to intentionally leave out!"

...."Is there a point to this? Find some other way to amuse yourself,"... Celestia growled.

"Oh, but I brought a guest!"

Discord pointed to a cloaked figure waiting just outside the crate. The figure stepped into the light and removed her hood. "It is good to see you all again! I had hoped that I would find a friend!"

"Zecora?!" Twilight and her friends shouted all at once.

Kaiser leaned toward Greene. "What's with the slant-rhyming zebra?"

Lenard shrugged. "I dunno. I'm along for the ride on this one."

Twilight turned to the group of human comrades. "Guys, this is Zecora. She's been there for us when we needed her, several times. She lives- lived out in the Everfree Forest."

Gerri nodded. "Nice to meet you, Zecora."

"Yeah," Mace began "I went through Everfree twice now. Both times it was a vermin-infested and enemy-infiltrated mess. How'd you get out?"

"A time to tell, a time to know. A darkness rises, a foe does grow. "

Applejack scratched her head. "Well, uh, we're mighty glad ta see ya made it."

"Yeah," Rainbow added. "You here to hear the story too?"

"I've come to hear and speak as well, for I myself have a tale to tell."

"That's why I brought her!" Discord cheered. "Stories for everypony! Well, that and the fact that nothing's on. Seriously. We should consider upgrading to cable at least."

..."Ahem.".... Everyone turned back to the screen, where an especially irked Celestia waited for attention. ..."I'm sure that's fine and dandy, but regretfully, we're on a tight schedule. Shall we begin?"...

"Oh, sorry princess." Twilight sheepishly rubbed her neck. "Go ahead. We're ready."

Celestia and Luna traded unsure looks.

..."Very well."...

Chapter Thirty: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part IV- The End of the Beginning

"Just a few years after the great war between the old kingdom and the Caprastian Empire came to a close, tensions began to mount amongst those who were meant to fight as allies..."

"As ancient ancestors of our kind vied for control of our world, there could be no quarter given and or taken for the victorious and the defeated. Paranoia became the bane of both our nation and our world's existence..."

A large procession made its way into the Eclipstrian capital city of Everfree. The procession rounded a corner and stopped in the center of the local village. A regally dressed unicorn climbed onto a barrel of Eclipstrian brandy to address the local denizens. Everypony began to turn their heads in curiosity.

"Citizens of our glorious kingdom, we have found a traitor among our ranks!" The unicorn motioned for a nearby guard to reveal the prisoner, a young mare in her early adult years. "This mare- let me see... Appleflower, was found consorting with known enemies of the crown!"

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

"Furthermore, we have witnesses that claim she has done so on multiple occasions, in direct defiance of our king and queen!"

The crowd released a louder gasp.

"A hearing will be held by King Soltaire and Queen Noctau themselves at sunset tonight! Our glorious leaders are sure to bring a just end to this wretch! After which, I will personally lead a crusade to expose and eliminate these criminals!"

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves as the unicorn stepped down and lead the procession toward Castle Everfree. Far above, a lone Caprastian ram watched from the top floor of an abandoned stone building, his long bow poised to make a killing shot. He sighed and lowered it.

"No. Not here. Not now. I can't risk harming you, my love."

A pandragon minor crept into the ram's hiding spot. "Vance, this is madness! We'll be killed if just one of them sees us!"

"Quiet, Haangar! Do you wish us dead!?"

"No, my lord, but our Emperor wishes you alive! You are his most trusted lieutenant now. You cannot gallivant off like this if you wish to retain you position!"

"And what would you have me do?" Vance spoke with raw malice. " I refuse to leave her to these jackals!"

"She is of their kind. If you had any sense, you would leave her to her fate!"

Vance angrily back-hoofed the insolent pandragon minor, who immediately realized his mistake. "My apologies, my lord! I was quite out of line."

"Go tell our emperor that I am doing what I believe is right. If that is not right in his eyes, I do not wish to be his lieutenant."

"Fine. I shall go." The pandragon began to crawl away as to stay out of sight of the townsponies below. "Refrain from doing anything foolish, Lord Vance."

The ram turned without a word, and the minor disappeared into a back alley.

"The only thing foolish to happen today, was the ponies placing themselves between me and you, my love."

He drew an arrow from his quiver, then lined it up with a large ceramic jar precariously placed on a railing above the regal unicorn still moving up the street..

The desperate Caprastian soldier sighed exhaustively.

"The things I do for those I love."

He released the arrow.

********"Wait! Wait! Wait!"*******

Everpony turned to Twilight. "Where did the dragons come from? They weren't part of the story when you left off."

Discord chuckled and shook his head. "Tisk, tisk, Celestia. You've been holding out on our friends here! You mean to tell me you haven't even told them the back story's back story?"

Mace turned to the more chaotic of the listeners. "Yes, she has. She told us all about the kingdom being formed."

"If you think that's where it started, you've been deprived! It's my solemn duty to butt in here and reveal the truth!"

"You? Reveal truth?" Twilight questioned. "Sorry. I'm not interested in whatever you're selling."

"But I haven't even begun! Those two swirly-manes up there aren't the only long-lived demi-mortals around here! Let me spin ya a tale!"

*******************

"Way before the alicorns started battling each other and such, they were far too busy battling my kind. We were what you could call an order of chaos, the likes of which they'd never seen before..."

"An order of chaos? That's an oxymor-"

"Try to stay with me, dear. Just how did you obtain your status as the smartest unicorn around, anyway?"

"Discord..."

"Now, I didn't interrupt you when you were telling your story, Celly. I trust you will do the same?"

"Excuse me, but you hath-"

"You too, Moonbeams Magee. As I was saying again, this order of chaos was made up of draconequi who opposed the entitlement of the Alicorns, back when the sun and moon didn't follow them around like lost puppies. Back then, the powers of magic and chaos were largely misunderstood and abused. Energy flooded through the Earth like a rip tide, and anything could be made to happen if one simply devoted enough free time. I was but a child, and Celestia and Luna hadn't even been born yet. Even so, their kind was just as stubborn and order-obsessed as they would learn to be, so much later..."

Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof to her face. "Wait, wait wait! You can't do this! We're up to like four stories in one now!"

Discord shrugged. "I'm sure it'll all work out. Do try to pay attention."

**********************

A small ball of snow suddenly burst into flame. Nearby, a pair of creatures that could only be described as a menagerie of other bizarre creatures rolled into one, looked on.

"That is most impressive, son, but next time let us focus on being a little more chaotic with thy works. The others will laugh at you for that nearly orderly display."

"Orderly?! I hath made frozen water burn!"

"Yes, and this sort of inside the box thinking is certain to bring dishonor to our family for generations, if left unchecked, my son."

The young draconequus lowered his head. The father couldn't help but pat the boy's mismatched shoulder.

"I am sorry, son. I know we have all been so hard on you since we learned of your abilities, but not every chaos adept can rise to the throne and become the lord of chaos. In just a month, you will do chaotic battle with the most powerful adepts in the world, and seek your destiny. I want that for you. Your mother and all the others want you too as well. We just want to see you succeed. This is why we have called you Discord, the one who would eschew order and logic."

"I understand father. I will try harder," the young draconequus spoke in a now cheerful tone.

"Yes, now let us work on your chaos theory. Then we can..." The older draconequus paused as he caught a glimpse of something in the sky. "I have not seen the like! Son! Flee this place immediately!"

"What, father?"

"You must leave now!"

"But father, what is-"

The older draconequus began to charge chaos energy around himself to warp his now terrified looking son away, as a blinding light grew brighter in the sky.

Several other draconequi gathered in the area, as a young Discord began to disappear into thin air.

As the world began to shift around him, Discord could hear one of the draconequi yell out to his father. He could just make out a rather loud exchange.

"Bedlam! What is happening?!"

"They have finally come to destroy us all! Drive them back! We must hold our territory! For The Order!"

The world faded to white. The last thing the young draconequus could see was the face of a regal looking alabaster creature with four legs and hair of fire, descending from the sky.

********************

"Ataxia! Ataxia! We must get the children to safety!"

"Quiet! My son is reemerging from his slumber."

"Mother?" Discord took stock of his new surroundings.

"Ataxia, he does not look well."

"It was his first time traveling with chaos energy. If my husband was forced to so brutally shove him back here, it must be worse than I thought!"

"Yes, milady. Master Discord! Do you hear me? Where is your father? Discord, wake up! Your father, Bedlam! Where were you when he sent you back?!"

The world finally stopped spinning.

"Father?!" Discord shot up. "He was teaching me to use my chaos powers near the lake, just like he does every week! Mother, something was coming to get us!"

Discord's mother, Ataxia, stood back in horror. "That is nearly at the border! Why have you never told me your father took you there?!"

Discord slapped his pawed hand to his face. "Surely that was a grand mistake on my part, revealing this, but I-"

Ataxia sighed. "It hardly matters now. Turmoil, gather whoever you can. It is too late for the others."

"What is happening, mother?"

Ataxia knelt down to face her son, as distant explosions grew closer. "Do you remember what your father and I told you about the creatures called alicorns?"

"Uh huh." Discord nodded his head youthfully. "You said they use a special type of chaos called magic, right?"

"Yes. Strange looking creatures that do not appreciate our ways, and most likely never will."

"Why are you talking about them, mother? They are but fiction!"

"That is only because you have never been unfortunate enough to meet one in person."

"Is it them, mother? Are they here?"

Ataxia stood and turned her back to her son.

"Yes, and I'm afraid there is nothing we can do to stop them. Son, I'm sending you away from here. Go as far as you can and do not stop until you can no longer hear the screams of the fallen."

"But mother, what are you-"

An explosion rung out nearby, sundering an entire camp. Ataxia began to create another white field of energy around the young draconequus.

"You will understand one day. Serve the order with your life. Do not ever let them get away with this."

"What do you-"

Discord fell into the whiteness once more.

*****************

"The End!"

Everyone in the crate began to trade confused faces.

Twilight shifted her weight. "How is that the end, Discord?"

"Because the ancient alicorns destroyed everything that day. I was the only survivor! Or at least I think I am."

"But- You- That can't be it!"

"I said I had a story. I didn't say it would be as long and drawn out as the one the wavy hair sisters over there keep trying to tell you."

"Can't you at least give us an epilogue? You know, just to sum up the whole thing?"

"Oh alright."

"Ahem. In a world gone mad, the (probably) last survivor of a forgotten race will have to survive long enough to avenge his kind! That man... was Discord: The Last Forgotten Son! *Coming to a theater near you!"*

"He's been hittin' the TV hard, hasn't he?" Mace mumbled to himself.

"Our hero took on the strength of the entire Draconequuan race, to bring justice to those who destroyed it!"

Celestia lowered her head and sighed. ..."The pain begins anew."...

******************

"Before we were wiped from existence, the Draconequuan people were very much like the alicorns in one crucial aspect: we also had three up-and-coming races to watch over. Can you guess what they were? I'll give you a hint. The alicorns are a combination of the three races they protect, and so were we..."

A griffin scribe approached an armor-clad griffin hunched over a table. "Grand Praetor Kellinx. I am sorry to tell you that the Caprastians have been routed. They will not stand with us against the great destroyers."

An enraged griffin jumped from his chair. "For four-thousand years the Caprastians have enjoyed prosperity under the Draconeuquuan order! This is the thanks they give them?! Abandonment during their worst hour?!"

"They are an order no longer, my lord. If the great destroyers laid waste to our masters, we cannot stand against them. If we do not flee, the same will happen to us."

"What of the pandragons? Will they stand?"

"We have yet to hear from the pandragons. They have seemingly disappeared."

The grand praetor looked up to then empty night sky. "This is our worst nightmare realized then. Without our masters this can only go one way. We will stand for them and show our loyalty with our lives if necessary. Rally the troops. We will show the alicorns that we will not give in like the others."

"But, my lord! We will be massacred!"

The grand praetor turned over the table.

"They are coming for us anyway! Wouldn't you rather die on your terms?!"

"Sir-" Several other griffins turned to each other. "For the order, we would."

A young draconequus wearily stumbled into the room and collapsed. The grand praetor rushed to his side. "Master draconequus! Are you injured?!"

"They're gone," the young creature managed to speak.

"Then it really is meant to be the annihilation of our kind. We are with you, my lord."

"Of course you are. We have to fight back. They told me so," Discord answered as if this was a simple request.

The praetor turned to his soldiers. "Gather what we have left. Make contact with the pandragons and rams if you can. We are leaving tomorrow morning. For salvation, or death. Only time will tell."

********************

"So, what happened next?!" Rainbow demanded to know.

"We lost. Badly," Discord answered with a shrug.

"What?" everyone responded.

"You're not gonna tell us about it?" Rainbow questioned.

"Fine. That particular occurrence nearly rendered the griffins extinct, made the pandragons into xenophobic supremacists, and turned the Caprastians into barbarians for a few centuries, the alicorns made world conquest their hobby, and I had quite a while to nurture my hatred for them. What most didn't know, was that it wasn't even the full force of the alicorns that rained down on us that day. It was only the Order of the Rising Sun that ended our reign. Just one of the then many alicorn houses."

Luna could be heard stamping a hoof to the concrete floors of wherever she was. "If you mean to tell me my father did murder indiscriminately against your "innocent," be prepared to pay for your slander!"

"What, your folks never bothered to tell you that one at bedtime? That's no surprise."

..."Discord...".... Celestia held back a snarl.

"If it makes you feel any better, the Clan of Moonlight followed up with a few attacks here and there. I still have this scar that your would-be mother gave me right on my-"

"Well I for one have heard enough of this nonsense," Rarity declared.

"Call it what you want, but it's the reason why you're not at home crocheting or whatever it is that you do," Discord spoke with biting indifference.

"What do you mean," Twilight questioned.

"How do I explain this...? Well, just a few centuries later, without enemies to test themselves against, the alicorn royal houses preceded to turn against each other, deciding that even members of their own kind weren't meant to rule, or live... That ended with them nearly ruining our world completely, then narrowly fixing it by uniting and forming a nation called The Unified Kingdom of Eclipstria. But I suppose they told you this already. What they didn't tell you was that wasn't the end of the natural tendency for alicorns to create and sustain "order" by any means necessary. But what the hey, we all have that crazy childhood story. Why should I bother to bore you with any more of mine?"

Twilight shook her head. "I know there's more to this you aren't telling us. Something that makes even you cringe at the thought of it."

"That's so very astute of you, my dear Twilight! Tell me, are you always this prying?"

"Deny it if you want. I'm more interested in what the more trustworthy of us have to say anyway."

"Well then! I believe my stripped associate here has something to say."

Zecora shifted an eyebrow. "Your associate, I am not. But yes, a story, that I've got."

Applejack picked her teeth of a recently devoured apple. "Well we're all here anyways. Guess you oughta lay it on us."

Zecora lowered her head. "The tale to tell. The time to know. Listen close to the words I sow."

"How colorful," Discord chimed in. "But how about we just cut to the chase. Tell them about the war that made Zebra kind a force to be reckoned with."

Zecora lifted her hood. Everyone in attendance suddenly grew nervous.

"Please, my dear Zecora. Tell them about the High Council of the Liberation Alliance."

Anomalous Energy Event Team Armed Forces Fact File #18 The M4 Carbine Family.

Based on earlier versions of the M16, the M4 is a heavily fielded semi and fully automatic weapon in use with the United States armed forces. Coming into service in the mid-nineties and featuring a compact and efficient design, the M4's lighter weight and size make it idea for use in close quarters combat situations. From the brush of the densest jungles to the streets of the urban environment, the M4 is a practical weapon for suppression of enemy forces in the hands of America's infantries.

Now currently being used by the armed forces tasked with protecting AEE scientists, this weapon, along with others, is a trusted part of the lives of the soldiers that wield them. This popular firearm utilizes the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, which is the standard cartridge for weapons of the same class around the world, and more importantly, the upcoming deployment of forces into the anomalous ream could very well be taking them into another one.

A/N

Sorry about the wait, everyone. I don't have to tell you that things are weird for me right now. You may have noticed that this chapter is a bit short, and that I may be a bit confusing. Don't worry, it's completely... intentional. That'll make sense later I suppose. Now, let's get this train rolling again, shall we?

P.S. Here's a little something for the geographically challenged among you, (or the geographically intrigued!) A good old fashion game of find the stars!

Until next time,

-Lynolius

Chapter Thirty-Four: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VI- Dread Intentions

A/N

Greetings readers! I really am sorry that these chapters have become so sparse. Do not fear, however. I won't forget about the story, and I'm still here to answer your comments. Fun fact for you more dedicated fans of the story is that somewhere in this chapter is the story's two hundred-thousandth word. Quite the milestone indeed. I'd also like to put a shout out to our newest member of the team, Roflnom. More eyes to keep things straight around here. In the meantime, enjoy!

By now, Lenard and Phalanx had been wandering though the mysterious chambers of the Realm Sapphiron for hours, motivated by what might happen should their pursuer catch up with them. Now reduced to a slowed but urgent walk, the two found themselves lost inside the grand house's many great halls. Stairs and walkways could be seen ascending upward, downward, upside down, and in all manner of directions, and there were several doors leading to unknown locations lining the walls.

"There doesn't seem to be any end to this library," a thoroughly exhausted Captain Greene wheezed.

"Indeed," Phalanx mumbled. "There"-he coughed-"There is as much knowledge to be gained as Hircus has years to spend here. A pity we cannot peruse it."

Greene shook his head. "We can't run forever. He'll catch us eventually. We're on his turf. We have to play by his rules here."

"Then we bend the rules." The griffin praetor put a claw to his chin. "This chamber is several miles in length. Hircus is searching for us somewhere in this maze, and I would wager that somewhere in this seemingly infinite expanse there is something we can use to defeat him, or at least resist him."

"Infinite knowledge isn't my specialty, but if it'll help, we can at least look."

The two began to search through the bag of books they had made away with earlier, and began to scan the multitude of books and scrolls for any source of useful information. In the distance, sounds of an almighty temper tantrum echoed through the halls.

Phalanx's keen senses alerted to the sound. "He is lurking out there. We have not a moment to lose."

"Right. We have to speed things up a bit. We can't afford to stay anywhere long."

"Indeed. Though I may have found something that will help." The hardened bird lifted a brown small book from a pedestal and brought it into view. The cover was encased in centuries of dust, but once swept free, the title could clearly be seen. Greene squinted to make out the archaic style of writing on the cover.

"'Black Sun, Red Moon'. Sounds eery. What makes you think it'll help us?"

"I've noticed several references to it since we arrived here, as well as many more long before we met, in my studies in the unknown regions of the Everfree."

"So what does it mean?"

"I know not of this book, but the words 'Black Sun, Red Moon' are very prevalent in Alliance culture. Everything I've gathered says is was some kind of major event in this world's history; something that brought us, the Alliance I mean, together. Beyond that... well let me just say that the contents of this book may be very illuminating."

"Well right now, I'd prefer something to fight Hircus with, not a history lesson."

"Yes, but I believe this has much to do with what Hircus is, and that could be very useful in defeating him. In this realm, I believe that our perception is key. We may be able to take power here, power that could be used to our advantage."

"Alright. But I'm going to keep looking for something a little more tangible to defend us with. You stay put and yell if you're about to have your soul sucked out or something."

"Eloquent as always, human. It's a wonder that you are a part of your nation's fighting forces and not a scholar."

"Coming from a guy that eats worms..." Greene muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Well if you say so. Get on with it, then."

"As you wish, human. The book is better company anyway."

"Just start reading already."

The human pilot climbed over a stack of books and ventured onward.

"For my world, I will do far more than read..."

Phalanx opened the book's crested cover.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VI- Dread Intentions

The floor now ascended rapidly around the Caprastian ram, now disguised as a royal guard, and the little blue alicorn beside him craned her head around in youthful amusement at the sight of it all.

"You say the one I search for is in these catacombs. What exactly is this place?" Vance inquired to the little alicorn filly.

"Mommy and Daddy think this is a secret, but I know they send the really bad ponies down here," Lulu answered. "Really bad ponies..."

Vance cringed in anger at the thought of his love being locked away with the worst of Eclipstria's criminals and lunatics, but the feeling washed away as he knew she would not be here much longer.

The circular platform descended into a vast, dark chamber. Several rows and columns of suspended cages and cells hung in the intentionally hopeless looking void. "There must be thousands here," Vance thought to himself. "So many of their own citizens, rotting away in these forsaken depths."

Pegasus prisoners had their wings clipped and shackled within their cages. Unicorns had been relieved of their horns and wore locked braces around their heads to keep a new one from growing. Earth ponies arguably had it the worst, almost completely chained up to prevent them from using their awesome strength to bend the bars of their cages. In addition to all of this, all of the cells and cages were suspended over the seemingly endless emptiness below, to make sure escape was almost completely impossible.

Vance bowed his head. "These are the royal Eclipstrian dungeons. I had prayed that such a place as terrible as this could only exist in legend." He turned to Lulu. "Why do you come here, child? How can you see such misery and despair and still retain youthful innocence? Why do you surround yourself with these tragically ruined souls?"

"Because they need a friend," the alicorn filly spoke, still somewhat cheerful.

The two descended in silence, watching the walls of grey slowly rise past them. Vance stared downward, looking for the eventual cavern floor, but like the hopes of those imprisoned here, the bottom of the abyss never came. Instead, the platform simply stopped at one of the dungeon levels, as if it knew who the visitors were coming to see.

Vance searched the darkness. A few moments later, he came to a disturbing realization. "There are no guards," he muttered to himself. After all, there was no escape, and why would any free soul ever wish to witness this place? In the dim light from above, Vance could make out large carved letters in the stone wall above, which read: "Hall of Apostasy, Traitors to the Crown." Beneath it, a much smaller inscription: "Woe are those that betray our pure purpose. Only the truly vile forsake the great vision of the Royals."

Now unwilling to wait for Lulu to guide him, Vance desperately wanted to call out to his love. Lulu slowly made her way over, her own nature allowing her to see in the diminished light.

"This way," she spoke quietly. The little blue alicorn filly led a heartbroken Vance past the horrors of the dungeon level. As they made their way through the darkness, several voices cried out from the various cells around them.

"Please... help me... My debt is paid...! Please...! Release us..."

Lulu reached for a small bag of treats she'd stolen from the royal kitchens, and passed them out as they trotted along.

"We must hurry," Lulu spoke up. "Somepony will be along soon to feed them their regular rations."

They quickly made there way to a small cage near the back of the cell level, where a broken form loosely resembling an earth pony and covered in small patches of singed fur lay disheveled off in a corner,. The sight nearly brought the hardened Caprastian to his knees.

"No... Apple Flower!? What horrors have these soulless monsters wrought!? My love, can you hear me!?" He reached through the bars just to touch the fur of the one he'd searched for so long. There was no answer, and the mare continued to lie motionless. Vance quickly turned back to little Lulu.

"Tell me how to release her! Now!"

The little filly stumbled backward, completely taken by surprise by the desperate display.

"I- I- I do not know how!" She whimpered. "Mommy and Daddy put them- her, here. We can not let her go!"

"I don't care! Look at her! What could she have done to possible deserve this!? Listen to me, you are a princess! Surely you know a way to safely get her out of this hellish pit!"

"But- But we will get into trouble if we let here go!"

"Please! I beg of you, young one! Please release her!"

"You- You know her? She is a friend? Is she part of your family?"

"She is all I want from this world, the only thing." He bowed his head in sorrow. "Please."

Lulu sighed. "I could talk to Mommy and Daddy. I could take you to them. You can ask them to-"

"No! I- I cannot do that. We must release her now, before anyone knows what is happening here."

"But why?"

"I don't have time to explain this! You said yourself that the feeders will be coming soon!"

"Yes, yes. Well- we- I- You are a unicorn! Can you not simply break the bars with your magic!?"

Vance froze.

"I- I am not strong enough. You must do it."

"Me? But my sister still makes fun of me for not being able to lift my books!"

The sum of Vance's despair hung on his face. "You must try. I beg of you, young princess."

The young filly blinked, then turned to the cage where the earth pony mare still did not stir. She planted her feet and a look of deep concentration began to crawl across her face. A dim dark-blue light began to coalesce over two of the bars of the cage. The sound of heavy metal being stressed could just barely be heard, but the bars refused to budge.

Lulu fell back to her rump and panted. "I-I cannot do this."

"No, no, no. There is no other way! Try it again!" Vance commanded.

Once again, the bars of Apple Flower's cage would not give in, and once again the little alicorn filly fell back, defeated.

"Listen to me," Vance began. "I've seen what your kind is capable of. I am certain you can do this. You said your sister made fun of you for your weakness. Take this time to show your strength. Focus on her words, her insults! Prove her wrong, and save an innocent life!"

The little alicorn growled in righteous anger. An new light illuminated the cavern, the freezing light of Lulu's white, pupil-less eyes. Her horn began to flash like lightning and the bars began to twist under the unnatural force.

"Yes! Yes! Don't give up now!" Vance yelled over the groan of torquing metal. He galloped up to the cage and began to pull on the bars, adding Lulu's strength to his own. The aura surrounded the Caprastian ram, and the cage began to violently flex under their renewed strength. Summoning all the might they could, the two slowly pried the bars asunder. The cage ripped apart, and Vance immediately rushed to his lover's side.

"I know you can hear me, Apple Flower! Please! Awaken so that I might know you are still whole!"

He gently moved her head back in forth to stir her, and slowly her eyes began to flutter open. She uttered one word:

"Va-n-ce."

She closed her eyes and lay still again.

"She needs care! We must get her to a practitioner of medicine!"

Lulu did not answer, her eyes still glowing white.

"Do you hear my words, young princess?"

Again, Lulu did not answer.

Vance placed the love of his life onto his back and slowly began to make his way back to the lowering platform in the center of the cavern. Lulu did not move a single muscle in response. Vance labored under the weight of the armor and the frail, but still quite heavy earth pony, and just as he was about to reach the platform, two shadowy figures dropped from the sky, stopping him in his tracks.

The two figures stepped into the light, and revealed themselves to be a pair of pegasus royal guards. "You there! Halt! Stay where you are or face destruction!" They drew their spears. "Who are you and what are you doing here?!"

Vance froze once more.

"The princesses ordered me here to check on a special prisoner, one they have great interest in. She is ill, and must be attended to if she is to give us anymore needed information about our enemy."

"Foalish outsider scum! We know what you are! We found several missing guards lying in various states of injury, hidden about the castle! They revealed the presence of a spy!"

"I know not what you are talking about. I am only doing my duty."

"Liar! Did you really think you could enter the most secret of chambers in this castle and escape notice? You left a gaping hole in the floor of the castle atrium! Now, put down that prisoner and prepare to be detained!"

Caught with no other option than to do what they said, Vance put Apple Flower back down on the cell floor and reluctantly made a gesture of surrender.

The guards approached the ram, keeping their spears trained on his neck. "You are under arrest for crimes against the crown! You will likely spend a very long time in this very prison!"

Lulu's eyes began to glow much brighter now, a dark scowl slowly crawling across her face.

As the guards moved to take the Caprastian infiltrator into custody, two great pulses of magical energy arced around Vance's body and enveloped the two guards. They both rose into the air, as if suspended by a mighty tornado.

"What- what is this sorcery! What are you, fiend!?" One of the guards demanded, tumbling through the air.

Vance shook his head. "This is not of my doing..."

The guards screamed in agony and confusion, then disappeared in a bright flash of light.

Vance turned to see Lulu now standing right behind him, eyes still alight, though he had not heard her move a hoof.

"Whatever you just did, it bought us some time! If you can hear me, more will be coming! We must make our escape quickly!"

Lulu said nothing, but her horn glowed again, this time encompassing both the ram, the earth pony mare, and herself in its light. After a few seconds of seeing nothing by a white expanse, Vance suddenly found himself outside the castle walls, Apple Flower at his hooves, and the princess still silent.

"I- Thank you, princess, but I must now leave. I am... sorry about all of this. I only ask now that you tell no one of what transpired here."

She did not answer.

Vance could hear the commotion in the castle growing. He picked up the still unconscious Apple Flower and placed her on his back. Guards could be heard yelling from behind the walls. He looked down at the little blue alicorn one last time. "Farewell, princess. I hope you will not pay for what I have done."

Vance galloped into the forests surrounding Castle Everfree and faded from sight from those that might follow him.

Lulu's eyes dimmed back to their normal color. She shook her head and put a hoof to her face.

A guard galloped up to her and quickly scooped her up. "Princess! Princess! Thank the crown we found you! There is trouble in the castle and the king and queen have been worried sick! What were you doing out here!?"

Lulu rubbed her eyes and looked around in confusion.

"Hmm. I do not know."

********************

"You see? He did exactly what I said he'd do. He'd chase that mare if she was locked in the center of a hurricane made of burning sulfur! I mean he just keeps going, and going, and going..."

A adolescent Discord turned away from a glowing orb that contained an image of a fleeing Vance, galloping through the forest. The young draconequus looked over to King Zeccor, of the Zebranni Consortium and hiked up his eyebrows.

"Now was I right, or was I right?"

"Yes, I suppose it is all rather inspiring. Now tell me what this has to do with stopping the king and queen of Eclipstria from having complete dominion over the Earth."

"Oh I'd much rather show you. It's much more dramatic that way. You want to eat this bag of salted and burst seeds whilst we watch? I got it at the most fascinating village filled with these intelligent red lizards-"

"Discord, if you please, just show me what I want to know."

"Very well, but I'm telling you, this stuff will catch on."

*****************

"I don't want to hear your excuses! Someone, anyone, just tell me! Will she be okay!?"

A Caprastian medicine ram shook his head in exhaustion, then turned to a very angry Vance. "I don't know! She appears to have had been malnourished for weeks! I am not familiar with the Eclipstrian body! I just can't know for certain whether she will come out of this!"

The desperate Caprastian warrior stared down at the wilted form of his one true love.

"I am sorry. I just- I just can't bear the thought of this being her end. Help her in whatever way you can, and I will do the same." Vance turned to leave the sick house.

"Where are you going?" the medicine ram inquired.

Vance stopped, but didn't turn to face him. "The Eclipstrians... they claim dominion over whatever they lay eyes on and treat their own people like dogs. It is despicable! I would see them wiped from the face of this Earth! We have tolerated their taint long enough!"

"So what, now you're going to bring them down all by your lonesome?"

"No. I'm going to speak to the only being that can end this. I will have an audience with Lord Hircus! I must convince him to pour all of our resources into the war."

"Our lord and master is far wiser than you, soldier. If he is reluctant to engage in full scale war, there must be a reason."

Vance snorted. "Perhaps he is frightened."

The medicine ram quickly placed an hoof over Vance's mouth. "Such insolence as this could get you killed! I advise you not to go down this path."

"I will do what I must to protect that which I hold dear; I suggest you do the same." With that, Vance turned and trotted away.

**********************

The King and Queen of Eclipstria stood at the royal balcony at Castle Everfree, ready to address the already growing crowed forming below.

The king spoke first.

"Citizens of our glorious kingdom, you may have heard rumors that our homeland is under attack, that there are infiltrators within our ranks, and that this nation is teetering on the brink of destruction. Please, pay no mind to these baseless lies. They are nothing but fictitious propaganda to turn you against the crown, and are being spread by unscrupulous scoundrels and cowards that have qualms with the royal house. They have no merit, nor is there any cause for concern."

"Furthermore," the queen began, "It is most important, now more than ever, that we stand united against both the threat of the outsiders and sympathizers for them, if our society is to stay the perfect emblem of peace and justice that it now is."

"Yes, your king and queen come today to ask you to pledge yourselves to betterment of all ponies, so that we might claim the birthright we so rightly deserve. Come, join us as we bring in a whole new epoch of Eclipstrian prosperity!"

Cheers and chanting broke out from crowd, as the gathered citizens joined in in shouting patriotically.

"For the Kingdom!"

"Long live the crown!"

"Eclipstria forever!"

The king and queen both gave regal and dainty waves to the crowd, then reentered the caste.

"My dear," the queen turned to the king, "I fear things have gotten out of hoof. I believe the recent attack on the castle is a message of some sort."

"Yes," the king nodded. "If the outsiders so easily slipped past our sight, then they represent a much greater threat than we imagined. We must send the children out with their caretaker. I do not wish for them to witness which must now occur."

"My dear Soltaire, perhaps it would be wise to keep the family together... to stand strong in this time of trial."

"I would think not. What good would the four of us being in one place serve?"

"Five of us, my husband."

"Noctau..."

"Yes, my king. I am with child."

The king stepped back in barely contained shock, then performed a classic visual inspection of his wife, looking down, then back up again. "I do not see evidence of this... Tell me, how do you know this is true?"

"The castle midwives have confirmed this just today, and I feel the physical changes as well. My powers are beginning to diminish, my husband. This is not the time to appear weak to our enemies."

The king sighed. "Yes. This is true. We will build fortifications here then. This will be more than our castle, it will be our stronghold, an impenetrable fortress where we may live with our children in peace."

"Yes, my dear king..."

The queen looked out toward the teeming mass of ponies minding their business outside the castle.

"...in peace."

*********************

Vance made his way towards a massive towering structure in the hills of the Caprastian capital city of Vertaigh. Passing through a set of immense metal gates, the opulence of the fortress he now entered would have overwhelmed him had his mission not borne such weight. Several honor guards saluted as he passed. After quite a trot through the large complex, the young ram laid eyes on what could only be the entry to a chamber of one who thought very highly of himself.

Vance nodded as the final set of honor guards made way and pushed open the large chamber doors, the doors of the hall of the great Lord Hircus. With a last surge of gusto, he confidently trotted inside. The guards eyed him carefully, but did not attempt to stop him.

"I come with... private matters," Vance quickly spoke up.

A shadowy figure on a high throne motioned for the guards to leave the room, who then closed the doors behind them with a resounding bang.

His voice was low and unnervingly powerful, the voice of an emperor. "Agent. You have returned to me. I assumed then that your mission is complete?"

"Yes, and none know of my status as your personal scout. No one save your personal guard. I have infiltrated Eclipstrian territory as per your orders, and have learned much-"

"Have you found their power source yet?"

"No, my lord, but there is more to it that that. The Eclipstrians are a very real threat. We should waste no more of our time toying with them on the front lines. We should immediately strike at their heart, their capital of Everfre-"

"No. That is unwise. I would think that out of all my servants, you would see that the most."

"Yes, perhaps before I saw it for myself, I would have. Their aristocracy swims in wealth and decadence. They truly do not believe they can be harmed or even touched. Even worse, they have somehow convinced their impoverished peasant population that this is a just arrangement! My lord, we wield a power they have never seen! I beg of you to cease throwing our warriors' lives away on the battlefields and destroy these despots and sycophants before they can make one single move more against us!"

The shadowy figure appeared to tilt his head upward in interest. "What has befallen you, agent? What trial in our nemeses' midst has so quickly turned your steady mind to such an audacious plan?"

"I have made a grievous error, my lord. I became too... close to my mission."

"So it is love that have made you so bold? I assume with a beauteous female of their kind?"

"My lord, I... You knew. How did you learn of this?"

"There are those which see many great things. I am in league with powerful allies. One thing I do know of, is that you, Vance of Certeux, have made the mistake of fraternizing with our enemy."

"I- I apologize, my lord."

"So you do. You may yet regain my favor, but for now you require an intermission from your duties. I will consider your suggestions, but I shall not tolerate such blatant disrespect for your position again. Go. Now."

Vance bowed his head. "Y- yes, my lord." He sorrowfully turned and slowly exited the chamber.

"He's right, you know..." a voice rung out through the chamber. "The Eclipstrians are monsters. And that's coming from me..."

"You again. Why do you bother me? I have done as you suggested."

"Just checking up on my favorite overlord. How did he take the news?

He is.. distraught to say the least. Are you sure this was wise? Not informing him of their plans?"

"Eh, it'll work out better this way. Trust me."

"Hmph. I will go along with this little plan of yours, for now, anyway... Now begone. I require time to ponder on this turn of events."

"Sure, sure. I have other matters to attend to anyway. Gotta stay busy ya know," the voice chuckled. "Keeps ya out of trouble..."

**********************

Phalanx quickly closed the book as he heard steps approaching his position. He immediately felt as if he had actually witnessed the events he'd just read about, and was keenly aware of how little he had watched out for danger around him. As if waking from a dream, he quick snapped back to reality and prepared to take flight if necessary to evade his approaching foe.

"You still here, Big Bird?" Captain Lenard Greene climbed back into the secluded section of Hircus's extended library.

"Captain. You should announce your presence more often."

"So sorry. Did I scare you?"

"No. And if you ever speak to me as a familiar again, I will-"

"Cool it for a sec. I've got something to show you."

The pilot lead the griffin praetor into a strange large room, with many glowing orbs filled with various images of people and places. There was no sound, but the images were extremely precise in appearance.

"I found this a few minutes ago. There are pictures of all sorts of things, from my world to yours. Any idea what any of this is?"

The praetor quickly scanned the room with his acutely discerning eyes. "I have always wondered... But this is how he actually does it. Hircus would always alluded to knowing of the affairs of what he called the world beyond Sapphiron. This is where he has watched both our worlds for centuries, and where I assume he leads attacks from. But to answer your question, these are vision spheres I believe, created by an ancient extinct race known as the Zebranni. They allow the user to see distant places and events."

"Wait. Zebranni... Extinct race... you mean like her over there?" Lenard pointed at a hooded zebra shown in one of the spheres, talking to a human soldier.

"A living Zebranni... I did not think that possible. Then again, this has been a day of realized impossibilities."

"Yeah. I met her, by the way. Her name was... Z... Well it started with a 'z' I know that much. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her, but she always spoke in rhymes. It was kinda creepy, actually. Any idea why this sphere thing is watching her?"

Phalanx nodded, then began to examine the many spheres. "Hmm... These orbs are focused on what appear to be targets of interest. I see the princesses of Equestria, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, many leaders of my own kind..."

Lenard looked up. "I see a lot of my world's leaders here too, the president, military generals, ambassadors, and several others. None of this can lead to anything good. Wait." He pointed to one of the glowing orbs. "This one's moving, and that looks like... Lime Tree?"

"Why would Hircus be so focused on your flora?"

"No, no, no. Lime Tree Hill, he's an Equestrian friend of mine. Why would Hircus be interested in him? And why does he look so sick?"

"I suppose it is just another question to be answered at some later date. For now, we must take a few of these orbs and leave, we might be able to use them against Hircus."

"Right. This would be a great place for Hircus to locate us. Why not level the playing field a bit."

"Indeed"

"Hey Phalanx."

"Yes, human?"

"You ever get the feeling the only reason either of us is alive is because Hircus wants us that way?"

The griffin shifted his brow. "I am unsure of what you mean."

"It's been too easy. It's like he's letting us find this stuff. The library, the book, this room, the orbs... I mean this is his world, right? How hasn't he found us yet?"

Phalanx sighed, then shuffled the book in his arms.

"More questions."

Anomalous Energy Event Team General Fact-File entry #624 The Equestrian Military.

Centuries of almost complete military supremacy on their side of Earth has made Equestrian weapons and technology seem rather quaint or even archaic by most standards, even by others of their world. The truth, however, appears to be far more fascinating. It seems that a combination of a heavy dependance on magetic energy (or magic) and several large gaps of history almost devoid of war has made the strength of Equestrian military might rather lacking. That being said, rumors of the so called "Equestrian Utopia" have been vastly exaggerated, and crime and rebellion are a very real threat that many Equestrians would rather pretend didn't exist. This, and random attacks from their world's various beasts keep the military prepared, though not necessarily for an coordinated attack from another military force. In short, the Equestrians have been the major power on their world, and for many, another world power isn't even conceivable.

Standard Equestrian battle tactics make use of the variety of talents that operatives may posses. Pegasai of the PegaForce are often used in aerial reconnaissance or attack roles. Earth ponies of the Earthfantry are typically employed as front line shock troopers or heavy weapons specialists, and make up the backbone and majority of the military force. Unicorns of the rather exclusive Unicorps can be involved virtually anywhere in the Equestrian military, from support roles, infiltrator agencies, or special roles that include using raw magetic energy itself as a weapon. However, they appear to be the most rare.

Unfortunately, members of the military as well as the civilian population can suffer from an something typically know as the "Grass Is Greener" effect, wishing themselves to be a member of another race of the Equestrian species for what they perceive to be better benefits. It is not unheard of for Earth ponies to envy the flight capabilities of pegasai, or pegasai to envy the wild magetic powers of a unicorn, or for a unicorn to envy the awesome strength and sense of security that comes naturally to an Earth pony. Because of this, roles considered fit for a specific race are almost always challenged by members of the other races, and although this can create quite a bit of friction between the pony factions, it has also lead to some of the greatest innovations in Equestrian history. It is said that the legendary EDF-3 "Equestria Bow" was developed by the Earthfantry shortly after a unicorn suggested that Earth ponies could not be effective ranged combatants.

In closing, the Equestrian people could be said to have much to learn about "modern warfare," but they also bring a very unique edge to the table in terms of their deceptively simple weapons, technology, and magetic abilities, all of which are far more effective than most would assume. It will be interesting to see how they utilize these assets in the field.

Author's Notes (Continued)

Hey there, Lynolius here. In commemoration of the work on this latest chapter, I'd like to propose a interesting comment challenge. Now I know you're thinking, "Hey, Lyno, why didn't you use the Author's note section?" Easy, because I know most of you sycophants wouldn't read it. (Can you tell that I love the word sycophant?) Anyhow, I'd like to see exactly what you, the readers feel when you read the story. To that end, here's the idea. If Heroes and Allies was a movie, what would you choose as its theme music? Realizing that the music of Two Steps From Hell would account for at least seventy-three percent of your answers, I'd like to hear one potential theme from TSFH, and one theme that isn't. This is just for fun, nothing more, just to hear what awesome music you guys suggest. In the meantime, back to writing...

Chapter Thirty-Five: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VII- Dread Invasion

A/N

Quick fact. Bedlam and Ataxia, (the names of Discord's parents) are both synonyms of the word chaos. Welcome back! Story time!

While Greene had his hands full with several Zebranni vision spheres, Phalanx was beak first into a book he'd found in Hircus' grand library.

"Where do you think we are now?" the captain asked his feathered associate.

Phalanx looked up from the book, darting his eyes towards several pipes and furnaces above and below.

"We appear to be in some sort of maintenance chamber. The heat here is oppressive, and as to why such a place is even necessary is anyone's guess."

"Yeah, the heat's bad, but as long as he isn't here I'm fine with it."

Phalanx nodded, and the two of them continued on in silence. After what felt like an hour or so, Phalanx noticed the captain fiddling with one of the orbs, as if trying to accomplish some great task.

"What... are you doing?" he couldn't help but ask the captain.

"What? Oh. I have an idea. If these things allow Hircus to see everything outside this place, wouldn't it allow us to see him? If I can figure out how to use this thing, we could avoid him for quite a long time."

"Perhaps we could, but that idea is, by nature, flawed."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you not think that if the orbs worked here Hircus would have found us by now?"

"Maybe. But like I said, maybe he's not trying to find us."

"Then pray-tell, what is he doing?"

Lenard shrugged. "Heck if I know. This isn't exactly taught at the academy. Besides, I think I might have figured something out... If you hold the orb like this, the center starts to... fizzle, or something."

Phalanx raised his brow without saying a word.

"What? It's a work in progress."

Phalanx shook his head and returned his attention to the book.

Greene sighed. "Well if you think you can do a better, why don't you give it whirl? Besides, this stuff is more up your alley anyway."

The slightly agitated pilot tossed an orb at the griffin praetor, catching him completely off guard. After fumbling around with it for a few seconds, he awkwardly caught the orb in between the pages of the book.

"Try that again and I'll-" The orb began to glow with a nearly blinding light, giving the words of the pages the appearance of shining off of the pages.

The griffin looked over to the human captain. "What did you do?!"

"Nothing! What did you do?!"

"I simply caught it with the... book... The book!"

Images began to quickly scroll through the orb, as if it was an ancient entity recalling events from the past.

Phalanx shook his head incredulously. "What form of sorcery do you believe this is?"

"Well I don't know anything about sorcery, but If I had to take a guess, I'd say that the orb is displaying the contents of that book!"

"You may very well be correct... but I was under the assumption that these orbs could only be used to view the present, not the past."

"Maybe the book is some sort of recording, one the orbs can playback? Like a magic VCR or something."

"Even if I fully understood what you meant by that, I would still be cautious to assume anything about this or anything else to be found here."

"Just hear me out. If this orb can... interface, that's a good word, interface with this book, then who knows what else it can show us. Maybe even a way out of here!"

"It is a possibility..."

"Right, try to make it show a single event, instead of this mess we're looking at right now."

"I would if I- Wait, the orb is showing us something..."

Chapter Thirty-Five: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VII- Dread Invasion

A small group of black-clad pegasai rose from the spires of Castle Everfree, seemingly submerged in the black waters of a dreary night sky. The slight rattle of the airborne battle wagons in tow was the only discernible noise in the single most despairing of nights any of them could remember. The moon was nowhere to be found, and even the stars appeared to be far dimmer than usual. Almost completely unseen, the pegasai rose into the clouds and flew in a generally northern direction.

"So what sort of task has the royalty summoned us to preform?" one pegasus, a young stallion, asked his nearest flight-mate.

An older mare quickly snapped toward him. "Close your flapping jaw, fool! We have been ordered by Tribune Crest to practice the silent sky form, which, as you might imagine, requires silence!"

"Well that is all fine and good, but we are carrying enough of these dreadful blast geodes to level a small-"

The stallion abruptly stopped talking.

"-we are not here to train, are we?"

The mare sighed sorrowfully.

"No."

"And we are headed north, toward Ve-"

"I told you to be quiet."

The stallion nodded his head, and the group quietly continued about its way

****************

The sounds of a child's worst nightmare descended on the Caprastian capital city of Vertaigh.

Vance kicked over his nightstand and lurched out of bed as the explosions quickly grew closer. Galloping for the door as fast as his hooves could carry him, he head butted the door and burst out of his small cabin.

"What- What is thi-"

A thousand terrible objects rained from the sky, as several black figures raced back and forth through the sky, almost as if performing the most horrifying of dances.

A small rock-like object landed just a tree trunk's width from Vance's hooves. His eyes widened and he reflexively leapt backward with all his might as the blast geode detonated, cratering the ground and tossing several pieces of shrapnel into the air. He stayed conscious just long enough to watch his house crumble to the ground under the assault of another geode.

" A raid. No... not now..."

His head sunk to the ground, and the world darkened.

****************

High above, the strike pegasai watched as the city crumbled to the ground. There was no joy or victorious jubilation. They simply hung their heads in sadness as the fruits of their terrible labor were borne.

The base of a tower collapsed, felling the large structure like a mighty oak, right into a row of houses. Flames began to lick up from the markets, where hay was abundant to fuel them, and the city lit up like a funeral pyre as it's denizens ran screaming through the burning streets.

The young stallion looked over to the older mare, fighting to hold back tears from the gut wrenching scene.

"What have we done? Why did we have to do this?"

The older mare's mouth trembled, but she did not speak. Somberly, the pegasai lowered their heads and flew away.

The moon slowly began to creep into the sky.

****************

Far above the city, and even the strike pegasai, Tribune Crest stood atop a cloud, flanked by King Soltaire and Queen Noctau.

"It... It is done, my lord and lady," he spoke with just a hint of terrible guilt.

Showing very little remorse, the queen looked over to the king. "Then they have made payment. In full."

"Yes, my dear. But something is very wrong," the king spoke with a hoof in his luxurious mane. "Why was it so easy?"

"I do not know," she answered calmly.

"Crest," the king addressed the armored pegasus. "We will return to the castle, you will stay here and observe."

"Yes, my king," Tribune Crest quietly responded.

With that, the king and queen of Eclipstria flew off into the night, leaving Crest to bear the guilt of a thousand sins alone.

****************

"Gahaaauuuuh!"

Life returned to Vance with a sudden gasp. Spotting a small piece of lumber beside him, he desperately tried to pull himself to his hooves, but ultimately fell back to the ground. Now resorting to a slow crawl, Vance crept through the bombed out ruins of the capital city, almost unable to contemplate what lie in front of him.

"It's gone..." he thought, "Eclipstrians... They... They took it all... Where... Where is...?"

A small brick fell from a storefront in front of him, drawing his attention upward.

"I don't believe it!" he cried out. To his complete disbelief, Hircus' palace remained completely unscathed. Not a single dent, crack, or scratch defiled the still gloriously glistening walls.

The only word that could come to mind was,

"How?"

"Enter the castle and find out." The words were not a voice, or even a whisper, but rather a thought that serendipitously entered his mind, barely seeming out of the ordinary.

"I will go to the palace. I will find my answers there," he spoke aloud.

He slowly began limping along the path, dragging a hind leg in the dirt.

****************

"Can't catch me!" the alabaster princess of Eclipstria called out to her younger sister.

Celly and Lulu chased each other around a small room at the top of one of Castle Everfree's many spires. As Celly galloped past a window, Lulu stopped chasing after her for a second to look at a small orange light on the dark horizon.

"Wait, Celly, come look at this."

Celly trotted up to the window. "Hmm. What do you think it is?'

"I do not know. Is the sun rising?"

"Pfft! Of course not! The sun rises from the east, silly! That is clearly coming from the north."

"Oh." Lulu frowned, looking down at her hooves.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Celly chortled, rolling her eyes and flipping a hoof nonchalantly. "Now come on! You still have to catch me!"

Lulu tore herself away from the window and the glowing light in the distance.

"Yes. Nothing."

****************

Alone, and severely injured, Vance continued to trudge through the remains of a broken city. Caring not to look at the poor unfortunate souls lying by the side of the road, Vance stared down at the ground instead, until nearly tripping over a small wooden sign.

"Wayfarer's Ward, Clinic of Caprastia..." Vance's voice trailed off as he broke into a three legged gallop toward a shattered nearby building. He kicked in the already broken door, then rushed inside, pushing aside anything in his way.

"Hello? Hello?! Is there anyone here?!" He threw aside more debris as well as the slumped over forms of several Caprastians. "Anyone! Anyone still alive?! Please! Answer me!"

He reached one of the many doors that lined the walls of the lobby, and turned the knob. When the door refused to open, he lunged into it with his shoulder, until the door split apart at the middle, the top half falling into the room. A large wooden bed frame rested against the lower part of the door, effectively pinning it down.

"Move, blast you! Move!"

He slowly began to climb over the debris, striking his bad leg on the bed frame. Cringing, but not deterred, he fell over the heap of wood and into the room. The room, much like everything else was dark for the most part, but a gaping hole in the ceiling let in just enough light from the now rising moon to reveal a dainty blue foreleg, clutching a small satchel.

"Apple Flower!" He rushed to her side.

"Apple Flower!" He pulled her into his arms.

"Apple Flower!" He desperately tried to wake her.

She was cold, her eyes closed, her fur pale. She did not wake.

"Apple Flower." He sunk to the ground, his eyes wide but vacant, his mouth held open like a corpse. His strength left him, and his arms sagged, allowing the body of his beloved to roll limply back to the ground. He fell backward, his head landing in the middle of the one illuminated spot in the room. Staring into the large hole in the ceiling, his eyes still wide, he gazed up at the moon. In front of it, an armored pegasus rose into view, hovering just above the roof. His eyes met those of Vance, and did not look away.

The two stared at each other for what felt like a eternity. Then the pegasus uttered three words as he began to fly away.

"Please, forgive us."

****************

Deep within his throne room, the dark silhouette of Lord Hircus sat upon his thrown. Though he could barely be made out in the shadows of his darkened hall, a keen eye could see that he was slouching, his onyx crown sitting to the side of his mysterious head, as if mourning.

"Is this what you wanted?!" the lord of the Caprastians bellowed, rearing from his throne. "You call this victory?!"

"No, but I do call it progress. The plan is... well, going according to plan," a mischievous voice answered.

"Plan?! You said this would inspire the people! Rally all of the tribes toward victory! You said only a small potion of my city would be destroyed!"

"Omelets, eggs. This was the only way my true plan could come to fruition. "

"You! You motherless bast-"

"Now now, no need for name calling. I did have a mother. She smelled of powdered sugar and orchids and I was rather fond of her, so you should calm down."

"Calm down! You dare tell ME to call down?!"

"Yeah, relax a little. I protected this little pillow fort of yours from destruction didn't I? That's worth something, right?"

"I do not care what or who you are! I will kill you for what you have done!"

The mischievous voice began to belly laugh, the sounds of his glee echoing through the chamber. "You? Kill me? I think not. Besides, you have guests to take care of. People to see and stuff."

"What?"

"You have a visitor," The voice chuckled.

The broken and bloodied form of Vance collapsed into the room. "My lord, you are unharmed?"

"Yes, my agent."

"H- How?"

"I have protection from such things."

Vance began to drag himself toward Hircus's throne. "The city is... the city is gone."

"I... am aware of this."

"Why- why did you not save them?"

"That was not possible. A higher goal prevented me from doing so."

Vance continued to crawl toward him."You- let them die? You let her die?!"

"Remember who you are addressing, agent. I am still your emperor, your king. I see what you cannot. I know of a much broader picture than this, a much larger vision."

"You knew, didn't you?"

"What?"

"You knew this would happen."

"Yes. It was part of that vision I just spoke of..."

"I... How could this be part of your great plan?"

"There are those who are watching us. The flying warriors known as griffins, and the lizard blacksmiths of Terodai. They are both solitary peoples, wary of anyone else, but this devastation will convince them of a greater threat. This and more has been revealed to me."

"Are you saying that you sacrificed our capital city on the off chance these out-landers would come to our aid?"

"There were to be very few deaths. None, If I could help it. I suppose it got out of hoof. But there is nothing either of us can do about that now."

Vance reached the foot of Hircus's throne.

"Motherless basta-"

"Silence! I am your emperor!"

"Then show yourself! Like a emperor, and not a shadow-clad coward!"

Without a word, Lord Hircus rose from his throne and stepped toward the light.

"I will grant this request, but only because it might be your last."

Revealed was a tall, strong Caprastian ram, much taller than Vance, but clearly older. His most intimidating feature was the dark black crown he wore, a symbol of power that shone with a subtle dark blue glow, which only added to his striking appearance.

Vance began to chuckle uncontrollably until he began to cough up blood.

"This, *cough* is the great Lord Hircus? Just another ram with a plan?"

"Yes." The thunderous and intimidating echo of his voice was now gone, but his voice still carried strength. "And it would behoove you to remember that."

"Who gave you the right to throw so many lives away?" He fell on his face in agony of his worsening injuries. "Who gives you that power?!"

"I do!" a mischievous voice cried out. There was a bright flash, and the form of a young adult... thing, coalesced into form.

"Hi there! I'm Discord, lord of of chaos and blahdity, blahdity, blah... Point is, we've reached a pivotal moment in my little plan."

"What are you?" Vance wheezed, lying in a heap on the thrown room floor.

"He is a powerful being that can harness the power of chaos," Hircus answered. "Though I question his judgement, he has proved himself useful to me on several occasions. Some of our greatest triumphs would have been not been possible without him. Make no mistake, however, I am still your lord and master."

Vance began to tremble with rage at Hircus's hooves.

"You have betrayed your own kind to further your own ends, but you are a fool! He is a draconequus! Have you not read the children's stories? He will use you until you have nothing left to offer! Whatever he promised you is a lie!"

He began to sob.

"You let them die for a lie!"

Vance put his head to the ground.

"Let her die..."

Discord began to slowly clap his paw and claws together, then outstretched his arms as if to say that he was so very impressed.

"I am so very impressed! I did not believe any still remembered us! I knew I chose wisely!"

Hircus turned to face Discord. "Chose wisely? Chose what wisely?"

"Chose to do this!"

Discord's "hands" glowed a bright white color and a strange energy began to drain from Lord Hircus's body, swirling into the air and pooling into the air.

"What? No! Stop this at onc-" the Caprastian emperor called out.

He cut off his own sentence as he began to scream as if his very soul was being arrested from its housing, his form shrinking to that of a tired, beaten, frail, old ram, too weak to even stand.

"What, what have you done?" old man Hircus croaked.

Discords voice took on an almost demonic persona."I grant you, Vance of the Caprastian house of Certeux, the power to take back all that the Eclipstrians and this buffoon stole from you. All you must do, is take it."

Summoning whatever was left of his will, Vance dragged himself toward the old ram until the two were face to face, just a hoof's width apart. He then reached into a small satchel on his side, and pulled out a small kitchen knife with a carving of a apple blossom on the handle.

"Apple Flower, my greatest love, who died by your order, used this very knife to prepare the last meal we spent together."

"Agent! Vance! Do not do anything rash..."

"Something so simple, a kitchen knife, but it is now all I have left of her."

Hircus shrunk back. "Wait! No!" he wheezed in terror.

"This, is for her!"

Without the slightest hint of remorse, Vance sunk the knife as far as it would go into the fallen king's chest. As the life began to drain from his eyes, Vance pulled the old ram's face even closer to his.

His gaze narrowed.

"Long live the king."

Discord nodded. "The power, is yours!"

The pooled energy flooded down into the ram, not only restoring his health but vastly increasing his size to a unnaturally tall and muscular form, though still very Caprastian in appearance.

The vibrant lights subsided, and Discord appeared to return to normal. "You now have a power rivaling that of an alicorn. What will you do with it?"

Vance removed the black crown from Hircus's head and placed it on his own. "I will wreak vengeance on those who destroyed all that I hold dear."

"Oh, I was hoping you'd whip up some sandwiches or something. I'd do it, but that whole "world-shattering-power-withdrawal" thing kinda took it out of me."

Vance cocked his head to the side and grinned.

"You don't say."

Lunging with all his might, the transformed Vance leapt at the draconequus with his newfound strength. Discord quickly deflected his blows and hurled him into one of the throne room's many pillars.

"Wow. I'll admit I probably should have seen that coming, but you really shouldn't *ahem* look a gift horse in the mouth. I can take that power away from you just as easily as I took it from Hircus, so I suggest you start acting a little more grateful."

Vance got back to his hooves. "It was your plan that led to the destruction of this city! You may have played Hircus for a fool, but I will NOT give you the sick pleasure of doing it again!"

"Oh now stop. I only informed Hircus that the Eclipstrians were planning an attack, the first step of some kind of 'purge.' It really was his plan to allow them to take a chunk out of the city and "unite the team" as it were, it just blew up in his face, almost literally. I suppose it did have some redeemable qualities, though. You see, I have been watching you, Vance. Your unshakable courage and unassailable will made you my top choice for replacing the dear departed over there. That's called a complement."

"You dare search for a silver lining amidst the death of thousands?! I will never follow such depravity."

"Hmph! I save your life and give you the power to take over the world, and you insult me? If I wasn't such a swell guy I'd probably get my feelings hurt and do something really, really mean. But you're in luck. I like you, kid. If you've got the berries to actually attack me after what you just saw, you may just be able to defeat the real enemy here."

Vance snarled. "And just who is the real enemy?"

"Why the Eclipstrian king and queen of course! Or is that king and empress? I get that confused sometimes."

Vance sighed. "It is no matter. I will grind them into dust to be scattered across the winds for the world to see. For what they have done here, I will continue to destroy, until there is simply nothing left."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Calm down! I only intend for you to dethrone them! Regicide is waaaaay too messy."

"You cannot be serious. You just had me kill one of the most powerful leaders in existence just mere seconds ago! Why the restraint now?!"

"I never said anything about killing Hircus, I just said to take his power. You know, something symbolic, like the crown? Darn it, ram! I'm a prankster not a mass murderer!"

Vance sighed once more. "What would you have me do?"

"Well first of all, you need to get used to your new name."

Vance's now more regal eyebrows hiked up. "New name?"

"Yes, your kind have already lost their shiny new capital, losing their supreme leader too would just be pouring acid on on a washed up whale."

"What? You don't mean-"

"Yes, you have an empire to run, Vance. Or shall I say..."

"Forgive me, Apple Flower."

"...Lord Hircus."

****************

Captain Greene and Praetor Phalanx stared at the orb in disbelief.

"It all makes sense now," Phalanx began. "We did not free the Hircus we thought we did."

"Yep. That just about explains his unbelievable hatred toward ponies."

"Indeed, but there is still something missing."

"When Celestia started to tell my friends and I this story, she spoke of something called "The Great Equestrian Purge," or something like that. Maybe the next section of the book will finally put the last pieces of this ridiculously convoluted puzzle together!"

Phalanx stopped in his tracks. "Then it will have to wait! Look!"

Several blue creatures began to seemingly melt off of the walls. They sported a dark blue scaly hide and several spikes running up and down their lumbering bipedal forms.

"Sapphirites! The fabled guardians of this realm!"

The two began to back away. Greene shot Phalanx a rather distrusting look.

"When were you going to tell me this place had an army?!

"I did not know myself, until I read about them in that book over there. I suppose "Hircus" grew tired of the cat and mouse game and dispatched a more serious solution."

"What do we do?! How do we stop them?!"

The praetor turned to the captain.

"We don't."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VIII- Dread Immolation

A/N

Hey guys, if one of the links to videos or music in this story goes bad, let me know and I'll fix them. In the meantime, here's some words. I do hope you like them.

The rolling grass-green hills of Ponyshire wafted softly in the gentle summer winds.

In the distance, the various denizens of the Kingdom of Eclipstria went about their daily business. The sky was clam, birds could be seen chirping merrily, and the sun shone bright amongst the clouds. Sitting bewildered atop one of these pleasant hills, a human, a griffin, and a pony began to gather themselves.

Greene was the first to speak up.

"So, Phalanx, you're the history expert here. Just where did he send us?"

Phalanx stood. "I can't be certain, but those ponies down there would suggest that we are in an ancient agricultural town."

"Looks like Ponyville," Lime Tree added.

"It very well could be," Phalanx continued. "The geography looks very similar."

Lime Tree sat back and raised a hoof to his forehead to block out the sun, then began to gaze into the surrounding terrain.

"They look so... peaceful. You think maybe Hircus made a mistake?"

Phalanx shook his head. "I highly doubt it. If I know my history like you think I do, it won't stay this way for long."

A sudden realization struck Greene as a little colt trotted by. "Wait. If we're back in time, shouldn't we get out of sight? I mean if they see me, or you for that matter, Phalanx, things could go sideways fast."

Phalanx placed his head in his talons as the small pony trotted on past without even acknowledging their presence.

"We are not back in time. Not even Hircus is capable of that. This is a recreation of past events brought to life by Hircus himself. Or, so I theorize."

Lenard sat back down. "So we're still in Sapphiron then..."

Lime Tree sighed. "And completely at Hircus's mercy."

Phalanx nodded. "So it seems."

"So what's our first move?" Greene began. "Take our seats and watch the play?"

Phalanx moved to pick up a rock on the ground, his talons passing through it as if they weren't there.

"If this is Hircus's creation, we certainly can't change anything. So yes, all we can do is 'watch the play' as it were."

Greene laid back and propped himself on a large rock, mysteriously not passing through it.

"Guess he's fine with us taking a load off," Greene quipped dryly.

"Well," Lime Tree started. "If that's all we can do, we might as well do it."

Lenard Greene, Lime Tree Hill, and Phalanx Kel sat on their backs in the grass of the rolling hills, waiting for whatever was to happen.

Greene stared up at the clouds.

"Well, Hircus... on with the show."

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part VIII- Dread Immolation

To anyone living in the town of Ponyshire, today was just another ordinary day. A small storm could be seen brewing off to the west, but this was of no concern.

"Most likely pegasai over-watering a forest somewhere," an Earth pony farmer spoke to himself, sitting in a field with a sprig of hay in his mouth.

"Apple Core! There's sumthin' goin' on over here!" a farm hoof called out.

"It ain't important, whutever it is," the patriarch of the Apple family answered without so much as turning his head.

The old stallion was still caught up in his thoughts. It'd been three months since the tired farmer had seen his daughter, and very little else could occupy his attention.

"Boss, ah think it's important. Th' Royal Guard is here!"

Apple Core sighed. "Whut are they takin' this time?"

"Th' whole blasted farm, boss!"

This was enough to catch the old farmer's attention. He turned to face a young stallion standing at the doorway of the Apple family homestead. "Whut are you talkin' 'bout, boy?"

"They're ransackin' the place! Say we gotta vamoose or... well, we won't like what happens! Boss, you know whut's goin' on?"

Apple Core turned to notice that the storm was much closer now.

"No, ah don't." He began to trot towards the house. "Go home, Silt. Gather yur family and get someplace safe. Ah don't think this is a random o'currance. I'll round up th' rest of us. Go on, get!"

The farm hoof nodded and took off toward the town. Apple Core trotted into the house to find a small squad of Royal Guards clearing out the room and laying maps down on the large dining room table.

"Can ah help you, gentlestallions?"

"Yes, farmer," one of the soldiers answered with a just barely hidden disgust. "by leaving at once! By royal decree, all subjects are to get as far away from this place as possible!"

"Now why's that? And whut does this have to do with mah farm?"

"You are not privileged enough to know, peasant. Now leave this place immediately, before we become cross."

"Now you listen to me! You cain't jus' come up in here and take mah farm! Where's mah family supposed to go?!"

"That is not our concern," the guard answered. "Now leave this place, now."

Defeated, and keenly aware that he could not win in a bout with Eclipstria's finest, Apple Core began to retreat from the house. Outside, members of the Royal Guard as well as the Eclipstrian Army had already corralled the rest of the Apple Family off of the property. A young Apple colt trotted up to the old farmer.

"Grandpa? Whut 'er they doing to the house?"

Apple Core looked the little pony straight in the eye.

"Ah don't know, but ah don't want any part of it."

****************

For Greene, Phalanx, and Lime Tree, the scene had changed to a strange ongoing disturbance in a dense forest setting.

"I wonder what happens now?" Lime Tree wondered aloud.

Phalanx shushed him. "Quiet. I get the feeling we are about to find out."

_____________

Obscured by the trees of a forgotten jungle, the armies Lord Hircus advanced toward the Eclipstrian capital of Everfree. At the front, large landships tossed aside trees like dried grass, and Hircus's Caprastian infantry followed up the rear.

"Amazing," an infantryram spoke to another. "All these years we thought they were dead and gone, and the griffins still live."

"Yes. I would have thought them gone, but alas, true warriors cannot be held back from the fight."

The two rams looked up to see a large flock of the winged warriors above.

"I heard Grand Praetor Kellinx himself is leading them up there."

"Kellinx... I know the name. How could he still be alive? Did he not fight the Eclipstrians well over a century ago?"

"I believe so. Perhaps it is his heir, or one from his house."

"A possibility... or perhaps despite his age, Kellinx's thirst for vengeance has sustained him all this while."

A Caprastian officer looked back to the two conversing rams. "You lot! Stop yapping! Focus on the battle to come!"

"Yes sir."

"Yes mil'lord."

At the front of the convoy, in the largest of the landships, a very caprastian-looking Lord Hircus sat on the bridge, in quiet reflection. At the fore section of the rustic bridge, a ram bridge officer stole a quick look a their glorious leader, and leaned toward another bridge officer.

"Briax, has anyone heard of a Capraitian Lord accompanying his forces during an attack?" the officer whispered

"Not that I've heard of. I find it comforting, in a way. If he is journeying with us, he must have absolute faith in our victory."

"Let us hope," the first officer replied.

"Helm," Hircus called out. "How far are we from our destination?"

"But a few long spans, my lord. We will arrive in just under an hour."

"Good." Hircus returned to his thoughts.

"And so it has come to this. The peasant, turned solider, turned lord of all of the Caprastian Empire."

He looked out of a small window to notice several soldiers marching under the Imperial banner, his banner.

"This day has been too long in the making."

"I have waited a long time for this day too," a voice spoke in the Caprastian Lord's head.

"Chaotic one. What news do you bring?"

"No news, just thought you'd like a send off."

"Within my mind? Why are you not here in person?"

"I pushed my luck before, attacking this place. Got to the point that they'd know I was coming every blasted time. But they don't know you. They don't FEAR you. Not yet anyway..."

"Then I shall show them fear. The same fear they forced on Vertaigh. I shall wreak a new havoc that will be seen from many lands surrounding for all to see."

"I hope so, because the seats I got for this are terrible."

"What?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it. Just win one for old Dissy up here."

"I, hrm, plan on it, chaotic one."

"See that you do."

With that, the voice faded, and Lord Hircus stood from his battle lord's chair.

"Helmsram, increase speed and have the signalrams order the rest of the caravan to do the same. We have a battle to attend."

"It will be done, my lord."

********************

Celly and Lulu's unicorn caretaker stared out toward the capital city of Everfree from the balcony of their secret getaway home. Just days ago he and the two royal princesses were sent here with orders not to return until given the signal. As the room filled with the manic symphony of crashes and giggles that was the two royal fillies, the sight of a small trail of falling trees caught the unicorn servant's attention.

"Whatever is this strange occurrence?"

Just behind the falling trees, several plumes of smoke followed, though fires of ponies could be seen as a cause.

"Hey, Nanny!"

The unicorn turned around. "Yes Princess Celest-"

"I told you to call me Celly!"

"Well I'd like you to stop calling me nanny..."

"What was that?"

"I said y-yes, Princess... Celly."

"Did you get our chocolate snowballs?" the little white alicorn inquired.

"I, uh, I was sidetracked... "

Celly began to bounce on her hind legs.

"We would really, really, really, really like it if you got some for us."

Lulu rolled into the caretaker's view. "INDEED!" she bellowed with an unexpectedly loud royal voice.

Celly frowned. "Lulu, I told you stop yelling like that. It scares everypony."

"Oh, sorry..."

Celly turned back to the caretaker. "Anyway, when can you get us our snowballs?"

The caretaker took a quick glance back at the hint of forthcoming destruction on the horizon, then back at the fillies. "I will get on that immediately..."

Celly nodded, and the two royal alicorn fillies bounded off back into their secluded mansion.

"...for whatever time we have left."

*******************

For the human, the griffin, and the pony, the scene had changed to the stoic grounds of Castle Everfree.

Lime Tree soaked in the scenery. "I've been through the Everfree Forest countless times, but I've never seen anything like this. It looks so... normal."

"I agree," Phalanx chimed in. "It looks nothing like the Everfree Forest I know."

Greene shrugged. "Going in there twice was enough for a lifetime for me." Greene looked over to Lime Tree. "Feels like forever ago you, me, Sky Blade, and Star Sabre went in there after that shuttle capsule. Heh, I guess it's more like the future than the past though now."

Lime Tree didn't take his eyes off the castle in the treeline. "What happened here? What made the forest change so much?"

Silently, the three looked on as a traveling hole in the forest slowly made it's way toward the castle.

*******************

As his captives explored the history he had laid out for them, Lord Hircus watched from his seat of power within the Realm Sapphiron. In front of him, several Zebranni orbs of varying sizes revealed images and sounds from worlds beyond.

Hircus's multifaceted brow furrowed at the sight of one of the orbs.

"What's this then?"

Several hooded figures silently made their way through the streets of Atlanta.

"They escaped... How?

He turned away from the orbs. "Sapphirites! To me!"

Two barely distinguishable creatures came to their master's aid.

"You two. Take your original form. We have new prey to capture."

The two forms began to shift, one becoming a muscular pegasus in a Wonderbolts suit, the other becoming a tall human in a U.S. Army Rangers uniform.

"Excellent. The members of the Liberation Alliance Council have become more trouble than they are worth. They have somehow escaped from our occupied territory in New Vertaigh and have escaped into human occupied territory. You are tasked with their destruction."

Though thoroughly complicit under the dread lord's control, Hircus detected a slight hint of uncertainty in their glowing blue faces.

"I will grant you the power to accomplish this. Now go."

Any sign of Hircus's control disappeared from the two Hircan operatives, their eyes and faces appearing nearly normal. They leapt into the air, disappearing into a rift in Sapphiron.

Hircus's attention returned to the orbs.

"And so the legend continues."

********************

A much younger and more Caprastian-looking Lord Hircus stood atop his lead land ship, the castle walls of the Eclipstrian capital city of Everfree in plain view. The battle group lurched to a stop, and a horn sounded from the castle ahead.

King Soltare strode onto a balcony.

"You have invaded our land and trespassed on our most sacred grounds, but if you flee now, we will not pursue you."

Lord Hircus appeared out of the leading land ship.

"That is a suspiciously generous offer, your highness. Just a year ago you were willing to burn our cities to the ground. Tell me, what lead to this radical turn in judgement?"

Queen Noctau emerged from the castle. The Caprastian lord furrowed his brow in thought at the sight of the queen's much more pregnant form.

"Ah, I suppose that answers my question."

"Yes. Leave now and we may meet on the battlefield with honor," the king proposed.

Hircus erupted in hollow laughter, not a soul daring to join him. "You speak of honor? Where was that honor when you started killing your own to protect yourself! Where was it when you ordered the destruction of thousands of our wives and children!"

The king scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"You had your kind thrown in torture chambers just to keep them from threatening your illusion of total control, and you destroyed MY home! I would never give up this chance! I would never agree to anything you would propose here!"

The king bowed his head. "I am disappointed that you feel that way. If it is battle you desire, I shall fulfill that desire..." He raised his right hoof.

The king beamed with an air of regal confidence.

"...but it will not be on your terms."

A large defense force of Earth pony and unicorn legionaries rose from the dense foliage surrounding Everfree castle, completely encircling land ship armada. Above, pegasus defenders orbited the fortress.

"You think you can come to MY city and accuse ME of treachery?! You should have accepted my offer, because now I am going to send what's left of you and your pathetic army of inferiority back to the doorstep of your utterly leveled cities!"

The Queen spoke up. "Your desecration of our sovereign land ends now. But we are thankful that we did not have to seek you out first," she spoke coldly.

Hircus stepped back and starred down at the ground. "There was a moment when I feared coming here, doing this. I was not entirely sure I would have the strength to even walk to the gate." Hircus snapped back to a deadly gaze toward the King and Queen.

"That moment is gone!"

Receiving Hircus's signal words, a large force of large, winged, scaly monsters descended from the sky above, ridden by smaller red lizard creatures. Pulling up from the rear, an even larger force of light brown avian creatures swept through the forest and took up positions outside the encircling Eclipstrian forces. The two rival armies quickly reformed to create a battle line opposite of each other.

The king narrowed his eyes. "Fear... It is the most powerful of motivator one can feel."

The Queen continued, "It has reunited the spawn of our most hated enemies."

The king's horn began to glow. "But again they shall know their place. They will all know the dread that comes with opposing an alicorn, the most terrible dread imaginable."

Hircus reared up and took his blade from it's housing.

"Then today you will call me a dread lord!"

With a battle cry that could shake mountains, the two armies met.

Anomalous Energy Event Team Research And Development File #812 Anti-Heat Carbonization

With the sudden and unexpected defeat of Matchbox Battalion at the so called "Battle of West Ponyville," several new ideas have been presented as possible deterrents to Liberation Alliance "Magma" Orb technology. One of the more hopeful designs has been "Armored Carbonization," a technique that involves using the same reinforced carbon-carbon material previously used in the Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System.

The system would work by creating a thin exoskeleton of carbon-carbon over the preexisting armor plating to delay, if not defend against the searing heat of an magma attack. At worst, the system is required to at least allow tank crews to escape before the total compromisation of their vehicle. At best, it could protect an armored vehicle from destruction completely, allowing the vehicle to continue functioning.

Obvious drawbacks have been working with the brittle nature of the material, as well as the extreme costs, but with various redesigns and new techniques in material synthesis, there may yet be an answer to this new threat, and with such a massive vulnerability taking the center stage in the military's research and development circles, it may not be long before a solution is ready for implementation.

Liberation Alliance Central Command Fact File #1 The Council Of The Liberation Alliance

Always moving in shadows, and rarely ever actually seen, the band of individuals known as The Liberation Alliance Council (or often simply called the Council,) is the ruling body and governing head of the Liberation Alliance. Assumed to be made of up of representatives from the three major nations that formed the alliance, the council is ever cryptic as to the actual makeup of its council members. Some have even suggested that creatures other than griffins, rams, and pandragons sit on the grand council, so it leaves one to wonder just how much influence the council really has.

Since very little is actually known about the ruling body, many have been unsure of its loyalty, though every step the council has made points toward a genuine need to erase the Equestrian's hold over them and their constituents.

A/N

Another one in the books, eh? Well I'm glad to finally get it to you all. See you all with a new chapter soon! (Hopefully)