From Darkness

Operation: Resonating Hope

Location: Former Ponyville Countryside

Date and Time: September 24, 2037. 20:47 Hours

Subject: Shadows

Objective: Give the Elites...hope...

Welp, here I am again.

I'm all alone, with nothing to do but think. How did I get myself into this situation? I don't know. Frankly, I'd rather not think about it.

No...wait...

I do know, and I can think clearly about it. I always feared treading into my own thoughts, in fear of remembering Rosa. It was second nature for me to avoid my own mind. Not anymore, now I had cleared the corruption from my own brain, and was ready to face my thoughts head on.

Oh...right, I already did that...table and all...

Well, anyways, how did I get in this mess? Well, allow me to explain:

I was flying the helicopter, it was like an ordinary helicopter, too ordinary. You see, the helicopters that I use have the same model interior. In a way of speaking, they are the same helicopter, on the inside. I let my mind fool itself into thinking I was flying one of my own helicopters, which is integrated with stealth technology. So, when I tried to fly over the Elite base camp, I fully expected their thermal radar would never detect my Air Conditioning Interlaced plating on my chopper. Only...it was BLACK's.

Like I said, BLACK was way more advanced when it came to simple stuff, like medical; but, when it came to operating in the field, they were like a bat with its mouth taped shut. So, I was quickly spotted, and grounded shortly after. The Elites knew I survived the crash, so they sent out a team to find me in the field they downed me in. I wasn't exactly sure whose farm I was on, but I knew it was an apple farm. The large number of apple trees that stretched for miles beyond view assured me of that.

When the team of Elites arrived, I surrendered. What else was I to do? I can't tell which Elites are evil, and which are good! I wanted to give them all a chance at redemption anyways, so I didn't retaliate. Besides, I've escaped from BLACK...twice. I could escape from whatever the Elites had in store for me.

So, the Elites disarmed me and took me to a nearby military base, based in old Ponyville. It seems like it was used by the original Equestrian military at some point, but it was now under Elite control. There were plaques all throughout the the entrance, identifying locations where Elites died. After they took me inside, that's when I saw something that truly surprised me. A group of Elites were tearing down a statue of six girls. Two of the girls on the statue were Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, before she became a princess. I didn't know the other four, but they seemed important. Then I realized another thing, the Elites weren't tearing down the statue, they were building it! Why would the Elites build a statue of these these six girls? The statue was outside the base fence, so maybe this was the townsfolk's way of rebellion? Who knows, maybe they just thought these girls were really pretty, and they thought they deserved to erected in concrete.

Either way, I didn't let myself be concerned with it, as I had bigger problems at the moment. The two Elites "escorting" me took me towards a small cage. It was made of steel bars, and was just big enough for me to lie down in. There was no floor, it simply sat in the dirt and razor wire covered it from the outside. The razor wire gathered heavily around the edges of the cage, especially the ground, so as to prevent me from digging my way out. They unlocked the cage, threw me inside, and locked it again. The Elites spat at me, and went about their business. I was starting to have second thoughts about letting them live.

Anyway, now I was trapped, and had a chance to rest. So, I took it. I got as comfortable as possible in the dirt, and tried to doze off. The sound of gunfire all around me at the practice ranges made it kinda hard, but I managed. Then, for the first time in ten years, I had a dreamless sleep...

Operation: Crawling Spider

Location: Former Ponyville Military Base

Date and Time: September 25, 2037. 12:24 Hours

Subject: Shadows

Objective: Escape...is that all you ever do?

At some point, I woke up.

The gunfire was nearly silenced, which told me it must be around chow time. If the Elites were at lunch, then now would be a perfect time to escape. I'd better hurry though, I can already feel the humidity in the air from a coming storm.

I decided the best way to escape would be to try and pick the lock. I pulled out the small lock-picking set that I kept in my sock and got to work as best that I could. Normally, I could pick a lock fairly easily, but I was groggy from my nap, and I couldn't see what I was doing. Just my luck, I dropped the pick, and it was near impossible to find. It blended in easily with the dirt, and I couldn't find it until I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Of course, it was just barely out of my reach. I tried to snatch it up with the other tools from the kit, but I ended up losing the pick for car doors. Naturally, a guard saw me at work, and beat me with the butt of his rifle, then searched me for any more tools. He removed the rest of my lock-picking set, and took my knife. Funny thing too, I was just about to use it on him.

So now, I had no tools, no weapons, and I was trapped. How could things get worse, right? Oh, right, rain. Of course, the downpour started, and the ground beneath me quickly got muddy. I slipped on the new slush and fell on my face. When I wiped the mud out of my face, I noticed something. The mud was letting the razor wire slip around on the ground, where it was normally secured. I dug underneath the edge of the cage, and tried to wiggle the razor wire out of the way. After a few cuts on my hands, I was able to make an opening just large enough for me to slip through! I slithered my way under the edge of the cage, trying to get past the razors unscathed. Of course, I failed, and ended up with many gashes along my back. I was bleeding fairly badly, and I would soon start to be disoriented by blood loss. Okay, first goal, patch myself up. I looked around and found the medic tent, without hesitation, I hurried over to the tent and peeked inside.

Inside the tent, a small light hung in the corner, revealing a wounded Elite fast asleep in a cot. His face was pale, and I could tell (from the stain on the cot) that he was suffering from blood loss. If I didn't patch myself up, I'd be in the same situation, only thing is, that I don't think the Elites would give me equal care. I located a roll of medical gauze, and started to dis-clothe. I wrapped the gauze around my wounds repeatedly, and slipped back into my combat jacket.

Just my luck, a loud crack of thunder rang overhead, causing the Elite to stir. He mumbled something about muffins and slowly brought himself to rise. I stood totally motionless, somehow convinced that if I didn't move then he couldn't see me. Obviously, he wasn't a T-Rex, so the moment he opened his eyes, he saw me. What truly surprised me, was how he reacted. He asked questions first.

"Who are you?" He asked me

"A prisoner, in the process of escaping. Don't try anything, I could easily take you." I calmly replied

The Elite laughed, and swung his legs around slowly, "You think I don't know that? My vision is so blurry that I can barely see you! My ears are ringing so loud that I'd think you were blowing a whistle! If I wanted to try anything, I would have done that first."

I wasn't sure how to respond, "Well, I'm gonna just knock you out now."

Before I could act on my words, he raised a hand to stop me, "Don't bother, if you don't wanna talk then I'm going back to sleep."

"What? You mean, not only are you not calling for help, but you're just gonna let me escape?"

"Well, of course! We took your home from you! The least I can do is let a prisoner escape! What, you think all Elites are evil?"

Well, I wasn't sure, but now I was. This Elite proved my theory, at least a little, "Well, no, but I always thought the military was corrupt."

"Our military is corrupt, but that doesn't mean we all are. In our government, you are drafted into the military, no choice. The ones who are crazy, and hate the Equestrians, volunteer for front-lines and what not. They also take up most of the guard positions, because they can be trusted not to let people like you through."

"Oh, so, you're not one of those people?"

"No, of course not, that's why I'm messed up. I was a sleeper cell, and refused to kill your people. I revealed myself to them, in an effort to show that not all Elites are bad. Unfortunately, your military didn't show any kindness."

"That sounds about right. I guess both sides are kinda stupid on some level huh?"

"I'll say, war is stupid. It's always the same, never changes."

"What do you mean?"

"People always wage war over stuff that if they would just set aside their differences and talk to one another, then they could have settled it without blood. I don't understand what you guys did to us that we have to hate you so much for! Sure, you killed a lot of our people, but that was because we were taking your home! We didn't even have to do that! I'm sure you had some spare space, right?"

"If not, we could have found some."

"Then why are we at war?"

I pondered that for a moment. A lack of communication, duh. We did something wrong to them, and they returned the favor before we could apologize.

"Simple, a lack of communication."

"Really? Please explain what you mean."

I was about to, until things started picking up on the practice ranges, reminding me that I didn't have time. So, I decided to cut this short, "Look, I can't explain right now, but I do have a proposition for you. I'm starting on a operation to put an end to this war, peacefully. I could really use your help, what do you say?"

I fully expected the Elite to just turn me down and go back to sleep, but he actually thought it over! I saw the gears turning, and he finally looked at me and said, "I'll help, not sure what I can do, but I'll help."

"Great! First, you gotta help me get out of here!" I said, looking towards the exit of the tent, the rain still roaring outside.

"I think it's you who needs to help me!" He said with a chuckle, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm suffering from severe blood loss. Quite frankly, I'm surprised I have the energy to sit up!"

"Shit, fine. C'mon." I grumbled. I reached down and helped the Elite off of the cot, and slung his arm over my shoulders. He gained his balance and I motioned for him to follow my lead. We stepped outside and started trudging through the mud. The Elite was very heavy, and hard to carry in my nutrient deprived state. I needed a meal when I got out of this mess. Again, the rain just made things worse.

Thank Celes- no, thank Rosa. Yeah, I'm going to use her instead. Rosa is more deserving of my thanks. Thank Rosa, there were no guards out and about. A few gave us some trouble, but the Elite was able to tell them that I was leading him to the doctor. Of course, the guards fell for it, thinking I was just being subjected to menial labor. How could I escape from a fully guarded military base in broad daylight? Right under their noses, that's how. I set the Elite down for a moment, and approached the gate by myself. I sneaked into the gate control room and choked the operator unconscious. I fiddled with the controls until the gate swung open...

/Warning! Powering down the Lyradex mission recorder can cause life threatening brain damage!

/Are you sure you wish to power down?

/User input: Y

/Powering down...

/Power down successful!

/No brain damage detected!

/Goodbye!

The escape was clean, and we got out unnoticed. Well, it wasn't exactly clean when considering the mud, and we left the main gate open, but you get the idea. I finally decided to turn off that stupid mission recorder, you know, the thing that's been recording my memories on paper for you to read? It was a useful device when it came to keeping record of what happens, but I'd rather just leave it off for now. I hated it, because that meant that somebody would read the reports it made, which kinda creeped me out. So for now, I'm just gonna keep a journal of what happens in short tidbits. Hopefully I can speed things along this way.

September 25, 9:25 P.M.

I've learned my new Elite friend was a sleeper cell in a Wonderbolts camp. He actually operated pretty closely with Rainbow Dash. When I told him that I used to think she was hot, he told me I better watch out for Soarin then! Guess I dodged a bullet with that one, I don't need a Wonderbolt after me.

He says his code-name in the base was Delta. He was able to blend in by using technology the Elites have borrowed from the Changelings. The moment that the Wonderbolt base he was in figured out he was using Changeling technology, they sent a squad after the hive. He knew it was suicide for them, and even as they held him at gunpoint, he tried to reason that much with them. They just refused to listen.

Oh, where are my manners. I haven't even told you his name! His real name is Skar Streak, his friends call him Skar, and his co-workers call him Streak. He says I can call him Skar, so I guess that means I'm his friend.

September 25, 11:46 P.M.

Skar isn't holding up too well. We've been walking towards Manehattan for hours now, trying to get signal to my HQ, no luck. Skar is getting some well needed rest at a small camp I set up, and I'm keeping watch. We need food badly, hopefully I can find some in the morning, but I'm gonna sleep now. Screw keeping watch, if nobody's come looking for us then that means we're not worth looking for.

September 26, 9:12 A.M.

I slept in, haven't done that in awhile. Skar is out cold, I think he's unconscious. Oh, did I mention we had been travelling through the rain? Well, it's finally stopped, so at least I won't have to carry him in the rain. Luckily though, I did find a gate that lead into a hidden garden, it was out in the middle of nowhere. Whatever, I have food, I'm good.

I'm beginning to get static on my frequency over the radio. Either this means that my the Elites use my exact encryption, or I'm getting within range of my HQ.

September 26, 10:34 A.M.

Finally, after about another hour of travel, I was able to hail Spitfire over the radio. She said she was gonna smack the shit out of me when I got back. I told them I made a new ally who was badly injured, so they were sending some mercenaries with medical know-how to fix up Skar. Only thing is, I didn't tell them that he was an Elite.

September 26, 10:50 A.M.

The mercs weren't too happy to fix up an Elite, but they did it, with a pay increase. I need my own guys so I can quit outsourcing positions like this. It's eating up all of my available money. Anyways, I'm in the chopper on my way back to HQ now. I can't wait to see Spitfire and Cogs, and try to introduce them to Skar. These three people are the closest things I have to friends, and if they are my friends, I'm still not sure if I deserve them. Either way, they trust me, and together we can fix this mess that Equestria is in.

I think I'm gonna turn the mission recorder back on after this. I'm running out of ink in my pen and my hand is starting to hurt. Plus, it becoming a growing annoyance to write these. Now I see why Lyradex came up with this thing. For the craziest person alive, Lyra sure was smart.

/Powering on...

/Thank you for choosing the Lyradex mission recorder!

/Activating brain scanner...

/Scanner activated

/Recording data...