Saviour or Destroyer?by DropbearChaptersDesperationWhat do we do with a flightless diplomat?Flawless IntroductonsSecond time lucky...Chemical Love (I can feel you in my veins)An apple a day keeps starvation awayHey! Thats our job!Diplomacy, Commander Chalmers StyleSalvation via Home InvasionTrouble in the Wild, Wild WestThere were... ComplicationsConfounding ConfrontationsAn Unusual InterrogationCanterlot Capers Two: The Return of The NigelA Truce By Any Other Name Would Smell As SweetThe Mystery Of The DecadeManehattan Here We ComeBar Room BrawlsFunky TownDon't Send a Pony to do a Human's JobWhy You Should Just Walk AwayJust Some Friends I Brought With MeChaos and CoffeeTwo Spooks and A Priest Walk Into a Theological Debate... We're All a Little InsaneA Friendship Renewed All Things Must EndNot Only a Killer, But a Poet As WellThe Morning AfterDesperationThe changelings of Hive Chrysalis were in trouble. After the failed invasion of Canterlot and the resulting expulsion of every single member of the hive from the country of Equestria starvation was becoming a major issue. The lack of available food had existed before, in fact it was the reason for the invasion in the first place, but the threat of total annihilation had never seemed so real. Every changeling in the hive from the lowest drone, the strongest soldier to the most important elite, was slowly dying a long, drawn out agonizing death with no resolution in sight. Chrysalis sat on her throne in the dark gloom of the hive’s central chamber, every single bioluminescent light had been extinguished in order to conserve every last remaining scrap of energy. As a messenger drone exited through the main entrance way she was left alone, the majority of her usual guards and servants either in hibernation to conserve as much energy as possible, scouting the surrounds of the hive for sustenance or dead. The news from the drone was grim as the nurse drones reported that the last reserves dedicated to the sustainment and development of the hive’s nymphs was down to the last dregs, if the situation was not rectified then it there is only enough left for a another three days. It appeared that Chrysalis was all out of options. Well, maybe not out of all options. Two years before the invasion, workers expanding the lower recesses of the hive found an anomaly, a chamber formed of a perfect, seamless metal substance unlike any encountered before. Inside the chamber, seemingly discarded amongst metal scraps and other assorted detritus, the investigating soldiers found a cylindrical object constructed of the same metal substance the covered the walls covered in writing in an unknown language. The object had what appeared to be some sort of interface in the middle and, most disturbing of all, an emblem located on either end consisting of what appeared to be a Skull with an eye imprinted in the middle of the forehead. The skull was flanked by a pair of flared wings that resembled that of a Pegasus and had three symbols in Gold text below it that looked like “ISA”. When the object was retrieved for research a brief magical scan revealed that it was emitting an unknown energy that was barely detectable. Despite her scholars insistence to the contrary, Chrysalis forbid any further attempts to unlock the devices secrets and had it securely locked away to prevent any further experimentation. “Well, no time like the present,” Chrysalis muttered to herself as she sent a command via the hive mind to her second best scientist, as her best had perished two days ago, to retrieve the device and bring it to the throne room. The hive mind does not allow a Changeling ruler complete control over her subjects, rather it allows for wide spread, limited communication between the two. While the ruler can transmit complex messages, in this case a command requesting a specific item to be transported to a specific place, ‘normal’ changelings can only send simple one-worded thoughts such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This process of transmitting information takes considerable concentration on behalf of the sender and so cannot be used in times of great duress thus limiting its usefulness in times of emergency or in battle. A major advantage of this method however was that there was next-to-no delay between sending and receiving these messages and barely ten minutes had passed when the Changeling scientist Transfusion and four soldier class escorting the device, dubbed the ‘preserver’ (due to the device’s constant energy production) entered the throne room sluggishly. The reason for their lack of haste was clear as Chrysalis could clearly see Transfusion’s ribs through his carapace and the soldiers in their current state of nutrition were the bearers of sunken, murky blue eyes and dulled carapaces. Chrysalis guessed that they had few days left in them. “We have brought the device as you have requested my Queen,” stated Transfusion, as the accompanying guards placed the device on a pedestal to the side of the room. “However, we still do not know how to activate it or even its function.” “I know that, subject, I was after all the one who ordered that research on the device be ceased," Chrysalis snapped, her tolerance sapped due to her current situation. “I apologise, my Queen.” “We have no time for your apologies now, Transfusion; the activation of this device may be the last chance we have of survival.” “But how do you know, my Queen? For all we know this device my just be a simple trinket or an insignificant device.” “Because Transfusion, while I stopped the study of the device itself I allowed a select group to analyse the writings on the object. Due to… other matters they only translated one word, and they believed it was ‘Emergency’.” “So, my Queen,” Transfusion replied, trying to word his question in a way that he hoped would avoid insulting his ruler. “You believe that the activation of this device is our only choice and if so, how are you going to activate it?” “I’m not going to activate it, Transfusion, you are,” Chrysalis’s commanding tone leaving no room for argument. “The energy field that it emits seems to change occasionally, so I would suggest providing it with more power.” Swallowing a sudden lump that appeared in his throat, Transfusion made his way over to the device, knowing that he was caught in an unwinnable situation. On one hoof, if he disobeyed his Queen it would mean certain death, but on the other he would have to use some of his precious remaining life-force to power the device and possibly kill himself with the effort. These thoughts ran through his head as he pressed the point of his horn against the case of the device, closed his eyes and, aware of his Queen’s impatient gaze upon him, zapped the device with magical energy. A loud beep rang out through the room and a red glow shone from the front of the device. This glow ran over the lines of language on the device, causing its entire surface to glow. Warning! Emergency subspace locator beacon activated, unauthorised use will result in extreme disciplinary action! UIP (Unified Imperium of Planets) Space Sector - *Classified* ISA subsection of the Department of Security and Intelligence, Listening Station 236377B A bleak room, filled with consoles and screens and surrounded by the hum of machinery, its bleak atmosphere only interrupted by the occasion dust mite falling from the cold metal ceiling to join the thin layer covering the disused monitoring equipment. A room that had been forgotten, consigned to desolate blackness. A blackness that was suddenly interrupted by a single, flashing blue light from a centre console, a console with a screen that read: 'Emergency ISA Locator beacon active, Location locked, please inform your supervisor of this occurrence.' What do we do with a flightless diplomat?Commander Nigel M Chalmers was not having a good month. After being re-assigned to some back-end listening post after a ‘minor diplomatic incident’ he had the pleasure of exploring the joys of sitting in a chair in full black armour, supervising and attempting to make some form of idle conversation with the ISA intelligence operatives that shared the spacious command room he was in. He was not having much luck on the conversational side, who would have thought that a group of people who spend their entire working career in a room staring at a screen would have poor people skills? What he would give just for something, anything to happen that would give him something to do. “I never should have thrown that Tarkin diplomat out the window,” he muttered under his breath, leaning back in his chair and slowly allowing his eyes to close. “How was I to know that those wings were purely for decoration, I mean really who in their right mind makes decorative wings a part of their military uniform it’s not like-” “Sir!” “I wasn't talking to myself!” Nigel bolted upright in his chair to find that every single data technician in the room had stopped what they were doing and were staring at him like he was mad. This was probably not too far from the truth. “What are you all staring at? Get back to work!” the situation salvaged, Nigel proceeded to direct his attention back to the front the command area, where a Senior Logician, judging from his uniform markings, was standing at attention. His dark grey uniform was dull and bland, save for a name badge reading ‘Robert Paulings’ and the three-eyed, winged skull icon that represented the ISA. The Logician had his right arm raised in a salute, his brown eyes staring straight ahead, seemingly going straight through the commander. “What is it Paulings? I swear if this is about another transmission that just turns out to be another old advert for freeze-dried potatoes I’m going to eject you out of the airlock.” “No sir, it seems that one of the stations on Deck C has picked up a locator signal from an Emergency transmission unit,” Paulings replied, seemingly unfazed by his commander’s threat. “An emergency beacon? What agent was recorded to have be issued that particular unit?” “None sir, no record of this particular unit exists at all in our databanks, all that we know is that it was activated a short time ago, the location does not show up in any record and that the readings of the device indicate that the surrounding atmosphere is able to support life.” “Are we able to lock onto its transponder signal?” “Yes Sir, we have a solid lock and we can establish a safe transit tunnel to it’s location.” Nigel placed his hand on his chin in thought; it was unheard of for an Emergency Subspace Beacon to be issued without any record at all, mainly because anything incorporating subspace technology wasn’t exactly cheap. The fact that one of these beacons suddenly is activated in an uncharted area of space raised alarm flags in his head. Either one of the other Imperial Intelligence divisions had been conducting operations without the knowledge of the ISA or somehow the beacon had fallen into enemy hands at some point in time. Commander Nigel M Chalmers considered all of these possibilities and came to one conclusion. “Attention all personnel!” The Commander's voice boomed over the station’s intercom, causing all of the 3154 ISA staff garrisoned on the listening post to halt what they were doing and pay attention. “I want Wraith teams three and seven to report to the transit area in full gear, Lieutenant Takinata report to the command area and the science team meet me in the Deck G laboratory for briefing immediately, that is all.” ‘Finally,, a chance to do something other than sit on my arse,’ thought Nigel as he fastened his helmet onto his armoured shoulders and began to make his way to the briefing with the science team. ‘Maybe this will get me out of this dreary assignment and back in some action.' Deck G – Anomaly Research Division Briefing Room Commander Chalmers surveyed the expressions of the group of scientists in front of him after he informed them of the discovery of the transmitter. Excitement was reflected around the room, clearly the scientists were as anxious to do something useful with their time as he was. Events and finds such as these were the primary reason that each remote listening post had a small scientific team, although opportunities to leave the station and investigate were rare. “Due to the nature of this anomaly,” Nigel said, continuing the prior conversation. “We require at least five of you to accompany the first response team, led by myself, to ascertain the circumstances of this beacon’s activation as well as how it arrived at the location in the first place.” “Excuse me Commander,” the head Xenobiologist, Dr Charles Zarkrof spoke up. “While I am interested in the endeavour, what sort of environmental or, dare I say, local inhabitants might we encounter? How safe if the area surrounding the beacon, while I have the utmost faith in your men, how do we know that they will be able to ensure our safety?” ‘Bloody scientists, always concerned about the competence of people without multiple P.H.D’s’ Nigel thought as he sighed mentally, preparing himself for the objections that will surly follow his response. “I can assure you, Dr Zarkrof, we will be able to adequately neutralize any threat that would dare threaten your team as killing is, after all, our main profession." “I can… understand that Commander, it’s just I do not trust anyone but myself with my own safety. I mean as… professional as your men may be I feel that the only person I can trust is myself.” ‘He just doesn’t give up does he, I wonder if scientists are viewed in same group as foreign diplomats when it comes to windows.’ Nigel slowly started to become disinterested in the conversation as the Xenobiologist continued his tirade. ‘Then again the station doesn’t have windows, maybe a trash ejection unit would work the same, oh! I wonder if he’ll freeze straight away if he is ejected or will it take a wh-‘ “Commander?” The Doctor’s nasally voice brought Nigel away from his happy thoughts and back to depressing reality “How do you propose we solve this issue?” ‘Crap, come on brain, think of something, anything to get me away from this god-awful excuse of a man and give me a solution!’ Suddenly, possibly the greatest idea of the day, no, the decade graced the front of Nigel’s mind. “Tell me professor; you have been keeping up with your firearms training, have you not?” “Well, yes Sir it is after all a requirement of my position but I don’t think I quite understand what relevance that will have to do with anything regarding our current discussion?” It was a requirement of all UIP personnel to undergo basic military training. Zarkrof could not see the expression under the Commander’s onyx-black, skull-faced Helmet but he had the feeling that the Commander was sporting a wide malicious grin. “Well, you see my good Doctor,” Nigel said as he pulled what was possibly one of the meanest looking black handguns Zarkrof had ever seen out of a holster strapped to his side and held it, grip out towards the professor. “It looks like your standard defence training will come in use after all.” Flawless IntroductonsThe throne room was shrouded in gloom, the only light source a dull red glow emitting from the device sitting on the pedestal to the side of the room. Multiple bodies were slumped around the space, black figures in varying states of unconsciousness brought on by the intense energy released by the devices activation. Quiet had descended over the room, and there was no sound safe for the harsh, raspy breaths of its occupants and a dull hum resonating from the source of their unresponsive state. At the back of the room, the tallest figure stirred, shaking her head to clear the fog from her mind. Blinking open her luminous green eyes, she clumsily removed herself from her throne and stumbled over to the device, or rather, to the prone form lying at the base of its resting place. Queen Chrysalis, having completed her perilous trek to reach her objective, eyed her target and debated on the most effective way of rousing him from his slumber. A swift kick to the torso proved to be an adequate measure and the scholar Transfusion jolted awake, his slumber violently interrupted by his Majesty’s Hoof-of-Wrath©. “Gahh what? What happened? Why does- Ow! that stings, whatever is wrong with you mor…” Transfusion trailed off as his eyes traced the offending Hoof all the way to the face of his Queen, a face which he was positive could frighten even the most infernal daemon from Tartarus back to its lair. Its physically impossible for a changeling to sweat, as they do not possess sweat glands, but if they were able to Transfusion would currently be drenched in liquid fear. “Transfusion,” Chrysalis stated in a monotone voice “Can you kindly explain why I woke up, covered in my own drool and no progress to show for it?” Chrysalis said, gesturing to the unknown device, quietly humming away on its pedestal. “Can you explain why all of my subjects appear to have collapsed after a certain ‘Intellectual’ decided to meddle with an unknown device?” Transfusion decided that now was not the time to point out she was the one who ordered him to activate it “Can you explain why you cannot achieve one task, one simple task?” Chrysalis started to raise her voice, and the other changelings in the room began to stir, awoken by the lecture. Transfusion was paralysed with fear, the Queen was known for her temper and nothing irked her more than failure. “Well, Transfusion? What do you have to say for yourself?” The Queen’s voice had lowered in volume, her sudden calm tone doing nothing to calm his nerves, rather it sent a chill down his spine. The other changelings in the room, the four soldiers, now fully awake, gazed on the scene fearfully, knowing full well what the Queen was capable of after the failed invasion a month ago. Transfusion’s body had begun to shiver, terror shooting through his mind, possible punishments that the Queen could enact dancing in front of his eyes. He tried to voice a response, but all that came out was an “Garbpfft”. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at her scientist’s response and she raised her right foreleg above the head of the snivelling individual in front of her. She began to bring her hoof down, intending to deliver a dreadful blow to her cowardly changeling’s critical cranium. The ebony, hole-ridden hoof sailed through the air, its destination clear and tr- Rip! The sound of reality tearing itself apart froze the hoof in the air, and all eyes turned to the right of the room, where a large spiral, five times the size of Chrysalis forced its way into existence. Chrysalis could only stare as the spiral materialised, its menacing black glow seemingly leeching what little light was left in the room. Her heart beat in her chest, a feeling of despair filled her heart as out of the spiral advanced skull faced, black bipedal figures, footfalls echoing around the cavern like the beat of a war-drum. ISA subsection of the Department of Security and Intelligence, Listening Station 236377B Subspace Transit Station, five hours after beacon activation Commander Chalmers inspected the twenty Soldiers in front of him, two squads of ISA specialists referred to as wraiths. Each squad was made up of ten men or women, soldiers hand-picked by the ISA from the multiple branches of the UIP Military and, as a result of brutal training, extensive genetic and technological enhancements, rigorous mental strengthening and state-of-the-art equipment transformed into highly efficient black-op’s soldiers experienced in the arts of murder, infiltration and subterfuge. Each soldier was equipped with smooth, black, light-absorbing armour crafted from classified composite-carbon nano-tubes with an insulating layer of artificial muscle. The armour was fully self-contained, incorporating life-support and emergency trauma systems as well as a compact fusion-core that served as a power source for the suit. Each soldier had adapted to sleeping inside their armour and as such a soldier could remain in their suit in an operational capacity for eight standard Imperial months. Each wraith was armed with a EQ1898 rifle, a fully automatic carbine that fired antimatter-infused munitions. This was made possible by UIP weapons engineers, who came up with the idea of rather than utilizing regular ammunition magazines to construct a way of allowing a weapon to fabricate its own ammunition using ‘energy packs’, high powered batteries that replaced conventional magazines. A soldier could recharge these packs by interfacing them with any powered amour or by placing the packs near a source of heat or light. The method of charging the packs by exposure to heat or sunlight takes far longer than by conventional means but allows a soldier almost an infinite amount of ammo. At the stage of current production only specialist forces of the UIP, such as the ISA department, had access to antimatter based weaponry with mainstream troops utilising laser and plasma based weaponry, with some still even using ballistics weaponry due to a matter of preference. Each wraith was also carrying a sidearm or PDW (Personal Defence Weapon) of their choosing and these ranged from sleek laser pistols to bulky plasma pistols, fusion handguns and a corporal in wraith team three even had an infernus gun, a compact flamethrower that could be used with one hand. In addition to ranged weaponry each member possessed a powered monomolecular blade that could either be used as a conventional combat knife or, when the weapons power-field was activated, a knife capable of cutting through plate steel. Many wraiths had also armed themselves with an assortment of explosives, anti-personnel traps, small blades, plasma cutters, wrist-mounted blade gauntlets and assorted backup weapons. All in all it created twenty specialist soldiers armoured in state of the art armour and carrying enough weapons to take down a small country. Whoever said that preparation was just for boy scouts? The Commander’s musings were interrupted by the opening of the rear doors of the transit area and the slightly-less-then-majestic arrival of the members of the science team. Nigel could not tell where the scientists began and the equipment ended. “Zarkrof!” Nigel yelled, his helmets external speakers giving a harsh electronic edge to his voice “I said to bring only the most important equipment needed for this mission, why does it look like you have seventeen laboratories worth of gear strapped to your assistants?” Zarkrof glanced behind him, the four other scientists from a range of fields including Electronics, Weapon Engineering, Metallurgy and even a Viral Warfare Biologist attempting to manoeuvre a black sealed case the size of a small car through the door with the help of an anti-grav lifter. The scientists were dressed in white hazmat suits, armour covering vital areas and with cases and bags secured with all manner of straps and clamps covering their bodies. Each scientist had a holster with a small laser pistol strapped to their hip with the exception of Zarkrof, who still possessed the large, black handgun given to him by the Commander and, Klaus Steiner, the Weapons Engineer who for some unknown reason was sporting a large, brutish looking pump-action ballistic shotgun in a holster across his back. “With all due respect, Commander, we have no idea what is waiting for us on the other side and due to the nature of subspace tunnelling we have no estimate of how long we will be stuck out there. If for some reason we require access to chemicals or extra weapons then we at least have the tools require to synthesize basic supplies.” It was a valid concern as subspace transportation was notorious for its drawbacks, mainly that the tunnels created were only one way. Commander Chalmers was aware of this and as the listening post they were currently on was not issued any portable subspace generators the plan was that once their mission was complete the team would activate a long range communications beacon and would have to await extraction from the UIP navy. “Fine, Professor, you can keep your toys, just realise that our main priority is the Emergency beacon itself, all other matters are secondary, and that includes the welfare of your equipment,” the Commander conceded with a huff “How soon until you will be ready for departure?” “We are ready to leave right know Commander, we, ahem, 'borrowed' this lifter from Supplies so transportation should not be an issue.” “Good, I’ll contact Lieutenant Takinata and inform him that we’re about to depart,” Nigel stated as he turned to the direction of the portal generator. He walked two meters before looking over his shoulder. “Oh, one more thing Zarkrof” “Yes Sir?” “Where in the seven circles of Hell did Klaus get that shotgun?” The atmosphere in front of the swirling maelstrom in the Transit room was both of excitement and nervousness. The Commander and every single one of the wraiths had all travelled by subspace before, where the only member of the science team to do so was Klaus, the shotgun-toting Weapons Engineer who had served a ten year stretch with the Department of Exploration. The wraiths were busy checking their equipment, ensuring that nothing would come loose and get lost during the transit while the science team were busy discussing amongst themselves as to what could possibly be awaiting them on the other side. Nigel had already transferred command of the Listening Post to Lieutenant Takinata, a capable Intelligence officer of forty three years. He had also arranged for a UIPN ‘Murphy’ class Cruiser to be on standby for the team’s extraction. The diplomatic pull one received from being a high ranking officer in Intelligence almost offset the often bland assignments he was gifted. Content that everything was in order he faced the uninviting blackness of the subspace tunnel. “Alright, wraiths move out first with me, secure the surrounding area, eggheads stay at the rear and shut up until everything is in order, everyone got that?” “Acknowledged,” came the reply from the two Sergeants commanding the wraith teams through the headset built into Nigel's helmet.. “Yes Sir,” replied Zarkrof, the science team’s Hazmat helmets lacking internal communication devices, instead relying on the external speakers built in. With a final nod, Commander Chalmers drew his sidearm from his holster, identical to the one he gave Zarkrof, before stepping into the portal, the wraiths flanking him with rifles drawn and ready while the scientists cautiously advanced behind the commander, their precious equipment trailing behind on the lifter. Nigel emerged from the portal, stepping into a gloomy cavern, his helmet's low-light optics automatically compensating for the gloom. The room appeared to be constructed of some smooth ebony substance, nether metal or biological, and according to his suit's sensors they were located underground. Over to his left he spotted the object of the mission, a metal cylinder glowing with red text, sitting on a pedestal seemingly constructed out of the same material as the surrounding cavern. A noise caught his attention and he noticed several forms surrounding the pedestal. He mentally commanded his helmet to enhance his vision and he could not believe the resulting image. Staring back at him like a deer caught in the floodlights of a Main Battle Tank, were what he could only describe as black, insect-like equines with holes in them. Five of them, which he estimated to be four foot tall, barely coming up to his armoured waist, possessed solid blue eyes with what he assumed was an pupil in the centre. Four of the beings possessed a jagged horn sprouting from the forehead and appeared to be covered in heavy chitin, no doubt some form of armour. All four appeared to be suffering from severe starvation. The fifth figure cowering beneath the sixth and most imposing one, which he assumed was the leader, looked slightly shorter than the first four, which, combined with the lesser amount of amour this fifth one possessed, convinced him that the first four were some sort of soldier or guard caste. The other major difference between the shorter one and the ‘soldiers’ was that it possessed dark green hair as well as a dark green tail, unlike the assumed soldiers which just had bald heads and jet black tails. Also, its horn was slightly longer, although it did not apear to be as sharp as the previous four. The sixth and tallest figure, around five feet tall, seemed the most responsive, it gaze moving from the Commander’s visage to the twenty wraiths slowly fanning out of the portal, the muzzles of their guns pointed at the abnormal equines. What caught Nigel’s attention most was the that instead of having a pair of solid blue eyes, the leader equine had what appeared to normal eyes with deep green irises, granted the size of the eyes were huge, their size assisting Nigel in identifying that the owner was absolutely terrified. Also of note was the flowing cyan blue mane and tail as well as the jagged, twisted horn atop it’s head, almost double the length of the other equines. Nigel also took note of the equine’s sunken face and skinny form, no doubt it too was suffering from starvation. “Permission to engage Sir?” The leader of wraith team seven, Sargent Perkins inquired. “Negative, form a protective perimeter around the scientists, as soon as everything is through I want to try to establish communication. If they attack use lethal force as a last resort, I’m guessing that they played at least a minor part in the beacons activation, so any infomation we can retrive from them would be useful.” “Roger,”came the reply, the wraiths halting their advance but still training their weapons on the unknown creatures. By this time the scientists had all disembarked from the tunnel, the science equipment in tow, and were staring wide-eyed at the equines. What surprised Nigel the most was the hungry, almost predatory look that the Xenobiologist, Zarkrof, was sporting through his helmet visor. Clearly the Doctor’s curiosity had overridden his earlier anxiety. With an anti-climactic ‘pop’, the subspace tunnel closed, returning the room to its former state, all twenty six members of the first response team standing opposite the insectoid equines. Seeing that everyone and everything had made the trip smoothly, Nigel decided that know was the perfect time for introductions. Striding forward, handgun at his side pointed down at the ground so as to appear non-threatening, he began the all-important first contact speech, specifically prepared by the UIP Department of Diplomacy for situations just like this. “Greetings, On behalf of the mighty United Imperium of Planets, I hereby extend the greatest of pleasantries in the hope of formulating a magnificent- bollocks!” Well, it would have been a great speech if only he hadn’t tripped over a rock, landing on top of the pedestal holding the device with an ear-splintering crunch. . Second time lucky...‘That could have gone slightly better,’ thought Nigel as he pulled himself up from the remains of the pedestal, the locator beacon thankfully having survived the incident, its solid construction carrying it through the trauma of having three-hundred kilos of armoured biped fall on it. As he stood up he noted that equines, with the exception of the smallest lying prone on the floor, had retreated a couple of paces, no doubt startled by his less-then-graceless entry. ‘Damn, I’m losing it, got to do something, got to do something, gotta do som- ‘ding!’- perfect idea.’ Nigel stood proud, the next words out of his mouth carefully formulated for maximum effectiveness. “Well,” he started. “At least that ‘trip’ lowered the ‘gravity’ of the situation.” ‘Smooth, Oscar Wild couldn’t have done better himself.’ Others in the room had different opinions, with one of the corporals from squad three even going so far as to raising his left hand and miming shooting himself in the head with his sidearm. ‘Congratulations, you just signed up for every single suicide mission I can think of in the foreseeable future,’ Nigel thought, creating a mental note to make that particular soldier’s life a living hell. Corporal Stevens must have realised what his Commander was thinking, probably due to the fact that he had two blood red helmet lenses staring right at him, seemingly piercing him to his very soul. He quickly returned his hand to the grip of his rifle and took a sudden interest in checking the surrounding area for any threats. “Hehehe gr- gravity of the situation.” Nigel turned to look at the source of the chuckle, the smallest equine of the group, clearly the only other being in the room with a decent sense of humour, was currently repeating the joke from its position sprawled out on the floor. Transfusion finally got his laughter under control. He had to admit, despite this biped’s appearance and un-orthodox introduction; it obviously possessed a highly developed taste of humour. He looked up from the dull grey colouration of the floor and realised that the focus of every single being was on him. Everybeing, from the imposing black bipeds, the slightly less imposing but equally confusing white bipeds, the four soldier class and Queen Chrysalis , who was currently fixing him with a look of utter befuddlement. ‘What?’ he thought. ‘Surely they all got the joke as well?’ Transfusion was puzzled, sure the atmosphere was tense, but from what he could interpret from the bipedal leader’s interrupted greeting and following actions he assumed that they had no intentions of harming any of the changelings in the room at the moment. Plus, judging by the appearance of the black bipeds, which he assumed were soldiers of some kind, as well as what he assumed were deadly weapons possessed by each of them, if the bipeds had wanted to kill them then they would have encountered little resistance from the six malnourished changelings. Nigel diverted his attention from the equine on the floor to the leader, who he had mentally dubbed as ‘Swissy’, due to the fact the multiple holes in its legs made it look like a large walking piece of Swiss cheese. He wisely decided to avoid voicing this observation as the atmosphere was already fairly tense. Swissy was currently staring at its subordinate in what Nigel assumed was confusion, the bipeds’ presence currently forgotten. This did not last long however, as Swissy directed its gaze back to the Commander, its facial features returning to a look of terror. Nigel was used to being feared, all-black armour designed to make him look like Death-Incarnate and deep-red helmet optics did not exactly say ‘Hi, I’m a really nice guy, let’s be friends’. Normally this would have been a positive boon, the ISA was known for its love of psychological warfare, but in a delicate situation such as this the effect was detrimental. Nigel was thankful that, judging from the smallest equine’s earlier outburst that the unknown creatures spoke English, the main language of the UIP. This would make the issue of communication much easier. Nigel turned to Swissy, this time making sure that his feet were not moving at all. “How about we start over. I am Commander Chalmers from the United Imperium of Planets Military Intelligence Department, ISA Division, and I am here regarding the activation of our beacon,” Nigel said as he pointed towards the subspace beacon currently nestled in the crook of a scientist’s arm. The man, the teams Electronics specialist, had previously retrieved the beacon from the remains of the pedestal and was now investigating the object, the fingers of his right hand dancing over the beacons interface. Nigel returned his hand to his side, subconsciously tapping the grip of his sidearm, which he had holstered earlier, and continued. “Any information you could provide us with in regards to our objective would be incredibly useful, and such co-operation would be looked upon favourably.” Chrysalis stared at the tall biped trying to find the will to voice a response. The biped spoke fluent Equestrian and it had made its demands known, the device obviously immensely important to it, and Chrysalis had a difficult choice to make. Should she lie, and try to convince the bipeds that they had nothing to do with the device, or should she try to explain to them the circumstances surrounding the current dilemma? The bipeds guarding the leader appeared to be heavily armed, and she knew that the wrong choice would likely result in bloodshed. Chrysalis did not place much faith in the four guards in the room with her; they were all still appeared to be in a state of shock, with one even cowering under his hooves. Knowing that her fate would be dictated by what she said, she summoned up the courage to form a reply. “I-I am Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, and the device of which you speak of…” Chrysalis trailed off, her courage sapped by the un-wavering stare of the bipedal leader, two embers burning right into her mind. Drawing upon her last reserves of strength, Chrysalis glanced at Transfusion, the Scholar having not moved from his position on the floor, barley two body-lengths away from the biped, before pointing her right foreleg at him and finally mustering a coherent reply. “He did it.” Transfusion nearly cried like a Newborn Nymph as the imposing biped lowered its burning gaze towards him. He began to shiver as biped began to approach, stooping down on its hind legs as it lowered its face towards his. The biped’s face, a leering bone white skull surrounded by what appeared to be smooth black chitin, was pointed directly at him, and at this distance he could hear what appeared to be a quiet ‘hum’ resonating from the dread figure. The bipeds gaze never wavered, and surely his judgement was sure to begin. “So,” the biped asked, its unnatural voice echoing around the surrounding area. “You’re the one that activated our emergency beacon, forcing me to leave my comfy chair and come all the way to this god-forsaken galaxy, where in the last ten minutes I’ve already fallen flat on my arse in front of my troops and your ruler, possibly damaging the only chance our Empire had at diplomacy?” Transfusion compressed his body even more, hoping that by some miracle he could just disappear. “Do you know how important my time is, what precious things I had planned to do before SOMETHING had to go and run my carefully laid plans?” The other bipeds had slowly started to back away from their leader, its tone gaining an icy edge to it, an edge detectible even in the monotone voice it possessed “Do you know,” the biped’s face growing closer to Transfusion’s. “What I’m going to do to you?” Transfusion shook his head, tears welling up in his blue eyes, terrified of what this biped was going to do. “I’m going to do something I should have done at the start of this conversation” the biped stated, and Transfusion braced himself for inevitable. “I'm letting you off with a warning!” The biped’s voice having lost all malicious meaning and had returned to its original cheerful tone. ‘What?’ Transfusion thought as he raised his head, the biped having stood back up, it’s attention now focused on Queen Chrysalis, its prior target forgotten. Transfusion wasn’t certain, but he swore that the white bipeds seemed just as shocked as he was with the sudden mood change, although the black bipeds appeared to have not been surprised in the slightest. “Now,” the biped began joyfully. “Let’s get on with the show, I’m sure you have many questions to ask about our appearance as well as what we plan to do with you and I’m a busy man, so let’s get to it!” The biped clapped its two front claws together as it said this and started walking towards the startled Queen, leaving Transfusion curled up on the floor, wondering just what manner of insane beast had been unleashed upon the planet. Chemical Love (I can feel you in my veins)As he approached the Queen, wide grin hidden under his helmet, Nigel reflected upon his conversation with the smallest equine. Sure, maybe he had over-done it a little, but the satisfaction of terrorizing the little equine had done wonders for his current state of mind. He was a s[ector agent, the ISA’s order of elite operatives and he had been specifically created to sow fear and misery to enemies of the UIP. This power of intimidation was like a drug, the need to create terror constantly scratched at the back of his mind, altering his mindset and warping his judgement. His earlier episode had cleared his mind of any fog, and his thoughts remained crystal clear and unclouded. “So, Your Majesty,” Nigel gave a sweeping, one-handed bow as he said this, his attention fixed on Chrysalis. “I’ve come to notice that you and your subjects appear to be quite malnourished. As a symbol of good faith I offer you some of our supplies, in the hope that we can ensure good relations between our peoples.” Chrysalis was shocked, first this biped, this ‘Commander Chalmers’, nearly scares one of her scholars to death and then offers them food barely a minute later? Seeing that the Commander appeared to be patiently awaiting a reply, she responded, the majority of her nervousness receding at its sudden offer. “I thank you for your offer Commander, but I don’t think that you will be able to meet our ‘unique’ dietary needs,” Chrysalis stated, trying to stay vague on the topic, fearful that the Changelings habit of draining the love from others would alienate them in the eyes of the extra-terrestrial visitors, as it had already done with the races that shared the planet of Hesperia. The Commander, however, approached the subject with the subtlety of a brakeless freight train. “I assure you your majesty, I’ve seen many methods of acquiring substance in my lifetime, I highly doubt that the preferences of your people will shock me.“ Chrysalis sighed; it looked like the Commander was not going to drop the issue until he received an answer. She could only hope the bipeds would not react violently to the revelation. “Well Commander,” Chrysalis started, preparing for the likey possability of the biped erupting into violence. “You will not be able to help us as our race feeds on the stolen love of others…” Chrysalis trailed off, noticing how the biped had suddenly started to twitch, no doubt furious at what abominations of nature the Changelings were. Nigel could hardly keep his composure, laughter threatening to escape his mouth and exit through his helmet speakers, the idea that these Changelings existed purely on love was hilarious. Sure, the UIP had encountered races that fed on the emotions of others before, but they generally were able to exist on a wide variety, ranging from joy, sorrow and most often rage, never an emotion as saccharine as love. Trying his hardest to avoid upsetting the foreign ruler, he voiced the most important question he could think of at the time. “Sooo… you’re like Succubi then?” “I don’t know what that is,” replied Chrysalis, surprised that the biped did not seem at all concerned about sharing a room with emotional vampires, maybe there was hope for her Changelings yet? “But as you pointed out, we are in dire need of sustenance.” Chrysalis gestured towards Transfusion, who had fainted after his ordeal with the Commander, one of the white bipeds trying to awaken him from this state by pouring what appeared to be water on his head from a yellow container. Transfusion spluttered back into consciousness, the biped screwing the lid back onto the container and walking back to join its fellows. “Our main source of food, the ponies of Equestria recently repelled an invasion of ours, which we were forced to do as we had begun to starve, our numbers growing too great.” Chrysalis continued, sorrow building within her at the memories of that day. “Now there is barely more than six-hundred of us left, and my subjects are continuing to die, we have only days left until every single changeling in the Hive is dead, myself included." Nigel had missed the last part of the Queen’s tale of woe, his mind still churning over the fact that another race existed on this planet, a race of sentient ponies no less, undoubtedly capable warriors if they were able to repel an invasion from these Changelings, who, despite their current state of nutrition appeared to be naturally prepared for conflict with their carapace armour and sharp horns. ‘These ponies must possess a proficient military,’ thought Nigel. ‘If we side with these Changelings we may end up dragged into a prolonged conflict.’ “Excuse me Commander, Your Majesty,” both Nigel and Chrysalis were broken from their individual thoughts, both turning to face the source of the interruption. An armoured hazmat-suit clad biped Nigel recognised as Dr Harris Thrax, the mysterious Viral Warfare researcher who had been assigned to the Listening Post his origins shrouded in secrecy. “I apologize for the interruption, but I believe that I can provide you with a solution for your food-shortage problems your Royal Highness, if the Commander agrees that is.” ‘This ought to be interesting,’ thought Nigel as he gave a nod of his head, signalling the Researcher to continue. “Before I proceed with my idea Commander, may I ask you if you are familiar with Article 721B, or the ‘Souleater Virus’ as it is known?” Dr Thrax had gained the attention of every human in the room with the mention of that name. The ‘Souleater Virus’ was notorious, a virus specifically designed to target the brain functions of almost every single sentient being encountered by the UIP. The virus targeted the brain chemistry, stripping inhabitations from the host and instilling a overwhelming sense of never-ending hunger, forcing the host to feed on anything organic in the vicinity. The virus was transmitted by bodily fluids, most often blood and saliva, and was manufactured so that the virus would gestate inside the host for days, ensuring that a wide section of the target population was infected before the outbreak was detected. This ‘Zombie virus’ had been attributed to the destruction of over thirty-seven civilisations, all bitter enemies of the UIP. “I am well aware of that particular weapon Doctor, what I am not aware of is how a biological weapon is related to a shortage of food for love-reliant xenos.” ‘Biological weapon?’ Chrysalis thought, completely confounded by the bipeds’ confusing conversation. “You see Commander,” Thrax continued. “I was a part of the team that developed the virus and a major part of its fabrication was the creation of ways to manipulate the base emotions of the targets and one of those emotions was love, the very same emotion that your subjects so desperately require your majesty.” “That’s all very well Doctor, but surely the materials required for such synthesisation would be incredibly complex and difficult to obtain?” Nigel supplied, genuinely interested in Thrax’s theory. “Some of them are Commander, but thankfully I have the majority of the compounds with me,” Thrax stated as he gestured towards the large black cases loaded onto the cargo lifter, forgotten at the back of the room due to the unusual encounter. “The only chemical components that I am currently missing are Alpha-Linoleic-Acid, Asparagine, D-Categin, Isoqurctrin, Hyperoside and Neoxathin-” “All of which are located in the common apple,” interrupted Commander Chalmers, much to the shock of Dr Thrax as well as the surrounding scientists, drawn in by the conversation. The wraith troopers were too busy discussing the alien equines’ appearance over their internal communications to notice and the changelings were under the impression that the Viral Biologist was speaking a different language. “What?” Nigel questioned as he looked around him, the scientists’ shock clear, even from behind their tinted visors. “I know stuff.” Thrax shook his head to clear his mind, the Commander’s comment leading him to question the nature of reality, and turned back towards the Changeling Queen, who was staring at the Commander in surprise. “Your Majesty?” he inquired. “Would there be anywhere in the surrounding area where one might find a source of… apples?” Thrax could not believe that one of his first conversations with alien Royalty would involve the acquisition of fruit. “Well…” the Queen began, clearly as uncomfortable regarding the questions as he was. “There is a small pony settlement four miles from here, and from what my subjects have observed, the ponies there grow a large amount of apples. However,” the Queen continued. “I don’t think that any of my subjects have the strength to make the journey as well as avoiding the local pony farmers.” The Queen gave a deep sigh “I do however thank you for trying, it’s just that I think it is an impossible task.” “Maybe not as impossible as you think, Chrissy my dear” Commander Chalmers had dropped all formality, an exciting idea forming inside his head. “I’ve got just the soldier for the job.” The Commander turned to the group of wraiths, narrowing his eyes inside his helmet as he spotted his target. “Corporal Stevens!” The Commander’s voice jolted the wraiths out of their private conversation, and they all turned to look at the summoned Corporal, who was beginning to sweat inside his armour, despite its numerous internal climate control systems. He turned to face his Commander, his apprehension growing as he ever-so-slowly rotated his body. “It’s your lucky day Corporal,” said the Commander as soon as the Corporal was facing him. “You better pack your parasol and bonnet, you’ve won the lottery, and the first prize is that you get to go on an adventure.” The Commander grinned under his helmet, he had been waiting for an opportunity to get back at the Corporal since he had mocked Nigel’s finely crafted joke earlier. ‘Oh, this is going to be hilarious,’ Nigel thought, imagining all of the horrible things that the Corporal could encounter on the surface. An apple a day keeps starvation awayWestern Equestria – Outskirts of the native settlement ‘Appleoosa’ Corporal Stevens had learned a valuable life lesson that day. The lesson being that if your superior officer makes a joke, no matter how terrible you just shut up and play along. As a result of his earlier mistake regarding this lesson, he found himself prone in the dirt outside a primitive native village, observing the brightly coloured inhabitants through the scope of his EQ1898 rifle, having activated the long-range optics and in-built suppressor. The sun was starting to descend in the sky, and judging from the activity in the town the natives were preparing to turn in for the night, making their way from the various shops and stalls to primitive wooden buildings. The Corporal found himself imagining just what effect his Infernus gun would have on the towns wellbeing, the town he observed possessed no water source aside from two large wooden water tanks on the outskirts of the eastern side of the settlement. His goal, the large orchard of apples located to the south of town was a large source of activity with multiple natives moving carts full of apples into a large barn with haste. Corporal Stevens moved his scope, scanning the barn for any alternate access points before his vision landed on an open window located on the upper floor of the barn. ‘Bingo’ he thought, marking the location of the point in his helmets Heads-Up-Display. He shifted his view downwards, his crosshairs resting on the head of a yellow-orange haired horse wearing what appeared to be a cowboy hat. ‘This entire planet is insane; I can’t see why Commander Clusterfuck is so enthusiastic about being here’ The nickname ‘Commander Clusterfuck’ was common amongst ISA forces, birthed from the fact that Commander Nigel had a habit of finding himself in awkward situations, only to make the problem worse, usually resulting in explosions, intergalactic war and most recently the untimely demise of a foreign diplomat after he inadvertently insulted the Commanders dress uniform. Apparently it took the cleaners three hours to scrape all of the remains off the floor. Of course the Commander himself was unaware of the unofficial codename, a fact that Stevens was incredibly thankful for. Watching the yellow horse, Stevens mused on just how easy it would be to end its pathetic existence. His finger stroked the trigger like an owner petting their dog, hoping to all the gods that the equine would suddenly pull out a weapon and start firing at him, giving him an excuse to send a high-velocity anti-matter infused slug into its head. Of course, the equine did not give him the chance, instead of pulling out a plasma cannon and firing indiscriminately into the surrounding terrain it instead shut the barn doors after the other equines had finished their labours. Grumbling to himself, Stevens lowered his rifle and settled in, waiting for night to fall before the commencement of the heist. Darkness had descended over the quite settlement of Appleoosa, the pioneer ponies snuggled in their beds, completely unaware of the stealthy black figure stalking his way towards their precious apple horde. Upon reaching the side of the barn, this ninja of the night extended his right arm, pointing it towards the Barns unprotected second story window, its depths vulnerable and unprotected. With a barely audible ‘Psssst’ the grapple shot from Steven’s right gauntlet, shooting through the open window and securing itself on the other side. Stevens tested the weight, and, finding the line secure activated the motorised climbing device and entered the dark interior of the barn, his rifle slung over his back and his helmets optics compensating for the gloom. Slowly he crept down towards the main storage area, his descent panned out to the last detail, every potential move placed under extreme scrutiny and analysed down to the optimum resul- “Goddamn it! How the hell am I going to carry all of these apples back to the hive?” ‘…’ As a wise man once said, ‘no plan is perfect’ so Stevens looked around the barn, trying to find something, anything to store the apples in for transport. Doctor Thrax, possibly one of the creepiest humans he had ever met, had specifically said that he needed at least thirty apples in order to manufacture enough of the emotion that their new ‘allies’ needed to survive. Stevens himself did not care much for the Changelings, how could they let themselves be beaten by those prancing prissy pony pussies? Obviously the Changelings would be of no use to the UIP in a militaristic fashion, maybe the Commander was planning on keeping them as pets or something as the Commander was known for his love of exotic animals, rumours existed that he had even once possessed a Hydraxian Morphsquid, an invertebrate that could transform its body mass into any liquid it came into contact with. With a mental shout of success, Stevens laid his eyes on the most magnificent prize, sitting nestled in a pile in one of the dark corners. Striking a triumphant pose, Stevens raised the object above his head, its presence the answer to his prays. He began to fill the object with apples and at number sixty-six he could cram no more in, his objective completed. Abandoning all pretence of stealth, Stevens let out a bellowing cry of joy “YES, YEEEEEESSSSSS! SUCK ON IT COMMANDER CLUSTERFUCK!” “Hey, is there somepony in there?” Stevens froze as a voice, male with a country twinge to it filtered through the barns front door, and his helmets in-build sensor picked up a life form approaching the barn. ‘…Fuck’ Thought Stevens as he retreated to the second floor, secreting himself between two hay bales, hoping that the Equine’s enlarged eyes did not grant it excellent nightvison. The barn door swung open, and the orange-maned equine from before entered the barn, its head swivelling from side-to-side, searching for the source of the noise. Its gaze passed over Steven’s position, his dark armour blending into the blackness. Giving a loud snort, the equine turned and left, evidently thinking that it had been hearing things. Stevens sighed in relief as the barn doors shut, his mind locked on one thought. ‘Should have shot that Bastard when I had the chance.’ Corporal Stevens, highly trained black-ops commando, a killer belonging to one of the most feared Intelligence agencies in existence found himself running fell pelt back towards a hive full of love-sucking, insectoid equines who looked like they were the result of a Horse fly screwing a piece a of finely-aged Swiss cheese, with a sack of sixty-six pilfered apples slung over his shoulder. Needless to say it wasn’t the highest point of his illustrious career. After avoiding detection by the yellow farmer, whom he had affectionately dubbed as ‘That Inbred Tosspot’ –‘TIT’ for short- he had exited the barn via the same window and stealthily made his way out of the town. He was ecstatic, he had made it halfway back already, traveling along a crude dirt road, Stevens reasoning that no-one else would be using it at night. Stevens smiled, he was making excellent time and he figured that with no interruptions he would be back at the hive in less than our hour. “Hey you! Stop!” Stevens whirled around; dropping the sack of apples of the grounds he faced the voice. What he saw didn’t leave him frightened, rather it left him in a state of jovial confusion. Standing behind him, located right next to a bush he had passed stood four figures. Two he identified as ponies, stallions judging from the obnoxious facial hair each were sporting. The third figure looked like an over-sized canine, standing on two legs with its arms trailing on the ground, its brown fur blending in cleanly with the dirt on the road. The most threatening figure of all however was the massive bipedal bull, its dark red fur complementing the oversized yellow sombrero perched on its head. Maybe it thought that the hat looked intimidating, Stevens thought that all it did was make the bull look like a Mexican bandito from an old terran taco commercial, all it needed was a poncho and the look would be complete. “Well, well, well, look at what we got ‘ear boys, a lost little minotaur runt al by his lonesome.” This brought snickers from the rest of the group “Tell you what, runt, howsabouts you give us all the money your carrying and we leave you with all your limbs unbroken” The large bipedal bull proposed as he glanced back at his lackeys, and evil glint in its eyes. The bull turned back to Stevens, flexing its biceps “So Runt, what’s it gonna’ be, you gonna’ give us the cash as well as that purty sack o’ apples there or are we going to have to break you?” “Here’s how it’s going to work, you overgrown barn animal” Steven’s eyes were fixed on the four bandits with his hands on his rifle, having unslung it during the bull’s threats “You and your buddies are going to walk back into that bush and resume your little country butt-fucking session, I’m going to pick up this sack and walk away, and you’re going to forget that you’ve even seen me.” “Why you little…” began the bull as he slowly began to advance on the corporal “I’m going to tear out that tongue of yours and use it to clean up my sh-“ ‘BANG!’ the bull was cut off as the report of Stevens rifle echoed around the country side as an antimatter projectile exited the pitch black barrel and entered the bull’s stomach, where it detonated, blowing a hole in it which was as large as a soccer ball, showering the other bandits with a mix of blood, bone and entrails. The bull collapsed to the ground as his fellows stared In shock, until they too received bullets of their own to their craniums. Stevens walked over towards the dying bull and removed his helmet, revealing short-cut brown hair and cold blue eyes. He looked down as he stared at the bull, its face contorted in an expression of pain and fear. Stevens lowered his rifle, placing the muzzle against the bull’s forehead, and grinned. “How da like these apples?” BLAM! Stevens wiped his face with his armoured hand, clearing the bull’s blood and brain matter off his face, its skull having exploded like a rotten watermelon. He replaced his helmet, walked back over to the dropped sack of apples and slung it over his shoulder. As he began to walk away from the corpses, he suddenly stopped and turned back, walking over to retrieve an item that had fallen to the ground during the skirmish. Nigel was discussing with the Changeling Queen the layout of the Humans’ base camp, the Queen having gifted them an old, spacious storage area at the back of the throne room. The wraiths were currently pitching the team’s tents while the scientists were busying themselves with the setup of a temporary laboratory; Dr Thrax in particular was working on connecting a menacing gothic-looking machine to a portable fusion generator. ‘Great’ he thought as he stood up, the generator humming away merrily ‘now i only need those apples and the process can begin.’ SLAM! The Throne room doors were thrown open violently, interrupting Nigel’s conversation and causing the wraiths to drop the tents and draw their rifles, pointing them towards the open doors. Out of the entrance way emerged a wraith, Corporal Stevens, with a sack flung over his shoulder, his armour covered in streaks of blood and a large, yellow Sombrero balanced precariously on his helmet. The Corporal swaggered over to Thrax, and dropped the sack at his feet, the sack spilling open to reveal a multitude of shiny red apples. The corporal leaned forward until his blood-stained helmet was almost touching Thrax’s face. “Enjoy your fucking apples” he growled as he started to walk away to re-join his fellow wraiths. ‘I have just got to obtain that helmet’s video recording’ thought Commander Chalmers as he turned back around to continue his conversation with the awe-struck Queen. Hey! Thats our job!Commander Chalmers, Queen Chrysalis, Transfusion and Sergeant Murray Boland -leader of wraith team 3- were gathered around Thrax’s machine as he mumbled and cursed, his hands a flurry of movement as he added chemicals and compounds from a bright orange case sitting on the floor to the multiple orifices on his device. The sack of apples that had been retrieved earlier was resting against the side of the machine, ready to be added at the final stage. It took a while but eventually with a relived sigh Thrax stepped away from the synthesiser, his labours complete. “Sergeant, if you wouldn’t mind” Thrax asked Sergeant Boland as he gestured towards the sack containing the apples, the final ingredient needed. The Sergeant nodded, and proceeded to walk over towards Thrax, his primary weapon, a Mobius-pattern Fusion Gun, swinging from a strap attached to his armour as he did so. Thrax and Boland picked up the apple sack and emptied into the bowels of the machine, all sixty-six, cores and all. When the sack was empty they tossed it towards the back of the room and Boland resumed his position at the Commanders side. Boland and the Commander had worked together before and the Commander had specifically chosen Boland’s squad to accompany them on this mission as he believed him to be a competent leader who had earned the respect of his squad as well as the respect of his commanders through impressive operational results. The room was filled with a soft ‘hum’ as Thrax increased the output from the portable fusion generator connected to his machine. “Alright, the first batch should be finished in approximately an hour, and after three days we should have enough of the drug to last your people a month your Majesty, provided your population does not grow any larger.” “Thankyou Doctor, Commander, you don’t know how much this means to our race" Awnsered Chrysalis. “Don’t worry about it Chrissy” replied the Commander “the amount of science data the boffins have collected more than makes up for it." It was true; the other scientists have been busy analysing various objects such as the material making up the hive to the Changelings themselves, the Queen ‘volunteering’ some drones to assist them in their studies. All-in-all the experience had added a vast amount of knowledge to the coffers of the UIP and it was even rumoured that Klaus had begun to draw up schematics for Changeling-mounted weapon systems, but the Commander doubted that the Weapons Engineer was THAT insane. Chrysalis let out an annoyed huff, not a fan of the Commander’s new nickname. “Still Commander, I do legitimately appreciate the lengths that you have gone to save our lives.” “As I said before, don’t worry too much about it” the Commander said, turning around to wave at the wraith that Chrysalis knew as Corporal Stevens. The wraith, still wearing his pilfered sombrero noticed this and in return raised his right fist, middle finger sticking firmly up in the air, the meaning of the gesture lost on Chrysalis. “Ah, they grow up so fast” the Commander said, chuckling as Sergeant Boland raced off to educate the Corporal in regards to meaning of the term ‘insubordination’, the Corporal quickly returning his hand to his side, but it was too late and the damage was done. The next day, two days since UIP arrival Canterlot Castle, Equestria Royal Celestial Hospital, East Wing Celestia looked down upon the two blank white sheets placed separately on the table with sorrow in her eyes, the vaguely pony shaped forms lying beneath them motionless. Struggling to keep her emotionless mask intact, she turned towards Doctor Vascular, the beige coated stallion standing beside her. “How did they die?” She asked, the violent deaths of two of her subjects weighing upon her mind. “We are not too sure of the cause, my Princess, but what we do know is that whatever it was it completely destroyed the majority of the head, almost as if it just… exploded” the doctor replied “we also believe that death was instantaneous, if that is any consolation” the Doctors tone was clear and clinical, no doubt used to having to deliver bad news. “I see” Celestia sighed, trying to remember any other instances of sudden skull explosions during her long reign, but was unable to. She turned towards her left and addressed the only other figure in the room “Captain Bulwark, where were the bodies found?” Unyielding Bulwark, the newest Captain of the Solar Guard glanced at the covered bodies before replying. “In the Desert surrounding the Settlement known as Appleoosa, your Highness, the remains of a Diamond dog as well as a Minotaur were also found, their manner of death the same, with the exception of the Minotaur who had an additional hole in its torso” the captain could still remember the reactions of the guards sent to examine the reports of a strange, black biped seen fleeing Appleoosa, having been spotted by the local sheriff. The guards had been searching for clues when they had found the bodies. Three privates and a sergeant had gone into shock and the entire thirty-strong group of guards had all since requested Personal Leave, leave that had been approved immediately by the Princess once she had been informed of the situation, the two non-Equestrian bodies having been returned to their respective peoples as soon as they had been recovered. “And what of the reports of this unknown biped in the area, could it have contributed to the tragedy?” “Unlikely” snorted Bulwark “we found no evidence of ‘Apple-Abducting Aliens’, as the sheriff described it, your Highness, in my opinion those settlers have been living in the desert for too long” the Captain’s expression changed to one of disgust “There are reports of Changelings in the area Your Highness, I have no doubt that they were responsible and we do know that sentries have stated that survivors of the invasion had been scouting around frontier towns.” At the mention of Equestria’s most recent enemy, Celestia’s face had morphed into one of distaste. “Very good Captain, dispatch guard teams to the area in an effort to spot any of these Changelings, if your Guards find any detain them and return them to the palace for questioning.” “Yes, Your Majesty” the Captain saluted “I’ll send some of our finest Guards right away” and with that he turned and left the room, leaving the Princess alone with the Doctor as the medical pony began discussing with Celestia his theories regarding the deaths of her beloved subjects, the atmosphere no less melancholy than before. Nigel was walking towards the Changeling scientist Transfusion; he believed his name was, with the intent of finding out exactly why he still seemed so petrified around the humans. All of the Changelings in the Hive had been terrified of the imposing bipeds at first, but after learning that they had reacted to the Changeling’s nature respectfully as opposed to outright rejecting them the humans had become accepted around the hive. After the announcement made by their Queen that the new visitors would be staying for the time being many Changelings had been attempting to sneak peeks at the mysterious figures, the humans preferring to stay in their own designated area. The revelation that the newcomers were also assisting with the food shortages had brought with it appreciation and even adoration, some of the Changelings viewing them as saviours sent by the Heavens to aid them in their time of need. Any humans upon meeting any of these Changelings would attempt to halt this ideal, claiming that they were only doing what was morally right and that the majority of the Empires that they competed with would do the same. “Excuse me Doctor Transfusion” Nigel began, the small Changeling turning to face him, fright quickly ascending to its features “there’s no need to worry” Nigel continued “I only want to talk about your attitude towards me as I happen to have noticed that you seem, well, to put it bluntly, positively terrified of me. If I have done anything in particular to scare you I would like you to talk to me about it, as I fear that we may be stuck with the possibility of us never coming to speaking terms.” Transfusion was shocked, could the Commander really not recall how he had treated Transfusion when they had first met, scaring the life out of him with his threatening under tones and menacing actions? Transfusion struggled to form a reply. “What about when you first arrived, you threatened to kill me!” “OH that” dismissed the Commander with a wave of his hand “that was just a joke, I threaten to kill people all of the time, it’s kind of what I do, well, that and actually killing people, but you get the point.” “WHAT!” yelled Transfusion, his fright giving way to anger “THAT WAS A JOKE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW CLOSE I WAS FROM DYING OF FRIGHT ALONE!?” “I don’t know” replied the Commander as he started to turn away from the furious Changeling “but i do know one thing” “What?” answered Transfusion, confused as to what the biped was referring to. “At least you’re not scared of me anymore” Transfusion’s shocked spluttering was interrupted by the sudden entrance of a lone soldier drone, its cyan coloured fly-like wings beating furiously as it propelled itself through the throne room’s main entranceway. “My Queen!” it panted, coming to a stop in front of Chrysalis throne, Chrysalis having being enraptured by the conversation between the Commander and Transfusion. The soldier bowed before continuing “Equestrian Royal Guard have abducted six of our soldiers whilst they were preforming reconnaissance outside the Hive, and they appear to taking them back to the Equestrian Capitol!” “What, how could this have happened!” shouted Chrysalis, dismayed that the Equestrians had captured some of her soldiers, just when things appeared to have been improving for the struggling Hive “If they question them, they could discover the location of the Hive and after the invasion…” Chrysalis trailed off, knowing fully well that Celestia was determined to end the Changelings’ threat towards her little ponies and would not be against the eradication of the Hive. She turned towards Commander Chalmers, a pleading look in her eyes. “Please Commander, we need your help once again, if the Equestrians find out about our location…” her breathe caught in her throat, afraid of the possibility of her precious changelings facing annihilation again. “There’s nothing to fear Your Majesty” the Commander dropping the Queen’s informal nickname, his tone turning serious “We’re the aliens in this situation and I’ll be damned if anyone else tries to abduct others, that’s our bloody job” he stated angrily, retrieving a rifle from the arms stockpile located in the middle of the human camp, cocking the receiver dramatically. “Sergeant Boland, select four troopers of your choosing and bring them to attention” the Sergeant nodded, pointing at various wraiths and voicing commands over the comms system. The Commander turned towards them, the four chosen wraiths as well as Sergeant Boland stepping up and saluting, filling the Commander with rabid anticipation. “Gear up gents; it’s time to pay the neighbours a special ISA-branded diplomatic visit” As the assembled team of wraiths dashed off to prepare for the upcoming festivities, Nigel caressed the rifle, polishing It with a handkerchief he had pulled from a storage compartment located in his armour. “Soon my pretty, soooooooon…” he cooed as he walked out of the main entrance of the throne room, the Changeling guards standing on either side of the doors outside shooting each other nervous looks. “Soon…” Diplomacy, Commander Chalmers StyleCanterlot Castle- Equestria Royal Dungeons, Interrogation cell “Tell us the location of your Hive changeling, I’m getting sick of asking you” Captain Bulwark said, looking directly at the captive Changeling, the leader of the six-strong scouting group they had captured. Reflection stared back defiantly at the pony Captain before mustering a response “Go Buck yourself!” Bulwark nodded to the Solar Guard Sergeant standing next to the bound Changeling. With a solid ‘CRACK’ the Sergeant’s armoured hoof connected with Reflection’s face, sending her tumbling out of the metal chair, a trail of green blood running out of her mouth and collecting on the dusty stone floor. “I’m going to ask you one last time” Bulwark said, walking over until he was standing above the Changeling “Where is the location of the Hive?” Reflection lifted her head from the slowly growing pool of green, locking eyes with Bulwark “I don’t know, I was too busy changeing into your Father and Bucking your Mother to ask” she spat “Wrong answer” replied Bulwark, his voice emotionless. He began to beat the Changeling with his metal clad hooves, targeting the soft spots unprotected by chitin, in particular the vulnerable underside of the belly. This continued for five minutes, at the end of it Reflection was covered in green blotches where the tormented areas had already begun to bruise, multiple lacerations leaking green vital fluid, the Changeling in question having blacked out from the pain. “Take this one back to the cell” commanded Bulwark “and bring one of the others, the Princess has ordered this Hive’s destruction, and I intend to not disappoint her” the Sergeant nodded, leaving the room, the unconscious Changeling held in the magic fields of the two unicorn privates accompanying him. Bulwark trotted back over to his seat at the opposite end of the room, not bothering to clean his green-blood stained hooves, knowing that there was much more to come. Outskirts of Canterlot Castle – Three days after UIP arrival Nigel was currently lying prone underneath a camouflage sheet just outside the walls of the castle, the other five members of the rescue team having secreted themselves around the perimeter of the city with the reasoning that it would be easier for six individuals to infiltrate the city separately, rather than as a group. They had made good time in their journey to the city, their suits and training enabling them to continue on non-stop. It had taken a full night and half of the following day to reach their destination and the group had spent the rest of the day observing guard patrol routes and plotting possible routes to their destinations. The guard coverage had been surprisingly sparse especially considering that the capitol had been invaded barely a month ago. The weaponry possessed by the majority of the guards had appeared to be primitive in nature, with the most advanced item being crossbows. Nigel was confident that the metal-bolts would be unable to penetrate the armour of the wraiths, having been designed to deflect bullets and energy weapon discharges. The sun had dropped behind the horizon four hours ago, and whilst the full moon provided ample illumination Nigel was confident that the team would be able to reach their objective, the roof of the citadel overlooking the city, without being spotted. Nigel had noticed the day guards, whom were easily recognizable by their ornate gold armour and white and blue colour scheme, had been relieved at sundown by what appeared to be the spawn of a pony and a bat, Nigel shuddering as his brain provided him with images, incredibly detailed images. “I’ve got to stop falling asleep in front of the nature channel” Nigel mumbled, shaking his head to clear himself of those vile thoughts. ‘It’s incredibly sad, but I just know that someone out there would probably get off on it’ he thought before he gave the order for the wraiths to commence the infiltration, trusting that each individual soldier was capable enough to achieve their task. Nigel removed himself from under the camouflage sheet, folding it up and storing it in a compartment in his suit before rushing over the edge of the city wall. Nigel checked his sensor, the nearest life signs located fifty meters down the wall in a stone guard tower, the occupants currently ascending the internal staircase towards the top of the wall. He quickly hauled himself up using the suits grappling hook, expertly landing on the top section of the wall with hardly any sound. Checking around the surrounding area, he quickly rappelled down the opposite side, coming to a rest beside a cart loaded with watermelons. He stealthily made his way towards the castle and was surprised about the fact that the city seemed to possess little nightlife, the only activity coming from a few restaurants and bars. The rest of the journey took roughly an hour, Nigel constantly having to avoid civilians and guards, the military presence increasing as he got closer to the castle. After much concealment in boxes and containers located in various dimly-lit alleys Nigel finally made it to the base of the castle, ascending towards the roof of the main spire where he awaited the arrival of the other Wraiths. He was immensely proud when all of the five wraiths had joined him within ten minutes, all of them reporting that they had made their journey without being spotted. Boland had almost been sighted by an inebriated civilian but was luckily mistaken for a statue, the drunken stallion believing him to be an advertisement for a new Minotaur themed restaurant that had just opened in the same city district. “*What now Commander*” Boland asked “*should we proceed to enter whist it is still night and secure the objectives?*” “*Negative Sergeant*” Nigel radioed back “*these ponies need to learn to fear us, and I wish to make an example*” the Commander pulled out his camouflage sheet, the reactive material already changing to match the colour and pattern of the Spire. “*Conceal yourselves for the time being, I’ve got a plan that I believe will for fill all our multiple goals with one strike.*” With a chorus of ‘Affirmatives’ the Wraiths moved into their allocated positions, preparing for daybreak and the inevitable chaos that their ‘visit’ would bring. Canterlot Castle Royal Throne Room Twenty Six minutes past eleven, four days after UIP arrival Celestia was tired, tired of Day Court, tired of dealing with dead ponies and especially tired of arrogant nobles demanding information regarding the captured Changelings, the news having been spread by loose-lipped guards spending their time off-duty in one of the many bars situated around the Capitol. “Your Highness, it is not our right as the nobility of this land to have access to any information regarding any possibility of those disgusting insects existing within our city, how can you withhold this important information from us?” The noble speaking was Spending Cash, a Stallion who, like many of his fellow nobility had inherited vast sums of many as well as spacious mansions that had belonged to their families for generations. Spending Cash was a member of a group of around twenty members of the upper-class in the throne room at that moment, all of whom had gathered to petition the Princess for increased Guard patrols around the high-class area of the city. “It’s not that simple, Spending Cash,” spoke Celestia as she got up from her throne and moved over towards the large stained-glass window overlooking the room. Celestia paused for a moment as she stared at the large window, the scene on it depicting a post-unification Equestria, multiple renditions of ponies frolicking happily without a care set in coloured glass for time eternal “The majority of the Royal Guard are currently searching other towns and cities for any other signs of Changelings, and the city watch is short staffed as it is.” “What about the reports of strange bipeds, Your Highness, shouldn’t the guard also be investigating the sightings regarding them?” Celestia turned around to face the noble, her radiant sunlight shining in through the window to land upon her back. Captain Bulwark entered the room and stood beside the twin thrones, having obtained information regarding the Hive’s location. Celestia noticed this and responded to the noble, attempting to finish the conversation as soon as possible. “Those are merely rumours Spending, there is no solid proof of any unknown biped running around Equestri-“ ‘SMASH!’ Celestia whirled back around to the window as she was interrupted, catching a glimpse of two black objects speeding towards her, right before the two offending objects provided her with solid proof of the existence of unknown black bipeds in the form of a knockout blow to the side of her head, the sounds of the nobles’ terrified shrieks filling the air before she passed out, her body being shoved to the floor by an impressive weight. Nigel cursed under his breath as he raised himself back upright from his position sprawled on-top of the tall white horse, having not expected anything to be standing in front of the window when he had rappelled through. As he picked himself up from the rather compromising position a pony guard in golden and purple armour attempted to rush him, the pony drawing a sword that appeared to be suspended by some kind of energy field. Nigel payed the guard little attention, more focused on the incredibly loud and annoying sounds coming from the group of ponies dressed in fancy clothes, their wails of terror ringing in his ears. Just as the pony guard reached the apex of its charge and began to swing his sword at the Commander, Nigel lashed out with the butt of his rifle, nailing the guard square in the unprotected snout and knocking it out cold, breaking the guards muzzle in the process. As the guard’s unconscious body hit the floor the five Wraiths led by Sergeant Boland, who had unslung his fusion gun, entered the room via the now broken window having rappelled down from their positions on the roof, preforming perfect landings, unlike the Commander. Two guards rushed in from the other side of the Throne room’s main doors, having heard the commotion. One was swiftly put down from a three round burst from the Commander’s EQ1898 rifle, the anti-matter rounds blowing off a foreleg and punching through chest armour with ease. With a sinister ‘HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS-ZOMPH’ Sergeant Boland fired his fusion gun, turning the remaining once-proud Solar Guard to a pile of steaming slag, the reaction so violent it left nothing behind but a black featureless blob. At this sight the sounds from the nobles intensified, until the Commander could take no more. “SHUT THE HELL UP BEFORE I SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!” This had the desired effect, the mouths of the nobles clamping down, stifling their cries lest they provoke the fury of the violent invaders. “That’s better, thankyou” said the Commander before he activated his internal communications “*Alright, whilst my landing could have gone better, we have entered the building successfully. Sergeant, I want you to head on down to the lower areas of the castle, I’m betting that the objectives are located down below, most likely in a dungeon of some sort. Head down and secure the targets and wait for us to join you, we still have some matters that need attending to*” the Commander ordered as he gestured toward the civilians. “*Affirmative Sir*” Boland replied, exiting through a side door, fusion gun at the ready. The Commander turned his attention back to the four remaining Wraiths before his eyes were drawn to an object resting near the prone body of the White Horse. “*You four, change of plans, clear the rest of the surrounding area and kill any guards you find but spare any civilians, then head down to the lower levels, ill finish up here by myself.*” “*Yes Sir*” the wraiths replied, all four leaving via the main entrance way, the sounds of sporadic rifle fire filling the air with noise soon after. The Commander walked over the unconscious body of the White Horse, the side of its face swelling up where his boots had made contact. He stooped down and retrieved the glittering tiara, turning it over in his hand. The Commander placed the tiara on his helmet, the fine piece of bling secured snuggly on its new home. Nigel stepped towards the crowd of nobles whose faces were locked into expressions of shock in response to the events earlier, such extreme acts of violence unheard of in Equestria. “What do you think” he asked, giving a small twirl “does it suit me or does it clash with my optics?” The nobles were unable to form a reply, their large eyes locked onto the Commander’s imposing form. “You right” the Commander continued, acting like they had provided him with a critique “Bling is bling no matter what, I think I’m going to keep this, knock Stevens and his sombrero down a few pegs,” he got no response, not that it mattered. “Well I’m off, remember kids, proper dental hygiene leads to winning smiles, brush twice a day after meals, so long.” The Commander exited out of the same door that Boland had, leaving the dumb-struck nobles behind, the diamond in the middle of the tiara on his head shining briefly before returning to its original state. Lieutenant Sure Shot raced down the corridor, the nine unicorns in his squad behind him, all brandishing spears with swords hovering in their telekinetic grip. Explosions had been heard coming from the Throne room and with the recent capture of six Changelings the guard was on high alert. The ten-pony squad rounded a corner and all stopped at once, their path blocked by an intimidating bipedal creature appearing to be made out of metal, the creature brandishing a black club and what appeared to be Princess Celestia’s tiara mounted on its head. “Excuse me sirs” Spoke the creature in fluent Equestrian “If you would so kind as to move out of my way, we can part company on peaceful terms.” “Halt vile beast! You are in possession of Royal Equestrian Property, surrender now or face destruction!” The Lieutenant concluded his speech by pointing his sword directly at the creature, his face full of rage. “Awww, you ponies are so cute when you’re angry” the Creature taunted, attaching the club to its back and unsheathing a brutal looking knife, easily the rivalling the size of the swords wielded by the ponies “let’s make this interesting” commented the Creature, stepping forward towards the steadfast Guard ponies “I’ve been waiting for this for a loooong time…” Castle Dungeons Private Slammer looked upon the six Changelings with disgust, the foul creatures huddled together in their cell. All of the Changelings sported various wounds, resulting from the interrogations held over the last two days with the most heavily injured one, the leader unable to move. It was currently being shielded from his gaze by two of the other Changelings, both of which were attempting to sooth it, its injuries causing it a debilitating amount of pain. Slammer’s colleague, Private Hardtime approached the cell, an entirely different look in his eye as he scanned the body of the broken Changeling leader. “Hey, you, the Changeling bitch!” He called out, and the Changeling lifted its head off the ground in response to Hardtime’s insult “You look a little hungry, how would you like me to come on in there and fix that” Hardtime chuckled, his eyes lingering on the Changelings skinny flank. Slammer rolled his eyes, used to the eccentric behaviour of his co-worker. However, he did admit to himself that it had been an awfully long time, he thoughts straying to the fact that it was just him and Hardtime assigned to guard the Changelings, all the other guards pulled away to join the search for any others. “Shut your mouth, you pig!” The voice of one of the other changelings interrupted Slammer’s thoughts, it’s voice indicating that it too was female “It’s our luckily day Slammer” the enthusiastic Hardtime said “Two bitches! One for me and one for you!” Slammer turned to face the changelings; the changeling who had insulted Hardtime was currently standing right in front of the two guards, an expression of hate directed at them through the bars. Slammer looked the changeling over, its scrawny body whilst not too attractive could work and he found himself responding with a “Sure, let’s go for it I guess” “I knew you’d be up for it” Shouted Hardtime gleefully, before turning to once again leer at the Changeling leader. “I get the leader” he said with a grin “I’m going to break her all over again” he chuckled at the nominated Changeling’s expression, it’s previous look of defiance had morphed into one of fear “No” The extra voice caused both Hardtime and Slammer to turn to the source, the former guard finding himself staring into a metal object with a black circle in the middle. The circle suddenly flashed blue, and the Guard known as Hardtime ceased to think forever. “No” Reflection watched in morbid fascination as the two guards turned towards the mysterious voice, its tone cflat and clinical. The guard that had ‘chosen’ her, referred to as Hardtime, was currently staring into a large grey object with a glowing blue section arund the middle held in the hand of a tall black armoured biped, whom she recognised from stories circling the Hive before her capture as a human. With a violent flash of light, a burst of blue energy left the barrel of the hand-held object, colliding with Hardtime’s face, melting it clear off and exposing the inside of his head, the entire front half of his skull burnt away. As his body dropped the biped rammed a blade that had sprung from its other wrist into throat of the other guard, his look of shock at the fate of his friend changing to one of pain. The biped withdrew his blade from the pony and placed the barrel of its other weapon against the convulsing guards head. ‘SPLORT’ Sergeant Boland lifted the smoking muzzle of his plasma pistol away from the remains of the second guard’s cranium. He holstered the sidearm, turning towards the shocked occupants of the cell before activating his right wrist knife again, the power field-sheathed blade cutting effortlessly through the lock. As the cell door swung open the four wraiths under his command entered the area, heading straight over to the Sergeant. “*Secure the targets, assist those unable to move*” He commanded. The two wraiths moved into the cell with one of them, Corporal Jacobs, crouching down next to the Changeling which sported the most serious wounds. “Are you able to move?” he inquired Reflection shook her head “No, I’m fairly certain that both of my rear legs are broken.” “I see” replied Jacobs “Please prepare yourself, this will no doubt cause severe pain” Reflection nodded and Jacobs lifted up the injured Changeling, eliciting a sharp squeal of pain from her. Jacobs supported her with both arms, making sure that the Changeling’s two broken rear legs did not come into sudden contact with anything. His task accomplished, he began to rub the Changeling’s head with his free hand as he exited the cell in an attempt to sooth it, the pain having caused it to begin to cry. All the other Changelings were able to move under their own power, and soon the group had reached the entrance to the dungeon. “Where’s the Commander?” A wraith questioned, using the external speakers so the Changelings could understand “I thought he was sup-“ “I’m here, I’m here!” Shouted the Commander as he dashed around the corner. Boland, the cold, harsh individual who always thought of the objective and nothing else had to stop himself from bursting out into laughter. He had known and worked with the Commander for over ten years and that could still not prepare him for the sight of Commander Chalmers, covered head to toe in gore with a large, shining tiara Boland recognised as belonging to the large white horse that had been knocked out at the start of the battle wedged firmly on his helmeted head. “Sorry I took so long, some of the locals wanted some directions to Hell, so I was kind enough to give them a guided tour” said the Commander, completely oblivious to the reactions of his men as well as the Changelings as he began to walk up the stairs leading the main area of the castle. “What are you waiting for” he yelled back over his shoulder “let’s get moving, Tally Ho! Pip Pip!” Discord awoke from his slumber, removing the pink blindfold from his eyes but leaving his cotton candy earplugs in. He yawned, his mouth comically touching the bottom of the floor and he stumbled over towards a table made out of elder cheese snapping his fingers, a glass of chocolate milk materialising in one hand and a copy of the Equestrian news appearing In the other. As he sat down at the table, about of take a sip of pure chocolate deliciousness he was interrupted by a knocking on his door. He grumbled to himself as he got up from the table, walking rather than floating cause hey, he just woke up, do you have the energy to float when you’ve just woken up? No, that’s what I thought. Dismissing the voice in his head, attributing it to it being Tuesday, he pondered who could be disturbing him this time as he hadn’t been able to cause any major chaos, the princesses enforcing strict rules upon him ever since his reformation. What he saw when he opened the door woke him up fast, that’s for sure. Standing in the doorway covered in what appeared to be copious amounts of blood and wearing what looked like Tia’s tiara stood a large biped, its metal skin black save for its face which was shaped like a skull, its colouration bone white. Behind the biped stood five other bipeds, one holding a crying Changeling with five other Changelings huddled together in a group behind the bipeds, using the bipeds’ armoured legs to shield themselves from the confused draconius. “Forgive me for the interruption sir, but can I please ask you if this wall at the end of the corridor here leads outside, we seem to have gotten a tad bit lost” the biped asked, pointing towards the said wall. Discord could only nod his head in response, much to the joy of the Biped. “Great!” Exclaimed the biped as it walked over towards the wall and stuck what looked like a large blob of rubber on the wall. The Biped then stuck a pin into the end of the rubber blob and returned to Discord’s doorway. It then retrieved a remote with an oversized red button on it from within its skin and slammed its finger down on the trigger. ‘KRRRRRUUUUMP!’ The castle shook violently as a gigantic hole was blown the wall, exposing the corridor to sunlight. The bipeds and changelings all walked down the corridor and exited out of the hole into the outside gardens, however once every single one was out the one which Discord assumed was the leader stuck it’s head back through the hole. “Thank you for the directions, Stay in School!” Discord stared at the hole for a few seconds before slowly stepping back inside his room and closing the door, locking it. He then went and re-applied his blindfold as he returned to lie back down on his bed. ‘That’s it, I’m going back to sleep, I want nothing to do with whatever’s going on’ he thought as he laid back on the pillows ‘Nothing at all.’ Salvation via Home InvasionThe Changelings and humans had fled the castle hours ago, their speed diminished due to the Changelings’ poor physical condition resulting from their captivity. There appeared to be no pursuers and the group was currently sheltering in a dank cave located near the outskirts of a verdant-looking forest. Three of the wraiths had left the cave and journeyed to the forest, searching for a water source to refill their stores. The humans had a large amount of water left in their suits but they also needed excess water to help treat the wounds of the party, as well as sanitization reasons, with all of the Changelings covered in their own blood while the Humans were covered in the blood of numerous Solar Guards. This left the six Changelings, Nigel, Boland and Jacobs in the cave, Jacobs having laid Reflection down on a makeshift bed made from the team’s Camo Sheets which had turned a dull, dusty brown due to their chameleonic nature. Reflecting had passed out an hour before, allowing Jacobs to treat her wounds as much as he was able to, the Changelings’ biology not being too alien with the most varied difference being the colour of their blood and the flesh that was hidden under the chitin was coloured green as well. Her back legs had been bound with splints, the humans having used wood retrieved from the nearby forest. The other five Changelings were sitting around the makeshift triage area resting, not possessing the endurance that the humans’ suits provided. Corporal Jacobs was currently keeping watch at the cave mouth fifty meters away, his silhouette just visible from the main cavern where Nigel and Boland were crouching around a holo projection originating from a projector located in the Commander’s armour, the Changelings that were awake were gazing at the immaterial 3D map of the surrounding area in amazement, having never seen a hologram before. The humans had comprised the small map whist heading to the Equine Capitol. “We still have at least two days of traveling if we continue at this current rate” said Nigel as he gestured towards the map “the current status of our companions is a grave cause for concern, and I’m not sure how much longer that one will hold out for without proper shelter and treatment” Nigel inclined his head towards Reflection’s form, the Changeling occasionally trembling in her slumber “I studied battlefield aid and surgery, but we need a clean space and more medical supplies if I’m going to be able to help her at all” Boland cocked his head, he had learned a lot about Chalmers during this operation and had already known from previous experiences working with him that he was not as stupid as he often appeared, but advanced medical knowledge? He knew for a fact the one last people he wanted rummaging around in his insides was the Commander, beaten only by Corporal Stevens, but he had to admit that if he was wounded on this planet it did bring a small amount of comfort knowing that at least one of the team members was versed in the medicinal arts. Boland revised the mission objectives within his head before activating his internal communications “*Sir, our mission was to secure the captives to prevent the Equestrians from gaining intelligence regarding the location of our base and we have achieved that. This Changeling is a burden and is a danger to the continued success of the mission, I recommend that we put it out of its misery for the sake of the mission.*” “*Whilst you raise some good points Sergeant*” Radioed back Nigel “*sometimes you have to take risks in life for the sake of security. These Changelings are willing to co-operate with the UIP and I intend to insure that no incidents jeopardize the relationship that we have fostered. I value your insight and straightforwardness but I don’t want this topic to surface again, understand?*” “*Yes Sir*” “*Good*” replied Nigel, turning back to the holo-map “Now you see this village here” Nigel continued, switching back to external speech and pointing at the indicated village “whilst I imagine that it would contain at least a local police presence it is rather isolated and it lies directly on the route heading back to the Hive. If we were to somehow-“ “Excuse me, um, Sirs?” Nigel and Boland looked up, one of the Changelings having walked over from its fellows to stand beside the map “I’m sorry for the interruption, it’s just that I overheard you talking and a few months ago I was assigned to watch that village” the Changeling gestured with a hoof towards the map, eyeing it warily “it’s called Coltsdale and there’s a small farm on the outskirts that’s hidden from the town by wheat fields.” “That’s certainly helpful, what was your name?” Nigel replied, not recalling having been told its name, in fact he only knew that the leader was named Reflection. “It’s Nestor Sir” “Well Nestor, thank you for the information, can you tell us anything about the local garrison or any police in the village?” “They don’t have a garrison but that was long time ago, they might have put one in there after the… failed attack on Canterlot.” Nigel noticed that whenever the failed invasion was mentioned the Changelings seemed to become depressed, the Queen hadn’t provided any details and the humans hadn’t asked so the circumstances surrounding the situation were largely unknown, with Nigel only interpreting that the Changelings had attacked out of desperation, and the Equestrians had beaten them back with strength-of-arms. He made a mental note to subtly enquire about the failed attack when they returned to the hive. “It’s all right, the information you gave us is appreciated Nestor, I’ll be sure to inform Chrissy to commend you on your attention to detail.” Nestor nodded happily and began to walk back towards the other Changelings before the human Commander’s words caught up with him ‘Hang on; did he just refer to the Queen as Chrissy?’ Canterlot Castle Throne room – seven hours since the biped assault Celestia surveyed the damage to the Throne Room, the floor littered with glass and multiple pools of blood. The bodies of her fallen guards had been removed and the nobles that were in the room at the time of the attack were currently in Canterlot hospital being treated for shock. Her Captain was also in hospital, having received a viscous blow to the head, his muzzle ending up fractured and the doctors estimated that it would be at least a week before he was able to speak again. Celestia bowed her head in sorrow as she glimpsed two unicorn guards moving past the main doors, a body concealed by a white sheet levitating between them. ‘Six bipeds, six bipeds killed over fifty-nine of my guards, fifty-nine of my little ponies’ Celestia’s mind wondered back to the image of a side corridor where the remains of ten guards had been found, the walls, floor and even ceiling covered in their blood, their lifeless bodies scattered around the bloodstained walkway like discarded children’s toys. She could remember being woken by a frantic guard, his face filled with fear. She could still picture the formless black blob she had spotted as she had raised her head, a head which had a swelling on the side which still hadn’t gone down. She remembered the bodies of the guards that had been found in the dungeon, their heads destroyed and the Changelings they were guarding gone. She thought back to the massive hole in the exterior castle wall and she shuddered to dwell upon what had caused it. Celestia recalled all of these images and came to one conclusion ‘We can’t do this alone, we need to contact the Griffons, the Zebras and the Minotaurs, only with their help can we win, as I doubt the elements will be enough to fight this new threat.’ Outskirts of Coltsdale – Hoofull Farm Generous Hoofull sighed with content as he leaned back on the living room’s blue sofa and basked in the warmth of the roaring fire located in the brick fireplace, the bright flames reflections flickering off the clean wooden walls. It had been a good harvest and the crops were plentiful, the family barn filled with carts loaded with corn, wheat, flowers and vegetables. The Moon had risen some time ago and his three children Harvest, Plentiful, and Righteous had fallen asleep in their beds upstairs. His wife, a beautiful mare by the name of Daisy Bloom was busy in the kitchen, bottling some of her renowned daisy jam. Hoofull rested his head on his grass green forelegs, utterly relaxed after a hard days labour working the fields. ‘KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK’ Hoofull jolted off the couch, his straw yellow tail getting caught between the two cushions as he righted himself beside it. Who could be knocking on the door at this time of night and why? Hoofull moved out of the living room and towards the front door, the hallway littered with children’s toys. Hoofull wrapped his mouth and opened the door, the heavy oaken barrier swinging open with a loud squeak, its hinges in need of some oil. Hoofull removed his mouth from the door knob and looked to see which pony had disturbed his rest. The bipedal figure standing in the doorway had him frozen in shock, its monstrous form freezing the blood in his veins. “Good evening” said the monster, its voice flowing from its immobile skeletal mouth “I’m Pastor Chalmers from the Later Day Church of Gratuitous Violence, and my colleagues and I would like a moment of your time to talk to you about the good word of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” At this sentence two other bipeds emerged from either side of the outside doorway, levelling two black objects at Hoofull’s head. The first biped stepped forward, and Hoofull could see behind him three other bipeds, one carrying what looked like a pony as well as five other pony sized shapes, their forms obscured by the darkness. “The first thing we would like to discuss with you” the lead biped continued, moving ever closer to Hoofull “is how the good Lord helps those who help themselves…” The Hoofull family were huddled in the corner of the living room, the remainder of the room occupied by six of the bipedal monsters as well as what Glorious now recognized as six Changelings. One of the bipeds was currently holding a sleeping Changeling in its metal arms, the Changeling covered in cuts covered in green fluid, yellow crust starting to form around some of the larger lacerations. The Changeling was shivering as if it had a fever, the biped holding it petting it on the head. The monsters had worked fast, entering the home swiftly and rounding up the five members of the family, shoving them into the living room where two of the monsters sat down and watched them. The other bipedal terrors had left the room, the sounds of shutters and blinds closing filling the air with noise. Hoofull reasoned the monsters and changelings where fleeing from something and that they were planning on staying a while. The largest monster, the leader Hoofull thought, judging from the fact that it’s skin seemed to be more ornately decorated then it’s fellows had walked into the dining room where it had carefully cleared the large, solid oak table before heading upstairs, re-emerging minutes later with a bundle of linen in its arms. The biped had then proceeded to cut the pilfered linen into long strips with a long knife, placing the strips on the side of the dining table. The tiara perched on the biped’s head looked grossly out of place and Hoofull could swear that he had seen it before somewhere. That had been five minutes ago, and bipeds were currently sitting around the room while the changelings were grouped around the monster holding the gravely injured Changeling, seemingly at ease in the midst of such horrible creatures. Hoofull looked towards his children, his youngest, Harvest, a strawberry-maned golden-coated filly of six years of age was sobbing into her mother’s tan coat, traumatised by the monsters. His Eldest filly at fifteen years of age, Plentiful, was shielding her ten year old brother Righteous from the Monsters with her light brown body. The young colt was the only one of the ponies not completely terrified, his large teal eyes staring in awe at the monsters, their appearance and weapons so… alien. Hoofull, having seen the state of terror that his family was in, turned to the leader of the invaders, summoning up the courage to speak “Please… Ple-please just take what you want and leave my f-f-family alone” The Monster’s leader turned to face Hoofull before striding over and crouching down, causing the family of captive ponies to scrunch themselves against the wall, except for Righteous, who was fixated with the object attached to the Monster’s hip, a large black box much one the ones carried by the other Bipeds. The leader removed this object from his hip and tapped Hoofull on the muzzle with one end. “Now you see that there is a great idea” it spoke, its voice sending shivers down Hoofull’s spine “however one of our group is a little injured, so we’ll need the use of your dining room table, which reminds me,” the leader stood up and started walking into the Dining Room “Corporal Jacobs, bring Reflection into the dining room and set her down on the table, Watts and Boland, come in and help me with the procedure. Smith and Roberts keep an eye on the Equestrians, if they cause any trouble” The leader turned to face Hoofull “shoot them.” “Yes Sir” replied the two biped guards, who Hoofull assumed were these ‘Smith’ and ‘Roberts’. The monster identified as ‘Corporal Jacobs’ moved into the dining room, the injured Changeling, whom Hoofull guessed was ‘Reflection’ in its arms. The rest of the Changelings were looking worriedly through the doorway with two of them, one of which he saw was whatever the Changeling version of a mare was, Hoofull being provided with some… ‘Evidence’ when the Changeling picked itself off the floor, its back towards him. For five minutes the dining room was quite aside from some muttering along the lines of “we need to clear the infected build up out of the wounds" and "hold her down, if she wakes up she’ll thrash around and probably open them up again”. Commander Chalmers and his assistants worked quickly, cleaning out the Changeling’s wounds and re-splinting her broken rear legs. ‘It’s going well’ thought the Commander as he cleaned a particularly gunky cut in the Changelings face ‘if we’re lucky she’ll sleep through the entire thing.’ Just as he thought this one of the Changeling’s eyes opened “… Fuck you too, Universe” sighed Nigel out loud, right before the agonised screaming began. It had been an hour after the screaming had stopped and Hoofull hugged his family closer as the leader of the bipeds emerged, his black metal skin covered in splotches of green gore. Behind him followed another biped, the Changeling in its arms having to appeared to have been bandaged with the destroyed linen, once white strips of cloth slowly turning a dull green. The other bipeds left the dining room soon after, Hoofull unable to tell them apart, the only monster with a different appearance was the leader; all the others looked the same to him. The biped carrying the Changeling set her down on the sofa, the rest of the changelings rushing over to it, crowding around the once-again slumbering Changeling, obviously concerned for her wellbeing. The bipedal leader settled down next to the sofa, resting it’s head against the wall with the remaining bipeds taking up positions around the room, all of them settling in for the night. The leader turned towards the changelings gathered around their injured companion, with two clambering onto the sofa to join it. “I suggest you get some rest while you can, we’ll be leaving at dawn.” “Yes Commander Sir” replied one of the changelings, lowering itself to the ground beside the couch before looking at the only other two Changelings that were still awake, the two on the sofa having dozed off already. One of the Changelings quickly brushed the injured one’s head with a hoof before it joined the first Changeling on the floor. The first changeling looked up at remaining Changeling, the one which Hoofull knew was female. “Come on, Mirror, there’s nothing you can do for her right know, the humans already did what they could” the Changeling said in a male voice. ‘So those monsters are called Humans then’ thought Hoofull “It was my fault Splitting, I was supposed to be guarding the rear, but I got distracted” replied the Changeling known as Mirror “If it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t have ended up in the dungeon” the Changeling bowed her head, ashamed of her mistake. “You can’t change the past, Changeling” Hoofull recognised the voice of the bipedal leader, the Changeling looking over towards the owner of the voice, the biped shining an emblem of a three-eyed skull located on the left side of its chest, with ‘ISA’ below it. “We all make mistakes, and the only thing you can do is learn from them, cause once something happens it’s happened, you can’t go back and change it, sometimes you have to deal with the hand life deals you.” Mirror sniffled before replying “That didn’t make things better, Reflections still injured and it was my fault, no speech is going to change that fact” “And beating yourself up over it doesn’t do anyone else any good either,” responded the biped, now polishing the tiara it had removed from its head “but what is important is the fact that you haven’t slept in two days, it’s easily noticeable and I cannot afford to have anyone slowing us down anymore. I am in charge of this operation, that makes me your superior and as the highest ranking officer here I order you to lie down and get some rest” the biped finished, returning the tiara to the top of its head. The Changeling named Mirror hesitantly nestled down next to the one called Splitting, tucking its tail underneath it and curling up its hooves. The biped turned towards Hoofull, red eyes glowing menacingly “You, ponies, just keep sitting there quietly like that and by dawn we’ll be out of here and you’ll still be alive” the biped leaned back against the Changeling-occupied Sofa, one of the Changelings on it rolling over in its sleep and resting its head against the back of the biped’s large shoulder, the biped turning its head towards the dozing Changeling before facing the farming family again “So remember, you misbehave and I’ll kill you myself, slowly” the biped threatened, Hoofull detecting a hint of joy in its voice “sweet dreams.” Never in his life had Hoofull wished so badly for morning to arrive. Trouble in the Wild, Wild WestThe sun was rising in the sky and the group of humans and changelings left the small sleepy town of Coltsdale, the farm they had sheltered in the night before receding slowly behind them. They had left in the early morning, Boland and Nigel deciding that the risk of traveling by day was less than staying at the farm. Reflection’s condition had stabilised, her wounds having stopped bleeding and the bandages covering them were fresh, although she hadn’t awoken at all since that night. The group had quickly stopped for a meal, the humans having the nutrients pumped into their bloodstream thanks to their armour and the changelings were rejuvenating themselves with some chemical love, Nigel having brought along enough vials to last ten Changelings for a week. “Mister Chalmers, Sir” inquired Nestor, half-consumed vial of love held between two hooves, turning towards the Commander who was currently sitting down on a rock examining the holo-map “Yes Nestor” Responded Nigel, diverting his attention from a supposedly abandoned pony town on the map towards the Changeling “What is it?” “I was just thinking, what’s stopping that family of ponies from telling the guard about us, they could be alerting the garrison right now” “Don’t you worry Nestor” reassured the Commander “I took care of that problem, they won’t be leaving that house for a while…” “Mommy, Daddy, can I go back to bed now, I’m really tired” “No Righteous, don’t move, that monster said that if we left this room before nightfall the bomb will explode!” “Oh, the looks on their faces, priceless” Chuckled Nigel, and Nestor decided that it would be wise to drop the issue. The group, having finished with their sustenance continued westward, the abandoned town known as “Saddleburg” their destination. The town was an old mining town and while small the buildings would no doubt provide adequate protection from the elements as well as from the prying eyes of any pony guard patrols. If the group were discovered the town would most likely feature some mineshafts, Nigel reasoning that these would make a good defensive fall-back, the ponies most likely not being used to subterranean warfare. The town however was still half-a-days walk from the group’s current location so Nigel decided to use the time to talk to their changeling companions about the planet they were on. “So Nestor” Nigel began, turning towards the Changeling walking beside him, the one that had been a reliable source of information so far, the Changeling in question turning its head to face him “tell me about the other races that inhabit the planet…” Canterlot Castle – Royal Meeting Hall “I thank you all for your swift response to our request, your willingness to attend this emergency meeting is much appreciated” Celestia spoke, looking across the large rectangular towards the group of foreign diplomats looking back at her, Councillor Swiftbeak of Griffonia, General Stronghorn of the Minotaur Empire and Chieftain Mustasable of the United Zebra Tribes. The ambassador of the Diamond Dogs had declined the invitation to the meeting, despite having lost a citizen to the bipeds. “We would not hesitate for a chance for retaliation against these Monsters, Princess” Stronghorn replied “the unprovoked death of one of our people has the entire Empire calling for action; I understand that you lost two of your ponies as well?” “We lost far more than two, General,” Celestia give a long sigh “I’m sure you all have noticed the increased guard presence around the castle?” The ambassadors all nodded, the castle was swarming with Guards, thirty fully armed and armoured Solar Guard were currently in the room with them, all of the Guards keeping a close eye on the large windows dotted around the room. “Yesterday, whilst Day Court was in progress, a force of black, metal bipedal creatures stormed the castle, killing many guards with strange projectile weapons before freeing a number of changelings we had captured. We were able to retrieve information regarding the location of their hive, however during the attack my Captain was wounded, he was the only one with the information and it will be another three days before he is able to speak.” “So Princess” began Swiftbeak, the griffon pruning his golden feathers as he spoke “Do you believe that these ‘Bipeds’ are allied with a hive of… Changelings” the Griffon spat the word Changeling with disgust, the foul creatures being exterminated on sight within the Griffon Empire. “There is strong evidence to support that Chancellor; the bipeds’ main target appeared to be the retrieval of the Changelings, although from the accounts of a few nobles present at the time of the attack, the apparent leader of the bipeds stole my Royal tiara and was wearing it when it left the castle. My tiara is enchanted with a locator spell, however due to injuries I sustained during the attack,” Celestia turned her head, the Ambassadors collectively winching at the sight of the Princesses face, a huge black bruise covering the majority of the left side “I am unable to cast the spell, however my Sister, Luna, is returning from her visit to the Capitol of the Bat-ponies and she will be here by tomorrow night.” “When you find these monsters Princess” spoke Stronghorn, thumping a fist to his blue chest “you have my assurance that the Empire will assist your forces in hunting down these beasts” “You have the Griffon Empire by you side as well” declared Swiftbeak “any creature that is willing to align itself with those rotten insects is an obvious threat, and their swift destruction should be a high priority” The group turned towards the diplomat for the Zebras, Mustasable, the Zebra having have not said a single word during the discussion. The Zebra appeared to be deep in thought, her eyes closed and her head tilted back “While the United Tribes have no Quarrel, with the ones both black and horrible, we feel that their existence, is a problem that requires great persistence, because of their crimes so terribly cruel, not standing with you against them, will make us fools.” “Then it’s agreed then” said Celestia “as soon as my Sister returns we will cast the locater spell and track down these monsters so that they will never be able to harm any of our subjects again” Celestia turned and gazed at one of the paintings on the wall, depicting the Elements of Harmonys’ victory against Nightmare Moon “I’ve already summoned the Elements to Canterlot; I just hope that they, combined with the might of our conjoined forces will be enough.” Celestia turned back towards the Diplomats “I can’t shake the feeling that this will not end well” ‘The leader of these Bipeds must be a tactical genius to be able to thwart our finest guards’ thought Celesta. “So then the vampire spits out the wine, turns to the priest and says “What the hell are you talking about, this swill isn’t blood at all!” The Commander finished, throwing his hands up to empathise the punch line of the joke. Nestor was confused, why would a priest, a being dedicated to religion, lie to someone about wine being blood, it just didn’t make sense. The Changelings had little to do with religion with many only going so far as to believe in an afterlife but these humans seemed to have so many! Nestor had found out that the most popular religion in the human’s empire was something called ‘Mortisum’ a religion firmly focused around their Emperor and death, the religion promoting that everyone was entitled to an afterlife as long as they lived their lives for the good of the Empire. Nestor himself thought that the idolization of death was a little strange, but after spending a few days in the company of a group of alien killers he could see why they would want a religion telling them that what they were doing was right. “Commander!” Nestor was pulled from his thoughts by the voice of one of the human ‘Wraiths’, the soldier belonging to the group of three sent to investigate the old mining town. “What is it Roberts?” replied the Commander “The town shows no signs of recent occupation sir, and a Saloon in the middle of it looks suitable for our needs” “Good work Corporal, lead the way” Corporal Roberts lead the group towards the town, the ramshackle wooden buildings having seen better days. The plain colours of the houses and stores blended in with the dusty landscape, their aged wooden walls covered with the signs of abandonment. The group approached the largest building in the town, a large saloon, the sign with its name having fallen down long ago. As the assorted humans and changelings filed into the building the two wraiths already present in it moved away from the bundle of cloth they had found in one of the surrounding houses, Corporal Jacobs lowering the Changeling in his arms onto the make-shift bed. The Changelings all made themselves comfortable on the floor surrounding their comrade, the humans instead opting to sit on the many stools located around the bar, the bipeds’ size nearly causing the pony-intended furniture to break. The stout stools held, however and the bipeds and changelings settled down into their own conversations, the Changelings discussing the events of the previous days whilst the humans were reminiscing over the time Corporal Stevens was accidentally set alight during another operation a few years ago. This state of relaxation continued for many hours, night having fallen upon the land barely an hour before. Corporal Jacobs was currently telling the enthralled group, the Changelings having joined the bipeds in conversation previously when Reflection had awoken, about his time spent as an Orbital Special Forces Trooper and his many dangerous planetary assaults when a distant wail echoed through the town. The Wraiths immediately readied their guns and jumped up, all of them taking up positions around the saloon, peering out of windows and doors. The Commander strode over to main doorway, drawing his two handguns, making him look like a Bandito, “Boland and Jacobs, stay here, Roberts, Watts and Smith with me, let’s find out what’s going down in Funky Town” “Wait! Take me with you!” the wraiths about to leave through the door stopped and turned around, Mirror having gotten up and running after them “No” replied Sargeant Boland “There may be Hostiles present; you should remain here with your fellows” “Let her come if she wants to Boland” Nigel said, turning towards Mirror “You know that there is a high chance that you can die out there and I also don’t want you questioning what I say, if you agree this then I’ll let you come, you understand?” “Yes, I just feel useless; all we’ve done so far is slow you down while you humans have to do all the fighting” “I don’t mind Mirror” responded Nigel “I enjoy fighting,” the commander turned back towards the door, raising his head and making exaggerated sniffing sounds through his helmet “Thar be trouble brewing in this her’ town,” the western accent filled the air and Mirror swore she heard banjos playing, the Commander exiting through the swinging doors. “I can smell it” __________________________________________________________________________________ The group of four humans and one changeling stealthy made their way through the town, the wraiths scanning every alley and possible hiding place with their rifles whilst the Commander and Mirror followed in the rear, the Commander swinging one of his pistols in his hand, the other safely snug in its holster at his hip. Mirror kept on nervously checking over her shoulder, this situation being eerily similar to when she was originally captured by the Equestrians. The wails had increased in frequency and volume as the group neared a mineshaft dug into the side of a mountain at the back of the town. The group stopped at the mouth of the shaft, the tunnel descending into inky blackness. “Roberts, stay out here and keep watch for any hostiles, Mirror, Smith and Watts back me up, let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.” With these words Nigel descended into the dark, handgun held outstretched in front of him, Smith and Watts followed him without hesitation while Mirror nervously trailed behind, starting to regret her choice to join the search team. After five minutes of walking a glow could be seen up ahead, and multiple cries could be heard as well as the sound of mining. “*Roberts, we seem to have found the source of the disturbance, how are things topside?*” “*All clear Commander,*” Roberts replied “I’ve established a sniping position on the upper rock face, I have a clear view of the entrance*” “*Roger, hold your position and let us know if you see anything, lethal force is authorized, fire at your discretion*” “*Confirmed Sir, happy hunting*” Nigel started moving towards the glow after the signal was cut, the tunnel mouth widening out into a carven, the light from wooden torches dancing across the stone walls. He crept up towards the edge of the cavern, making sure that his form was cloaked in shadow, the two wraiths edging along the walls of the tunnel. Mirror remained at the tunnel mouth, choosing to stay and wait until the humans needed her. Nigel reached the edge of the drop and looked down, studying the situation. Down below, accessible by walkways carved in the rock, were around ten Equestrian ponies, eight earth ponies and two unicorns. The majority of the earth ponies were attached to mining carts with the two unicorns wielding pick-axes, working upon on of the rock faces, a vein of diamonds visible in the rock. Also present in the cavern were a large group of bipedal dogs that Nigel recognised from Corporal Stevens’ account from the apple incident, wearing what appeared to be crude metal armour and wielding spears. Judging from the whips wielded by some of the dogs, the lash marks on the crying ponies and the earth pony chained up to a pole in a growing pool of blood with a small foal crying into its mane Nigel came to the conclusion that the ponies weren’t here role-playing a relaxing game of LEGO Rock Raiders. “*Slavers*” Watts muttered, pointing his rifle at the head of a Guard dog standing on a walkway “*permission to execute Sir?*” Slavery was viewed in the UIP as a barbaric practice, with the punishment carrying a death sentence. All UIP military and policing personnel had the authority to execute slavers on sight, although since slavery was viewed with such distaste, often death did not come quickly for slavers that had the misfortune of being captured by UIP forces. The UIP was even known for declaring war on other empires that used slave labour and as a Dewbeccian Comedian once joked “Those crazy UIP bastards, you can be a megalomaniacal Warlord responsible for the deaths of billions and they’ll walk up to you, shake whatever you call a hand and invite you over for tea, or you can be a slave owner with two slaves and they’ll tie you to a table and cut off all your limbs while your family watches.” Needless to say, the UIP had a reputation for extreme cruelty when it came to the matter of slaves. “*Permission denied, Corporal*” came the response from Nigel, the Commander eyeing a large dog that was walking over towards the pony chained to the pole, the amount of blood certainly meaning it was dead. The foal, a grey unicorn that was sobbing into what Nigel assumed was its parent’s corpse, lifted its head to look fearfully up at the approaching dog, its large aqua eyes framed by a dirty midnight blue mane. “*I think this situation calls for a personal touch,*” Nigel shifted his pistol to his left hand, a large sword –like blade springing from his right wrist gauntlet, the blade buzzing with electricity, casting a menacing glow upon his helmet, bathing the pale skull in blue light. Bleak Horizon pulled his head away from the grass-green mane of his mother to look at the Diamond Dog approaching him. It was Yella, the Alpha of the pack that had taken him and his parents prisoner while they were travelling to Canterlot. That had been three weeks ago, his father having died within the first week down the mineshaft and now his mother was dead as well. Horizon knew that this was true as she had stopped breathing yesterday, the blood loose from the spear wound proving too great. It was Yella’s fault that his mother was dead, the Alpha having speared her in the chest as an example to the other captives. As he remembered that day a fresh wave of tears flowed from his eyes and the Alpha saw this, his many yellow teeth forming into a rotten smile “Awww, is the little pony sad? What a shame, would you like to see your mother again?” The Alpha raised his spear, the dried blood of Horizon’s mother still on the tip. Yella began to advance upon the foal, his vile tongue lolling out as he licked his lips “You know” he said, stopping three meters away from Horizon, spear raised in the air “I love it when my dinner cries, the sadness makes the meat very tender” this prompted chuckles from the thirty other dogs in the room while the other ponies watched the scene in horror, unable to look away. Yella brought his spear do- ‘CRASH!’ The Alpha whirled around, the rest of the pack following the noise, Horizon and the other ponies turning to look as well. Horizon had never seen anything so terrifying in his life, and he was just almost on the receiving end of a spear in the midst of a den of Diamond Dogs. Pulling itself up from the wreckage of a wooden cart was a tall two-legged black monster. The monster’s head was a skull with two glowing red eyes and a picture of another skull with three eyes was attached to its large metal chest. “I’m incredibly sorry for the interruption” said the biped in Equestrian, its voice sounding clear despite its mouth not moving. Horizon thought from the sound of the monster’s voice that it was everything but sorry “but I was just taking a nice evening stroll around the town when I smelt the disgusting stench of cowardly dogs and guess what, it led me to you fine chaps” the monster had a bulky black object in its metal claw that it was tapping against the side of its head. “You can’t speak to Alpha like that, Monkey!” Growled one of the guard dogs, its paws clenched around the shaft of a spear “Oh, I do apologize” the monster responded “would Itty bitty rover prefer it if I talked like this, would ya boy? Where’s the ball, go get the ball, good dog!” “You Mongrel!” roared Yella, charging towards the monster, spear ready to slay the vile fei- ‘BLAM!’ A tongue of fire roared from the object held in the Monster’s left claw as Yella’s charge was halted, his right hind leg coming off at the knee in a spray of crimson. “Lie down boy, that’s a good dog!” Praised the monster over Yella’s agonized howls, the monster walking over to the injured Alpha and kicking away the spear from his outstretched paws. The rest of the dogs backed away from the Monster, the rear most guards beginning to circle it, until the monster was surrounded by dogs. The other ponies had all run to the opposite side of the cave, cowering in fear in a huddle. Horizon had not moved from his spot next to his mother in the pool of her blood, he was too busy staring at the fallen Alpha, the dog whimpering on the ground. “We got you surrounded Monster, you going to die now” Spoke the second-in-command, a heavyset grey-furred dog by the name of Scruffy. Horizon looked away from the fallen Alpha and looked behind the monster; the two Guard dogs on the walkway above it aimed their crossbows at the monster’s back. “Is that so?” the monster questioned, before it raised its free claw and brought it down, two loud bangs echoing around the mine as the two Guard dogs fell of the walkway, their heads exploding into red mist before their lifeless bodies came crashing down behind the monster. The monster flicked its right arm, a long glowing blade sliding out with a snick. “Let’s get this party started!” It bellowed, dashing towards Scruffy with speed that seemed impossible for something its size. The monster lashed out with its blade, Scruffy raising his spear to block but the glowing sword cut through the shaft of the spear effortlessly before catching Scruffy in the gut, leaving a long gash as it swung away again. The disembowelled dog dropped to the ground, howling and trying to hold its entrails in as they spilled upon the dusty ground amidst a torrent of blood. The monster then raised its other claw, the object held within barking thrice, dropping a further three dogs the ground, their metal armour doing nothing to stop whatever was flying from the barrel of the object. “Play dead!” the monster yelled before decapitating another guard with the glowing blade. The remaining dogs, around twenty, rushed forwards together hoping to overwhelm the monster with weight of numbers. Their plan may of succeeded if two other monsters, smaller than the first hadn’t slid down the wall off the cavern, the black objects held in their claws roaring, yellow flame erupting from the ends, scything down the remaining dogs, their blood filling the air as great holes were rent in their bodies. The two new monsters rolled as they reached the bottom of the drop before coming up in a crouch, scanning the surrounding cavern with their weapons. Horizon stared at the first monster in shock, the creature in question re-sheathing its blade before walking over towards the wounded Alpha, Yella being the only Diamond Dog still breathing. “Corporals, head over there and free those captives, they may be our enemies but nothing deserves this fate” the two smaller monsters approached the other ponies, attempting to re-assure them that they would not be harmed. While this was happening the leader of the monsters pointed its loud weapon at the wounded Alpha’s head. “Right Mister… I’m sorry; I didn’t quite catch your name” The Diamond Dog gazed fearfully at the weapon being pointed at it, already well aware of what it could do “My name is Yella, Demon” spat the Alpha. The monster paused, Horizon noticing that it had begun to shake. Was the monster sick- “HAHA! HAHAHA! Your name- Your name is- Ha – Yella?” The monster laughed, its manic laughter booming around the mine “I’m sorry, it’s just- wow, that right there has just made my day, oh yeah, so back on topic” the laughter stopped, the monster re-affixing its attention towards Yella “You are a slaver, and the UIP’s policy regarding slavers states that I’m supposed to shoot you on sight, so that’s what I’m going to” “No! Wait! I’ve got twelve pups back home, you can’t kill me!” “Well I don’t have a conscience and I love killing slavers, so tough luck” BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! , BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Nigel holstered his pistol and glanced down at the corpse at his feet, the dog’s chest almost non-existent, the seven anti-matter rounds he put into it reducing the once-proud Alpha to a hole-ridden bloody mess. Chuckling, he kicked the lifeless corpse with an armoured boot “I’m sorry boy, but you were getting on in years, it was time to put ya’ down.” Nigel looked over towards the two Corporals, the two wraiths having successfully calmed the Equestrians and were now removing their chains. A shuffling sound caught his attention and he glanced towards the body of the dead pony, the small grey foal attempting to hide from him behind it. Nigel began to walk over towards the foal, crouching as he neared the corpse of its parent, the foal was half-hidden, its blue mane and bloodstained tail were clearly visible against the dull colouration of the ground. “Hi there little one, I’m not going to hurt you” Nigel said, watching and waiting as the small horse poked its head up, staring at him with moistened aqua eyes “All the nasty dogs are gone, and your pony friends are about to leave now” the foal glanced over towards the group at the same time Nigel did, just in time for the Commander to catch quite a humorous scene. One of the ponies, a mare if Nigel was correct, judging from its smaller muzzle shape was currently embracing Corporal Watts in a large hug while one of the unicorns, a stallion, had somehow grasped Corporal Smith’s hand with its two front hooves and was shaking it up and down, the ponies fear of the humans obviously disappearing once they had been freed from their chains. The ash-grey foal looked down at the dead pony before looking back at Nigel, wet patches on its cheeks “I don’t know any of those ponies Mister Monster” Nigel was a little disheartened that the child saw him as a monster, what could have- ‘Oh, right’ thought Nigel as he recalled slaughtering the Dogs, glancing briefly at the nearby body of the Alpha ‘that’ “The onlyponies I knew was Daddy and Mommy, Daddy died two weeks ago and Yella killed Mommy yesterday” Nigel was surprised that the foal was able to speak about the death of its parents just like that, maybe the weeks in captivity had hardened the child. “Well, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do for them now,” Nigel looked up towards the tunnel leading outside, the ponies having already made it up there and Nigel could see Watts signalling him to hurry up “we have to go now, come on” Nigel began to walk away, turning around to see that the foal had refused to move from his mother’s side. “No, mister, I want to stay here, I can’t leave her alone” ‘Well, at least he stopped calling me a monster’ thought Nigel as he gave a large sigh, walking back over towards the foal and its dead mother “Nothings ever easy, is it kid?” And that was how Nigel found himself digging a hole on a sandy hill with the dead body of a mare beside him and a sobbing foal lying next to it. ‘Join the military they said, serve the Empire they said’ though Nigel as shovelled dirt out of the hole with his armoured hands, the gloves cutting through the earth easily. When the group had left the cave it was almost sunrise, and with thankful goodbyes the ex-slaves had left the town, promising that they wouldn’t alert the royal guard in return for the rescue, the three wraiths as well as Mirror, who had watched the entire fight from the mouth of the tunnel had returned to the saloon. The only pony that refused to leave was Bleak Horizon, despite the offers from the other captives to look after him. In the end Nigel had relented, retrieving the body of the foal’s mother and taking it and the colt to a sandy hill just outside the town. Nigel reckoned that the hole was deep enough now, allowing the colt to say a final goodbye to his mother before he laid the body in the hole and began to fill it back up with earth. With a final handful the hole was filled, and Nigel patted done the top of the grave to flatten it. His task complete, Nigel picked up a piece of stone in a shape of a tombstone that he had carved earlier with his power-blade and set it up right at the head of the grave. He picked up the young colt, who had cried himself to sleep, and walked off back towards the town, heading towards the saloon with one final thought. ‘Why does this shit always happen to me?’ Up on a sandy hill, there stood a solitary tombstone, its edges uncut by anything native to Equestria, an inscription written in an alien language upon its face. In memory of Maple Fields, Loving mother of Bleak Horizon, Taken away long before her time R.I.P There were... ComplicationsBy the time Nigel returned to the saloon, sleeping colt in arms the sun had risen, the bright light of morning glittering off the spots of shattered glass that were distributed around the town. As he entered the building he received curious looks from all within, the majority of them directed at the bundle of fur held against his chest. None of the Changelings had been informed of the intricate details, Mirror not being present for the majority of the incident and the wraiths who were a part of the team provided a mere “There shall be one more joining us on the trip back to base.” The sleeping colt was still covered in a thick crust of dried blood, and with the help of Boland and two of the Changelings Nigel managed to procure an old wooden tub and soap powder from one of the buildings in town. As the colt was lowered into the warm soapy water it awoke, his eyes darting open in alarm, scanning its surrounds rapidly. When it spotted the changelings standing in a group, with the exception of Reflection, watching the proceedings it flinched back and as it did so the back of its head was halted by Nigel’s armoured hand. The colt turned its head and faced Nigel, its frantic look of fear receding and its features morphing into an expression of calmness as it allowed Boland to wash it. Nigel was confused, why did this colt not fear him? He knew that the Changelings, with the possible exception of Nestor feared him greatly, no doubt because of that whole thing back at the castle. Nigel’s thoughts returned to the tiara atop his head, ‘Ah, fond memories.’ Turning his attention back to the colt in the tub, the colt currently grasping Nigel’s arm with its forelegs as the Sergeant began to clean the blood out of its tail, Nigel was hoping that it didn’t see him as a replacement father figure. As one could guess he wasn’t very good with children, especially alien pony children. Boland reached for a one of the bundles of linen that they had found the night before, his task of cleaning the child complete. The water in the wooden tub had turned a dark shade of red, the amount of blood in the water testament to the colt’s ordeal. Nigel lifted the small unicorn out of the water and Boland wrapped the linen around it like a towel, the fabric absorbing the pinkish water rapidly. The foal had fallen asleep again and Nigel guessed that its age was around seven to eight years old, granted he wasn’t exactly a reliable source of information regarding horses but by comparing its level of speech to a human child it gave him a fairly rough idea. “What are you going to do with it Sir?” inquired Corporal Jacobs, lifting the awake Reflection off of the ground, the group preparing to continue on. Nigel glanced down towards the sleeping colt held in his arms, still firmly wrapped in linen “I have no clue, Corporal, any suggestions anyone?” “Well, it can’t stay in the Hive” provided Mirror “the queen would never allow a pony to live amongst us, their diets are just to different” “You can’t just leave it here either Sir, it’s too young to be able to fend for itself, plus if any more dogs appear…” Jacobs pointed out, a point that Nigel agreed with “You could kill it Sir, that way it won’t hinder us and it would have a quick death” the ever-efficient Boland suggested, drawing shocked looks from the Changelings, the wraiths not showing any signs of alarm, used to the often cold methodical thinking of their Sergeant “No Boland, I swear, you seem to have a habit of wanting to shoot everyone we happen to meet, I mean, first Reflection then the colt?” “Wait, What! You were going to kill me?” Reflection bolted upright in Jacob’s arms, before remembering that she wasn’t supposed to make any sudden movements, the jolt of pain shooting up her spine forcing her to settle back down, that didn’t stop her from shooting a glare at the Sergeant. “You were a liability at the time and your injuries were a factor of concern that was affecting our mission. Your survival was not within mission parameters and due to the critical nature of your wounds a mercy killing was seen as the most effective solution to both problems; however the Commander’s intervention prevented me from carrying out said solution.” Reflection looked over at the human Commander, the being that had so far prompted a war with the most powerful country on the planet, slaughtered a large group of Royal Guard, killed a den of Diamond Dogs and now, she had just found out, the being that was also responsible for saving her life. As she thought about this, as well as the Sergeant's explanation she realised that the Sergeant had made some good points, and while she would not do the same in his position she did understand the reasoning behind his thinking. She looked back at the Sergeant, her glare softening “I’m willing to forgive you Sergeant, as long as you don’t intend to try to kill me again” “I’m not going to make any promises” Replied the Sergeant in his flat tone, causing Reflection to increase her glare “Knock it off you two, Reflection, the sergeant is not going to kill you and Boland” The commander turned towards his subordinate “If someone forgives you for trying to kill them, take it, don’t imply that you still intend to” The Commander picked up his rifle with one hand, whilst cradling the sleeping pony colt in the other, from a nearby table making him the last of the group to be ready to depart “Now, if we’re all done with our pointless bickering let’s move out, if we’re lucky we’ll make it back to the hive by sundown.” The changelings all let out a cheer, the prospect of returning to familiar territory a welcome one. The wraiths, true to form did not say anything, opting instead to tighten their grips on their rifles as they left the Saloon, last night’s events proving that they were not quite out of danger yet. As the group left the town it returned to the abandoned dump it was, the only changes being a few misplaced stools, a bundle of linen, a used tub with its sides stained red and a sandy hill, a lone tombstone set at its peak. Chrysalis sat on her throne, waiting patiently for news of the Commander’s mission. The humans possessed some kind of long-range method of communicating, although she had been informed by one of the human scientists that the six humans on the rescue team would have ‘switched to an internal channel so to avoid any unnecessary interruptions whilst carrying out the operation’, whatever that meant. Chrysalis was unable to detect her changelings via the telepathic link, its range being much too short. She was beginning to worry, night had just fallen and the group was due back over four hours ago, Chrysalis starting to fear that something might have happened to the group. She glanced over into the room that the humans had occupied, spotting a glimpse of one of the scientists, Klaus she believed his name was, working on some kind of metal device, the human having removed his helmet. Chrysalis and the rest of the changelings in hive had been surprised earlier when one the humans, Doctor Zarkrof, had removed his helmet, the Changelings at first believing that the biped was tearing off its own head. This proved to not be the case and the alien’s face had proved to not be that… alien. Whilst certainly different to a changeling’s, the extra-terrestrial visitors possessed a nose, a normal mouth filled with teeth, the shape of some proving them to be carnivorous, although the Doctor assured the changelings that they were omnivores and were not going to start consuming the nymphs in order to feed an never-ending hunger for flesh, Chrysalis having a very firm talk with the Changeling that had started that rumour. They did not possess any tentacles or stalk-eyes, all-in-all they looked fairly normal. Due to some of the rumours circling the Hive Doctor Zarkrof had suggested to Chrysalis that they begin cultural exchanges, the Doctor apparently a ‘Xenobiologist’, which he explained to Chrysalis as a scientist who focuses on the study of alien life-forms and their cultures. Chrysalis had already given her approval for the suggestion and already it was bearing fruit, and she was happy to note that the humans and her changelings had been getting on well with each other, any fear the changelings had of the bipeds disappearing. Chrysalis was pleased with the way things were working out, now if only all of her changelings could be- “My Queen!” Chrysalis jolted out of her thoughts, a messenger drone bursting through the Throne Room doors “the humans have returned, and all six of the scouting party were rescued alive!” “Excellent, inform the humans that their comr-“ “That shall not be necessary” Chrysalis turned in her throne, one of the human wraiths having somehow approached without her noticing. Despite her acceptance of the humans, she still felt uncomfortable around the black-clad soldiers, none of them having removed their helmets, unlike the scientists. It also didn’t help the fact that she had overheard one of the scientists making a joke about the wraiths not being human at all. “We have been informed of the mission success” the wraith continued, and Chrysalis recognized him as being the Sergeant that was left in charge by the Commander, the slightly different emblems on his shoulders indicating his higher rank “although there were some… complications” “Complications?” Questioned Chrysalis, before the Throne Room doors opened once more. Nigel strode into the Throne room, Bleak Horizon still in his arms, followed by four of the wraiths and five of the changelings that had made up the group, Corporal Jacobs having taken Reflection to the Hive’s medical section. Nigel saw the sergeant he had left in command, Sergeant Rommel, standing beside Queen Chrysalis, the Queen’s vision focused on the bundle in his arms. The colt had awoken during the walk but it had refused to leave its position in Nigel’s arms, prompting Corporal Jacobs to joke that it was probably the first thing the Commander had held that hadn’t voided it’s bowels in fright. A bullet passing a mere inch from the Corporal’s groin had shut him up, and during the rest of trip no more was said regarding the Colt’s resting place. “Commander Chalmers” the Queen began “What is that?” “Oh this, this here is Bleak Horizon Chrissy” the colt in question upon hearing his name poked his head up to look at the Queen, his right foreleg giving a little wave at the Queen. The colt had become more comfortable during the previous day around the changelings, with Nestor in particular showing a particular interest in the young colt, the two having spent the better part of an hour asking each other questions, Nestor’s seemingly unsatisfiable curiosity proving to be broad in its target subjects. “He-hello Miss Chrissy” spoke Horizon, still uneasy about the new changeling; this one was much bigger than the others. Nigel noticed that the Queen looked like she was about to launch into a tirade, presumably about being called ‘Miss Chrissy’ by a pony foal. “Horizon, she’s Queen Chrysalis, so I’d recommend treating her like such, now, would you like to try again?” “Sorry Mister Nigel, and I’m sorry as well” the foal waved once again at the Queen, not a trace of malice in his voice “Queen Chrissy” ‘Ha, I like this kid already’ thought Nigel, before realising that the Queen did not appreciate the humour of the situation, her face turning green with anger (‘he he, green instead of red, makes her look ill’ thought Nigel’) “Why you little-“ The Queen began, before her eyes caught sight of the shining tiara sitting on the Commander’s head, Chrysalis stopping to rub her eyes before looking once again at the Commander’s helmet “Is that Princess Celestia’s tiara you’re wearing, how did you get it?!” “My God” responded Nigel with audible shock, one of his hands shooting up to tear the Tiara of his helmet, bringing it up to his helmet optics “That horse was a bloody Princess?” Canterlot Castle Royal throne Room “Are you ready sister?” Luna nodded in response to Celestia’s query, her horn aglow with blue magics, a map of Equestria between the two alicorns. Celestia’s horn also was aglow; however her magic field was much weaker, the biped’s assault taking a toll on her mental capabilities. The glows from both horns intensified, until two shafts of light erupted from them, combining to shine upon a single point on the map, the spot at the base of a mountain only four miles away from the settlement of Appaloosa. The glow suddenly cut out, both of the Princesses staring at the spot on the map, Luna marking it with an ink covered Quill. “So the fiends have made that thou location their lair” “It seems so Sister” Celestia replied, turning towards the large window, the former stained glass that was the first victim in the attack on the castle replaced by a plain sheet of clear glass, this one magically reinforced to prevent any further intrusions. Outside was the Royal Guard parade grounds, the fields packed with Equestrians, Griffons, Minotaurs and Zebras, all soldiers from the different nations forming the alliance against the bipeds. Weapons were being loaded onto supply carts and yet more flashes of gold and grey were visible outside the main gate, the combined force numbering four-thousand strong. Luna joined her sister at the window, looking down eagerly at the bustling soldiers “with a force as fine as this, no enemy, no matter how Monstrous shall prevail!” What Luna did not know was that they were facing no ordinary monsters, oh no, they were going to be fighting humans, and if there’s one thing that humans are universally good at… Its Fighting. Confounding ConfrontationsThe Hive was abuzz with activity, news having spread about the groups successful mission and the six changelings that were captured had become the most popular in the Hive. All six had been recognised by the Queen herself, Chrysalis having made the official announcement of the groups’ success at sunrise. The six Changelings had spent the majority of the night in the medical area, their multiple wounds being treated and Reflection was once again able to move under her own power. Nestor had acted as the spokesling, entertaining the other members of the Hive with the details of the mission, from the rescue from the cells in Canterlot castle to the night spent hiding in a farm barely three hundred meters from a local garrison. The Humans had chosen to stay amongst themselves, discussing the events of the past few days and the Commander made sure to show off the tiara he had plundered from the castle during the assault, making sure that Stevens had a front row seat, yellow sombrero outshined. The scientists had asked a multitude of questions, ranging from what level of advancement pony society appeared to be as to how the Commander managed to acquire a pony foal. The colt in question had spent most of the night either sleeping or exploring the makeshift human base, evidently feeling safe enough around the many bipeds to leave the safety of the Commander’s arms. Many of the humans noted how the child still seemed to keep within a distance of twenty meters from Commander Chalmers, and when the scientists had found out about the circumstances surrounding the foal, questions were raised about what would become of it. The UIP was quite accepting of foreign cultures, and the unicorn colt would have no problem with being integrated with the UIP, especially considering Commander Chalmers’s influence as well as his rumoured vast sums of wealth. The problem was who would look after it, UIP policy dictating that any alien not affiliated with the UIP or a member of an allied empire would have to be escorted by a member of the Department of Security and Intelligence. Commander Chalmers was a member of that Department but the biggest question was would he look after it properly, the Commander not being known for his nurturing personality. These problems were currently forgotten however, as the morale in the Hive was high, bolstered by the fact that starvation was no longer a big concern, the humans having promised the Changelings a constant source of the chemical salvation in return for information and friendly relations, a deal that was readily accepted by the Queen. The scientists were discussing their plans for the day, jokes being shared all round while the wraiths were, as usual, engaged in their own private conversation, with the exception of Corporal Jacobs who had left to visit Reflection in the medical area, the two having become good friends during the trip. Nigel had just prepared a cup of delicious coffee, having brought real beans grown back on Terra. The price he paid for them had been high, but for real coffee, not standard issue stuff, it was defiantly worth it. Nigel had removed his helmet, the first time since arriving on planet and was about to take a nice sip of fresh mouth-watering caffeinated bevera- “There’s an enemy army approaching, we have only an hour before they arrive!” A frantic changeling messenger announced, zooming past the Commander before running out the other side of the room, in the process causing the Commander’s cup of coffee to spill all over the floor. Nigel stared down at his fallen beverage, a single manly tear leaving his eye. His fists clenched, and he strolled over towards where his helmet was located, affixing the war helm to his armoured shoulders. As the wraiths and scientists scrambled around grabbing weapons and equipment Bleak Horizon dashed up to Nigel’s legs, throwing his hooves around the armoured trunks and burying his face into Nigel’s shins. Nigel sighed, pushing the anger deep, deep down like his therapist had told him to, before picking Horizon up, placing his hands underneath were the forelegs met the body (Armpits?). “Now Horizon, I need you to stay in the Hive okay, the Changelings won’t hurt you and I’ll get one of the nurses to look after you, who knows, maybe you could make some friends with the nymphs.” “Why, where are you going Mister Nigel, are you going out to fight again?” “I’m going to have to, Horizon” Nigel, spotting a nurse drone (Identifiable by the white hats with a red cross on them, why they needed to wear the hats Nigel had no clue) gestured it to come over, before placing Horizon on the ground next to him, the nurse flashing the colt a reassuring smile as it arrived “I need you to go with the nurse here okay? I promise that I’ll come back and get you” Boland came up to the Commander, handing him a rifle and some extra charge packs, the scientists having manufactured a few extra since their arrival. Nigel nodded towards Boland, the Sergeant leaving out the throne room doors, heading towards the exit to the Hive. The nurse drone prompted Horizon towards a side door leading to the nursery, the colt giving Nigel a final wave before exiting the room with the nurse. Nigel was the only being left in the room, all the other occupants having left in order to assist in the upcoming battle. Nigel’s thoughts strayed to his fallen coffee, his rage at the Equestrians building, they being the cause of its loss. Rifle in hand he exited the room, heading outside to join his soldiers in possible the greatest test of their skills since arriving on the planet. ‘Those horses are going to pay for ruining my breakfast, if it’s the last thing I do.’ Celestia and Luna watched over the combined army from their spot at the rear, the various Pony, Zebra, Minotaur and Griffon generals and officers organizing the force into perfect ranks, all spaced out evenly, Each race sporting a thousand soldiers each, all armed with spears, swords, axes, bows, crossbows, pikes and other assorted blades. The army had stopped just short of the hive, awaiting the Princesses orders to attack, the Equestrians being given over-all command due to the fact that they lost the most to the bipeds and Changelings. In the distance figures could be spotted moving at the entrance of the Hive, makeshift barricades had been erected and the sky above the mountain was filled with changelings, all of them taking up defensive positions on the mountain side. Celestia looked over to her left, Twilight and her friends standing firm, eyeing the Hive warily. Celestia had ordered that they be spared the details of the attack on the castle, feeling that they did not need to know of such violence, however it now appeared that they would experience it first-hoof. “Princess Celestia!” Celestia turned towards the Solar Guard Sergeant who had called her name “What is it Sergeant?” “One of the monsters is approaching Princess; it appears to be wearing your Royal Crown!” “Let us confront the beast, come guards!” Luna shouted as she flew towards the head of the army accompanied by ten of her Lunar Guard, the bat-ponies an unusual sight during the day. “Luna wait!” Celestia chased after her Sister, the Elements rushing behind her. Nigel strode ahead of the Hive’s defences, much to the chagrin of Chrysalis and Boland, the Sergeant not understanding how a matter of an invading army could be ‘Personal’. Nigel had tried to explain about the loss of his coffee, but all that had yielded was confused looks so he just went out anyway. As a wise man had once said, ‘YOLO’ He was about fifty meters in front of the main defensive line, the enemy army before him, comprised of ponies, zebras, minotaurs and griffons, began to jeer, throwing out labels such as ‘Demon’, ‘Monster’ and the ponies even called him a ‘Flankhole’. Nigel got the hint that he wasn’t popular, much like the new kid at school, so he responded in the way outlined in the ISA handbook. He stopped his advance, raised both fists towards the enemy and extended both middle fingers into the air. He then proceeded to strafe the enemy lines with this gesture, making sure that everyone got a taste. This only served to confuse the enemy, the majority not possessing fingers, so he switched tactics “GO AND GET A JOB YOU BLUDGERS!” This served its intended purpose, elements of the army starting to break ranks and began to charge, however they stopped when a group of ponies flew down in front of him, barely twenty meters away. There were ten of the bat-pony hybrids, a large blue horse clad in black armour and sporting a tiara, much like the one he was wearing. Following shortly after the blue horse was the white one he recalled knocking out in the assault at the castle during his window entrance, the horse Princess shooting him a glare filled with the fury of the sun as she landed. Nigel was not intimidated; after all, she did not possess a bitchin’ tiara. Running up behind the white horse were six ponies, all possessing some of the most God-awful colourations Nigel had ever seen, there was even one with hair the colour of the rainbow, the Pegasus who was the owner of the hair glaring at him, no doubt itching for a rumble. The Blue horse opened its mouth, preparing to challenge him “Foul Creature, for too long hath you terrorized our fair subjects, sowing chaos were thou treads, thou even had the nerve to rob thy Sister of her Royal Crown after assaulting her! What say you, monster, vile Demon, destroyer of peace and harmony, what say you?” Nigel collected his breath and prepared his rebuttal “In my defence, she really shouldn’t have been standing that close to the window and the tiara does look better on me, you have to admit” “You and your minions killed fifty of my guards!” The White horse finally found its voice, however the six smaller non-guard ponies obviously had not been told of the castle attack, all wearing expressions of shock “Fi-fifty?” a yellow Pegasus quietly said, the pony looking up at him with fear-filled eyes “Oh come on! It wasn’t fifty” Nigel replied, acting as if he had been insulted “It was Fifty-nine guards, get it right next time, I work hard at my job, some proper recognition is all I ask” “Regardless of the number, it was a completely unprovoked attack!” Nigel was starting to wish that the white horse had just stayed quite; its voice was beginning to annoy him “If I recall correctly, you abducted six Changelings, and we happen to be quite good friends with the Changelings, so rescuing them was the least we could do, besides, the conduct of your guards was most unbecoming!” “They tried to invade during my Brother’s wedding!” The purple unicorn spoke up, a tiara that looked far more bling then his sitting on its head ‘Change of plans, kill them all, then take the purple one’s tiara’ thought Nigel before the orange Earth pony pitched in its two cents “Those critters are downright dishonest!” “And they’re very scary” yellow Pegasus again “They almost ruined the party!” Squealed the pink pony, somehow managing to corkscrew up into the air “Alright, how the hell did she just do that?” Questioned Nigel, a question that went unanswered “They look downright horrendous, I shudder at the very thought of them!” Nigel assumed that the white unicorn was one of those prissy types, much like the wives of high-ranking generals “But we still kicked their flanks, just like we’re going to kick yours Monster!” The rainbow pony punctuated its statement by flying right into Nigel’s face “Rainbow Dash, come back here!” Shouted the purple unicorn while the cyan Pegasus preoccupied itself by trying to win a staring contest with his optics “Your name is Rainbow” Nigel stated in a flat voice “Were you parents’ that unimaginative or just plain moronic?” “THEY WERE NOT UNIMAGINATIVE!” yelled the flying pony before punching Nigel square in the face with its right foreleg CRUNCH! “Ow Ow Ow! What the buck are you made of, solid metal!?” Moaned the brash Pegasus, rubbing its hoof while retreating back to its friends ‘Real genius this one’ thought Nigel before replying In a faux Irish accent “No, I be made out o’ wee fairy floss an’ gumdrops an’ all sorts o' yummy candy!” The pink one gasped “You must taste delicious!” before starting too bound up and down rapidly “Sorry Pinks, you’re not my type, and even if you were it would still be a no” “SILENCE!” The voice of the blue horse Boomed around the space, silencing all conversation. Nigel noticed that the bat guards surrounding it had all covered their ears and were wearing expressions of extreme pain. “With a voice like that I had you mistaken for my ex-wife” Nigel commented “Creature!” White horse again “You have been nothing but a source of Chaos and disharmony, and as such you are to be destroyed by the Elements of Harmony!” “And just what are they supposed to be” responded Nigel “a Christian rock band, ready to spread the love of Jesus through music, changing my heretical ways?” “No, Monster! They are our most powerful weapon, used to destroy evil creatures like you!” As the white horse was talking, the six mares had begun to glow, each piece of jewellery humming with power. The six ponies began to levitate, the musical hum increasing. “And just what are they going to do, shoot me with a Fucking Rainbo-“ ‘WHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS’ Celestia watched with a smile on her face as the rainbow shot out from the Elements and collided with the biped, leaving a white after glow. ‘Finally, with their leader defete-‘ The glow cleared, revealing a biped that was very much alive and well, the Elements having no effect on it. Celestia’s jaw had dropped, the army behind her had been stunned into silence, Luna’s face was scrunched up in shock and the Elements were all staring at this Biped with fear, how could it have survived Equestria’s most powerful weapon with no effects? Nigel glanced down at his groin ‘Thank God I’m wearing armour, otherwise this would be really embarrassing’ he thought, returning his attention towards the group of horses. They were all wearing expressions of shock; clearly they expected their ‘ultimate weapon’ to do more than simulate the effects of a certain pill marketed to the older generation. Nigel took this opportunity to give a speech, switching his external speakers to max volume, his ego demanding satisfaction “HEAR ME PONIES, MINOTAURS, ZEBRAS AND GRIFFONS! I HAVE VANQUISED YOUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON, IT NOT EVEN SCRATCHING THE PAINT ON MY ARMOUR! YOUR LEADERS ARE POWERLESS, YOUR FORCES INSIGNIFICANT, YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS CRUSHED! YOU SOUGHT TO DEFEAT US, TO DESTROY US UTTERLY, BUT KNOW THIS! YOU MAY TAKE OUR LIVES, BUT WILL NEVER TAKE OUR-“ “FIRE THE MISSILES!” Nigel was broken out of his speech, turning towards the source of the interruption, and nearly collapsed out of shock. Standing a little bit out of the defences at the entrance of the Hive was Klaus, but this wasn’t what surprised Nigel, oh no. What surprised Nigel (as well as the enemy army, Princesses and Element Bearers included) was the lone Changeling, looking absolutely scared to death with what appeared to be two large boxes strapped to its back via a metal harness standing next to Klaus. The Changeling was rooted to the ground, four metal lpoles digging into the ground on either side, supports of some kind to reduce recoil Nigel guessed. Klaus Steiner, upon completing his ruination of the Commander’s heroic speech, slapped the side of the Changeling, activating a button attached to the harness. With a massive belch of flame, swarms of rockets erupted from the boxes on the back of the Changeling, flying over the shocked ponies in front of Nigel to land amidst the assembled enemy army. The Explosives claimed a terrible toll, with the Minotaurs and griffons being the worst hit. The survivors of the first barrage turned tail and fled, before more rockets spurted from the back of the Changeling, sowing more confusion and chaos. A Pressure filled the air, and with one last look of hatred from the princesses they, the mares and their guards teleported away in a flash of light. “WAIT!” Nigel looked over to the source of the voice, one of the Bat-pony guards was looking franticly were the Princesses once were, left behind in their haste to escape. Nigel began to approach the pony, a mare judging from its voice. The mare turned and looked at him, fear in its eyes “Hey, not one more st-step Mo-monster!” exclaimed the guard, brandishing a short sickle –like blade with a leathery bat-wing. Nigel darted towards the mare catching the blade in his armoured hand, the inferior metal unable to pierce his armour. Nigel made a show of crushing the blade in his hand, the silvery metal bending and breaking while the mare stared at the spectacle with wide eyes. With the weapon destroyed Nigel grabbed the mare’s un-armoured neck with his other hand, lifting the struggling bat-pony off the ground. He held onto its neck, staring into the mare’s pleading eyes with his red optics until the pony passed out from lack of oxygen. Nigel dropped the unconscious body to the ground, right as the twenty wraiths ran up to meet him “Secure that prisoner, retrieve all of the enemy wounded that can be saved and execute the rest” The wraiths moved to carry out his orders, one grabbing the unconscious hybrid pony whilst the others went about the messy business of field executions, shooting those who had been too gravely injured in the rocket attack, a large number of changelings flying over to assist with securing those which could be helped, after all, the ponies would most likely try to attack again, at least next time the humans and changelings would have hostages to complicate matters. Nigel glanced to were Klaus was, the scientist attempting to extinguish the tail of the still-rooted Changeling, the creature thrashing around as it tried to put out the fire that had been caused by the back-blast of the rocket tubes. Nigel turned and looked upon the fleeing enemies, some flying with the majority running. Thinking of a way conclude his interrupted speech he ran over towards an outcropping of rock, passing burnt and dismembered corpses of griffons and stood atop the rock, facing the retreating army with his arms spread wide “FEAR ME MORTALS, FOR I AM POSEIDON! LORD OF THE SEA!” An Unusual InterrogationPale Moonlight awoke with a start, the nocturne mare thrashing around in her bonds, her legs bound with some sort of metal shackles and her wings stuck down with green goo. She stopped struggling and examined her surroundings, noticing that her armour and weapons had been removed, leaving her naked on the floor. She was in some sort of cell; the walls appeared to be changeling in origin, which made sense considering she was captured outside a changeling hive. She tried to bend her neck down, attempting to bite at the cords binding her legs, but she just couldn’t reach. “You’re not going to be able to bite through them” Moonlight looked up towards the voice; a changeling soldier was eyeing her through the bars of her cell “and why is that, changeling?” she asked while returning to her task, once again trying to reach the ties “Because the Humans said that they are made from ‘graphene poly-carbonate’ and they said that it makes them almost unbreakable” Moonlight once again paused “What’s a ‘Human’?” The changeling beamed at her smugly, obviously enjoying the fact that it knew something that the Lunar Guard didn’t “The humans are those tall bipeds you ponies keep on calling ‘Monsters’, I thought you would know, considering The Commander was the one who captured you” Moonlight shuddered at the thought of the bipedal monster, remembering those unblinking red eyes as it held her up with a single claw. The changeling saw this and grinned, revealing its two long fangs “Oh bat-pony” it began in a soft sing-song voice “guess who you’re off to meet since you’re awake” Moonlight’s eyes shot right open “Oh no…” ___________________________________________________________________________________ Chitter was currently very, very annoyed with Chatter, his fellow guard. Chatter had slightly overdone it with the bat-pony prisoner and the mare was currently flailing about fruitlessly in their magic fields as they walked through the prison towards an interrogation room. “NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!” “Shut up pony!” Chitter yelled, however this had no effect on the mare, the pony too caught up in its own mantra that it payed no attention to him. Chatter thought differently, finding the whole situation as well as Chitter’s annoyance hilarious, barely able to control the fit of laughter that he had been nursing since they dragged the mare from her cell. As they passed the multiple cells other prisoners looked out at the spectacle. Over one-hundred prisoners having been captured after the carnage, the fearsome human weaponry that had been strapped to poor Buzz proving to be a devastating device. Its use had not come without a price however, Buzz having lost half his tail before the insane human scientist had put out the fire. Chitter had not been at the main defensive line, instead he had been assigned to guard one of the many internal tunnels that dotted the hive but that didn’t stop him from hearing about the Commander’s exploits. The insane biped had strode out by himself and confronted the two Princesses of Equestria and survived, not to mention the four-thousand strong army that had been backing up the two deities. He had to admit, he really was glad he wasn’t in the mare’s place right now. The two guards reached the chosen room, placing the still screaming mare on the ground before exiting and shutting the door behind them, leaving the bat-pony alone. Moonlight stopped her screaming after five more minutes, her lungs unable to keep up with her frantic cries. She lay in the dirt, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, as she awaited her fate. A loud creak sounded from the other end of the room, Moonlight being unable to turn her head to face the noise. Footsteps approached her, and her body began to tremble in fright as they stopped, what sounded like two of the humans beside her and two at the end of the room. The sound of a stool scraping back at the other end indicated that one of the humans had sat down. “Pick her up out of the dirt Corporals, grab that stool over there” as the voice said this Moonlight felt two metal claws pick her up, Moonlight finding that she had barley any strength left with which to struggle. She was plopped down upon a smooth stool, her bound hind legs out in front of her and her forelegs pressed up against her chest. She examined her surroundings from her new upright position, noticing the two human soldiers on either side of her standing at attention, a white armoured biped examining her closely and at the end of the table sat the Human Commander, his red eyes blazing and the tiara on top of his head sparkling. The sight of the skull faced human made Moonlight’s body freeze in place. “The subject appears to be afraid, Commander” Spoke the white biped “Oh really Zarkrof,” The Commander replied sarcastically “I’m so glad that I remembered to bring a Xenobiologist along on the mission, God knows how we’d cope without you” The ‘Xenobiologist’, this ‘Zarkrof’, let out a huff, the Human Commander’s response apparently upsetting him. Moonlight knew what a biologist was, but she was unsure what the pre-fix ‘Xeno’ meant. “Continuing on” The Human Commander turned to address her “What is your name, pony?” Moonlight could not bring herself to answer, too busy staring into those horrific eyes “Perhaps you should remove your helmet Sir?” One of the humans next to her suggested “Good idea Corporal” the Commander responded before raising its hands to the sides of its head, the helmet beginning to come off. Moonlight stared at the Human’s face after it had removed its helmet, completely shocked that it wasn’t half as horrifying as she expected. Instead of baleful crimson eyes the Commander possessed a set of piercing blue irises, his eyes much smaller than a pony. He didn’t have a muzzle, instead a short outcropping of flesh seemed to serve as a nose and a separate mouth was located further down the bottom of his pinkish-white face. He had two rounded ears sticking out from the side of his head, a head which possessed a short cut mane which was a light shade of brown. Moonlight had to admit that the Monster’s face was not that… monstrous. “So, let’s try again, what is your name?” Questioned the Commander again Moonlight summoned up the will to answer “Corporal Pale Moonlight of her Majesty Princess Luna’s Lunar Guard” “Luna, you mean that really loud blue Pegasus-unicorn horse?” “She is an Alicorn, not a ‘Pegasus-Unicorn’, don’t you Humans know anything” replied Moonlight, slightly put-off about the fact that the Human had just referred to the Princess as a ‘horse’ “Eh, same difference, anyway, we sure seemed capable of defeating your pathetic excuse of an army young Miss” “Oh yeah, well that was just a quarter of what we have, the Princesses are probably heading back to organise the rest now, so how’s that make you feel?” Moonlight said with a smug look on her face ‘Ha, let’s see how confident he is now!' “Thankyou Moonlight, I’m sure that information is going to prove to be very useful to us” Moonlight’s look dropped right off her face, realising that she had just told the humans how many troops they had. “Excuse me Commander?” Moonlight turned and looked sullenly at the white human, the scientist having also removed his helmet “Yes Zarkrof?” “If you are done with the prisoner” Moonlight shivered as the scientist’s eyes traced her form “I would very much like to ask her some questions” “Go ahead Doctor” “Thank you Commander, now” Zarkrof addressed Moonlight “Miss Pale Moonlight, would you please tell me what species you are?” Moonlight shifted in the chair, unsure if she should answer any more questions, however, telling them what species she was couldn’t hurt, could it? “I’m a Nocturne mare, but everyone just calls us ‘Bat-Ponies’" “Hang on” the Commander said “You just said ‘everyone’, how come you don’t say ‘everypony’ like the other Equestrians?” “Well” began Moonlight “us Nocturnes live outside of Equestria, only a few of us live there, serving Princess Luna and that’s mainly because…” “The Equestrians tend to be quite ‘problematic’ with other species” The Commander finished for her “Yes” Moonlight felt a little bad admitting it, but she did know that Equestrians did tend to act a little… speciest. Nocturnes did not tend to suffer any abuse, mainly because it took a really stupid pony to insulte a Lunar Guard, but she had heard stories of Minotaurs, Griffons and even Zebras being treated differently by many ponies, it was only thanks to the good relations that the Princesses had fostered with the rulers of those particular nations that prevented Equestria as being seen as mostly speciest. “Moving on” spoke the Doctor “How was your species created, I mean, you appear to possess traits from both the ‘Equidae’ and ‘Chiroptera’ families” All the doctor got in response was a blank stare, prompting a sigh from the Commander “He means you look like a bat got frisky with a pony, reeeaallly frisky” The Commander supplied, raising his eyebrows as he said ‘really frisky’ Moonlight blushed at the insinuation and Zarkrof shot the Commander a glare, a glare that was ignored, the Commander far too focused on Moonlight’s wings that had just shot up straight, breaking through the green goo “Why did that just happen?” The Commander asked innocently, although Moonlight felt that he knew exactly what it meant “No-noth-nothing” Moonlight’s blush intensified, trying in vain to force her wings down, the scientist scribbling down notes on a strange pad device which was emitting light “Really Commander” the scientist commented, still proceeding to take notes regarding Moonlight’s embarrassment “you really don’t have any tact at all” “Oh, I don’t have tact?” Questioned the Commander as grabbed the glowing device from the scientist, much to Zarkrof’s chagrin “Let’s see here, diet, social structure, leadership structure- Oh, hello!” the Commander exclaimed, looking towards the scientist “Mating rituals, why Zarkrof, you dog you!” “It’s purely for science Commander!” the scientist’s blush almost matched Moonlight’s “It is a standard question required by the operating guidelines, it’s merely so we-“ “Calm your tits, Zarkrof, I’m only joking, lighten up a little” The Commander turned back to Moonlight, her wings still fully extended “Okay, let’s move this line of questioning to the rear of the list, make this a bit more comfortable for everyone” The Commander stated, causing Moonlight to sigh in relief “Fine then” Zarkrof conceded “How old are you, and at what age are your species considered adults?” “I’m Twenty-one years of age, and eighteen years of age is considered adult hood, although sixteen is considered the starting age for… your know” Moonlight really didn’t want to finish the sentence “No, I don’t know, what is the age of sixteen important for” The Commander said, leaning forward eagerly, earning another glare from the scientist “Sexual relations” Moonlight squeaked “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that” the Commander leaned forward, cupping a hand to his ear “I SAID SEXUAL RELATIONS!” Moonlight yelled, the stress of the situation getting to her “Are you alright in there Commander?” One of the Changeling Guards asked through the door “Just Peachy!” replied the Commander, turning once again to Moonlight, the mare trying to make herself as small as possible. “I think we’re done here” observed the Commander, feeling a twinge, only the smallest twinge of pity for the embarrassed mare “But Commander, I still have many questions I want to ask the subject!” Pleaded the scientist “No Zarkrof, you’ll have plenty of time to question her later, I think it’s time we all took a break, Corporals,” the humans either side of Moonlight saluted “give the prisoner time to recover from her ‘condition’, then take her back to her cell” The Commander got off the stool, opening the door behind him, before turning around to look at Moonlight, the mare currently fidgeting in her Shackles, wings still out “Get those cuffs of her when you return her, after all the entertainment she’s given me in this interrogation she deserves a little freedom” He said before walking out the door with the scientist leaving two amused humans and one incredibly embarrassed Lunar Guard behind. Canterlot Capers Two: The Return of The NigelNigel walked out of the interrogation room, Zarkrof in tow, the Xenobiologist reviewing all of the notes he had taken during the interview. Nigel was in a good mood, the whole thing with the Nocturne mare was one of the funniest things he had seen in a while. As he and Zarkrof walked up the corridor towards the throne room multiple Changelings stopped and stared at him in awe. Nigel really didn’t get why it was such a big deal, Klaus was the one who had stolen the moment. Speaking of Klaus, the weapons engineer had been banned from using any explosive substance, especially after rumours had begun to circle around the scientists that the crazed German had been spotted with nuclear material back on the listening station. Nigel hoped that this was untrue as the last thing he needed was for Klaus to somehow manufacture a nuclear weapon while on the planet. As Nigel and Zarkrof entered the throne room a very angry Chrysalis intercepted them, homing onto the Commander like a fly to an unprotected plate of lunchmeat. “What in Tartarus were you thinking you insane lunatic?” Chrysalis was pissed “Technically” Nigel began “calling me an insane lunatic is redundant, as a lunatic is already insane, therefore your logic is wrong and your insult is void” Chrysalis was dumbfounded, her mouth flapping open and closed like a fish out of water “In regards to what I was thinking, I was debating with myself about whether to spend my up-coming holiday pay on a three mouth bender in Bondi or if I should just use it to buy a boat-load of liquor, hire some strippers and just veg out back home, I had almost made a decision but then I got interrupted by that whole ‘You assaulted my sister and invaded our city’ speech and I lost my train of thought.” Nigel looked at the Queen, Chrysalis seemed to be completely un-responsive, a changeling was currently trying to rouse her from this catatonic state by waving a hoof in front of her face. The Commander decided that now was the ideal time to break the next bit of news to her “Oh, by the way” he started, re-attaching his helmet and walking over to the weapons stockpile in the middle of the camp, grabbing large packs of explosives and attaching them to various places on his armour “Turns out the Equestrians have a larger army waiting back at their capitol, so me and some of the men are going to say a friendly hello, is that okay with you?” As he said this fifteen wraiths led by Boland emerged from other rooms, all carrying large amounts of weaponry and two had a crate with a warning symbol for fire stamped on it. All fifteen ranked up in front of the Commander, guns held at their sides awaiting their next orders. Nigel awaited an answer from the Queen; the Changeling trying to grab her attention had desperately begun to tug on her left ear, still unable to elicit any reaction “I’ll take that as a yes then, move out soldiers!” Nigel and the wraiths left the throne room, leaving a frozen Chrysalis and the changeling currently hitting her in the face alone. ________________________________________________________________________________ Canterlot- Three days after failed attack on Changeling Hive Late afternoon “How are we supposed to defend against such weapons, we have no viable counter tactics at all and our allies have deserted us!” Celestia had no answer for the panicked Guard Lieutenant, the pony in question circling around the throne room while other Guard officers of various ranks watched on, the Lieutenant saying what they all were thinking. Celestia looked out the window, all of the Griffon, Minotaur and Zebra forces were gathering their equipment and preparing to withdraw. The Minotaurs’ and Griffons’ earlier confidence had been shattered by the defeat handed to them and their respective rulers had re-called all of their troops from Equestrian soil, figuring that the Changelings and Monsters would be satisfied with a poorly defended country full of plump defenceless ponies. “I mean, I’ve heard that the Zebras were even considering bribing the enemy with one of the Islands of the Burhoofter triangle along with the one-thousand zebras and ponies living on it!” “Lieutenant calm down” Ordered Celestia forcefully, fearing that if the rumour spread fear of zebras would increase, many Equestrians already wary of the striped equines “Ranting about these problems is not going to solve anything, Princess Luna and I are already working on a sou-“ “Princess Luna!?” the Lieutenant interrupted “How can we trust her, we know for a fact that a Lunar Guard was captured and I’ll bet my right hoof that the vampony has already told the changelings everything!” The Solar Guard and the Lunar Guard where known for their bitter rivalry, insults such as ‘Vampony’ were commonly thrown around, with the Lunar Guard equally guilty. “THAT IS ENOUGH LIEUTENANT!” The Royal voice was heard throughout the castle, Celestia fixing the soldier with a harsh glare “Leave the palace and don’t return unless I directly order you to, consider yourself on unpaid leave!” Celestia’s voice lowered in volume but kept its forceful edge, the Lieutenant bowing his head and exiting the throne room. Celestia turned and looked out the window once again, the assorted armies leaving Canterlot via the main and only road. ‘This day cannot get any worse she thought’ watching as the ordered lines of soldiers left the city. Celestia was soon proved wrong when a bright flash appeared in the centre of the marching armies, accompanied by a pillar of flame and a shockwave which blew out most of the windows in the city. The throne room window, which had just been replaced shattered, a few flying peices cutting Celestia’s face. As the Guards in the room rushed to help her Celestia looked out through drips of blood as more explosions sounded, with them fires igniting throughout the city. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel giggled gleefully as he removed his finger from the button labelled ‘1’ on the control, the other wraiths that were with him hidden in the penthouse suite of the luxury hotel they had snuck into before watching the aftermath of the explosion through the broken windows. Having infiltrated the city in the early morning a day ago the humans had scaled the hotel, the tallest building in the city apart from the Castle and entered the penthouse. They had expected it to be occupied but it appeared as if the current tenant had left for a few days if the note scribbled out for the cleaning staff was anything to go by. The changelings had provided the humans with an Equestrian dictionary, one of the scientists having uploaded it into the wraiths’ shared network as a translation program for written Equestrian, enabling the humans to read the note informing the staff to leave the room alone for the next two weeks. Nigel let out another peal of laughter when he activated a second button, causing the multiple charges they had set the night before to detonate, destroying guard posts, armouries and military supply caches. The charges had been of an incendiary nature, the initial explosions followed up by raging chemical fires that grew rapidly, enveloping surrounding buildings in infernos. The first bomb had been buried in the middle of the main road leading out of the city which passed over a natural rock bridge. The main bulk of the three non-Equestrian armies had been crossing said bridge when Nigel had detonated the bomb, utterly destroying it as well as wiping out most of the remaining enemy forces. This would have the secondary effect of cutting off the city from all ground access, meaning that the Equestrians would have to fly-in supplies with Pegasi, leaving many towns across the county without adequate numbers, a key factor in the plan Nigel had been forming. Eyeing the last button on the control, this one merely had an icon of a yellow smiley face on it, Nigel turned around so that he could see the castle out the window on the other side. The other soldiers turned with him, unsure of what he was doing. “Oh, this one is going to be great” Nigel chuckled to himself “I thought we already detonated all the charges Sir?” Sergeant Boland enquired “Well, all of the ones we planned, but do you remember how I left for a walk for a couple of hours?” The Sergeant nodded in response “Let’s just say that I performed a structural stability audit of the Castle, and it was found lacking” With that Nigel pressed the final button, multiple cracks echoing around the city as a ring of Explosions encircled the tallest Spire of the castle. When Nigel had conducted his ‘audit’ he found that the largest spire served as an observatory/library and while it wasn’t a valid military target all of the items inside of it had seemed real expensive. Nigel had flogged the most fancy looking hand (hoof?) held telescope, the gold viewing device studded with gems, and was currently using it to view the destruction of the tower. With a loud echoing groan, the tower came away from the castle, the massive piece of masonry dropping to ground. As the destroyed tower came into contact with the ground the entire city shook, paintings falling off the walls in the penthouse and furniture was overturned. Nigel watched, laughing as the tower came to a rest on the ground, the once proud high-perch reduced to a pile of rubble. The area that the tower came away from was currently on fire, the explosions having ignited the inner wooden support structure. Plumes of smoke rose up into the air from the ravaged castle, joining with the ones originating from the city, the inferno continuing to spread. The majority of the area that was on fire appeared to have been a military/supply area of the city, well separated from the residential area that housed the hotel the humans were in. Nigel leaned back on the bed he was on, the four poster bed fit for a king “Well chaps, there’s only one thing left to do” at this the wraiths looked at him, before Nigel pointed towards an area in the room, two refrigerators and a bar sitting next to it “Let’s raid the minibar, after all, the poor SOB who rented this room is paying” ________________________________________________________________________________________ An hour had passed and already the soldiers had run up a tab in the thousands, selecting the most expensive liquors and wines they could find. They partied hard as the city burned, the sound of classical music filling the room. Nigel had found a record player and some records, most of them being Classical with a smattering of electronic. As he reclined on the bed, the soldiers all lounging around in the room, with Boland and three Corporals even sitting in the hot tub with their armour still on he hoped that this ‘Octavia’ pony didn’t die in the fire, as he quite enjoyed her Cello music and he would like to meet her one day. “Wow, look at this, we hit pay dirt!” Nigel looked over towards the voice; two corporals were crouching down near a cabinet at the end of the room. He removed himself from the bed, martini in hand and ambled over towards the pair. As he approached they moved apart for him, revealing their prize which they had found in a draw. Around fifty magazines of a questionable nature were piled on the floor, amongst them ‘Playcolt’, ‘Mares of the Month’, ‘Regidar’s Rude Ramblings’ and the subtle and elegant ‘Saddles and Sluts’. Nigel and the two corporals stared at the pile, none of the three making a move to return the adult reading material to where it had been found. “Lads,” Nigel began, scooping up the pile of magazines “We’ve set a city on fire, we’ve hijacked a Penthouse and we’ve already raided the Mini-bar, a line has to be drawn somewhere” Nigel looked around the room at the four soldiers in the hot tub, to the few were dancing to the music and the others that were sitting around chatting, drinks in hand “Oh, fuck it, it’s a party after all” Nigel said before throwing the pile of magazines into the air, the adult literature exposing itself as it spread itself around the room, falling down like a weird type of R+ rain. As the rest of the occupants in the room noticed the spectacle, Sergeant Boland in particular receiving a lewd centrepiece model to the face, soldiers began to pick up the Magazines, curious to what they contained. “Pony porn for everyone!” Nigel yelled, spreading his arms as if he were a god, delivering salvation upon his followers. ____________________________________________________________________________________ “My Queen, you have to come quickly!” Chrysalis groaned, lifting her head from her pillow, a frantic group of changelings standing at the entrance of her chambers. She slowly stumbled out of the bed she had spent the last few days in, her conversation with the Commander leaving her a little worse for wear. She followed her subjects out towards he entrance of the Hive, emerging into the dying sunlight, dusk fast approaching. “What is all the commotion about!?” She snapped, not at all happy about being disturbed “Look my Queen” one of the Changelings assigned to guard the entrance answered, pointing towards the horizon. Chrysalis turned and saw a large cloud of smoke rising into the sky from a mountain peak, exactly where Canterlot should have been… A bright glare was emanating from the spot, the glow lighting up the sky, an easel of red, yellow and orange waxing and waning before her eyes “Hey” asked a guard to her left, his question directed towards a fellow guard “Isn’t that where the Commander went?” Chrysalis decided that at that current time the ground seemed awfully comfy, the guards moving to catch her body as she fell over onto her side, out like a light. A Truce By Any Other Name Would Smell As SweetThree days after second attack on Canterlot Changeling Hive The group of wraiths filed into the human area of the Hive, not saying anything at all to the passing Changelings. None of the changelings had even been game enough to ask, the massive grin that the Commander had been sporting unnerving many of them. The Commander was the only one to have removed his helmet, the headgear hanging at his side alongside a ornately decorated golden telescope. The scientists likewise had avoided asking how the mission had gone; knowing that the soldiers would not have returned if this was the case. The fifteen soldiers fanned out around the camp, beginning their post-mission routines. The Commander however had a different plan “Excuse me guard” Nigel asked a nearby Changeling soldier, the equine saluting the Commander “Could you please direct me to the nursery?” ____________________________________________________________________________ “He seems to be getting along well with the Nymphs, we did notice however that the pony does appear to be slightly depressed” the Nurse explained as she trotted alongside Nigel, the pair heading towards the Changeling nursery located in the depths of the Hive “I expected as such, considering the circumstances” Nigel replied “Well, yes, but it’s more than that I believe, the colt only began to act this way once you had left” the nurse looked towards the Human, Nigel’s face locked in an expression of concern “I really hope that he hasn’t become too attached to me, such an issue would have complications” “I’m not an expert on how ponies think, but from what you described earlier regarding his recent behaviour I would say that it’s already progressed past the point of return” the nurse halted before the nursery door, turning towards the Human “excuse me for saying this, but I’m afraid that you have no choice, either you find alternative caretakers that the child is comfortable around or you have to show some responsibility and raise the pony yourself” Nigel raised an eyebrow at the nurse’s statement; the Changeling not appearing to be the least bit concerned that she just essentially told the being that had destroyed a large part of Canterlot to grow up. He didn’t have time to muster a rebuttal, the nurse pushing open the main nursery doors. The inside of the large area was chaotic, the inside swarming with a decent amount of Nymphs, the small changelings running around with the energy that only small children possess. There was a smattering of nurses round the room, seemingly reduced to just observing the mobile chittering mass. The nurse accompanying Nigel entered the room, the Commander cautiously following, unnerved by the proximity of so many children. He scanned the room in an attempt to spot Bleak Horizon, hoping to achieve his task and leave as soon as possible. He spotted his target, the blue mane of the grey pony easily distinguishable even in the midst of black fast-moving blurs. The colt was currently sitting on the ground with five young Changelings in a circle, another changeling trotting around the outside of the circle, tapping each youngster on the head as it passed them. Nigel did not have a single clue about what they were doing; he assumed that it was some sort of child’s game. He was pleased at the fact that Horizon seemed to be interacting well with the changelings, the colt seemingly enjoying the activity. Nigel started to approach the group, keeping towards the sides of the room to try to avoid attention. This failed however, all of the young changelings in the room spotting the biped and pausing their playing, except for the group of seven at the back who were too engrossed in their game to notice his arrival. ‘Crap’ thought Nigel, freezing in place like a statue as multiple pairs of blue eyes stared at him in curiosity. He began to slowly inch forward towards the circle of children, making sure to not make any sudden movements. The Nymph circling the group noticed him and stopped his motions, the rest of the group turning to face the source of the distraction, Horizon’s face lighting up as he saw Nigel, the colt getting off the ground and racing towards him. Nigel watched the changelings warily, the formerly-energetic group all having moved together in the centre of the room, thoroughly creeping him out. They had not broken their stares since they had noticed him, all eyes fixed solely on him. Horizon reached his armoured legs, embracing one in a hug. Nigel forced himself to tear himself away from the stares of the nymphs, instead looking down at Horizon before ruffling his mane with a hand “Well, it seems like you made some friends” Nigel commented, looking back up briefly at the changelings, the group still staring at him “Although they are a tad bit terrifying” Horizon looked up at Nigel, a smile on his face “They’re really nice Nigel, but I missed you, why did you have to go away for so long?” Nigel had to think about his reply, thinking that ‘Oh, I was just blowing up half a city and watching a pony Princess sleep’ was not going to be an appropriate answer “I had to go away for work Horizon, I’m back for a day but I’ll have to leave again the day after tomorrow” The colts smile dropped, his eyes beginning to moisten as Nigel told him this ‘Oh no, please don’t do what I think you’re about to do-‘ Horizon did what Nigel feared, the colt starting to cry “I don’t want you to go again” the colt said between sobs, grasping Nigel’s leg harder. Nigel sighed “I’m going, there’s nothing I can do about it Horizon, I’m sorry” The unicorn kept on crying, Nigel’s words having not solved the situation, why was dealing with children so difficult? Nigel kneeled down on the ground, Horizon having sat down on his rump, having released his grasp on Nigel’s leg. The Commander could only think of one thing to do at the moment, having observed the technique on UIP family broadcasting. He embraced Horizon in a hug, the foal leaning forward into it, pushing his head against Nigel’s shoulder. “I’m sorry that I’ve been neglecting you Horizon, I know that you’re probably very scared and I should’ve made more of an effort with you and for failing in that I’m sorry” the foal stopped his sobbing, his aqua eyes meeting Nigel’s blue ones “I forgive you Nigel, I know that you have to work a lot” the colt gave another sniffle “you’re the only pon-, um, Thing that I know, I just wish that you were here more” “I tell you what Horizon, how about after I get back next I promise that I’ll stay for longer and that I’ll spend more time with you?” “You promise?” Horizon asked hopefully “I promise” Nigel answered, once again hugging the colt, Horizon returning the affection. Nigel had made a couple of mistakes however. The nurses had not yet fed the Nymphs that day, and Horizon and he were emitting a fair amount of love. Nigel had also dropped his guard while he was hugging Horizon, the young changelings seizing the opportunity. Sensing the love between the new creature and the pony they had been playing with for days and seeing that the two were currently hugging each other the young changelings wanted in. Nigel had barely time to utter a manly yelp of distress before the mass of nymphs moved as one and flung themselves upon him, covering him in a mass of excited chittering children. Their combined weight pinned Nigel to the ground, Horizon having been spared his fate, Nigel having thrown him clear. The colt looked on in horror as the human was enveloped in a rolling black tide of Horizon’s playmates. A few nurses rushed past him In an attempt to help the fallen Commander, Horizon losing view of Nigel as they charged in front of the colt in an attempt to halt the swarm, a single armoured arm pointing up towards the roof before it to was tackled by a changeling child, the added weight dragging it down into the mass of bodies. _______________________________________________________________________________ UIP Weapons Engineer Klaus Steiner looked up from his workspace as the Commander accompanied by the pony foal walked into the camp. The Commander’s face was covered in what appeared to be saliva, Chalmers trying to clean it off with a rag to no avail. The Commander did not look pleased as he stormed over towards his tent, grabbing his helmet from inside it before putting it on his head, making sure that it was on securely. Klaus grabbed the item he was working on and walked over towards him, the pony colt moving closer towards Chalmers as Klaus approached the unusual pair “Are you alright Commander? You appear to be quite agitated I observed” Commander Chalmers turned to face the scientist “Children, lots of tiny, terrifying children” was all the Commander provided “Yes, they can indeed be quite a handful” Klaus concurred, holding up his device towards the Commander “I do however have something that I believe you will quite enjoy” The Commander stared warily at the device in Klaus’s outstretched hands “I thought I told you that you weren’t allowed to use any more explosives” “Oh, no Commander, this is not an explosive weapon” Klaus stated proudly “Doctor Thrax and Myself have come up with quite an ingenious idea, with help from the changeling known as Transfusion as well” The Commander looked over Klaus’s shoulder, spotting the changeling talking with Thrax at a science bench “Why does that somehow concern me more?” “I know what you mean Commander, that Thrax is quite reckless with his projects” Klaus had forgotten about the whole changeling-strapped-with-rockets thing that had happened earlier. The Commander had tilted his head to the side at the scientist’s statement “Anyway…” the Commander continued “I’m going to regret this, but what does this device actually do?” Klaus beamed at him “Well Commander, I do believe that you are leaving tomorrow in order to conduct negotiations with the enemy, this device could prove immensely useful, and here’s why…” ________________________________________________________________________________ Pale Midnight was being escorted from her cell by two changelings and a human soldier, her legs un-shackled but a chain was around her neck, held by one of the changelings “So where are we going?” she asked the human “That is something you are not required to know” it replied “You’re not going to… kill me are you?” she asked fearfully as they began to ascend a ramp “… probably not” the human said after a short pause, causing the Nocturne mare’s heart to beat faster The group reached a large cavern, over forty more Equestrian prisoners all lined up, chained and guarded by two changelings each. All of the other ponies were solar guard captured during the battle, a few of them shooting the Nocturne glares as she was pushed into line. The Changelings stayed by her side while the human soldier walked towards the front of the room, standing at attention alongside more of his fellows in a line facing the prisoners. ‘Is this it’ thought Midnight ‘Are they just going to line us up and execute us just like this?’ The Nocturne shifted where she stood, casting a glance at each changeling guard beside her A door opened at the front of the area and out strode the human Commander, fully armoured with the Princess’s tiara still firmly on his helmet. The human walked over towards the group of prisoners, all of the ponies watching him warily. The biped stopped about fifteen hooves away from the front of the line “Equestrian prisoners” the Commander began, his voice loud enough to be heard by all assembled “You were all captured after your militaries’ failed attack against us, and no attempt has been made to retrieve you” the Commander paused, allowing the information to sink in. Many of the ponies had bowed their heads; knowing that this was most likely true, after all, if the Princesses could have attacked again then they would have done it already. “You do have a chance at freedom however” At this the prisoners raised their heads, all attention fixed on the Commander, the biped beginning to walk back and forth in front of the line “We are going to be conducting diplomatic negotiations in the morning with your Princesses, and if those negotiations go well then you will be released” the Commander ceased his pacing, a group of Changelings moving through the door levitating metal collars in their magical grips. Accompanying the Changelings was a biped in White armour, a long black object slung across his back and a case in one of his claws. The Changelings wielding the collars moved towards the ponies, each changeling placing a collar around a pony’s neck, the metal bands clicking shut in place. Midnight fidgeted as the cold metal was clasped around her neck, no doubt these collars were bad news. This theory was proved correct when the white armoured human pressed a button on an object he held. Red lights appeared on every single collar, each single light staying a solid red. The white human giving the Commander the device he had just activated “Thank you Steiner, are the collars properly armed?” “Yes Commander” the human named Steiner replied “I have synced the remote with your HUD, so all it should take is a simple voice command and the devices will activate” “Thank you doctor” The commander replied “I assume you have the second device ready as well?” “I do” Steiner replied “It was tested with the help of Transfusion earlier, he is still recovering but it should serve us well” “Great work, prepare to leave” Steiner nodded, moving towards the edge of the cavern, the Commander turning back towards the ponies, the majority glancing apprehensively at the collars locked around the ponies around them “I’m sure you are all curious to what the dear Doctor has just strapped you with?” A few ponies nodded, Midnight included “To put it simply, each of those collars contains a high-explosive charge, set to detonate when I command it and when they do detonate they will kill you in an extremely gory way” Some of the ponies began to panic at the revelation that they had just had bombs attached to them “If you behave you live” this managed to calm most of the panicking equines down, the prisoners having become accustomed to following the instructions of their human captors during the ponies’ captivity “If you misbehave however…” the Commander stated, leaning in towards the ponies “You all go out with a bang” ______________________________________________________________________________ The two Princesses stepped out of the carriage as it touched the dusty ground, the small town of Appleoosa seemingly deserted. Another chariot landed, the six elements of harmony exiting it, joined shortly after by twelve guards, six Solar and six Lunar. The Princesses had not brought as many as the biped allowed, reasoning that if the creatures were able to defeat an army of four-thousand then forty guards would not be of much use. “Where are they Sister?” Luna questioned, glancing around the town “I do not know Luna, what I want to know more Is what happened to the townsponies” “I assure you that the inhabitants of this town are quite safe” The Princesses, the guards and the Elements whirled around to face the Saloon, the Human Commander known as ‘Lord Poseidon’ according to the reports of the survivors of the battle at the Hive exiting through the doors to stand in front of the group, his twin claws resting on two objects strapped to his armoured hips. “Where are our Subjects?” questioned Celestia, forcing herself to remain calm. Luna however had paled slightly at the sight of Lord Poseidon “While I can’t disclose their location, no harm has come to them and that shall remain the case if you don’t try anything funny” The human looked back at the guards “I see you only brought a small group of guards, no matter, they’re not going to be of any help if the faecal matter hits the fan anyway” “Take that back Monster!” Captain Bulwark shouted as he jumped in front of the Princesses, his face contorted in anger as he levelled the spear attached to his armour at the human. The Human appeared un-phased at having a spear point only inches away from his chest “I would advise against that pony” He said as gestured towards Bulwark’s body. Bulwark glanced down, a multitude of blue dots covering his chest and legs. He looked at the biped in confusion “Those dots are targeting sights of about twenty weapons all pointing at you, anyone of which is easily capable of tearing through your armour and insides like paper, I highly suggest you back up” “Do as he says Captain” Celestia ordered, the Captain slowly lowering the spear and stepping back a few paces. “Excellent choice!” exclaimed the human “now might we begin our discussions, hmmmm?” Celestia nodded “That is why we are here, Lord Poseidon” The human seemed a bit taken aback about this, but he swiftly recovered “Sure, let’s just roll with it” he stated to the confusion of the ponies “These types of talks bore me, so I’ll get to the point. I want you to cease hostilities against us and the Changelings as well as allowing them and us to access the area between the Hive and your western border, including this town” the biped reached towards its head, a sharp beam of light emitting from it, a three-dimensional map of the area appearing on the ground, much to the amazement of the ponies, especially the purple unicorn. A large stretch of land lighted up red on the map, indicating the area that the human wanted free access in “How do we know that you will not harm our subjects if we agree to this” said Celestia, secretly surprised at the admittedly fair demands that the Human made, although her face did not show it “Simple” the Human replied “In return for this, the Changelings and us will cease attacks on Equestria and the Changelings will not feed on your citizens, we have solved their food problems” Celestia raised a brow at this, how could the humans possibly have fixed such an issue? “In fact” the biped continued “I’m even willing to sweeten the deal” as he said this a large group of ponies moved out of an alley, all of them standing in the main road, some type of collar around their necks. The human glanced at the newly arrived ponies, before returning his vision to the Princesses “Each of those ponies is wearing a remotely-detonated explosive collar, purely for insurance I assure you” the biped chuckled as he said the last part. “I’m well aware of your affinity with explosives” Stated Celestia coldly “Still touchy about the city I see” the biped replied nonchalantly “anyway, as long as things go smoothly I see no need for such measures, if they are un-detonated they will disarm in twenty-four hours by themselves, so if you continue to act civil everyone goes home alive, now, do you have an answer for me regarding our terms?” “I wish to consult with my Sister for a short while” Celestia said “Very well” the human responded, the ponies watching in shock as he removed what turned out to be a helmet, attaching the headwear to his side. The biped then removed a long stick from his armour, placing the end of it in his mouth before lighting it with a boxy object, smoke beginning to bellow forth from the brown stick. Celestia turned away from the un-expected sight; the creatures jarringly un-monstrous face not what she was expecting from such a wicked fiend. She noticed Luna had a look of surprise on her face as the blue alicorn watched the human “Luna” Celestia said, breaking her sister from her trance “What do you think of the terms he has offered?” Luna bit her lower lip “They do seem to be quite reasonable, I expected the creatures to demand more. I’m still not convinced that the Changelings would cease to feed upon our subjects however. If it is true that these ‘Humans’ have solved that problem I think we should accept it, they have already proven that they are able to inflict grievous blows on us and peace, even with an insane creature is still peace” “I think it would be ideal also” replied Celestia “We would still be able to watch them, and I have a few ideas which may work to our advantage when it comes to that. I think he is telling the truth about the Changelings, it does explain how they have become fast allies and from seeing the humans’ capabilities in warfare it is possible. While it does pain me to make a truce with those that are responsible for so many deaths it would be worth it if it brings an end to the violence. as you said before, they have proven their military might and that is only what we have seen so far, I get the feeling that they haven’t even shown us what they are truly capable of.” “It is agreed then” confirmed Luna, Celestia turning back around to face Lord Poseidon “We agree to your terms Lord Poseidon, if you release the prisoners and leave this settlement for now we will honour our truce” “Great to hear” the human said as he tossed the burning stick on the ground, grinding it beneath his boot-heel as he re-affixed his helmet “Prisoners, you may begin to move” The captive ponies began to move forward towards the princesses, their collars still active. They had made it twenty meters before a large group of Diamond dogs burst from a nearby alley wielding weapons. The largest one, a bulldog with brown mottled fur pointed at the Commander with a paw “That’s it, that’s the creature that killed Rusty!” Celesta saw the Commander tilt his head towards the leader in confusion “I don’t have the slightest idea of what you’re talking ab-“ “ATTACK!” The Human was cut off by the Bulldog’s bellowed order, the dogs surging forward towards the lone biped. All of the Equestrians watched on in horror as the blue dots returned, positioning themselves over the dogs’ knees and elbows. Multiple bangs rang out around the town, humans firing their weapons from concealed locations, the munitions blowing of limbs and severing joints. The dogs stood no chance, all of them falling down towards the ground, most of them missing multiple limbs. As this happened an object that had been buried under the sand in the middle of the town burst up, rising into the sky before detonating, filling the air with a barely-visible gas. The ponies felt the gas enter their nostrils and mouths, the substance seemingly sapping their energy, all of the Equestrians including the two alicorns dropping to their knees in the dirt. Celestia tried to raise a shied bubble around them but her magic refused to work, almost as if it had somehow been inhibited. The Diamond dogs seemed un-effected by the gas, although considering that the dogs were lying in pools of their own blood thrashing wildly around it was a small mercy. The human had begun to put the dogs out of their misery, Celestia having enough strength to raise her head, watching as the Human Leader used one of the objects he pulled from his hip to execute the dying canines, the object booming and emitting a burst of light as the dogs heads exploded. The gas however eventually triumphed completely over her, Celestia collapsing fully onto the ground, joining the other ponies. The sounds of bangs stopped, replaced by heavy footfalls advancing towards her, before halting, Celestia seeing two black metal boots just in the corner of her vision ‘I’m completely powerless’ she panicked ‘is he just going to end us like those Diamond Dogs?’ Celestia closed her eyes, coming to terms with her situation before a metal claw grasped her chin, lifting her face up until she could see the human’s glowing red eyes “I could kill you right now Celestia, and nothing could stop me” the human said, tapping his weapon against her muzzle “But I detest breaking promises” he stated, returning his weapon to his hip, before letting Celestia’s head go and standing back up “I would stay and help, but I’ve got to fulfil a promise to someone else, so I must be off." The human began to walk away, before he stopped and turned back around to face the ponies, removing his helmet as he did so. The gas seemingly had no effect on him as he walked over to Luna, crouching down in front of her. He cupped his claws and lifted her face, his eyes locking onto hers as he moved his head forward. Luna was powerless to resist as the human’s face moved closer, the Princess of the night fearing the human’s intentions. The human stopped his face a bare inch away from Luna’s, her breath halting as her heart began to beat furiously “You have pretty eyes” the human stated, before releasing Luna’s head. He once again re-attached his helmet and walked away, leaving the large number of Equestrians on the ground, the Princesses the only ones left conscious. As he walked back towards the apple orchards where the ponies of the town were being held he smiled under his helmet ‘Well,’ he thought ‘that went rather well.’ The Mystery Of The Decade“Arrrg, what is that racket?” Chrysalis lifted her head from the pillow, noise filtering into her royal chambers from above her. She had been recovering for days, the stress of the situation overwhelming her both physically and mentally. She shambled out of her bed, her hooves clacking on the hard floor as she left her chambers to investigate the noise. She reached the throne room, the room filled with numerous changelings celebrating enthusiastically although Chrysalis did not know why. She entered the Humans’ area, seemingly the heart of the party ‘Why am I not surprised’ she thought, gazing at the large mass of changelings spread around the room, all of them in intense states of enjoyment. A large crate was in the middle of the area, a large amount of pony alcohol bottles resting within and even more spread out around the room. “Heys Qu-queeny” Chrysalis looked down at the voice, a changeling drone looking up at her with his solid blue eyes, a large smile planted on his face “Has any- *Hic* anyone ever told yous that you have a fant… fantastic flank?” he slurred Chrysalis was speechless, watching on as the drone stumbled and fell onto his side, giggling like a fool. “Hey everyone, Shade actually did it, fucking hilarious!” Chrysalis recognised the voice of Commander Chalmers, the biped waving at her as she looked at him, surprise evident on her face. The Commander was sitting down, his helmet removed and a bottle clutched in his hand. Lying up against the armoured human were four Changeling females, all giggling at the expression on their queen’s face. The pony foal was curled up in the Commander’s lap, one of the changelings next to him rubbing the foal’s head as it slept. “Glad to see you decided to join the party Chrysalis, have you heard the news?” Chalmers asked, holding the bottle out to Chrysalis ‘Why not, it’s not like this could possibly get any worse’ The Queen walked over towards the biped, sitting next to him as she took hold of the bottle of cider in her magical grasp. She took a long hard swig, the cider’s effects taking hold of her almost immediately “Where did you find this?” Chrysalis questioned as she looked at the bottle “It seems quite strong, and no, what news, I assume it has something to do with all of the celebration?” “Strong?” questioned the human, reaching behind him with a hand and grabbing a bunch of empty bottles of the cider, eight in total “I drank all of these myself and while I do think that it is quite good cider it’s done absolutely nothing for me. Actually, now that you mention it the only ones that seem completely smashed are your subjects” The Queen looked around the room and the human was indeed right. While the rest of the bipeds were all standing or sitting around the room rather relaxed it was her changelings which were causing the majority of the noise. All over there were changelings passed out on the ground, up against the walls, changelings running around after their own tails and one changeling was even attempting to dance, although to Chrysalis it looked more like she was trying to figure out how to walk on one leg. Chrysalis took another swig from the bottle, hoping that the alcohol would make the pain in her head go away. “As to where we got them” Chalmers continued “I forgot the name of the hotel, but it was from the minibar in the penthouse suite, really nice place. Well, it was until we trashed it, but I left them some money so it’s all good” “Th-that’s great Nigel,” Chrysalis’s vision had started to become fuzzy “but what was- *hic* the news that you wanted to tell me before?” “Oh, that” Nigel answered, waving his hand “well, we had a good long chat with the Princess and we declared a truce, as long as we don’t attack them they’ll let us move about up on the surface, I believe that we have access to an area between ‘Manehattan’ and the south western border of the Griffon Empire. We are able to enter the city of Manehattan and the town of Appleoosa but if we do we have to stay together, changelings cannot disguise and we will be escorted around the city by guards or police forces” the Commander paused as he uncapped another bottle of cider “we are still at war with the Griffons, Minotaurs and Zebras though, so we still should be prepared” Chrysalis emptied the bottle she was holding, placing it on the floor. As she looked back towards the Commander he was currently emptying the entire bottle in one go, the four changelings next to him watching in awe. Without taking a single breath, the human finished the bottle, placing it on the top of his head, the bottle balancing perfectly in place “This stuff is like apple juice, It’s a shame we already drank all of the harder stuff, that griffon ale was quite good” The Commander picked himself off the ground, scooping the still-sleeping colt up in his arms. The four Changelings previously lying against him watched in disappointment, the human proving to be quite adept in partying “Are you sure you have to go?” One asked, batting her eyelids at him “I’m sorry Ladies but I better get the little one to bed, I also have to go over a few details of our plans so I’m afraid I have to leave your fine company, until next time” he nodded his head, the bottle falling in front of him before he caught it with a free hand, placing it on the floor nest to the seated Queen. Chrysalis looked at the retreating form of the human and sighed ‘Bed sounds good to’ with great effort she rose up and stumbled back down towards her chambers, longing for the embrace of her mattress. ___________________________________________________________________________ “Are you okay your Majesty?” Celestia awoke to the sound of a stallion’s voice, the princess raising her head to look around the room she was in. She was lying on a bed that was much smaller than she was used to, a white sheet covering her Royal body. To her left was the owner of the voice, one of the solar guards that she had brought along on the mission “Guard, what happened, is everypony okay?” Celestia hurriedly asked, bolting awake as she recalled the earilier confrontation with the Human "Everypony is fine your Majesty, there seemed to be some sort of sleeping gas that also affects magic released during the incident, so far nopony has report any other effects. The only pony still asleep is your student Twilight Sparkle but our field medic says that it shall not be long until she awakens” “What of the townsponies and the former captives, are they all alive?” Celestia replied after the guard had finished “All well Princess, the prisoners’ collars just broke apart ten minutes ago and the townsponies arrived soon after the humans left, saying that they were held at the apple orchards at the rear of the town. They have reported that they were guarded by Changelings and one human in white armour and that they were treated fairly. It seems that every pony except for the unicorns and you and Princess Luna awoke after half-an-hour. We tried to rouse you but to no effect and most of the unicorns recovered after three hours” Celestia began to get out of the bed “So it would seem that the substance the Humans used targets the magic inside the body of a pony, which would explain why I wasn’t able to raise a shield” Celestia began to walk towards the door “Where is my sister, Guard?” “She took a number of guards to remove the… corpses of the Diamond Dogs killed in the fighting, forgive me for asking Princess but what exactly happened? My mind is still a little hazy thanks to the gas; all I can remember is blue dots and bangs” Celestia stopped at the door, her back to the Guard “The Humans happened Guard, and we are incredibly lucky that they didn’t decide to do the same to us. This incident, while incredibly distressing only highlights why we should avoid confrontation with these insane creatures, I want you to dispatch messengers to Canterlot and Manehattan to deliver the news of the truce and the conditions. I also want extra guards to be posted at Manehattan; I suspect that the humans will take full advantage of the terms” “As you will it, your Majesty” the guard replied, following his Princess out of the doorway into the blood-stained town. ____________________________________________________________________________ “Pssst, Murray” Corporal Murray looked over towards the whisper, Corporal Rogers gesturing for him to enter a side room. Murray followed his fellow soldier, Rogers checking to make sure no-one was in earshot “What is it Roberts?” Murray inquired via his external speakers, Roberts obviously not wanting to risk the chance that the Commander could over hear via the radio “What happed to all of those magazines we nicked from that hotel, I’ve got a group of Changelings offering some griffon booze they found in a town for them, they said they’ve got a few jugs worth” “The Commander found them after Peters stashed them, I think he confiscated them, saying something about how he had plans for them” “Plans?” Roberts replied, confusion evident in his voice “What plan could possibly involve porn magazines except for… you know” “Jeez man I don’t know, just don’t go putting those images in my head” Murray walked out of the door, leaving a very puzzled Roberts behind. __________________________________________________________________________ “Mhhhhhmmm that was such a good sleep, I actually feel like I can deal with Chalmers and his nonsense today” Chrysalis gave a stretch as she exited her bed, her eyes still fogged from sleep. She ambled over towards her mirror, shaking her head from side-to –side to improve her vision before gazing upon her beauty- “AHHHHHHHH!” Her mirror was covered in lewd magazine pages, the entire reflective surfaced covered with page upon page of smut. Panicked into full wakefulness, Chrysalis looked around the rest of her chambers, the site that she saw causing her to collapse onto her rump in shock. Her entire Chamber, the walls, the floor and even the ceiling was plastered with photos of ponies in various seductive poses. Pictures of loose mares bearing all filled the room, everywhere the Queen looked there was more, the pages seemingly never-ending. Who could have done this? It must of taken them hours to cover the entire room, and without waking her too, although that could probably be explained by the amount she had drank the night before. As she gazed around her once regal quarters only one thing came to her mind “CHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSS!” “You’re Majesty, are you okay!?” Two Changeling drones rushed into her room, summoned by the shout of rage, skidding to a halt as they gazed upon their Queen’s Chambers “Wow” commented one, moving towards the mirror to get a closer look at a particularly questionable image “You really have quite a good taste in interior design My Queen” _____________________________________________________________________________ Three hours. It took three whole hours for a team of ten Changelings to remove every last bit of porn from her bedroom walls. Chrysalis had not responded well, storming up to where the humans where only to be informed that the Commander had gone for a brief walk. He still hadn’t returned to the hive and all of the humans claimed that they did not know where he went. The Queen had to contend with sitting in her throne waiting for his return, every changeling that passed keeping a low profile so as to not cop any wraith from their furious ruler. Chrysalis had reached her limit, the Commander having gone too far this time. She acknowledged that he was instrumental in the survival of her Hive and that without the help of the humans she would most likely be dead by know but his foolish behaviour would have to stop. As she was brooding the Throne room doors opened and the target of her anger walked in, accompanied by the pony foal. “Hello Chrissy, you look a little out of sorts, what’s the matter?” Chrysalis could not believe how the Commander could just ask that, did he have no idea how pissed off she was? “I think you know exactly what the matter is, NIGEL!” she snapped “Wow, calm down, whatever happened I’m sure we can-“ “WHATEVER HAPPENED!? WHATEVER HAPPENED!? YOU COVERED MY ENTIRE ROYAL CHAMBERS WITH PORNOGRAPHY!” “I certainly did not!” ‘Strange’ thought Chrysalis ‘he actually sounds a little insulted’ “Well if you didn’t,” her voice had lowered in volume, the sincerity of his answer and the fact that she could detect no trace of deceit from him calming her down a little “which I highly doubt, then one of your subordinates must have done it” The colt had hidden behind Nigel’s legs at her outburst, the Commander stepping towards the Throne “I assure you Chrysalis, me and my men had nothing to do with it” Chrysalis was about to retort before the Commander stopped her “I think I do know, however, who is responsible for such a prank, a prank i think was targeted at both of us…” __________________________________________________________________________________ Transfusion sighed as he once again tried to remove the glue stains from his hooves, the adhesive proved to him by Doctor Thrax preforming the task perfectly. He giggled to himself as he relived his plan, from the point of where he borrowed the stash of dirty mags from the Commander, the Commander offering them to Transfusion saying that he needed to be rid of them and that maybe Transfuion could use them for studies on pony mentality all the way to the joyful four hours he had spent meticulously covering the Queen’s chamber with the torn out pages. As he scrubbed his hooves with soapy water he chuckled as he imagined the Queen’s reaction and the following lecturing of the Commander. Everything had gone according to plan and nothing would stop- Transfusion paused his scrubbing as two large shadows appeared in the water, the changeling scholar turning around painfully slowly. Standing in the door way with a sneer on her face was Queen Chrysalis and behind her stood the Commander, a wide grin on his face “Busted” was all the human said, before a chitin covered hoof connected with Transfusions face, knocking him senseless. Manehattan Here We ComeTransfusion slowly came to, the room he was in was pitch black, the changeling unable to see anything around him. “Hello?” he called out, his voice echoing around the darkness “is there anybody out there?” With a hum bio-lights activated, the room brightening until Transfusion could clearly see his surrounds. He was suspended from the room, his body at least a meter off the ground, his hooves dangling beneath him. Covering him was some sort of soft, pink material, Transfusion unable to see what it was as his head was held in place by the substance. Scattered around the room were what appeared to be children’s’ toys but that meant that he could only be in the… nursery. Transfusion’s eyes widened as he realised this “HELLLLLP! SOMEONE HEEEELLLLLP, ANYBODY PLEASE!” ____________________________________________________________________________ Nigel and Chrysalis watched from the upper floor of the room as the changeling scholar below cried out for assistance, Nigel ensuring that his camera was getting everything. “Permission to unleash the Agents of Suffering your Highness?” Nigel asked the Queen next to him. Chrysalis smirked as she looked upon the struggling Transfusion, a large pink love heart made out of foam surrounding the changeling’s body. “Do it Commander” she commanded, Nigel activating his suit’s external speakers. “RELEASE THE NYMPHS!” ___________________________________________________________________________ Transfusion began to tremble, the bellowed command ringing around the cavern like the peal of a bell. The trembles turned into full-blown shakes as the sound of a solid door opening behind him reached his ears, followed by a mass of chittering voices. “No no no no no no no no no no no no” he repeated to himself as he found himself swinging around to face the noise, his body rotating as the rope that suspended him was manipulated by someone above. He completed a one-eighty degree turn, coming face-to-face with a horror no being should experience. Standing in front of him was a mass of nymphs, the young changelings all looking at him with joyful expressions. Transfusion lost count at forty, the mass of children chittering excitedly to one another. In a single moment all sound cut out as every nymph halted their speech, every pair of blue eyes focused on the heart-shaped changeling hanging from the roof. With expert organisation, as if they were somehow soundlessly co-ordinating their actions the Nymphs surged forth as one, their target managing to utter one final shriek before the mass of black forms covered him completely. “NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” ______________________________________________________________________________- Chrysalis and Nigel walked out of the nursery area, the sounds of hyper-active children and girlish screams receding into the background as they ascended towards the throne room. “That was quite the punishment” chuckled Chrysalis, turning her head towards the human as they continued walking “how did you come up with such a marvellous idea?” “Only those that endure such a Hell can truly wish it upon their fellows” Nigel replied seriously, his answer accompanied by gesture he made across his chest with his hands, the movements forming a cross. “Okay then, moving on,” continued the Queen, her mirth dulling at the Commander’s somber expression “how do you plan to both ruin my image and embarrass the Equestrians next, surely you have some insane plot forming in that head of yours?” “My dear Chrissy, whatever drove you to assume that I intentionally preform actions that smear your good name?” Nigel responded, placing a hand over his heart. “You set fire to the city I tried to conquer and then gloated about it, after watching Luna sleep for hours. Everything you have done so far has made me look bad.” “Well then,” Nigel began to respond as the pair of leaders entered the human encampment, Bleak Horizon rushing over towards Nigel from his former position resting on a sleeping bag, Nigel scooping the colt up into his arms “You’re not going to like my answer.” “What a surprise” Chrysalis said as she watched Nigel throw the pony foal into the air, the Commander catching the giggling child before continuing. “I heard that the weather in Manhattan is terrific this time of year and considering that we have been given permission to explore the city I thought ‘why not’, after all it’s not as if we have anything better to do with our time. Another reason is that the boffins” Nigel inclined his head towards the group of scientists all hovering around a workbench “have manufactured some devices that will prove useful for reconnaissance while entertaining us at the same time.” Chrysalis let out a sigh “Fine, you’re going to go regardless of what I say, can you at least promise me that you and your men will refrain from causing trouble?” “… I will not burn the city down” Nigel said after a pause, the Commander heading towards the group of soldiers at the rear of the camp. “Why do I get the feeling that he’s going to do everything but” muttered Chrysalis as she turned and headed towards her throne, having given up on trying to control the erratic creature that held the fate of her Hive in his hands. ______________________________________________________________________________ “What a nice spot for a break, just in time for lunch too” Nigel sat down on a flat rock as he said this, the rest of the group picking spots of their own. Five wraiths and three changelings had opted to join the Commander on his trip to the Equestrian city. Nigel had also brought along Bleak Horizon, figuring that he needed to spend more time with the child. The colt was currently making itself comfortably between Nigel and the changeling Nestor, the two beings it seemed the most outgoing around. The three changelings Mirror, Nestor and Reflection all were wearing satchels, each changeling retrieving a vial of the chemical love to consume, the humans merely letting their suits supply their nutritional needs. Nigel rummaged around in a pack he had brought with him, retrieving a sandwich wrapped in plastic and handing it to Horizon after removing the covering, the colt enthusiastically beginning to eat the offered morsel. As he sat and observed the group Nigel noticed that certain divisions had formed. Nestor and Mirror were sitting with him and Horizon, Mirror and Nestor conversing amongst themselves while Horizon was too focused on his lunch to provide any input. Three Corporals, those soldiers being Stevens, Smith and Murray had perched themselves on top of a hill, Sergeant Boland sitting with his subordinates, all using their internal communications to speak to one-another. All four were heavily armed, each soldier carrying a rifle, a sidearm and numerous other weapons, Sergeant Boland not trusting the pony Princesses at all with up-holding the truce. The most unusual match of all was sitting under a tree away from the main group, a human and a changeling. Corporal Jacobs and Reflection were both leaning against each other, the changeling sipping from a vial as Jacobs talked, the Corporal emphasising his points with hand gestures as he chatted with the changeling. “That was really tasty Nigel, thank you.” Nigel looked down at Horizon; the colt having finished his sandwich was now lying on his side, basking in the sun’s rays. “Well, it’s nice to see that when it comes to my lettuce, tomato and cheese sandwiches someone enjoys them” Nigel replied as he used his armoured hand to scratch the colt behind the ears, the unicorn letting out a noise of approval “with the amount of them you eat I might have to take out a loan to keep you supplied” he joked, the colt raising his head to look at Nigel. “So are you going to let me stay with you?” ‘Damn, this conversation already’ thought Nigel as he prepared a response. “Well, you see Horizon, as you know I need to leave a lot because of my job and I may not come back one day” at this Horizon latched onto Nigel’s leg. “Don’t say that Nigel, you’ll always come back, Mister Boland said that you would!” Nigel raised an eyebrow under his helmet “Oh really now, just what did Boland tell you then?” Horizon looked up at Nigel, the human’s scary helmet eyes was looking right at him but he wasn’t afraid of them, he knew that Nigel's real face was nothing like his helmet. “He said that you’re one of the best soldiers in the entire UIP and that you always come home because death is too afraid of making you angry because if he did try and take you then he would probably end up with his scith” the young colt had trouble pronouncing the word ‘scythe’ “shoved up his bony bottom.” Nigel chuckled at this, he would have to have a talk to the Sergeant about planting such ideas in the impressionable youngster’s mind. “Well, he’s probably not too far off but there are other issues such as where you’ll stay when I’m not home and who would look after you. You also have to understand that if you do live with me that you would have to leave this planet, although if you do we’ll try to visit as much as possible” this answer seemed to pacify Horizon. Nigel appeared confident but he was mentally listing the many difficulties that the arrangement would create. While he was well-off financially thanks to his high wage and smart investing, money couldn’t solve everything. He would have to organise for the colt to receive education that meets the UIP standards, the pony already disadvantaged thanks to his planet’s low technology level. The colt would also be the only one of his species at any school he attended and while the UIP welcomed different species children are always the harshest of critics and Nigel couldn’t exactly pull a gun on every child that bullied Horizon. Health care as well as future employment would also prove to be formidable obstacles and Nigel dreaded to dwell upon what the colt’s teenage years would entail. “Excuse me Commander.” Nigel was pulled from his thoughts as Sergeant Boland addressed him, the Sergeant sitting down while indicating to Nigel that he wished to conduct a conversation between the two of them privately. “Horizon,” Nigel said, the colt turning back to him, the pony having observed Boland’s approach “I need to talk with Sergeant Boland for a little while, why don’t you see if Nestor and Mirror would like to talk with you? I’m sure Nestor would love to ask you some more questions.” The colt nodded at this before he picked himself up and trotted over towards the two changelings, the pony being greeted with two smiles. Nigel turned towards Boland and activated his radio “*What would you like to discuss Sergeant?*” “*It’s regarding the Corporal and the Changeling known as Reflection Commander*” Boland answered, Nigel looking over towards the pair. Reflection was currently appearing to be resting against the Corporal, Jacobs arm slung over the changelings back as Reflection rested her head on his shoulder. “*What about them Sergeant, they seem to be getting along fine*” “*That’s the problem Sir*” Boland replied “*They appear to have grown to close, if you understand what I am referring to*” Nigel once again looked at the pair, Reflection muttering something to the Corporal as she nuzzled against his armoured chest. Now that he thought about it Jacobs had spent most of his free time with the Changeling since she was rescued from the Canterlot prison, the two a common sight around the Hive the last couple of days. “*The others don’t seem to either notice it or mind but I do think that it could prove to be a problem in the future*” Boland continued as the Commander watched the pair. “*I can see your point Sergeant, such… attachment could cause a wealth of problems, especially when it is time for us to depart this world. However I believe that the Corporal is capable of making his own decisions and if it doesn’t work out then at least he will have learnt a valuable lesson from it. If he wants to fall in love with an alien then that’s his business, we’ve all been there*” at this the Sergeant tilted his head “*don’t try to pretend that you haven’t Boland, I remember that Allisian you were attempting to impress three years ago.*” “*That was different Sir, she was a high-ranking government official with close ties to their ruling party, a relationship would have yielded a substantial amount of intelligence that would have aided the UIP greatly.*” Nigel stared at the Sergeant for a brief period before coughing into his hand in an attempt to break the awkwardness. “*I really should have expected that, any way I can’t really fault him, he may end up with a girlfriend but I’m most likely going to walk away with a son*” Nigel pointed towards Horizon, the Sergeant looking at the colt as he played with Nestor, the colt giggling as the changeling attempted to tag the pony as they both ran around in circles. “*I can’t argue with that Commander, what are you going to do with the colt while we are on the topic, if you don’t mind me asking?*” “*I honestly don’t know Boland, I’ll have to think about it some more when we arrive at the city*” replied Nigel as he watched the unicorn play “*but right now I don’t have a single clue and I’m running out of options, I just hope that everything will work itself out without any tears being shed*” “*I hope so as well Sir*” replied Boland as he stood up, moving over towards his soldiers to prepare them to move out. The City was only a few more hours of walking away and they planned to reach it before nightfall. Nigel gave one final glance towards the couple under the tree, offering a brief prayer for them before he turned around to gather his equipment in preperation for the rest of the trip. Bar Room BrawlsJust a warning that the Speech between Nigel and Horizon contains some errors like repetion of the word 'and'. This is to represent Horizon's young age. ______________________________________________________________________________- The group arrived at the city outskirts with a few hours of daylight to spare; having made good time once they had finished their lunch break. They were currently standing on the side of what Nigel assumed was the main road, the path wide and cobbled with stone. Part of the terms that Nigel had settled on with Celestia was that the group would have to remain as one while in the city and they would also have to be escorted by some of the local guards. No military forces had yet to make an appearance with only a few passing groups of ponies entering the city via the road, the travellers leaving with haste as soon as they noticed the changelings and humans. Nigel had begun to get impatient; the Commander perched upon an outcropping of rock with Horizon snoozing in his lap, the foal wrapped in a cloak of blue linen as the discovery of his presence would no doubt cause problems for the group. Nigel’s sensors picked up two objects concealed in a bush a few hundred meters down the road, the signatures matching those of Royal Guard Pegasi. He informed his troops of the observers, ordering them to act as if they had not spotted the equines while maintaining their vigilance. The changelings and humans all settled down to await the arrival of the pony forces, the changelings seizing the opportunity to grab some rest while the humans watched every approach with their rifles at the ready in case the ponies attempted anything. ________________________________________________________________________________ “What do we do Sir? They’re just sitting there doing nothing.” Corporal Wind Slash asked her officer, Sergeant Updraft. Updraft’s eyes narrowed as the Pegasus mare voiced her observation, his gazed locked on the bipedal creatures. “Is that what you think Corporal? Look a little closer at the bipeds and tell me if you notice anything.” Wind Slash peered out of the bush the two guards had concealed themselves in “They look in other directions every so often and the largest one, the leader I think” the ponies glanced at the biped in question, the black clad giant tapping its feet against the rock it was occupying “keeps on glancing at the city.” “Not quite, Corporal” Updraft replied “the normal bipeds have their movements perfectly timed, see how at least one has vision on every approach at any time. What information does that give us?” The mare looked more closely, observing the black creatures. “They are obviously soldiers of some kind although they only seem to have those strange clubs and I think a few knives. If they create any trouble a full squad should be able to take them” the Corporal replied confidently. “Guess again Corporal, those aren’t clubs they’re carrying, I was told by Lieutenant Storm that those sticks are some kind of projectile weapon that fires invisible arrows that explode.” Wind Slash gave her superior a dismissive glance. “Yeah right, ‘invisible arrows’ I’m not a rookie Sarge” she snorted. “Don’t tell me that, I’m only going off at what the LT said and I also heard from two other Sergeants that when Celestia met the bipedal leader” the Sergeant pointed a hoof at the large biped “they were attacked by a bunch of Diamond Dogs, about twenty of the mutts.” “What happened?” inquired Wind Slash, the bipeds and changelings forgotten as she looked at Updraft. “The dogs charged the lone biped Leader who was out in the open by itself and two seconds later,” the Corporal leaned in closer as her sergeant paused, “every single Diamond dog was on the ground in pools of their own blood.” The Corporal shuddered “They killed twenty Diamond Dogs in two seconds?” she asked. “Not exactly, apparently the leader walked over as if nothing had happened and he finished them off, none were spared” Sergeant Updraft replied. “By Celestia…” Wind Slash whispered as she once again looked out at the Biped Leader. “What sort of Monster can be that cruel?” ____________________________________________________________________________ “Nigel, why are we sitting outside the city instead of in it?” Horizon asked after he had awoken, rubbing his eyes with his hooves. “We have to wait for some guards to come and get us so we can go into the city Horizon.” “Oh” the colt replied, looking up at Nigel “but why do we need guards? You and Mister Boland and Mister Stevens and Mister Smith and Mister Murray are all really good at fighting.” ‘How do I explain this?’ thought Nigel as he patted the foal on the head. “Well you see Horizon; the guards aren’t going to be with us for our protection.” “They’re not?” the colt asked “Then why do we need guards?” “Well… you see Horizon, to normal ponies we look scary and mean so we’re going to have some guards so that ponies aren’t as scared of us.” Horizon thought about Nigel’s response before he let out a yawn, laying his head back down on his fore-legs as Nigel scratched the colt’s head. “I guess that makes sense,” Horizon replied “I was scared of you when I first saw you Nigel, but I now know that you’re really nice, so I’m sure all of the other ponies will like you as well.” “Thanks Horizon” Nigel responded, a smile hidden under his helmet as the foal once again drifted off to sleep. ‘Unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to work out that way’ he thought to himself as he glanced at his sensor readout, three more signatures making their way to the bush concealing the two pony guards. __________________________________________________________________________ “Sergeant Updraft! Privates Tornado, Gust and Feathers reporting to assist you as per orders from the Lieutenant!” Updraft and Wind Slash whipped around, the arrival of the new guards having gone unnoticed by the pair. With alarm Updraft stared at the Privates, the three Pegasi standing to attention in the middle of the road while they were saluting. “What are you idiots doing!? Now the bipeds know that we are here!” Updraft snarled angrily. Two of the guards flinched back, the two Stallions reeling at their chastisement. The third guard craned her neck to the side, spotting the bipedal Leader, the large creature looking right at the newcomers. “Hello!” she yelled out as she waved a golden-clad hoof in the biped’s direction, the leader responding by waving a claw back. All of the other guards looked at the mare with dumbfounded expressions. “Private, just what in Tartarus do you think you’re doing!?” Sergeant Updraft yelled, the private sheepishly lowering her hoof as she looked at the ground. “I was waving at the creature Sergeant” she replied softly. ”Why? Why would you wave at a creature like that, especially when the Corporal and I are trying to conduct critical intelligence works?” The Private did not respond, all of the guards staring at Updraft in fear. The Sergeant continued his lecture “I’m ashamed of you Private, that sort of behaviour is the reason why the Canterlot branch won’t give us the time of day, let alone acknowledge…” Sergeant Updraft trailed off as he noticed the terror-filled eyes of his subordinates, their stares not directed at him but at something behind him… “Excuse me Sir, I apologise for interrupting your little chat but we’ve been waiting here for hours, can you please hurry it up a little bit?” Updraft turned to face the electronic voice, revealing the horrifying form of the bipedal leader. The Sergeant struggled to maintain his gruff composure in the presence of the creature, the biped seemingly three times as tall as him. “I will get to you when I am ready, please return to the rest of your companions.” “Why?” questioned the biped “do you want to go back into your bush and watch us again, like you were for the last three hours?” “O-of course not!” stuttered Updraft, the pony thrown by the revelation that the biped knew of the two guards presence the entire time “It’s just for… safety reasons.” “Nice try, but I work in Government” the biped replied “that excuse is so over-used I’ve grown immune to it. Now if you’re done procrastinating it’s getting late and I’m tired, and when I get tired…” the biped reached down and picked up a hefty rock, the stone as large as Updraft’s head. “I get mad” the biped finished, crushing the rock in its armoured fist like it was nothing. The guard ponies watched as the remaining bits of stone fell to the ground, utterly pulverised by the biped. Sergeant Updraft gulped nervously as looked back up at the skull-shaped head of the biped. “I’m sure that we can find a Inn that would accept you right away, if you fetch the rest of your group we can move immediately” the Sergeant quickly spouted. “Great!” exclaimed the biped with joy evident in its voice. It reached down to its waist with a claw, withdrawing a golden Bit from a hidden compartment. It placed the coin on the top of Updraft’s muzzle, the pony Sergeant too afraid to move. The biped then stood still for a few moments, as silent as a statue. Within a minute the group of bipeds and changelings had all assembled behind their leader, the changelings watching the guards cautiously while the biped soldiers merely stood at attention, their expressionless faces revealing nothing. Updraft noted that one of the bipeds held a bundle of blue cloth, the object shifting occasionally in the creature’s arms. “Lead the way pony” the bipedal leader said, “I have lots of sight-seeing planned tomorrow so the sooner we can rest the happier I will be.” The sergeant nodded hastily as he turned and began to trot towards the city, the other four Pegasi following with speed. Nigel chuckled under his helmet as he signalled for the group to follow the ponies, the changelings and humans entering the city where they would no doubt have many marvellous adventures. ___________________________________________________________________________- “While we’re not short of rooms, due to your unique size I don’t think any of our beds will be large enough for you.” Nigel smiled down at the Innkeeper as the light-yellow mare informed him of her concerns. The Inn wasn’t too fancy, the wooden building having seen better days. It had been chosen as it was the most run-down Inn in the city, Sergeant Updraft reasoning that the owner would be more likely to house a bunch of murderous creatures and dishonest changelings. This had proven correct, the Innkeeper’s initial un-easiness had eased once Nigel had produced a hefty bag of coins, the currency having been ‘liberated’ from the Equestrians that had been held captive back at the Hive. “That’s not a concern for us, as long as our three quadrupled companions have a bed then that will be fine” Nigel replied, his helmet cradled under his right arm. The mare shifted her weight from side to side nervously at the mention of the changelings. “Are you certain they won’t feed on anypony while they’re in the city?” “I’m quite sure, we’ve managed to find another way for them to feed, you and your employees have nothing to worry about.” The mare let out a sigh of relief at Nigel’s response “that’s good to hear,” she looked up at Nigel “but what about you…?” “Humans” answered Nigel “and don’t worry about us, we have all the food we need in our suits” he tapped his chest plate with a glove as he said this. “Oh, I thought that was your skin, sorry.” the mare chuckled as she blushed a little. Nigel laughed along with her “it’s okay, almost everyone we’ve met has assumed that so no offence taken Miss…?” “Warm Hearth” Nigel extended a hand, grasping Warm Hearth’s offered hoof and shaking it, the mare staring in wonder as his armoured fingers clutched her limb. “Nigel Chalmers, pleased to make your acquaintance” “You’re much nicer then I first assumed Mister Chalmers, your appearance is quite…” “Intimidating?” Nigel provided, Warm Hearth nodding in response. “I’ll admit that the armour does make us appear quite monstrous but that is it’s intended purpose” Nigel held up his helmet, the mare gulping at the sight of the morbid headwear. Nigel began to polish one of the red eye lens with a cloth as he continued. “It’s a pre-requisite of our profession to look the way we do, much like how your guard forces all seem to have the same colour scheme." “That makes sense I suppose” Hearth replied “Though I have to admit that I much prefer gold and blue compared to black with skulls.” “Eh, can’t win them all” responded Nigel with a shrug. “Well, I already asked my daughter. Spring Clean to attend to your companions in the bar, would you like to join them?” Warm Hearth asked as she moved from the desk, the brown-maned mare heading towards the bar-room door. “That would probably be for the best, who knows how much trouble Stevens is causing at the moment,” Nigel answered as he followed the mare, various sounds of merriment emanating from the adjacent room. _____________________________________________________________________________ “So then I said ‘How da like these apples?’ and then I shot the guy in the face! Oh yeah, that made my day!” Stevens laughter went unaccompanied, the pony guards too shocked to comment while it was old news for the three other wraiths sitting at the table. Nestor and Mirror were nursing two glasses of cider at a neighbouring table while Reflection and Jacobs were sitting at the corner table by themselves, both with glasses of alcohol in hand and hoof. Sergeant Updraft had left earlier claiming that he had paperwork to finish, leaving the other four Pegasi to watch the humans and changelings. Horizon had been put to bed up in the Commander’s room, the colt falling asleep as soon as he was placed under the covers. Stevens lifted the bottle of whisky he held to his lips, taking a large swig before continuing “Well fine, no-one laugh along with me then. I might as well go and join the lovebirds over there.” Everyone in the room looked over towards the pair Stevens had pointed at, Reflection and Jacobs too caught up in each other to notice the attention they were receiving. Steven took another drink before continuing his rant. “At least Jacobs knows how to relax, you guys are all a bunch of squares. I mean, sure every female we’ve seen on this planet walks on four legs but we got to live a little you know, grab life by the balls and squeeze till they pop.” As he said this the Corporal winked at Wind Slash, the mare blushing hard as she adverted her gaze, the pony taking another sip of her cider. Sergeant Boland let out a sigh through his helmet speakers. “Corporal Stevens, while the Commander did order us to enjoy ourselves while we had the time I believe that he would be most displeased with how liberal you have been with your conduct.” Stevens snorted, finishing the bottle he held before replying. “I doubt that, I’m for one surprised that he hasn’t already tried to seduce every female that moves. That man changes the sheets more than a maid that works in a five-hundred room hotel.” Stevens reached for another bottle on the table before he suddenly found himself staring at the ceiling with a metal boot planted on his chest. “Care to repeat that Corporal, I don’t believe that everyone heard that hilarious joke.” Stevens craned his head back, his eyes meeting those of the Commander. Nigel stared down at his subordinate, Warm Hearth watching the scene with worry from her position at the Commander’s side. “What I said Sir was that, um…” Stevens said as he struggled to think of a reply that wouldn’t result in execution “that you are one of the most well-learned practitioners of the finer areas of romance.” Stevens began to sweat when he received no response from Chalmers, the Commander’s hand tapping the butt of one of his holstered pistols. The entire room, including Reflection and Jacobs who had broken out of their trance at the spectacle watched the confrontation, wary of the potential action the Commander appeared to be considering. Nigel’s frown quickly morphed into a wide grin, the Commander lifting his boot off Stevens chest. “You’re lucky that I’m in a good mood and that you chose your words very wisely Corporal, it would have been unfortunate if Miss Warm Hearth here would have ended up having to clean the contents of your skull off her barroom floor.” “Yes Sir, it won’t happen again Sir” acknowledged Stevens, the Corporal righting himself and his seat before once again reaching for the bottle of whisky. “Maybe you should cut back Stevens,” cautioned the Commander as he sat down at the table. “You don’t want to go and make a fool of yourself again do you?” “I’ll be fine” dismissed Stevens with a wave of his hand, taking another swig of whisky as he continued. “What’s the worst that can happen?” Funky TownWind Slash sniffled as she fastened the last strap securing her armour. She placed her helmet on her head, the enchantment changing her appearance to the uniform white and blue. The mare looked into the bathroom mirror, her altered appearance failing to hide the tear trails under her eyes. She had no clue as to why she felt so emotionally torn, the human’s words cutting her deep. The night before had seemed like a dream, Wind Slash able to remember every detail as she had drank little alcohol. Corporal Stevens had seemed so confident and bold when he was speaking, Wind having found herself quickly becoming intrigued with the human’s personality. As the night had gone on the curiosity had morphed into attraction, the human acted so different to any other male Wind had met. She had eventually worked up the courage to confess her attraction to him after she had followed him to his room, Stevens proving to be quite accepting on her. Wind sniffled again as she stared at the mirror, a sad excuse for a guardmare staring back at her. Her initial assumption that Stevens also found her attractive had been shattered, his words this morning making that very clear. Was it because she was a pony and not a human? Wind knew that many ponies looked down upon inter-species couples; maybe it was the same for humans? The Corporal sighed with her eyes looking down as she left the bathroom to head out of the room door. If it was true then she would never get to experience the thrill that she had last night again. A part of her could understand where Stevens was coming from but another longed for the experience to blossom into something more. *Thunk* Wind Slash fell back onto her rump as her helmet made contact with a solid object. The mare looked up, Stevens standing in the doorway looking down at the startled mare. His face was covered in blood and his intimidating armour was covered in dirt and grime. “Wind Slash,” Stevens began, his voice strained, “I had a talk with a friend of mine and he gave me some friendly advice regarding us. Please just let me explain why I said the things I did…” _________________________________________________________________________________________________ After Nigel had explained to Warm Hearth the circumstances surrounding the shattering of her window and provided ample compensation he re-entered the dining room, sitting down at the table to resume his breakfast. Every eye in the room was focused on him, the Commander paying them no heed as he continued to eat his toast. Mister Nigel,” the awkward silence was broken by Bleak Horizon, “why did you attack Mister Stevens?” Nigel paused his breakfast to wipe the corner of his mouth with a napkin, looking down at the colt who had sat down beside him, the young pony looking up at the Commander with his eyes filled with confusion. “Mister Stevens and I had to have an adult talk Horizon,” Nigel answered, “a talk that Mister Stevens didn’t want to have. By tackling him out of a window he was forced to listen to what I had to say and thanks to that talk some problems that he was having will hopefully go away.” Horizon stared at Nigel sceptically, the grey colt narrowing his aqua eyes as he dissected the offered answer. Nigel put on his best poker face as he squared off against the child. “Okay,” the colt relented “as long as Mister Stevens is happy after his talk then I’ll let you off.” ‘I don’t think he will be,’ Nigel thought as he grinned at Horizon, the colt nuzzling the Commander’s armoured leg. The Commander continued to eat, the rest of the room following his example when it was clear that no further information would be shared. The three guard privates, Tornado, Gust and Feathers all had moved to a table away from the Commander, all three ponies watching him with nervous looks. They were new guards, all three passing training barely a month ago and they felt like they were incredibly under-qualified to deal with such creatures. A few minutes after Nigel’s explanation the sound of something descending the stairs outside of the room floated through the open door, everyone turning to look at the doorway. Stevens entered and sat down at a table, the ponies and changelings gasping at his blood-covered form while the other wraiths paid no attention, all of them secretly happy that someone had finally taught the Corporal a lesson that was long over-due. Corporal Wind Slash also arrived a moment later, the guard sitting down at the same table as Stevens with a smile on her face. “You seem rather cheerful Corporal Slash,” Nigel commented as he feigned ignorance, “did you sleep well?” Wind Slash blushed as she reached over the table to snag a piece of toast from the plate belonging to Stevens, the human voicing no objection much to the surprise of the room. “Well, me and Stevens…” she trailed off, unsure how to break the news to the others, especially her subordinates. Private Feathers however had it covered, the mare smirking as she solved the problem for the Corporal. “We all know what you two go up to; we could hear it from our rooms last night” Feathers grinned as Wind’s blush deepened, the mare attempting to hide her face behind a stack of napkins. Stevens still didn’t say anything, choosing instead to take another bite of toast. He resembled a zombie, his mind appearing to be blank as he repeated the same action robotically. “Don’t be so embarrassed Corporal, I’m fairly certain that most of the girlish squeals came from Stevens,” Nigel said, causing all of the wraiths except for Stevens to burst into laughter. Corporal Stevens at first looked like he was going to reply before he stopped and looked down dejectedly at the half-eaten piece of toast in his hand. Wind noticed this and the mare left her seat, choosing one next to the Corporal as she patted him on the armoured back with a hoof. “Don’t act so miserable Stevens, after all we’re going to spend the entire day together like you promised and we’re going to have so much fun!” Wind Slash missed how the Corporal’s frown deepened, the mare too preoccupied with nuzzling his shoulder affectionately as she giggled. Nigel shot the rest of the room a smug look before he placed his helmet on his head, the red optics coming to life as he stood up from the table. “On that note I think it’s time to hit the town,” Nigel suggested, marching towards the door with Horizon walking beside him and the rest of the group in tow. “Onwards, for the glory of the UIP!” he shouted, goose-stepping out of the Inn into the street. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I have come to the conclusion that the locals are not ecstatic about our presence Commander,” Boland voiced through his helmet speakers as he glanced at the various creatures staring at the group, the majority of them ponies. “I don’t care; all we have to do is remain civil. We don’t have to make friends with them Sergeant” Nigel replied, the Commander spotting an ice-cream parlour a few stalls away. He looked down at Horizon, the clot leaning against Nigel’s right leg as the foal shivered from all of the curious looks the group was receiving. “Hey Horizon,” Nigel addressed the foal, Horizon looking up at him, “would you like an ice cream?” The colt’s scared expression changed into a smile, the young pony nodding happily at the question. “Yes please! Can I have a Strawberry one Nigel?” he asked, Nigel’s helmet nodding at his question. “You can pick whatever flavour you want Horizon” the Commander answered as he headed towards the shop, the colt trotting joyfully beside him. The rest of the group consisting of the five wraiths, the three changelings and the four guards moved to a couple of benches to the left of them, all of the ponies sitting on them quickly leaving as the strange bipeds approached. Everyone sat down, awaiting the return of the Commander and the foal. “Hey,” Private Tornado asked the seated wraiths, “what’s the deal with that colt, why does he act like the Commander is his father?” None of the wraiths responded to the pony’s question, the changeling, Mirror, looking at them before she sighed and turned to the pony guard. “Bleak Horizon treats Commander Chalmers like a father because Horizon’s parents were killed by Diamond Dogs. The dogs had a bunch of ponies as slaves in a mine and the Commander killed all of the dogs before burying Horizon’s mother.” The four Pegasi all paled at the thought of what an effect such an experience would have on a child. “He didn’t kill all of the dogs,” Corporal Smith spoke up, “Corporal Watts and I got a few as well, filthy slavers.” This comment earned Smith the attention of the four ponies. “You really hate slavers that much?” questioned Private Gust, the Stallion still shaken, “I don’t like the idea either, but to go so far as to just kill them doesn’t seem right.” Smith let out a snort at the Gust’s query, “What’s not to hate about them?” he replied, his grip on his rifle tightening. “It’s one thing to kill a being, at least then they get some peace from the troubles of life. With slavery it’s nothing but prolonged torture, the consequences continuing even after the slaves are freed, if they’re freed at all that is. Just look at Horizon, that colt is only about seven years old and witnessed the violent deaths of his parents; I’m surprised that he’s even able to act like he does now, considering.” “Even when Changelings capture ponies for food,” Nestor stated, the changeling receiving unpleasant looks from the four pony guards, “the pony is sleeping though it the entire time. We used to need to do this to survive,” Nestor removed a vial from his bag as he said this, puncturing the top with a fang “now we can just use these vials. From what I understand of Diamond Dogs they only use slaves to mine for gems. At least we had a reason for what we had to do.” At his explanation the guards’ harsh looks softened, their admittedly short time spent around the changelings having convinced them to feel less hatred for the love-reliant creatures. Gust looked at the vials that Nestor and Mirror held, the changelings drinking from them as the wraiths simply stared back at any surrounding ponies stupid enough to stare hatefully at the group. Gust then looked over at Reflection, the changeling the only one not drinking from a vial. “Why don’t you need to drink stuff like they do?” Gust asked the changeling, gesturing towards Nestor and Mirror. Private Tornado stared at his colleague like he simple. “Are you serious?” Tornado asked disbelievingly. “Are you telling me that you haven’t noticed that the changeling and that strange human over there,” Tornado pointed towards Jacobs, the human clenching his fist and raising a middle-finger in return, “are constantly fawning over each other? She’s probably just feeding off him, thought why anypony would love a changeling is beyond me.” Everyone looked at Reflection, expecting the changeling to become upset with the pony’s words. Reflection however just grinned at Tornado and stood up on her hind legs on the bench, her head level with Jacob’s helmet. Without saying a word she kissed the base of the helmet before running her small red tongue up to the top with a sultry look on her face. Both Gust and Tornado’s wings extended sharply, Murray falling off the bench as he laughed at the pairs’ reaction, all of the other humans and changelings in various states of amusement. Feathers looked at her two male comrades with a disproving glare. “Males” she muttered, the two Stallions blushing hard as they tried to push their wings down with their hooves with no success. Jacobs removed his helmet to wipe the changeling saliva off it, leaving himself open to attack. Reflection, who was slightly high off the sudden increase of attention capitalised on his mistake by invading the surprised human’s mouth with her tongue. Jacobs after a few seconds of surprise responded, grabbing the back of the changeling’s head with a hand as he pulled her in deeper, much to the shock of the guards and the surrounding civilians. “What in the seven flaming circles of Hell?” Reflection and Jacobs broke apart at the sound of the Commander’s surprised voice, the pair as well as every other being at the benches rotating to face him. Standing a couple of meters away was the Commander covered in ice cream with Horizon at his side, the colt’s single cone of strawberry forgotten as the two looked upon the scene in front of them. Jacobs hastily re-attached his helmet as Reflection sat back down sheepishly as she attempted to make herself as small as possible. Nigel switched his gaze from the pair that he had caught in the act to the two guard Stallions, the ponies’ wings still straight up in the air. “I leave you alone for five minutes to get an ice cream for Horizon,” Nigel said, the crowd of civilian ponies that had all been watching the spectacle looking fearfully up at him, the Commander already having established a reputation with his earlier assault of Stevens on the street. “When I come back I find one of my subordinates making-out with his changeling lover in public surrounded by a crowd of” –Nigel scanned the crowd of onlookers, the computer systems in his helmet calculating the number of ponies- “seventy-three ponies. Judging from the condition of two of our guards you put on quite a show, entirely un-appropriate for such a public place. Do you know what I have to say about it?” The Commander directed his attention towards Jacobs and Reflection, both beings slowly shaking their heads nervously. “Carry on!” Chalmers exclaimed, much to the shock of everyone witnessing it, “it's stuff like this that makes me love my job! Well, that and the fact that I get paid a boatload of money but still, good on you!” The Commander turned to Horizon, picking up the foal while making sure the colt’s ice cream didn’t fall off the cone. “Let’s leave these guys alone Horizon, I think I saw a toy shop further down the road.” Horizon let out a cheer, the Commander humming merrily as he carried the ecstatic colt down the road. “Shouldn’t one of us be following him?” Private Feathers asked, the mare looking between the Gust and Tornado, who were still having trouble with their wings and Corporal Slash. The two stallions would be more of a burden in their current condition and Corporal Wind Slash was looking at the human she was next to with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Feathers let out a sigh as she left the group to follow the human Leader; evidently she was the only one who still was capable of doing her job. “I better get promoted after this” she mumbled to herself under her breath, following the shouts of alarm coming from up ahead. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Griffonia - Soaring Heights Castle “So it is agreed then, the Equestrians must pay for the lives of our soldiers that they wasted in their folly.” Emperor Kestrel looked across the table, various generals from both the Griffon and Minotaur Empires seated around it nodding in confirmation. “Do the Zebras still refuse to commit their troops?” The Emperor inquired to his High Commander, Commander Talon. The large griffon stood up, his form covered in metal armour as he saluted his Emperor. “The Cowards wish to not risk another war,” he said hatefully, “they fear that we will draw the ire of the daemons if we once again march on Equestrian soil.” “Preposterous!” Emperor Kestrel responded, “The monsters would never aid the Equestrians against us, such foul beasts would never work with such soft creatures. The Equestrians have proven that their military forces are incompetent. We trusted them with our soldiers and we paid for it dearly, it is time for the Equestrians to learn that they cannot expect us to just forgive them!” The surrounding creatures let out a hearty cheer as they raised cups filled with various liquids, the Griffon Emperor smiling as he joined them, already planning his post-victory celebration in his mind. Don't Send a Pony to do a Human's JobNigel awoke suddenly, his hand reaching towards his handgun as he quickly stood up from his position against the wall. He un-holstered the gun and held it at his side as he observed the surrounding room, searching for any intruders. Bleak Horizon was sleeping soundly in the bed, a stuffed yellow dragon toy clutched in his hooves. Nigel quietly inspected the empty wardrobe and bathroom, finding nothing out of place. Even though he found nothing he kept his weapon ready, having learnt over the years to trust his instincts. Nigel tensed and pointed the pistol at the door as something knocked on it softly, the Commander only lowering his gun when the knocks repeated themselves in ISA code, only taught to ISA personnel. He carefully approached the door, unlatched it and opened it to reveal Sergeant Boland standing outside, the rifle in his hands held at the ready. “You felt it too?” Nigel asked, the Sergeant nodding as the Commander left the room, closing the door behind him as he left. “Something feels out of place,” Boland confirmed, “I don’t know what, however I believe it would be prudent to not take any chances.” Nigel checked the time displayed on his HUD, local planetary time reading as three o’clock in the morning. “Agreed, rouse the others including the changelings. My gut has never been wrong and it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.” “Should we awaken the Equestrians?” Boland inquired, glancing towards the four rooms at the opposite end of the corridor. Nigel thought about the idea before shaking his armoured head. “Not just yet, let’s avoid getting them involved at the moment. You start with the changelings and I’ll handle the Corporals, assemble downstairs in the lobby to discuss the situation.” Boland nodded, moving towards the three rooms containing the changelings while Nigel began with the neighbouring room, knocking on Corporal Stevens’s door in code. He waited and he heard no response he repeated the series of knocks, still no results showing. He pushed on the door, finding it was unlocked and Nigel poked his head into the dark room. His helmet optics picked up the slumbering form of the corporal in the bed, Nigel shaking his head in disbelief as he also noticed Corporal Wind Slash sleeping heavily beside Stevens. “He just doesn’t learn, does he?” Nigel muttered to himself. He entered the room and moved over towards the bed, poking Stevens in the naked ribs with an armoured finger. “Piss off,” Stevens murmured as he moved a hand to swat away the Commander’s finger. Nigel sighed and grabbed the corporal’s hand in his fist, the pressure he exerted prompting Stevens to jolt upright. Corporal Stevens reached towards his waist where a sidearm would be stored normally; sub-consciously attempting to pull a gun only to stop when he saw just who had attacked him. “Commander, what the hell are you doing in my r-” Stevens asked only to be interrupted, Nigel putting an armoured finger to the Corporal’s lips. “Keep it down, don’t wake the pony.” Nigel whispered, the Pegasus mare sharing the Corporal’s bed thankfully continuing to sleep despite Steven’s raised voice. At the Commander’s whisper Steven’s slowly looked beside him, his face dropping as he spied the mare lying next to him. “I’ve got to quit drinking” he murmured. “Probably a good idea,” replied Chalmers, “now kit up and meet downstairs, my Pyscho Sense is tingling.” With these hushed words the Commander departed the room to inform the other humans, Stevens sighing as he carefully got out of bed. “When isn’t it tingling?” he muttered, shooting the sleeping mare a look before tip-toeing into the bathroom where his armour was stored. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel nodded at Stevens as the Corporal entered the lobby, the soldier fully armoured and armed. Stevens had his rifle in his hands and his infernus gun locked to his side, the rest of the wraiths ignoring him, Corporals Smith, Jacobs and Murray all pre-occupied with eyeing every entrance. Stevens took up position next to Smith, the pair guarding the heavy door leading outside. “What’s going on Commander?” inquired Nestor, the changeling looking around nervously at the humans as they all trained their various weapons on possible entry points. Mirror and Reflection were sitting down with him behind the reception desk, Nigel reasoning that if anything happened then it would be the safest place. “I feel like something big is about to happen, my gut’s telling me that something’s going to go down.” Nestor looked at the Commander with curiosity in his blue eyes. “You’re going through all of this trouble because of a hunch?” the changeling questioned, Corporal Murray shooting Nestor a glance from his position by the front window. “Believe me changeling, when a soldier has a bad feeling about something it always pays to take care. You never kno-“ Murray stopped talking and every wraith in the room tensed, a siren resembling an air raid warning sounding from far away. The group all held their breath as the lone alarm was soon joined by more, glows of fires appearing from the city-outskirts. “Attack warnings,” Reflection said, the changeling peering over the reception bench, “the same kind sounded at Canterlot when we invaded.” Nigel stared out of the window with a confused look hidden under his helmet. He thought that he was the only one who wanted to set fire to pony cities? “What’s all the noise?” The humans and changelings looked back behind them, Warm Hearth and her daughter emerging from a door towards the back of the room. The two Earth ponies froze, the flames from the burning buildings casting flickering light through the window. “Something’s attacking the city,” Nigel answered. “I suggest you and your daughter take cover with our friends here” Nigel said as he gestured towards the sitting changelings. Warm Hearth looked at them nervously, before once again looking outside. Spring Clean moved without hesitation however, the grass-green mare sitting down next to Mirror. Her time in the bar serving the group had eased her fears of the changelings, after all they weren’t that scary compared to the human soldiers. Warm Hearth soon sat next to her daughter after deciding that the changelings were not the most worrying threat. “Nigel, what’s happening?” Bleak Horizon asked as he shambled into the lobby, the unicorn colt rubbing his eyes with a hoof. His yellow dragon toy was on his back, the colt letting out a yawn as he stumbled over towards Nigel. “The city is under attack Horizon,” Nigel answered as he crouched down in front of the colt, “I want you to stay here with Nestor and the others okay? I’m going to go and see who’s causing trouble.” Horizon looked towards Nestor, the changeling giving the colt a friendly wave. Horizon smiled at him sleepily, the colt ambling over towards the changeling. Horizon lay down beside the changeling, the colt showing the curious Nestor his new dragon toy that Nigel had bought him that day. Warm Hearth however looked at Nigel in worry at the mention that he was going outside into the burning city. She had grown to like the human Commander, Chalmers proving to be quite entertaining and courteous. The fact that he acted so fatherly to a colt that was not his own impressed the mare greatly, the innkeeper having received a brief explanation as to how Horizon came into Nigel’s care from the Human named Boland the previous night. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked, “I’m sure the guards will be able to stop whatever is happening.” Warm Hearth looked at Horizon, the colt slowly becoming more energetic as he talked with his changeling friend. “What about him?” she asked, turning back to look at Nigel, “Surely you’re not going to leave him here?” “I’m certainly not going to take him with me,” Nigel responded, “and as for the guards I don’t think our four have even woken up so I’m not going to place much faith in them.” Nigel walked to the door, the sound of the sirens growing in volume as he opened the Inn door. “Boland, Jacobs and Murray stay here and guard everyone, try and wake the Equestrians as well. I’ll contact you if we need backup; don’t leave this building unless we call you.” The two Corporals and Sergeant nodded, Jacobs heading upstairs to wake the Equestrians. Nigel stepped out into the street, gun at the ready. “Stevens and Smith on me, let’s find out what all the commotion is about,” Chalmers ordered, the two soldiers joining him outside. Boland shut the Inn door behind them. Nigel pointed towards the centre of the city, screams of terror accompanied by war cries sounding the loudest in that direction. “Here I was thinking we were the only ones burning down pony cities,” Nigel started as he strolled towards the city centre with Stevens and smith in tow. He activated his left wrist blade, the sword sliding out and glowing with blue energy. “I bloody hate it when people copy my ideas; time to teach someone a lesson that will really cut them deep.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Well well well, it looks like the Minotaurs decided to follow our example.” The three humans were observing a fight between five pony guards and three Minotaurs, the three large bulls easily holding off the ill-prepared Equestrians. The guards were a mix of Pegasi and Earth ponies, the flight-enabled ponies hovering in the air while the Earth ponies attacked from the ground. Pony spears either bounced off the bulls’ heavy metal armour or were merely ignored when the occasional spear did sink into flesh, the bulls seemingly feeling little pain as the ponies continued to stab away. All three bulls were armed with warhammers, the large blunt weapons only failing to hit their mark because of the guards’ agility. Stevens and Smith were in cover behind a yellow brick building, a furniture store judging from the wooden sign hanging above the door. Nigel however was not concerned with such trivial matters such as stealth, the Commander standing in the middle of the street with his hands clasped behind his back. The tide of battle soon changed however, one of the bulls landing a solid hit on an earth pony guard, the Equestrian letting out a cry as the hammer hit it on the side of its armoured torso. The guard collapsed to the ground, the pony groaning in agony as its legs twitched, the bull turning to deal with the rest of the guards. A Pegasi guard, distracted by the defeat of its comrade received a glancing blow to a wing, the bones breaking as the mare screamed. The pony dropped like a rock, hitting the ground hard as the bull that had struck her laughed. The Minotaur bent down and picked up the crying guard by the neck, hosting her up to eye level. “Stevens head right and Smith go left, I’ve got this here” Nigel ordered, raising his pistol as he watched the Minotaur grasping the struggling guard while preparing to crush the mare’s head with its hammer. “Search and destroy, leave no hostiles alive. Might as well enjoy this while we can” Nigel finished with joy, the two Corporals heading in their assigned directions. Nigel walked towards the melee, the brown-furred Minotaur holding the pony starting to swing its hammer as the three remaining guards watched helplessly while the other two bulls had paused to view the impending kill with glee. The mare stared at the approaching hammer with tear-filled eyes, her doom unable to be prevented. Chalmers smiled as he shot the brown bull in the head, the Minotaur’s skull exploding like a rotten watermelon as the super-sonic round detonated inside of its brain. The lifeless body flopped to the ground with the mare following soon afterwards. Nigel stepped forward into the light, pony and Minotaur alike staring in astonishment at the armoured biped. “You know,” Nigel began casually as he twirled his handgun around a finger, “I hate Bullies, they really milk my patience.” “Human” the largest Minotaur, a head taller than Nigel in his armour spat as if the very name of Nigel’s species was unpleasant. The Minotaur glared at the lone human, the Equestrians forgotten as it sized the new creature up. The ponies all backed away from the two bulls as the Minotaurs stepped closer to the Commander, the two injured guards whimpering as they were pulled behind some crates spilling out of a cart by their compatriots. As the staring match between the two bulls and human continued the guards all took cover, protecting their injured while nervously watching the foreign warriors. “Well, you got the name right so that’s a start,” complemented Nigel, the large Minotaur leader snorting in disgust. “I was I had never heard of such a filthy creature,” the black bull replied, “especially one that has to fight its battles from range like a-“ “-Coward?” Nigel interrupted, the bull narrowing his eyes at yet another pun. The bull raised his hammer in warning, the human’s constant up-beat mood getting on his nerves. Chalmers smirked to himself at the reaction, re-attaching his pistol to his hip. “Fine, we’ll do things your way,” Nigel conceded, putting his armoured fists up in a boxing pose as he shifted from foot-to-foot. “Come at me bro.” The bull let out an excited bellow, rushing forward and swinging its hammer in a wide arc as the other bull and Equestrians watched on. In his haste to splatter the human the bull over-swung, the human’s taunting having got to him. Nigel jumped back, narrowly avoiding the hammer before grabbing the bull’s large horns with his hands. The bull tried to strike with his hammer again however Nigel did not give him a second chance, the Commander’s armour assisting him with bringing the bull’s head down onto Nigel’s oncoming knee. With a sickening crack the human’s armoured knee shattered the bull’s nose before Nigel let go of the bull’s horns, the Minotaur bellowing as it dropped to the ground. As the bull held onto its ruined face with his hands letting out growls of pain Nigel raised his armoured boot above the Minotaur’s head, the bull facing the ground. “That’s what happens when you’re too headstrong.” Nigel brought his boot down upon the Minotaur’s head driving it towards the cobbled ground. The bull uttered a final bellow before his skull cracked like a nut, Chalmers lifting his foot only when the corpse ceased twitching. The human turned towards the last bull, the tan Minotaur open-mouthed at the fate of its leader. “Your turn” Nigel informed the shocked bull as the human stepped over the Minotaur leader’s body, his hands rubbing together in preparation for the next fight. The bull almost pissed itself, dropping its hammer as it turned and ran down a darkened street, right past the Equestrians hiding behind the crates. Nigel followed the retreating Minotaur, stopping next to the terrified guards as he drew his pistol once more and lined up the back of the fleeing bull. Nigel looked downwards as he turned his head to face the huddled ponies, his gun still held in his hand outstretched. “He may outrun me, but can he outrun bullets?” Without breaking his gaze Nigel rapidly fired three rounds, three squelches and a agonised scream confirming that he had hit the target. He lowered his gun, re-holstering it as he pulled a HE grenade from his suit. “I like my steak well done” he commented as he tossed the grenade down the street, an ear-splitting explosion following as a ball of flame lit up the darkness. The ponies all had their hooves over their ears following the sound of the explosion, Nigel checking the street to make sure the bull was dead. The absence of a body and a blood-splattered crater was good enough proof for him, the human turning back to the Equestrians. The two injured guards were whimpering but conscious, Chalmers convinced that their wounds weren’t fatal. He started to walk down the street in the same direction the bull had tried to run, hands once again clasped behind his back. “Wait!” Nigel halted and looked back towards the guards, the injured Pegasus mare having raised her head to look at him. “Thankyou” the mare said, Nigel shrugging nonchalantly. “Win-win situation, you get to live and I got to kill three mythological creatures” Nigel said as he resumed his walking. “Try not to die!” he called back, the guards thanking Celestia that human was content to leave them be, the biped disappearing into the shadows. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ‘Shlick’ Smith withdrew his bloodied knife from the Griffons neck, the human lowering the body to the floor as he cleaned his knife on the griffon’s feathers. He had followed the creature inside the plain double-story house, his sensors picking up a mass of life forms above him on the second floor. He unslung his rifle, checking to make sure the underslung shotgun was loaded before carefully making his way towards the wooden staircase, sticking close to the cream-coloured wall. The corporal ascended the stairs, rifle butt against his shoulder as he pointed the weapon in front of him. As he edged up the stairs a heavy smack followed by a cry of pain sounded from a doorway to the left on the upper floor. Light spilled out of the open doorway, shadows dancing on the far wall. Stevens paused as he reached the door, hiding to the side of the frame as laughter from at least three different voices accompanied by crying sounded throughout the building. Satisfied that everything was good-to-go Smith swung out into the doorway, his rifle pointed at the face of a very surprised griffon wearing light-chain mail. Four griffons total occupied the room, two pony mares and two foals huddled in the back left corner. A grey stallion was curled up on the floor in the middle of the circle of griffons, a gash on the left side of the pony’s face spurting out blood. The griffons all noticed Smith, the ebony-armoured human standing out amidst the bright colours of the house. The wraith took a second to scan the faces of the griffons, the Commander’s orders firm in his mind. Corporal Smith pulled the trigger of his rifle’s under-barrel shotgun, the heavy solid slug that exited having been designed to bust open heavy doors. Needless to say, the griffon’s face did not provide much resistance, the heavy projectile blowing out the back of the hybrid’s skull before passing through the opposite wall leaving a large hole the size of a pony’s head through which the night sky could be seen. As the body tumbled to the floor Smith unloaded a rifle burst into the closest living griffon, the larger creature’s heavier breastplate unable to prevent the multiple bullets from entering its chest. As the corpse fell against the wall, blood erupting from its beak and chest wounds the remaining two griffons rushed Smith while drawing swords. The first oncoming griffon received a rifle barrel to the eye, it’s screams silenced as another burst from Smith annihilated its brain. The second and last however managed to hit Smith in the arm with its short sword, the weapon failing to pierce the tough armour but the force of the blow caused Smith to drop the rifle. The griffon tackled the Corporal to the ground, the five ponies watching in fright as the griffon attempted to claw off the unknown creatures face with its talons. The creature appeared to be unfazed, steady reaching down towards a black object attached to its side. The Equestrians were afforded a perfect view of the creature grabbing the object with a claw and placing it against the Griffon’s unprotected stomach, right before multiple loud bangs filled the room as blood sprayed from multiple holes that were blasted in the griffon’s back. Smith pushed the fresh corpse off as he stood up, holstering his pistol and retrieving his rifle as the ponies huddled together, the stallion joining the mares and foals in the corner. The griffons had not seriously damaged the Corporal’s armour, the damage limited to the external surface in the form of light scratch marks. He looked over towards the ponies after he had picked up his weapon. “Are you seriously injured?” Smith asked the stallion, the grey Pegasus shaking his head slowly. Smith nodded, his orders were to eliminate any hostiles, not help any of the local populace. He walked out of the room heading towards the stairs, leaving behind four rapidly cooling bodies in the destroyed room. He paused for a second before descending the stairs to glance back into the room, the ponies refusing to move from their corner. ‘Probably for the best’ he thought, leaving the house in search of more enemies. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Fuck you, Arsehole!” Stevens yelled as he booted a minotaur in the crouch, the bull yelling in pain before Stevens inserted his wrist blade into the Minotaur’s eye socket. The energised blade easily cut through the back of the bull’s skull, the heat from the blade causing the remains of the creature’s brain to boil. This did not concern the bull, already dead as Stevens continued to kick it after it had fallen to the ground. With a final boot Corporal Stevens let the battered body be, instead searching the massive battle for another target. All around him pony guards were locked in combat with Griffons and Minotaurs, the ponies on the back foot. Bodies of injured guards littered the surrounds, a surprisingly few amount of ponies having actually died. Stevens attributed this to the fact that the Griffons and bulls tended to not finish a wounded adversary, prioritising pony guards that were still able to fight. It wasn’t just the ponies who had taken losses however, dead griffons and minotaurs also were lying in the streets, a particularly large pile where Stevens had made his entrance. He had managed to put down a fair chunk of the enemy before he was pulled into the melee, Stevens guessing that there were at least one-hundred combatants fighting it out in the city centre. The large park the battle was being fought on provided no cover, with swords, spears, hammers, axes and talons being the primary weapons used. Stevens jumped on the back of a white bull about to decapitate a fallen pony guard, the minotaur having no time to react before Stevens slashed its spine open with his blade causing the minotaur to drop the axe it was holding. He then finished the bull with a precise stab between the ribs where e its heart was located, the Minotaur shuddering before it expired. Stevens hesitantly offered the fallen Earth pony guard a hand, the guard reaching out a hoof which Steven used to pull the stallion upright. The pony gave the human a brief nod, grabbing its spear with the crook of its hoof before it re-joined the fray. Stevens stuck up his middle finger at the Stallion’s back; he was only helping these ponies because their assistance would help him achieve his objective. A mighty bellow roared out across the battlefield, Stevens turning towards the roar to spy a gigantic Minotaur sporting heavy metal armour wielding a massive spiked mace. The Minotaur must have been at least a head and chest taller to Stevens, it must seem like a giant to the small ponies. A scream sounded as a pony stallion was flung through the air towards the wraith after the huge bull smacked the pony with the mace, a spiked point piercing the pony’s armour and penetrating it’s chest. Stevens failed to doge the incoming Pegasus, the guard colliding with the Corporal’s armoured chest sending both of them to the ground. The guard was sprawled on top of Stevens, the only sign that it was still alive was the pained whimpers it uttered weakly. The human didn’t get a chance to attempt to remove the guard, an orange-feathered griffon moving to thrust a spear downwards into the pony’s back. The corporal moved to counter the blow with his gauntlet blade before the griffon’s head exploded in a mist of red, the retort of a rifle echoing throughout the park. Stevens attempted to locate the source of the shot to no avail. He resumed his attempts to extract himself from under the pony as shots continued to ring out. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel removed his rifle’s sight from the space were the griffon’s head used to be, Corporal Stevens appearing to be out of danger. Chalmers spotted his next target, a large armoured Minotaur bull bellowing out war cries while holding a bloodied mace. From his elevated position concealed on top of a restaurant overlooking the park Nigel had a perfect view of the large Bull’s throat, a squeeze of the trigger sending a bullet to its destination. The projectile entered the creature’s neck, the resulting detonation causing the bull’s head to separate from its body. “Bullseye” Chalmers chuckled, shifting his attention to other targets. His sniping had tipped the odds of the battle in favour of the Equestrians, many guards being saved by the accurate shots. The large bull must have been the leader of the attack, his death causing bellows of despair to rise from the remaining enemy which consisted of mostly Minotaurs, almost every single Griffon dead or dying. Like a dame breaking its banks the Minotaurs turned and fled, their morale shattered at the death of their leader. Nigel lowered his rifle scope, figuring that the remaining Equestrians would be able to handle the fleeing creatures. He jumped off the rooftop he was occupying with his suit enabling him to complete the jump, the Commander heading towards his subordinate who was still struggling to remove the wounded guard. Nigel could have left him but the battle was not yet over, sounds of fighting still ringing out from the city outskirts. No doubt the three humans would have a busy morning ahead of them. Why You Should Just Walk Away“Get the fuck off of me you moron!” Stevens fumed as he fought to remove the limp guard that was sprawled upon him. The Pegasus had somehow gotten his golden chest armour locked with Stevens’s suit so the corporal was trying to separate himself from the guard. The pony would periodically let out a weak whine, the guard wheezing as blood spurted from a ragged hole gouged in the stallion’s chest in time with his breathing. Stevens stopped moving, slow clapping emanating from behind of a bush to the corporal’s right. ‘Oh no,’ Stevens thought as the Commander stepped into the light, ‘not him, not now. Why can’t Smith have been the one sniping?’ “Well, well, well. Once again Stevens you’ve managed to end up underneath a pony covered in bodily fluids. It’s a relief to me that the five years of training you went through as well as your seven years of active combat experience have moulded you into a shining example of the majesty of the UIP.” Chalmers walked up to the dead griffon he shot before, crouching down to examine the corpse as the sounds of victory cheers sounded in the distance. Obviously the battle had swung in the Equestrians’ favour thanks to the death of the enemy leader. “In my defence,” Stevens began as his Commander re-focused his attention towards him, “I only got under this pony after that fucking huge Minotaur pounded him hard enough to…” Stevens decided to stop; he was only making the situation worse. He couldn’t see Chalmers’s face due to the Commander’s helmet but he could tell that the smug bastard was probably wearing the biggest grin at Steven’s expense. “So I see the enemy appear to have been defeated.” Both Stevens and Chalmers looked towards the new voice, Smith walking towards them. The soldier nodded at his Commander, receiving one in reply before he looked down towards his fellow corporal trapped underneath the guard. “It also looks like that once again Stevens is under a pony covered in-“ “Already beat you to it,” Chalmers interrupted, Smith shrugging in reply. “Not really that much of a surprise Sir, it is Stevens after all.” Stevens raised his head off the ground at this. “Okay, hold the bloody phone!” Stevens shouted. “This whole ‘Stevens is a pony sex addict’ is really getting old, it’s stale and no longer funny. I bang one pony twice-“ “Twice?” Smith asked the Commander as Chalmers looked at him. “I found Wind Slash in his bed this morning again, I swear there’s a rule that if you wake up with the same wom- female in your bed two mornings in a row then it counts as a relationship.” “Hell no! There is no way that I will ever date that mess of a mare!” “Well you slept with her twice so she obviously has something going for her,” Chalmers responded as he poked the dead griffon’s exposed neck with a finger, “maybe you two should go set up a double-date thing with Reflection and Jacobs at a nice restaurant.” Nigel looked out at the city, some fires still burning strong. “You know, after all of the fires have been put out. Still a nice lunch or something will surely show the two of the best in each other.” Stevens’s rage grew to be so great that he found the strength inside of him to rise up from the ground to confront his tormentors. Unfortunately he still had a whimpering Pegasus guard attached to him, the pony dangling from the strap that had gotten stuck on Steven’s chest. Stevens didn’t care about this, the corporal completely ignoring Smith and heading straight towards Commander Chalmers. Nigel hid an amused smirk under his helmet as Stevens poked him in the chest, the attempted intimidation ruined by the fact that the commander was half-a-metre taller than Stevens and that every time the corporal moved forward the arse of the dangling guard smacked against Nigel’s stomach. It was so funny Nigel decided that he wasn’t even going to punish the Corporal for insubordination. “That’s it; I can take it from the guys but not from you, Commander!” Nigel decided to not mention that the Corporal also took it from a four-foot pony, twice. The Equestrian attached to Stevens coughed out some blood. “Please… please help me” the stallion wheezed weakly. “In a Fucking minute, have some patience for Fuck’s sake!” Steven yelled, the corporal clamping a hand over the pony’s mouth to quiet the guard. “You constantly call me out for every single thing I mess up while ignoring your own glaring mistakes! I mean you have the authority to order the death of solar systems and what do you do? You orchestrate a guerrilla war against a civilisation of ponies that seem to be stuck in the eleventh century! What excuse do you have for that?” Stevens finished his tirade, all sound ceasing except for the pained breathing coming from the pony dangling from Corporal Stevens. Smith found himself shifting his grip on his rifle; Stevens had crossed the line long ago. Commander Chalmers had a reputation for his temper, his violent temper that often resulted in extreme bloodshed. The two warring soldiers squared off with Stevens shaking with rage with the Commander standing barely a metre opposite him, Chalmers standing stock still. “You want an explanation as to why we continue to operate on this planet instead of calling the navy and leaving?” The Commander asked with a steady voice, Stevens nodding his helmeted head in reply. “I’ll tell you why, it is incredible, amazing fun. You can’t disagree with me on that, you yourself have killed, screwed, drank, partied, stolen a sack of apples and currently have a pony attached to your chest.” Stevens looked down into the pleading eyes of the Pegasus pony as he thought about the Commander’s response. He had to admit that the trip had been rather fun and the chance to attack multi-coloured equines was a rare one. Granted they were now seemingly working with the ponies but apparently Chalmers had a plan regarding that. He looked back towards Chalmers, his anger fading away as he focused on repairing the situation. “I’ll make a deal, Commander” Stevens offered, Chalmers gesturing for him to continue. “If you agree to start treating me with some respect I’ll be willing to… co-operate with you without constantly complaining.” Chalmers stroked his helmet thoughtfully as he considered the agreement. “Tell you what Stevens, I’ll stop the constant insults if you ask that mare you’re seeing on a date and you have to apologize for not laughing at that joke I made when we first met the changelings.” Stevens sighed; while he wished the Commander would for once take something seriously he guessed the terms weren’t too outlandish. After all, the Commander did have enough of an excuse to just execute him after the earlier insubordination. “Fine, I’ll go on a date with Wind Slash, though why it’s so important to you I will never figure out.” “Annnnnnnd…?” Commander Chalmers prompted, eliciting a sigh from Stevens. “I’m sorry for not laughing when you made that joke; I failed you, my father, the ISA and the greater UIP as a whole. May the Emperor forgive me for my grievous offence.” Chalmers shrugged at the dramatic response. “Eh, I’ll take it,” The Commander held out a fist towards Stevens. “Let’s just agree to get along at least until we leave this planet, why don’t we just forget all of this and go and try to find any stragglers to finish off to cement our new friendship.” Stevens stared at the offered fist, raising his own and meeting it with a smack of armour impacting armour. His Helmeted head focused back on Chalmers as Stevens nodded his head. “Let’s go fuck those hipster wannabes; we’re the bad guys here!” “Damn straight,” Nigel agreed, “damn mutants are stealing our thunder, time to show them just who they pissed off!” “Hate to be the drunken uncle pissing on the birthday cake,” Smith spoke up as he pointed a finger at the wounded pony hanging from Stevens, the Corporal and Nigel looking towards the injured guard. “But shouldn’t we stop that pony from dying or at the very least cut him off Stevens?” “I like it there though,” Stevens replied as he looked down, “I think it really lightens up my armour and says ‘Come at me bro, I wear your soldiers like tassels’ at the same time.” The pony let out a weak groan as his hind leg kicked, Chalmers letting out a sigh as he withdrew a combat knife from a sheath hidden in his armour. Chalmers advanced on the pony, the Stallion’s eyes widening as he turned to look at the knife wielding human. “I really sorry buddy,” the Commander lamented as he lowered the knife to the pony’s throat as the guard began to tear up, “but I’m going to have to cut you down.” As he said this Chalmers cut through the strap binding the pony to Corporal Stevens, Smith catching the guard and laying it gently on the ground. The three humans stared down at the guard as it moaned feebly, the blood spurts having slowed to a dribble. “You know Sir,” Smith said, breaking the silence, “for a second I thought you were just going to slit his throat and been done with it.” “Oh, it was definitely on the table,” Chalmers replied as the guard attempted to crawl away. The pony stopped quickly, his wound immobilising him as the Commander crouched down to examine the bloodsoaked guard. He rolled the pony onto his back and tittered as he traced the edge of the ragged puncture with a finger, the pony whimpering as it attempted to speak, however due to the damage to its right lung it only managed a few words. “T-ake me to a… a hosp-hospital, please.” “No” Nigel stated bluntly, withdrawing a needle-gun from a suit compartment, “if you are going to die in battle then it shall be by my hand, not by some copycat wanker.” Nigel inserted the tip of the needle into the pony’s thigh, injecting the contents of the medical gun into the guard’s bloodstream. “You’re a lucky pony, pack your bags and grab your munchies because you are about to go on one hell of a trip.” The pony’s breathing slowed down to a steady rasp, the Pegasus relaxing as the powerful painkiller he had been injected with went to work. The Commander observed the guard’s pupils, satisfied that the equine was well and truly out of it. He removed the golden helmet from its head, a shimmering glow surrounding its body as the pony’s coat changed from white to orange, the mane and tail gold with a white stripe. The only thing that was constant with the appearance of the guard was the blood covering his chest and the hole in his chest. The three humans stared at the space-out guard, Nigel sticking his finger into the wound and twisting it around. The pony continued to stare happily up at the sky as he mumbled to himself, Nigel continuing to poke the wound. “So,” Chalmers inquired, “which one of us is going to fix it?” He received no reply at first, both Corporals looking towards him expectantly. Nigel withdrew his finger and pointed the bloodstained digit at them. “Why me? Why do I have to do it?” “Well Commander, you do have the most medical training out of the three of us,” Smith stated, “I’m not too confident with pony anatomy and Stevens is only interested in the lower anatomy.” Stevens looked like he was going to fling out a retort but Smith continued on before he had the chance. “You already have all of the needed equipment with you and to be honest you would probably enjoy a chance to shoot a medical laser into a pony’s chest.” Unknown to the soldiers a throng of locals had slowly begun to emerge from their dwellings, the ponies retching at the site of the dead bodies surrounding the area but the three strange creatures seemingly helping a wounded guard drew some of the braver Equestrians closer. The battle for the city had appeared to be over, the invaders repelled and the fires in the background dying out. While the ponies that had ventured outside hated being in the midst of so many dead they were drawn to the three humans in the park, many of the equines watching from windows as the creatures fight alongside their guards. Seeing that the strange beings apparently were friendly to ponies and being herd animals in instinct the frightened citizens moved towards the strong protectors. The humans were too caught up in debating who should have to help the guard that the approaching crowd of skittish equines closed without notice. “Fine then, at least I get to use the laser.” With these words the Commander flicked his wrist, the small barrel of the medical laser extending as the barrel glowed red. Alongside the laser emerged a second barrel, the tube containing a sealing agent. The surrounding ponies observed with baited breath as the biggest creature moved its glowing appendage towards the guard’s wound, the Equestrians riveted to the gory sight unable to look away. Nigel was concentrating solely on his task, moving the dispensing tool of medical cement towards the wound. With his helmet optics he was able to see a smaller puncture in the Pegasus’s lung, the point where air was escaping into the pony’s chest. Nigel sprayed the inner wound with the medical solvent, the quick acting agent sealing the injury. Chalmers withdrew the tube and fired up the laser, using the precise instrument to aid in the closing of the wound as it caused the medical solvent to act like liquid stiches. Satisfied that the lung would hold, Nigel withdrew the tools and moved to the external trauma. He once again covered the hole with the closing solution before lasering the wound shut. The surrounding Equestrians all watching as the strange advanced procedure was completed with awe, their fear forgotten. Nigel shut off his laser, slightly disappointed that he would be unable to use it for longer. Lasers are cool, no matter if they’re used to heal colourful ponies. “Well, that’s taken care of,” Nigel commented as he stood up, the guard still in a daze and he wouldn’t be lucid for at least another hour. Chalmers rubbed his hands as he turned around, freezing mid stride as he saw the gathered crowd of amazed Equestrians. Both Corporals turned as they noticed the Commander’s reaction, the two other humans sharing in Chalmers’s surprise. “What. The. Holy. Fuck.” Stevens breathed as the crowd of ponies, at least fifty all gazed at the three humans in awe. The lead pony, a ash-grey mare pointed towards the Commander with a glimmer in her eyes. “That one, the big one! He just saved that guard’s life!” The crowd erupted into cheers, their fear having vanished due to the incredibly act of kindness they had witnessed. The humans stood stock still as the bubbling crowd circled the confused humans, the ponies all yelling out excited questions as a small group of mares surrounded the downed Pegasus guard attempting to comfort the oblivious stallion. “This cannot get any worse,” Nigel sighed, the corporals nodding in agreement. The flapping of wings shattered that assumption, a mass of golden-clad ponies hovering in the air as two tall mares, one the colour of pure white snow, the other the picture of a starry night touched down upon the ground. The crowd parted as the two rulers of Equestria approached the three humans, a slight bruise still visible on Celestia’s face. The two Princesses halted in front of the humans, Celestia glancing at the fallen guard before raising an eyebrow at Nigel. The Commander gave a shrug before answering the non-verbal question, his armour covered in the combined blood of griffon, Minotaur and pony. “I swear, I didn’t set this city on fire. If I had nothing would be left.” Just Some Friends I Brought With MeCelestia maintained an even expression as she stared at the blood-soaked human, the human’s statement not what she was after. She knew that the attack had been conducted by the Minotaurs and Griffons, her guards had informed her of the sudden assault as well as the unexpected help from the aliens. A wounded Pegasus mare had even claimed that the human commander himself had saved her life, killing a Minotaur warrior just as he was about to kill the guard. Her claims had been verified by the rest of the guard’s squad and now it seemed that the violent creatures had even saved a guard from death with medical intervention. A few guards from the group Celestia had brought with her prepared to move the zoned-out stallion to a medical area as the rest of the newly arrived troops focused on corralling the mass of civilians who were all looking at the Princesses with awe. “Why did you help my ponies?” Celestia questioned the human leader, “your actions towards Equestria have only been violent up until now, why help us when you could have joined the Griffons and Minotaurs?” The Commander appeared to scoff at this, the two other humans with him clutching their deadly projectile weapons with the barrels pointed to the ground. “Well, for starters this attack on the city interrupted my sleep. Not cool. Secondly I’m sorry to say this but your ponies aren’t exactly avatars of war. They lack tactics, weaponry, resolve and from what I have observed experience,” The Commander pointed towards a griffon corpse, both Princesses and the surrounding ponies wincing as they realised that most of the griffon’s head was missing. “These guys are much more fun to kill; at least they have a chance.” Celestia grudging accepted that he was probably right in regards to the Royal Guards lack of experience and ability. They were well trained but such widespread conflict had not been seen in Equestria for centuries. She was about to attempt to defend her guards, the armoured stallions and mares glaring at the human for his highlighting of their flaws before a group of battered Pegasi guards landed heavily in-between the two opposing groups. “Princess!” a bloodstained Lieutenant spoke as she shook off the effects of her rough landing, her left foreleg bent at a wrong angle, “Griffons and Minotaurs have attacked Fillydelphia and Baltimare, both cities have fallen and are being used as staging points for the enemy! Already they appear to be preparing to march directly to Canterlot!” Celestia bit her lip, turning to look towards Luna to find that she also appeared to not like their chances. The guard who had delivered the news had spoken loudly, the surrounding civilians breaking out into panic as they overheard. Many of them turned and ran to hide in their houses, only a few staying behind as they looked to their Princesses for guidance. Celestia grimaced inside as a particularly unpleasant thought rose up, the Princess preparing herself for the scathing reply that would most likely follow. “Commander,” Celestia stated as she addressed the human leader, Luna glancing at her curiously. The human leader made a motion with a hand, Celestia assuming it was a gesture for her to continue. “As you have just been made aware, our situation is dire and considering your obvious ability for warfa-“ “Not going to happen,” the Commander dismissed, turning on his heels and walking away from Celestia. The two soldiers accompanying him pivoted and made to follow him, the humans heading back towards the outer edge of the city. Celestia had to think fast to secure the support of the lethal aliens. “I’ll pay you!” she shouted out after them to no effect, “anything, please!” The humans stopped, whether it was because of the terms she offered or the desperation in her voice at the thought of what her subjects would suffer under the rule of the invading races Celestia didn’t know. The Commander walked back towards her, his metal claw resting on the grip of one of his smaller projectile weapons. He didn’t say anything at first, glancing between Celestia and Luna as he appeared to think. “Anything?” the human questioned as he stared at Luna, Celestia giving her sister an apologetic look before replying. “…Yes,” Celestia hesitantly answered, lowering her head at what the bipeds would demand. “Fine then, I want a night with Princess Luna and a fifty-five square kilometre area of land. This land will belong to the UIP and any unauthorized access will be dealt with severely.” Both Celestia’s and Luna’s guards moved to attack the humans for their bold demands however they were quickly halted by Celestia flinging out a wing, the two accompanying human soldiers had already raised their weapons to their shoulders while the Commander himself seemed unfazed. Celestia muttered a brief apology to her mother for putting Luna through this but the safety of her ponies came first. “I accept your terms,” she answered as Luna’s eyes widened, “if you assist us in repelling this invasion then I will give you what you ask.” “Sister!” Luna protested as Guards for both Princesses looked at Celestia in shock, “thou can’t agree to have that… thing occupy thine bed!” Luna’s surprised caused her to slip back into her old vocal patterns. “Damn…” the Commander commented, “that accent is even more of a turn on.” Luna blanched at the human’s input, Celestia moving and putting a wing over her sister as she looked into Luna’s eyes. “I’m sorry Luna; I see no other chance of us defeating this catastrophe. The Elements will not work on these enemies and as loyal as our guards are the Minotaurs and Griffons have overwhelming numbers,” Celestia explained as she hugged her sister. In truth Nigel didn’t really care that much about having a night with the Lunar Princess; the two alicorns’ reactions only proved that his idea to ask for it was a good choice. By focusing on his unusual request the fact that he had just secured a large area for a local UIP base of operations went by without complaint. In truth twenty Kilometres would have sufficed but they could always just build some more missile silos or something. He watched on as Luna returned her sister’s hug, the Midnight ruler sighing as she pulled away, looking at Nigel with a defeated expression. “If that is what it takes to keep our subjects safe then I …submit. Keep in mind that I am not looking forward to such… activities,” she huffed, Nigel giving a shrug. “As the old proverb says ‘you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink,’ a little more relevant in this situation I believe.” Chalmers didn’t notice the shocked looks on the faces of all the surrounding ponies, unaware that he had just implied that the Night Princess was a prostitute. He continued on, detaching a rectangular device from his suit. “While our forces are currently small, we have a wonderful surprise just waiting to have its fun.” As the Commander appeared to enter information somehow onto the strange device Luna and Celestia exchanged glances at the human’s mention of a ‘surprise’. “What do you mean by surprise?” Luna hesitantly asked, the human seemingly finishing his task before pressing a button causing loud beep to sound from the device. He re-attached it to his suit as he looked at the gathered ponies, his morbid helmet maintaining its constant grin. “Let’s just say that there’s more than one kind of shipping that’s going to happen in the future.” ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Admiral Montgomery Biggles was perched in his command chair overlooking the bridge of his Reginald Class Command and Control Ship, hundreds of deck crew monitoring sensor outputs and navigation systems in the bridge of the gigantic vessel. He blew a strand of coal-black hair out of his brown eyes, inspecting his deep-blue uniform for any impurities. Shining a golden medal with a handkerchief the Admiral tapped his booted feet against his chair. He had been ordered by a higher-up in UIP Naval Command to assume command of a small fleet comprising of two Subjugator-Class Planetary Assault Cruisers, one Hiendrecker-Class Supply and Support ship, one Lancelot-Class Heavy Cruiser and four Guardian-Class Escort Destroyers. All he had been told was that he was to remain in his current position and await a signal from an un-named Internal Security Agency Commander. Once a signal was received Montgomery was to follow the orders of the ISA officer until the mission was complete. The wait was the worst part; so far they had spent a few weeks sitting in deep space completely idle. There were currently four border conflicts in the nearest galaxy and the Admiral was itching for some action, a feeling he knew was shared by the Captains of his accompanying fleet. This wasn’t even considering the couple of million UIP Military troops carried by the assorted ships, the soldiers often uncomfortable on-board space-borne transports due to the fact that they often were unable to do anything during naval engagements. He was interrupted in his grooming activities by the arrival of a bridge officer, the mid-level staffer escorted by two marines armoured in fully-enclosed standard issue grey armour. The officer snapped off a salute to his Admiral before making his report. “Admiral Biggles sir,” the officer began, “we have received an encrypted subspace transmission originating from Universe Three-Seven-Five-Three. Details in the message are confirmed to be from the ISA exploratory team and they have requested military assistance.” The Admiral perked up; finally there was something to do. “What information did we receive on the status of the situation?” Montgomery questioned, the Bridge officer glancing down at an information tablet he held. “Planet is termed as pre-industrial, terran-type suitable for future operations. ISA team has encountered a friendly civilisation that have been successfully infiltrated and made reliant on UIP assistance. ISA head agent reports that friendly civilisation was previously at war with a second civilisation but was defeated. Multiple skirmishes between ISA elements and the second nation supported by multiple other civilisations occurred until the signing of a truce. After peace was negotiated the second nation was attacked by elements of their former allies and has requested assistance from the UIP. SPECTOR agent on ground has negotiated military assistance in return for a fifty-five kilometre area of land and…” the Bridge officer hesitated as he made to read the final condition. “And what?” questioned the Admiral. “The report merely states ‘One night in the bed of a Princess’, sir.” Admiral Montgomery sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his gloved hand. Such errant behaviour was common for ISA agents, periods of solitary operations tended to foster un-professional mannerisms. No one was really game enough to act on it however, you don’t want to get on the bad side of the people who know everything about you and maintain entire battalions of assassins at the same time. “Our orders are clear, officer,” Montgomery concluded as he looked back up, “that Spector agent is now in control of the fleet. Plot a course to the target destination and inform the Captains of the situation. Prepare the troops for combat and preform pre-operational checks of all planetary assault weaponry. That is all.” Montgomery reclined back in his chair as holographic displays lit up around him, detailing positions of the numerous ships in the fleet and their statuses. He spent a few minutes reviewing the information regarding the eminent conflict before the Hiendrecker-Class signalled that its subspace tunnel generator was fully primed and ready for operation. The Admiral took a few moments to confirm that all ships were in their designated formations before giving the order for activation. Seen through the displays on the inside of the bridge that mimicked windows the aft section of the Hiendrecker light up with a glow, a swirling vortex that was a subspace tunnel appearing in front of the fleet. The fleet advanced as one through the portal, the light of stars disappearing as the fleet descended into the lightless maw of the tunnel. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel stepped out of the carriage with Bleak Horizon into the courtyard of Canterlot Castle, the Equestrians having provided transport to their Capitol. There were four of the Pegasi-drawn wagons, enough to carry all of the humans and changelings that had been occupying Manehattan. The group’s four Equestrian guards had stayed behind to assist in the defence of the city, the ponies having awoken an hour after Nigel, Stevens and Smith had left. Nigel observed as his five soldiers and the three changelings exited from their transports alongside various Equestrian guards, the entire group having been retrieved from the inn before leaving the city for Canterlot. Chalmers had already radioed the rest of the ISA agents back at the changeling hive to tell them what was happening. The humans were all receiving hateful glares while the changelings copped looks of disgust from the surrounding guards on the landing square. Chalmers wasn’t worried, the Equestrians needed the UIP’s help and they knew it. Celestia touched down next to the landed carriages, Luna following close behind. Princess Celestia walked towards Chalmers, giving the colt standing next to the human Commander a sympathetic look. One of the guards assigned to watch the humans while they were in Manehattan explained the circumstances to her regarding the child’s attachment to the violent alien. Some of her guards had suggested forcibly removing the colt from his chosen foster parent, Celestia instantly rejecting such suggestions as the results would not be good at all. “This is where our defence effort shall be co-ordinated from,” Celestia informed the humans as she gestured with a wing towards the palace, “I must insist that you and your changelings to remain on the ground floor at all times, temporary quarters will be provided until the invasion has been defeated and once that occurs you are no longer welcome in this city.” The sight of the humans at the location of their first hostilities against her ponies re-kindled some anger in Celestia; however the Princess knew that if she wanted her ponies to have a chance at freedom then she would have to tolerate the creatures and their changeling allies. “Doesn’t bother me,” the Commander replied as he gazed out over the area of the city that still showed signs of fire damage, “I’ve spent enough time in here already, let’s just beat the crap out of these Griffons and Minotaurs and then after we are given what is owed we will never return to your capitol again.” Celestia nodded her head, the human seemed to not be overly concerned about the hostility he and his soldiers were receiving and the sooner the invasion was over the better it would be for both parties. The Commander pointed towards the city wall, a mass of golden forms covering the white stone structure. “How many forces do you have defending the city? Have you enacted a draft and how many law-enforcement are available to supplement your military forces?” “We have six-thousand and fifty-seven Royal Guard, they act as the local police force and no civilians have been willing to join a defence militia,” Celestia responded, Chalmers whirling around in surprise. “Not one civilian ready to fight for their city?” the Commander questioned, “If a UIP planet was under attack all the mustering areas would be packed. Do these ponies know just what is happening?” “Most of the occupants of this city are of the upper-class,” Celestia answered hesitantly, “they are fully confident that the Royal guard will be able to hold off the i-“ “No offense Princess, but I doubt the Royal Guard could hold off a senile grandmother let alone two races that are much more physically suited for combat,” the Commander interrupted earning him even more hate-filled glares from the surrounding ponies. “If those nobles aren’t willing to defend their city then they can be the first ones used for catapult ammunition when we run out of stones.” The human turned back around and re-scanned the walls, “Speaking of catapults where are they? I assumed that even a nation of your tech level would possess at least some defensive artillery.” Celestia winced at this; the truth was that Equestria had never any need for such weapons since the first founding days. “We have no such weapons Commander, the Royal Guard is all that we have.” The Human was silent for a few moments, Celestia unable to tell what he was doing under his helmet. “Looks like we have to do everything,” she heard him mumble, the biped giving one last look towards the defensive preparations before he turned to address his troops and the changelings. “Sergeant Boland, send one man to each primary section in order to oversee the defences. Orders are to shoot any Griffon and Minotaur on sight,” the two Princesses watched as one human gave his Commander a quick nod before pointing to each remaining human, the four soldiers nodding one by one as they split off, each one heading to a section of the wall. Celestia assumed that the humans had a form of internal communication, something that would explain just how they were able to co-ordinate their earlier attacks so effectively. “As for you two,” the Commander stated as addressed Luna and Celestia, “I suggest we retire to your command room, judging from the state of your military I’m going to assume a janitorial closet?” “We have a ‘Command Room’ human,” Luna imputed, “it is one of the finest war-rooms in all of the land!” The Commander snorted in response, gesturing for the Princesses to lead the way. The two rulers shared a look before they trotted of in the direction of the castle. “Then let’s see this ‘finest war-room’, Boland and changelings with me,” the Commander ordered. The humans and changelings started to move towards the castle but were halted by a guard squad, the equine sergeant holding out a hoof. “No changelings are permitted in the castle,” the Stallion demanded, Nigel rolling his eyes at the guard’s actions. “Who do you think is more of a threat, a few changelings or the guys who set fire to your city?” The guard turned red, Celestia however took notice of the confrontation and stepped in. “Let them through, right know they are the lesser of two evils.” At their ruler’s words the guards grudgingly parted to allow the group access to the castle, Nigel reaching out to pat the Sergeant on the head as he walked past. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Montgomery Biggles vision was re-filled with stars as the fleet exited the subspace tunnel near the target planet. Two orbiting bodies, a moon and a miniature sun slowly circled the terran world as the fleet prepared to enter planetary orbit. The Admiral glanced to his left, a screen reading out information that the ship’s sensors were processing. Details regarding the planet’s atmosphere, mineral deposits, water levels and approximate age filled the screen, the planet appearing to only be around twenty-thousand years old. The Admiral deduced that according to the young age, the reported sapient life forms and the small sun seemingly made for the planet that the world had been artificially created or terraformed by a class-D civilisation or higher. From what the ISA report told him he suspected that the original makers either died out or abandoned the planet, future investigations would be needed once the more pressing matters had been attended to. Two clusters of UIP locator beacons appeared on a holographic map of the planet’s surface, one set located underground in the midst of a mountain surrounded by desert while the other, smaller set was currently in the middle of a local city. Of particular interest were the signals numbering six, a more ornate dot that directed a Commander-rank agent inside the castle, accompanied by a normal signal with the rest scattered around the walls of the settlement. Considering that the ISA commander was located in a fortress in the middle of a city which appeared to be preparing for an assault Biggles concluded that a position over that particular area would be ideal. Rapidly tapping a keypad on his chair’s armrest, the Admiral ordered his subordinates to move the fleet into positions over the city, staying above the atmosphere. He also ordered that all ground troops prepare for combat and while he doubted even half would be needed it never hurt to make sure. Receiving a reply from the bridge crew stating that the orders would be carried out immediately the Admiral sat back in his chair, the ship underneath him moving towards its allocated spot as manovering thrusters activated. __________________________________________________________________________________________ “So the only land access is the bridge, you rebuilt it fast,” Nigel remarked as he surveyed a crudely drawn map of the city, his finger resting on the bridge which they themselves had destroyed earlier. “It was not easy,” Celestia stated calmly, the Alicorn attempting to tolerate the human who had formerly introduced himself as ‘Internal Security Agency SPECTOR Agent Commander Nigel M Chalmers’ before promptly picking apart every single tactical decision that Celestia and Luna had made. Complaints about troop positions, lack of defensive measures, no long-term supply warehouses and Canterlot not possessing any ‘Scorched Earth’ devices. Celestia had still not figured out what ‘Scorched Earth’ meant, the Commander not stopping to tell her. “The matter of the bridge is of little concern, while it would be easy to just blow it up again to prevent ground-based access I instead think we should turn it into a killing field instead. What sort of anti-personnel weapons do you possess?” Celestia was very concerned about this ‘killing field’ idea, for some reason her mind conjured up an image of pony eating flowers all swaying in the wind. Seeing that the Commander was awaiting an answer Celestia braced for ridicule. “We have crossbows and some unicorns have been trained in combat magic,” she answered, the human commander not moving. “Is that all?” he asked after a pause, both Celestia and Luna slowly nodding their heads at the query. The human looked back down at the map and sighed deeply. “Well then, killing field is out. I suggest you start to gather any explosives that are contained within the city so we can blow the bridge and deny any ground forces an easy access point.” “Why do you not do it?” Luna asked, the night alicorn glaring at the Commander, “You humans have already proven that explosions are something that you enjoy.” At this the human shrugged. “I would be happy to destroy your bridge again, however we lack the needed amount of explosives and there is no way in Hell I’m going to ask Klaus to make some more.” At the mention of this ‘Klaus’ the two Princesses exchanged confused looks. “Who is this ‘Klaus’?” Celestia inquired, Luna also awaiting the human’s answer. The Commander went back to the map, scanning the north section of the walls as he replied. “Remember the changeling with the explosive rockets strapped to it?” Both Princesses shuddered at the memory of that day; the toll taken by the strange weapon had been high. “That was made by Klaus.” “We shall prepare to destroy the bridge,” Luna quickly conceded as she exited the war-room, her guards racing after her as the princess rushed away. Celestia swallowed a lump in her throat; any mind which could possibly conceive of such an insane device should not be let near any major population centres. The human Commander seemed to share this sentiment, glancing briefly at the retreating Princess while nodding his head. “Great, hopefully enough is found in time to facilitate the destruction, how long until the enemy arrives?” The Commander asked as Celestia stared down at the map on the table. “According to scouts the Griffons and Minotaurs have a combined force of numbers over ten-thousand heading right for us; they will arrive in three days. They have left small garrisons in Fillydelphia and Baltimare, their numbers are unknown.” Celestia paused, Chalmers observing that the Princess was trying to hold back a sob. “They have also reported that the Griffons are beginning to transport ponies back to Griffonia for undetermined purposes. Considering that pony meat used to be a delicacy to Griffons and they also used to use slave labour-“ “Say no more,” the Commander interrupted, his fist clenching at the mention of slavery, “elimination of the Griffons will be the second priority.” Celestia was stunned at the human’s change of mood, where there was once snarky, sarcastic remarks there was now just red-hot rage. Slavery must really be a hot button for the humans. Celestia appreciated the Commander’s concern, however ‘Elimination of the Griffons’ sounded like Genocide. “Commander Chalmers, while I am thankful for your concern I don’t think wiping out the entire Griffon race is something that I can support, maybe we could just try and free my ponies from them?” “You’re too soft Celestia,” Chalmers shot back, “you let them get away with it and they’ll do it again. However, since you for some reason care so much for the welfare of the nation that attacked your people I suppose merely killing most of their military and razing half of their country will suffice.” The Commander waved a hand as he said this, returning his attention back to the map. “From what I can see the most obvious points of attack will be from the bridge and the side of the mountain range, however with the Griffons ability to fly every point is a potential access point. What is the status on this bubble shield you claim you used earlier?” “Former-Captain Shining Armour is currently on a honeymoon with his wife in Saddle-Arabia. We have attempted to contact him but have received no response. He was the only unicorn capable of making a city-wide shield, no other unicorn has been trained as of yet so we will be unable to construct the shield in time.” “Wonderful,” responded Chalmers sarcastically, “let’s just hope that your Guards can shoot straight at the very least. Every griffon that gets into the city mu-“ “Princess!” Chalmers was interrupted as a unicorn guard entered the room, “Griffons and Minotaurs have been spotted to the west of the city!” Celestia narrowed her eyes at the news. “How did they bypass the bridge?” she questioned the guard, “Griffons are understandable but how did the Minotaurs cross?” “The Minotaurs appeared to have been suspended below two Griffons each on a harness, they appear to be gathering their forces before attacking!” the Guard panted out, Celestia glancing worriedly towards the Commander. Chalmers merely stood up straight, pulled what he had called a ‘sidearm’ out of its holster and walked towards the exit. As he passed the guard he patted the unicorn on the back, the pony shuddering at the touch of the human. “Let them come,” Chalmers remarked as he left the room, Celestia moving to follow him. “It just means that there are more of them for me to kill.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Princess Celestia looked out over the western wall from the throne room balcony, a throng of guards all bracing upon that wall as they faced the approaching forces. A lone black-armoured human could be seen on the wall as well, all of the guards giving the creature a wide berth. Commander Chalmers, who was standing next to Celestia with Sergeant Boland behind him would periodically issue commands through his ‘Com System’ to the soldier on the wall. The enemy forces had assembled a sizable force and had begun to move towards the wall, seemingly not adopting any tactic apart from just charging. Considering that they outnumbered the ponies almost two-to-one and each Griffon and Minotaur was worth at least two Royal Guard it would most likely work. Chalmers wasn’t convinced that this was their only assault though; he doubted that even such primitive creatures would rely solely on overwhelming numbers. He was proven correct; a chorus of shouts from the northern cliff face sounding as he and Celestia turned to face the direction of the alarm. A small force of about three-hundred Griffons shot over an un-defended section of wall, scattering over the city as Royal Guard Pegasi attempted to intercept them. Nigel shook his head at the sight, he had advised the ponies that every section should be watched but upon seeing the main force many guards had rushed to defend that area, leaving the remaining either severely undermanned or unguarded completely. Griffon soldiers descended into the city, fires breaking out in multiple buildings as what appeared to be incendiary flasks where hurled through windows and doors. As Celestia rushed off into the castle to try to organise an effort to extinguish the blazes Nigel remained upon the balcony, an appreciative smile under his helmet. The griffons appeared to be smart enough to pull off a distraction and then used it to start fires in the city, forcing the defenders to split their focus between the attacking army and the infernos. He had underestimated them; maybe there was some enjoyment to be had. Nigel was just about to leave the balcony to assist in the fight when he paused, a communication link appearing on his HUD. It seemed like UIP re-enforcements had arrived, his display showing that a small fleet was located right above his location. He grinned, opening up the link as an image of a stern grey-moustached man filled his display. “Admiral Biggles, so good to see that you’re able to join us…” ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Corporal Tenichi did a final check of his Foxhound, all of the walker’s systems showing that it was armed and ready for combat. The seven-metre tall bipedal combat machine was secured safely inside the drop pod, Tenichi able to see the dull grey metal through the computer display that mimicked a windshield. Foxhounds were not the best looking walkers, not much more than two armoured legs attached to a boxy-armoured body that vaguely resembled a human with two weapon-filled arms. Tenichi wasn’t too worried about the looks of his walker however, its ability to ignore most weapons fire made up for its appearance. His weapon systems were already primed, a tri-barrelled Gatling laser mounted on his right with a rapid-fire grenade launcher on the other. The walker also possessed an under-slung flamer mounted beneath its torso to deal with any infantry that attempted to assault it from below. The short briefing his team had received stated that according to ISA agents on the ground the enemy forces lacked combat vehicles; hence the primary anti-personnel load-out. Tenichi still couldn’t believe that he was about to drop into combat against creatures that were apparently Griffons and Minotaurs, the mythological creatures waging a war against colourful ponies no less. He had pushed these thoughts aside however, a chance for combat was a chance for combat and to pass it up because the enemy was ‘too silly’ would be a bad idea. A light flashed on his command console, Tenichi leaning back in his control chair as he slipped his armoured hands into the control inputs, allowing him to move the suit as if it was his own body. The warning indicated that they were about to commence the drop, the nine other members of his squad signalling that they were all ready to deploy. Also accompanying the walkers would be a large number of UIP infantry, the ground troops aiming for the city itself while the Foxhounds were to engage the main enemy force. The Commanders had expressed that collateral damage was to be minimised, the troops dropping into the city were to focus on eliminating invading forces that had infiltrated the settlement. Tenichi felt nothing as his pod shot out from the Planetary Assault cruiser and pierced the atmosphere, the advanced systems in the pod cancelling out the effects of the rapid descent. A readout showing the time until impact counted down, the pod having descended so fast that mere seconds where left. Tenichi smiled under his helmet as he imagined what he must look like to the creatures below him, a meteor from the heavens crashing down to deliver judgment. With a crunch the pod impacted upon the ground, Tenichi able to feel the shudder of the landing even through his Foxhound. Sunlight filtered through as the panel of the pod in front of the walker shot away, the metal piece flinging off into the air. Corporal Tenichi offered a quick prayer for the souls of those who he was about to take, before he moved his walker forward out of the drop pod, the tri-barrelled weapon in his left arm already spinning as the Foxhound strode into the midst of the surprised enemy forces. Chaos and CoffeePrivate Lexwing stared in shock at the metal giant that emerged from the building-sized egg. He had been advancing with his platoon towards the pony capitol when the egg had fallen from the sky, along with nine others that had slammed down amongst the joint Griffon and Minotaur forces. The young Griffon gripped his spear nervously as the other griffons in his squad all stood with disbelief, watching the large tan creature finish moving out of its container. The giant was the colour of burnt gold; much like his own feathers. Three deep blue stripes on its shoulders the only other colour adorning it that really stood out, perhaps unit markings of some sort? A white icon of a fist crushing a sphere that looked like a planet was on its right breast, an un-decipherable group of what Lexwing assumed was words next to the number ’05’ both in white below the icon. The beast looked vaguely human-shaped from what he could gather; the officers had passed around drawings and descriptions. It had two boxy, bipedal legs that were as tall as four griffons stacked on top of each-other, a bulky torso, no head and what looked like two arms mounted in large shoulders covered with armour. One of the arms had what looked like a large black barrel with a boxy shape attached to the bottom of it, the other, more concerning limb had an object with three ‘barrels’ all connected together in the vague shape of a triangle. The reason why that arm provoked such anxiety in Lexwing was that the tri-barrelled object was glowing a crimson red at the tip and was starting to spin. Oh, and it was also pointed directly at his platoon as well. Lexwing dived to the ground as a barrage of red beams shot-out of the spinning object at a terrifying rate, landing behind him as screams filled his ears. He started to hyper-ventilate as his Sergeant fell to the ground beside him, the large griffon’s left-talon side completely sheared off with the remainder of the corpse slowly being consumed by fire. Lexwing could feel the heat of the giant’s weapon wash over his armoured back as it strafed the shrieking forces behind him. The Private began to crawl forward towards the giant, the biped monster seemingly focused on the bulk of the army as Lexwing made hast leaving his doomed comrades behind. He briefly had time to note the other identical giants that had emerged from their own eggs scattered down the line, all nine mimicking the one Lexwing was approaching before the other tube that the closest one had mounted in its left arm boomed, a massive explosion behind him flinging Lexwing into the air. The private collided with the grassy ground heavily; the air knocked from his lungs as his back stung like it was fire. He franticly felt behind him with a talon expecting to find ravaged flesh and gaping wounds however all he could feel was a few small pieces of shrapnel. He pulled them out, three jagged bits of blood-stained metal that seemed to be from an armour piece. His injuries proving to not be as life-threatening as he feared he observed his surroundings, his ears still ringing from the explosion that had propelled him to his current spot. With alarm he noted that he was almost next to the giant, the creature still pouring death into soldiers far away. Lexwing found that he still had his spear in his grip, the memories of his slain squad members re-kindling his courage. He managed to stand, his spear outstretched as he valiantly willed his tired wings to flap, the griffon soldier taking fight. He sped towards the giant, the creature still not having noticed him as the private rocketed onwards with spear ready to strike. Lexwing knew that he may die, but he swore that his sacrifice would not be worthless as he closed in on the unsuspecting beast. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Tenichi glanced down at the status readout at the bottom of his display, the AI controlled under mounted flame-turret enveloping a solitary approaching target in fiery death. The corporal hadn’t even noticed the lone enemy, the walker-operator re-focusing on his current targets as the flames died down leaving only ashes behind. He fired off another burst of lasers as he moved his foxhound forward, the beams eliminating another group of hostiles. His fellow walker pilots did the same, the chatter over his communications system informing him that no friendly losses had been suffered; the mythological creatures had been caught un-aware and ill-equipped to fight mechanical vehicles of war. Already the attack on the native city was faltering, Tenichi glancing up as more drop pods thundered down into the city to disgorged standard infantry. A large group of Minotaurs appeared to be retreating, Tenichi swivelling his walker’s torso to allow his grenade launcher a clear angle. With a thump a high-explosive grenade left the weapon, detonating amidst the group of armoured bulls turning them into flying bits of flesh and gore. A few of the enemies had made it to the city walls, Tenichi able to see a few griffons fly up to attack the defenders while the minotaurs utilised grappling hooks to haul themselves up. An order came over his communication relay to not fire on any targets close to the city walls to prevent damaging the native infrastructure. Tenichi acknowledged, turning his weapons upon the next soon-to-be-dead creatures as his foxhound strode ever-onward, pulping bodies and crude weapons beneath its artificial feet. The defenders on the city walls were in for a desperate fight, the Minotaurs and Griffons either had to break through to the inner city or return to combat the walkers sowing death and confusion with no chance of victory. The corporal had confidence in his fellow soldiers within the city, ready to turn his weapons on any retreating foes when the invaders where inevitably repulsed. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Three on the left, twenty metres down.” Private Alexandra Rosenster peeked around the corner of the stone house, highlighting the three griffon soldiers standing amongst the wooden store carts to the rest of her squad behind her. The ten soldiers were all stacked up against the side of the white-walled building, the light of fire dancing across their light-tan coloured armour from the many buildings burning in the city. All ten were able to ignore the smoke filling the air due to their enclosed suits and full-face helmets, re-breathers filtering out the harmful fog while their helmet optics enabled them to see through the haze. “Free to engage,” Sergeant Harper ordered, two other privates crouching down next to Alex as all three lined up their own targets. The sights of their laser pulse rifles were linked to their helmet systems, each soldier able to see which enemy the others were targeting. Alex had her crosshair dead on the form of a griffon wearing an iron breastplate, the hybrid covering its mouth with a red cloth held in its claw to ward off the smoke much like its two companions. With a light squeeze of the trigger Alex shot a three-round burst of laser projectiles into the side of the griffon, it along with the other two enemies shot by her comrades falling to the ground with gurgled cries as the un-seen blue pulses tore through their bodies. “Targets neutralized,” Alex radioed, the three privates who had fired keeping their sights trained on the fallen bodies. “Move up,” the Sergeant ordered, the rest of the squad moving out of the cover as they dashed into the street with weapons raised on their shoulders. Alex and her two fellow shooters waited until the rest of the team had left the wall before bringing up the rear, every trooper scanning alleyways and doorways with their weapons primed. Even if their enemies seemed technologically inferior it couldn’t hurt to be on guard. Alex moved towards the centre of the street where the griffon bodies lay, the market carts surrounding them presumably hastily abandoned when the local inhabitants fled the invading forces. A furniture store to the left down the street crackled with flames, burning heat warming the air as Alex approached the griffon she had shot. She trained her rifle on the fallen soldier as the griffon twitched, its chest still moving up and down as the three holes in the side of its torso let out wisps of smoke. The rest of her squad began to investigate the surrounding buildings in pairs three at a time, checking them for hostiles as the remaining four stayed in the middle of the street. Alexandra poked the griffon in the forehead with the tip of her rifle barrel, the weapon coloured the same as her armour. The griffon opened its eyes and hacked up a smoke-filled lungful of air, it’s green eyes staring into the dull grey visor of Alex’s helmet as it glared at her hatefully. “This one’s still alive,” Alex radioed, the Sergeant glancing over to the griffon as Alex pinned its chest with an armoured boot. “Command ordered no prisoners and it’s not worth wasting medical supplies on it. Kill it.” The griffon’s eyes widened as Alex placed her rifle barrel against its head in response to the Sergeant’s order. The hybrid tried to speak but before it could form any words Alex switched her rifle to single-fire and pulled the trigger, the creature’s skull exploding in a burst of light as the pulse laser penetrated the griffon’s skull and frying its brain. Alex quickly swung her rifle towards a cart two metres away as a gasp followed by hacking coughs sounded out, the other soldiers in the street also training their weapons on the sound. The wooden cart was shaded by a red-and-white covering, the watermelons lying within un-touched amongst the chaos of the city at war. Alex noticed Sergeant Harper point his plasma rifle at the un-remarkable cart as he signalled for her to peek underneath. The private knelt down, making sure to keep her rifle at eye-level as she stared under the cart as her squad mates surrounded it. Staring back at her were three sets of eyes, two hazelnut brown with the other a solid pink. The eyes belonged to a group of three ponies, the native inhabitants huddled together under the cart as they stared in fear at the human soldier. Alex counted two adults and one pink-eyed child, a foal she believed was the correct term for the young creature. All three sets of eyes alternated from staring at her to glancing at the smoking remains of the griffon that they had just witness Alex execute. “Come out from under the cart slowly,” Sergeant Harper ordered out loud, having witnessed what dwelt beneath the object through the Private’s Helmet camera, “make no sudden movements and you will not be harmed.” The soldiers had been told that due to previous engagements against the ponies by the ISA agents some of the ponies may act with hostility to any human, the Sergeant deciding to play safe and make sure the three ponies posed no threat. All of the soldiers kept their weapons ready as the ponies complied with the command, the three nervously crawling out from under the cart under the watchful gazes of the alien warriors. As they emerged Alexandra observed that the trio were all normal ponies as opposed to Pegasi or Unicorns, the private seeing that there was a mare, a stallion and a foal if the brief descriptions about the equine race they had received prior to dropping were accurate. One thing that was confirmed as truth was that ponies came in a multitude of colours, the stallion grey with a light-blue mane, the mare chocolate-brown with a tan mane and the foal was a light lime with a two-tone yellow mane. The stallion and mare appeared to have burns on their upper bodies, the wounds scattered along their backs while the foal, a filly from the looks of its muzzle and build was un-scathed. All three had lowered themselves to the ground in front of the human troopers, legs tucked under them as they glanced around fearfully. “What are you doing out here civilians?” Sergeant Harper questioned firmly, the soldiers having lowered their weapons but ensuring that they could be raised in a mere moment. The ponies looked at the sergeant with visible terror, the foal shaking with horror as it tried to avoid looking at the dead glassy eyes of a griffon soldier lying right next to it. “W-e we-were at the ma-market and we were t-told by the guards to head back home but some gr-griffons landed in the street so we hid under the cart,” the stallion answered as he shuffled closer to the mare and foal, the soldiers letting the pony proceed. One of the other privates grabbed the body of the dead griffon that was lying next to the foal and dragged it away, the ponies relaxing slightly as it became evident that they were not going to meet the same fate as the griffons. “They threw something into the furniture store but it must have not worked like they wanted because it didn’t do anything. They threw more in when it suddenly caught fire and began to burn; some embers or bits of wood got under here and burnt me and Cinnamon a little.” The stallion looked at the brown mare’s back as he said this, the smell of burnt hair still strong as he grabbed one of her hooves with his. He looked up at the human who had addressed him, an expression of concern on his face. “What’s going to happen to us?” the pony questioned, still unsure of the strange creatures motives. “My orders do not involve staying and looking after a few civilians,” the soldier replied sternly, “you either stay here, go home or come with us and do exactly what I tell you.” The ponies all paled at the human’s limited options. “But what if more griffons come?” The stallion asked fearfully, the Sergeant waving over a trooper with a red cross on a white circle painted onto his shoulder armour. “Not my problem, I’d prefer you to make your own way back but unfortunately I’ve been ordered to attempt to preserve civilian life so I’d recommend you stick with us in case any more griffons ambush you on the way back.” The stallion mulled over his options before nodding at the soldier’s suggestion, after all these creatures seemed capable of dealing with any threatening griffons. The ponies watched as the biped pointed towards the human that had found them under the cart, the sight of the soldier refreshing the equines’ memories of the prior field execution of the downed griffon. “Rosenster, you’re on babysitter duty. Try to keep them in line.” The allocated soldier turned its faceless head towards the ponies, the three equines shuddering as the reflective face of the killer gazed at them. “Yes sir,” the soldier spoke, evidently a female judging from its voice. The stallion tore his vision away from the intimidating trooper as the human summoned by the apparent leader set down a case and began to pull out strange equipment that to the ponies looked like medical supplies. The creature, evidently a medic as marked by the red cross picked up a bottle-like object with a foreign head. Cinnamon hissed as the human sprayed some of the solution on the burns that dotted her back. The medic followed this up by placing dressings over the wounds; by this time the anaesthetic incorporated into the anti-septic spray had kicked in numbing the pain. With the mare taken care of the medic moved onto the stallion, repeating the procedure as the filly watched on while being hugged by her mother. As the medic worked the six troopers who had been investigating the surrounding buildings reported that nothing had been found, the Sergeant quickly explaining the situation. Alex watched the ponies as they stood up together, he rifle held across her chest. They looked at her with fear, obviously not used to the violence of warfare. She snorted under her helmet as she disengaged her rifle’s energy cell and replaced it with a fresh one. The old cell was placed in a slot on her armour near her waist, the batteries within her armour charging it back up to full. Since she had only fired three shots it would be done in a few minutes but it never hurt to have a full clip of ammo. The squad began to move out, their target the next street in the area. Fifty ten-man squads had dropped like theirs and each had an area of the city to clear, their orders to slowly go from one street to the next clearing out any enemy remnants. The last soldier bringing up the rear, Alex turned to the family of equines observing warily as the soldiers moved down the street with their weapons armed. “Let’s go,” Alex ordered, the three ponies flinching at her voice, “do exactly what I tell you to and try to stay behind me.” The soldier moved to follow her comrades, glancing behind to see that the equines were following her as ordered, abet hesitantly. She focused back in front of her, scanning windows and rooftops with her rifle’s sights. They still had five streets they had to clear; with the addition of the civilians it would now push them behind schedule. Well, they might be able to finish in time as long as nothing else went wrong, judging by the limited resistance that the griffons were putting up Alex doubted that any more problems would arise. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Keep fucking stabbing them you pathetic excuses for soldiers!” Stevens yelled abuse at the ponies fighting with him on the wall, the section that had received the brunt of the enemy attack swarming with griffons and minotaurs preferring to face pony defenders over laser-toting mechs. The pony guards had been awestruck at the sight of the falling drop-pods that had revealed the UIP Army Foxhounds within once landed, the equines gob-smacked at the sheer devastation that the walkers had unleashed. Stevens had neglected to inform them that Foxhounds were considered light walkers primarily used for riot suppression and scouting. The awe had soon changed to desperation however when the enemy had started to scale the walls, a tide of hybrids hurrying to escape the mechs fighting the ponies tooth and nail as the walls teemed with melees and battle cries. Griffons and Pegasi duelled in the air, Minotaurs engaged entire groups of guards and Stevens just tried to kill everything he could see. His rifle had been lost when a minotaur had bashed the drained weapon out of the Corporal’s hands with a metal mace, the bull receiving two bullets into the skull courtesy of Steven’s sidearm shortly after. He had switched to using his hand-gun and left-arm-mounted energy blade, deciding against using his infernus pistol was a bad idea. Granted using a one-handed flamethrower to burn things would be satisfying but it would also immolate ponies as well, Steven having been told to not kill any more of the equines. He still didn’t care much for the Equestrians; he thought that the changelings were much better puppet-allies anyway. Stevens side-stepped a downward axe stroke from a rage-filled bull, the ISA soldier dashing forward and impaling the creature through the chest with his blade before the hybrid could attack again. The minotaur bellowed as a splash of blood propelled out of its mouth to land on Steven’s armoured body. With a grunt Stevens pushed the bull’s torso with a boot and pulled his sword free, the minotaur tumbling over the side of the wall to crash down with a sickening crack. Stevens turned to his next target, a group of three lightly armoured minotaurs trading blows with six pony guards. A battered unicorn in golden armour was lying limp to the side, Stevens unable to see whether it was still breathing or not. Its life however was of no concern to the Corporal; his time was better spent ensuring that the invasion was repelled as soon as possible. Stepping over a discarded war-hammer he snuck around the rear of the three bulls while they were preoccupied by the spear-wielding Equestrians. The ponies had scored multiple small wounds, however rall of the hybrids’ vital areas were shield by iron armour. As one of the bulls over-swung his club, forcing two ponies to dive out of the way onto the floor his fellows moved to finish the displaced guards, one bull hefting a greatsword while the other raised a well-worn axe. Stevens made his move, darting towards the middle bull that was armed with the club as the human’s hand reached out. The Corporal grasped the bull by the neck gap in its iron breastplate, the surprised bull letting out a choke as Stevens yanked back while his energy-blade sliced through the creature’s neck aided by the momentum of the charge. The head came off, a shower of arterial gore pumping into the air like a morbid water fountain, the heat of the energy-blade not quite strong enough to completely cauterize the wound. The two surviving bulls turned in shock as their comrade’s lifeblood rained down; the sprawled equestrians granted a second chance at life as the human entered the equation. The axe armed bull recovered quicker than his seemingly younger companion, a brutal horizontal swing aimed at Steven’s neck. The Wraith dropped down on the stone top of the wall as he lost his grip on his empty pistol, the grey handgun clattering on the stone surface. In order to attempt to prevent the bull from slicing him in half Stevens felt around and grabbed the nearest thing he could and flung it at the axe-toting hybrid, the minotaur about to strike again as two of the ponies tried to stab it with their weapons only enraging it further. The noggin of the recently be-headed bull flew straight and true, the gore-drenched severed neck impacting against the attacking Minotaur’s face with a squelch. The bull bellowed, not helping his situation as in addition to his eyes become blinded with the blood of his friend the coppery liquid also got in his mouth causing him to hack and wheeze. Stevens kindly rectified this for the spluttering bull, darting up and sliding his blade through the creature’s neck to emerge out the other side accompanied by a wash of vital fluid. A solid thump sounded and a sharp pain flair of pain burnt down Steven’s back as the last bull brought its greatsword down upon the human’s armoured back. Thankfully the inexperienced minotaur had aimed for the back of the human instead of the neck, the Corporal’s armour holding and stopping the sword from penetrating, however it only blunted some of the force of the blow as Steven was driven to the ground. The Wraith rolled onto his back and raised his blade in time to halt a second blow, the minotaur’s eyes filled with rage and pain, Stevens noticing that three of the ponies had their spears stuck in various areas of the hybrid’s body. A forth guard was sprawled on its back, the earth pony still clutching the broken shaft with a spear tip attached in his hooves, the other half of the weapon still attached to the stallion’s armour. As the minotaur began to drive the sword downwards towards Steven’s, the creatures raw strength causing the motors in the Corporal’s armour to squeal in protest the human’s right hand brushed the butt of his holstered hand-held flamer attached to his side. Seeing that the Equestrians were making no headway with stopping the bull and he himself was unable to force its weapon away he pulled it out. ‘Fuck it’ he thought as he pointed the grey-barrel of the weapon towards the bull, the threat going unnoticed due to the minotaur’s focus on beheading him. “Hey, grass-munching lard-ass,” Stevens insulted, the hybrid’s eyes fixating on his helmeted-face while the ponies also glanced at the human. “Guess how I like my steak?” The bull appeared both puzzled and even more pissed off, a snort of air rushing out of his nostrils. The ponies glanced at each other confused at the human’s words, however the stallion on the ground noticed the readied weapon the human held, a small flame at the end igniting causing the guard’s eyes to widen. “Well done,” Stevens remarked as he depressed the trigger of his flame pistol. A scorching inferno expelled from the end of the pistol and enveloped the top half of the bull, the creature dropping its sword as it wailed in agony as his brown fur caught alight. Stevens noticed the downed Royal Guard drive his broken spear into the right leg of the bull, unbalancing the creature as it flailed about in an attempt to extinguish the flames ravaging it’s body. Stevens unleased a brutal kick that connected with the hybrid’s groin plate, denting the armour and toppling the dying minotaur onto its back. The creature still thrashed, one Royal Guard mare sloppily ending the hybrid’s suffering with her spear. The pony dropped her weapon sickened as she alternated glances at the burnt body still crackling with flames and at the blood coating her own spearhead. The other guards were all attempting to stop the smell of charred meat from entering their noses. Stevens got up and retrieved his handgun, holstering his flamer at his side as he stood back up. The dim of battle had died down in the surrounding area, all combatants extremely startled by the large burst of flame that had bellowed into the sky. Even Pegasi and Griffons had halted their aerial duels to stare at the source of the blistering heat. Stevens walked towards the next group of enemies, the two minotaurs and three ponies starting at the biped in shock with their weapons locked with each other. The human reached the mare that had finished off the minotaur, the guard currently staring at the corpse as she sat on her rump frozen. He nudged her flank with a gore-coated boot, smearing a small amount of blood onto the mare’s mark of a broken sword. The armoured equine looked up at him wordlessly, her large blue eyes glistening with tears as she silently cried for the dead creature she had killed. “You’ll get used to it,” Stevens said without his normal sarcastic tone, his voice flat and lifeless. The mare watched on as the human raised his glowing blade towards one of the on-looking minotaur, calling out the creature in a challenge. “Your turn bull-bitch!" He yelled with vigour, leaping forward into brutal combat once more as the fighting for the wall returned to its prior intensity. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Lots of red fluid all spurting from slices, Killing you creatures is one of my vices, Cutting you up just to hear your death screams, These are a few of my favourite things” As he finished singing his song Chalmers pulled his knife from the griffon’s corpse, the long-dead bird-lion dropping limply to land in the pool of its own blood that had grown cold over the ten minutes that the Commander had spent with the body. A well-timed sword stab that the griffon had executed during an ambush had broken one of Chalmers’s helmet optics, a large scratch obscuring most of his vision in his right eye. This inconvenience had been the reason for the overzealous reaction, Chalmers displaying his hatred for the griffon in song and violence. Leaving the mutilated body where it lay on the roof of the large hotel that the humans had stayed in before Chalmers stood up and observed his surroundings. Over at the wall section where the main enemy force was located he spotted a five-second burst of flame extend into the sky, Chalmers re-calling that Stevens had been assigned to that section. He shook his head and looked over to the left within the city’s market district, the sounds of sustained pulse rifle fire accompanied by battle-shrieks making themselves known over the general dim of a city locked in war. Most of the flames and battles had seemed to die down, large scale battles in the city limits soon over thanks to the overwhelming firepower of the human drop troops. Smatterings of Pegasi, bat-ponies and griffons still fought in the skies, Nigel able to see a pair facing off below him above a double-story townhouse. The bat-pony stallion seemed to be holding his own, parrying his griffon opponent’s sword with his own hoof-mounted blade. Occasionally the griffon would try to claw the guard, the bat-pony already bearing some bleeding gashes where talons had found their mark. Chalmers watched the combat with interest, the bat-pony proving to be surprisingly skilled as he countered every blow received from his physically superior opponent. Eventually however the blood loss seemed to get to the winged night pony, the guard’s attacks becoming more sluggish. The Griffon capitalised on his foe’s weakness, lunging forward with a stab that the guard only barely managed to ward off. Nigel walked over to the edge of the building and stuck a pose with his fists placed against his hips. It was time to man up and be a hero. A bat hero. “Nananananananana Bat-Chalmers!” With the heroic announcement Nigel leapt off of the hotel roof with his arms spread wide, heading straight towards the duelling pair. Both had paused their attacks to glance up at the source of the strange shout, a large black human descending rapidly. The Lunar guard was too slow to even have a chance of avoiding the falling monster; however the human wasn’t aiming for the night guard. The griffon let out a strangled squawk as Chalmers tackled it mid-air, the hybrid caught off guard by the surprise aerial ambush. The pair left the shocked night guard behind as they plummeted towards the rapidly approaching wooden roof of the house below, the Griffon screaming as it tried to break free to no avail while Chalmers stared at the hard surface they were heading to. ‘Did not think this one through’ Nigel thought as he braced for impact. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Octavia attempted to keep the griffon approaching her at bay with her Cello bow, the warrior laughing as he chopped the bow in half with his sword. She had been so caught up in practicing her newest compilation that she hadn’t even noticed that the city was under attack. With her normally disruptive roommate away in Baltimare the musician had seized the opportunity to cram in as much practice as possible while the house remained a ‘wubs’ free zone. To say that the sudden storming of her practice room by an armed and armoured griffon came as a surprise was an understatement. The griffon making his intensions to harm her clear with expletive-laced threats of violence Octavia had responded to the best of her ability, hoping that the local guard would arrive in time before she met her end at the talons of the griffon warrior. The griffon, upon seeing the pony’s last line of defence shatter let out a peal of laughter. “Nice try pony,” he taunted as he stepped forward, Octavia finding herself backed into the wooden wall of the room, “but nothing can beat a griffon warrior!” Octavia glared at the griffon as it rose up on its hind legs, wings flapping to maintain balance as it moved to strike her with the sword. The famous cello player did not flinch as certain death loomed, the ash-grey mare standing her ground defiantly as she awaited the end. The griffon started to bring his weapon down but halted as a loud crash sounded from above, both he and Octavia glancing towards the roof. “What was th-“ The griffon was cut off as the ceiling above him collapsed, a loud crack ringing out as shards of wood rained down upon him followed by a bundle of feathers and black limbs. Octavia dived out of the way against the wall to avoid the debris, the mare raising a hoof to her muzzle as she was racked by cough caused by the aftermath of the collapse. As the dust cleared she looked towards the massive pile of mess in the middle of her practice room, thankfully her cello was safe on the other side and she was unharmed. “That… that could have gone better,” a male voice spoke from the centre of the ruined room, Octavia’s heartbeat increasing as a large black shape rose from the rubble. The figure, a biped that Octavia recognised as a ‘human’ from descriptions of the beings that had attacked Equestria seemed to crack his neck as he rolled it around, placing his claws on his back as he pushed forward with a pop. He turned and looked at the mare, his face scarred with a large sash across his right red eye but the wound didn’t appear to bother the creature. The human seemed to pause as he looked at her, slowly looking back towards the pile to spot the two griffon bodies. “Well,” he began as he looked back at her, “looks like Bat-Chalmers arrived just in time.” Octavia was quite shocked that this ‘Bat-Chalmers’ had just crashed through the roof of her house and shrugged it off like nothing, Octavia able to see the night sky through the holes in her ceilings so he must have fallen from a great height. She glanced at the bodies of the two griffons and felt vomit threaten to expel itself, the mare raising a hoof and forcing it back down. “Thank you, whoever you are,” she acknowledged. The being may have been an enemy of the state but he had just saved her life so Octavia figured that it was the least she could do. “I am the Night,” the human proclaimed, his claws balling up as he placed them on his hips and stuck out his chest. Upon seeing the confused look upon her face he abandoned the strange pose, crouched down and held out a black claw towards her. “Not really, we all can dream. My real name is Chalmers, Nigel M Chalmers,” Octavia stared at the offered claw, hesitantly extending her left hoof in reply. She shivered as a strange sensation tingled down her spine as the cool hard digits clasped her hoof in greeting, the human giving it a few shakes before releasing her hoof and standing back upright, his head almost touching the ceiling. “Octavia Philharmonica,” she returned, staring at the strange creature as it seemed to freeze at the mention of her name. “Is there something wrong?” she questioned, the biped shaking his head. “Octavia, as in the masterful classical musician Octavia?” The human responded causing a light smile to appear on Octavia’s face at the praise. “Indeed, that is me,” she replied, the human pulling two objects from his belt. One appeared to be some kind of writing tool while other was too alien to identify, the large L shaped object quite intimidating to look at. “Sorry to bother you, but could I trouble you for an autograph?” questioned the creature as he held out the writing implement out and exposing one side of the larger object to her. Octavia shrugged internally, one autograph couldn’t hurt. She used her mouth to scrawl her signature upon the black item, the tool she used imparting a silver ink upon the black metal of the object. The human retrieved his writing device from her and placed it back into his belt, re-attaching the unknown object to his hip. “Thank you Miss Philharmonica, I’m a big fan of your work and find your pieces to be quite moving.” He finished his statement with a flourish of his claw, Octavia slightly taken-aback at the display of gallantry from such a un-expected source. “I should be thanking you,” she answered, “I wouldn’t have been able to continue with my work if it wasn’t for your… unusual entry.” She looked at the holes in the roof as she said this, the biped also looking towards the sky before angling his head back down towards her. “People always tell me that I know how to make an entrance, pleasure to be of service m’lady.” Following up this was a bow, the biped returning to his original posture before speaking again. “I know this may be sudden, but we should get a coffee sometime. I’d love to discuss the finer points of the musical arts with such a talented aural sculptor such as yourself.” Octavia was about to politely say reject the suggestion but stopped herself. While yes, the human was no doubt dangerous and a bit frightening in appearance he did seem very learned and quite the Gentlecolt as well. A coffee was not really a big ask and it had been ages since she talked to anyone apart from her fellow orchestral players and Vinyl so Octavia deciding to take the plunge. “That sounds delightful,” she answered as she glanced at the griffon corpses on the floor again, the sight causing her to gag once more. Chalmers upon seeing this moved to the bodies and picked once up in each claw, dragging them by the leg towards the door. Octavia listened as the front door was un-latched and the sound of two thumps originated from outside the house. She winced, although she knew that the griffons probably deserved more respect however having them out of the house already was making her churning stomach settle down. She jumped as a loud bang rang out from outside, the sound jarring her with its volume. Footfalls were heard and Nigel re-entered the room, the object she had signed held in one of his claws. Octavia noted that a small waft of smoke was drifting up from the end, the human turning his head to the main door as the sounds of talons on cobbled-stone became audible, the claw-steps passing the house before stopping near where the two thumps she had heard just before sounded from. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat but there is a war going on,” Nigel commented as he turned to leave. “I bid you farewell and I look forward to that coffee, I’ll contact you after this whole ‘invasion of your country’ is over.” “Goodbye,” Octavia farewelled as the human nodded and left, the sound of the front door closing behind him signalling his exit from the building. Octavia smiled despite the circumstances, she was sure that the arranged coffee meeting would no doubt be nice and rel- “I am Nigel M Chalmers! The Magical Element of Death!” The human’s shouted proclamation was accompanied by more of the loud bangs, these ones in rapid succession as griffon war cries met the human’s own. Octavia quickly shut the door to her practice room, barricading it with as much furniture and objects as the muffled sounds of battle occurred just outside of her home. Well, at least the upcoming coffee meeting after the war would prove to be interesting at the very least. Two Spooks and A Priest Walk Into a Theological Debate... Two Spooks and A Priest Walk Into a Theological Debate... Nigel laughed joyfully as he cut down the group of griffons he had surprised, the twelve creatures too occupied with investigating the two bodies Nigel had removed from the house to notice the arrival of the human before it was too late. Four had died as projectiles entered them before detonating, tearing off limbs and rending chunks out of their bodies. Of the other eight two charged Nigel with swords at the ready while the rest turned and fled into the air. The first charging griffon, clothed in metal chainmail learnt the lesson of wearing a helmet when a bullet from Nigel’s pistol entered his skull and blew the back of his head out. His comrade faltered at the sight and Chalmers capitalised on this, his un-occupied hand formed into a claw as the armoured limb punched through light leather armour halting the shocked griffon in his tracks. Not missing a beat the Commander turned his pistol on the fleeing group off griffons, cutting down all but one as he shot them in the back with no mercy. As the bodies fell out of the air Chalmers re-focused on the griffon whose chest was currently serving as a hand-warmer. “Sorry bud,” Chalmers quipped with absolutely no remorse as the griffon’s mouth opened and closed in shock as he stared at the hand, “but I’m completely heartless towards slavers.” Nigel clenched his fist, crushing flesh and the hybrid’s heart with the strength of his armour. A torrent of blood erupted from the creature’s beak as his eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent scream before falling limb. The Commander shook his hand and discarded the corpse upon the ground, pausing to crouch next to the boy as he wiped and cleaned his hand on the griffon’s leather vest. Standing back up he continued down the street filled with houses leaving a pile of bodies behind him. Popping out his sidearm’s energy clip he placed it into a slot on his waist for recharging as he slammed in a fresh magazine. “Working nine to five, what a way to make a living,” Nigel sang to himself as he strolled down the middle of the street doing a little three-sixty spin, “killing all of these fools, really keeps me grinning.” Most of the houses on this street seemed untouched, multiple eyes staring out at the dancing biped with terror. A griffon at the far end of the street was trying to force his way into a small house, the frantic movement behind the windows evidence that it was already occupied. The griffon panicked as Chalmers drew closer, the hybrid desperately increasing his assault on the sturdy wooden door of the white house. Nigel waited until the griffon turned around to attempt to observe how much closer he had gotten, already having raised his handgun towards the creature. He smirked as the creature’s eyes widened before the human’s gun roared and the door was given a new paint job, cranial-style. Loud booms in the sky drew his attention, three pods much larger than any already on the ground screaming down towards the ground. The ground rumbled a little as the metal boxes impacted outside the city walls throwing up a cloud of dust and debris. Nigel stood in the middle of the street staring at the direction of the impacts, his killing spree forgotten as he mulled over which tools of destruction could have joined the fun. The answer came as a long, wailing siren that sounded like the air-raid warnings from the old terra wars rang out, the first soon joined by two more in a chorus of woe and despair. Chalmers grinned under his helmet, recognising the siren and the machine that produced it. ‘Well, lots of people are about to have their day become much, much worse.’ Stevens rose up from behind the battlements on the wall, the massive upturning of dust and dirt dying down as the tremors subsided. Out in the fields three new objects had appeared, tall oblong pods with a tapered tip at the top having slammed down from the skies. Each pod was about four times as large as the ones that had delivered the Foxhounds, the massive drop containers groaning as their front walls lowered to the ground as steam bellowed out concealing what lay within. If the arrival of the Foxhounds and Stevens’s flamethrower had surprised the numerous combatants then it was nothing compared to the sheer awe that the impressive structures invoked. Ponies, griffons and minotaurs alike ceased fighting as the front ramps crashed down the ground with booms. Stevens was standing with a group of fifteen battered pony guards that he had organised into a roving kill-team, before the new arrivals they had been swiftly defeating all opposing forces by a combination of overwhelming numbers and co-ordination as provided by Stevens. “What… what are they?” a young unicorn guardmare with a bleeding gash above her right eye questioned Stevens. The wraith didn’t answer at first, three towering forms emerging from the steam covering the pods. The ground shook slightly as a large five-toed claw dug into the earth in front of the lead pod, the foot itself the size of a small house. This was followed by a second as a large tan walker made its presence known, the machine six times the height of the Foxhounds that were roving ahead around the wall. It was far bulkier than the scout mechs, a large armoured torso mounted on two heavily-armoured bipedal legs that were themselves twice tall as a Foxhound. The legs were jointed the same as the knees of a human, a ‘head’ stylised in the shape of a leering skull with its mouth open in a scream with two eyes that shone with baleful light. The walkers’ torsos looked far more human-like than their smaller counterparts, multiple weapons ports and arrays squeezed in amongst armour plates covered with white writing and scenes of war. Each machine had two bulky arms laden with weapons attached to armoured shoulders with golden plating covering the armour. Camouflage was not really a concern to the designers of the battle machines; intimidation factor was considered much more of a boon. The three advanced out of their pods and stood still for a second before the lower jaws of their skull heads lowered even further. All across the city and surrounding area thousands shuddered in terror as three mournful wails originated from the skulls, an aural omen promising misery and torment as the mechs sang their song while raising their weapons towards any enemies still moving in the fields. “Those there are Fellreavers, pony,” Stevens stated as his unit of guards broke their gazes to look at the human. “Evidently some general up with the fleet decided that this battle was taking too long.” “What do you mean?” an Earth pony stallion questioned as he shifted his armoured helmet. The mechs answered this question for Stevens, large cannons mounted in the right arms glowing an eerie blue before discharging at multiple groups of enemy soldiers. Thunderous blasts echoed out as superheated plasma vaporised entire platoons along with large chunks of land, the heat of the weapons able to be felt from the walls. The initial glows of the impacts were too bright to look at without eye protection, blinding some of the griffons and minotaurs that were close to the impacts. The fighters atop the walls took a few moments for their vision to clear and when it did everyone was horrified at what remained in place of the targeted warriors. Nothing. Great craters of what seemed to be glass were all that was left, the heat of the plasma scorching all traces of the enemy soldiers away into nothingness. The wails still emitting from the skulls stopped, replaced by electronic soulless laughter that chilled the souls of all that heard it as the metal beasts started to unleash their smaller weapons upon isolated enemy forces, rockets launched from racks mounted in chests exploding amidst troops while rapid-fire laser turrets unleashed a storm of energy bolts upon lone soldiers. This show of force had the intended effect, with cries of despair the griffons and minotaurs still left alive on the walls tried to flee. The griffons shed armour and weapons to take to the skies, some being brought down by pulse-laser weapon fire from within the city while the majority of the flyers escaped into the horizon with their lives. The minotaurs were not so lucky, their only options being a wall of pony weapons or murderous metal giants. As such they died in droves, a few surrendering while some chose to attempt to flee past the mechs. The defenders upon the walls let them go, detaining the ones that has given up while moving to attend to the many dead and wounded. Stevens and his team, the guards’ hatred of him forgotten during the battle watched as the Foxhounds, moving extremely fast for something that large intercepted the minotaurs that had fled across the field. A few accurate bursts of laser weaponry from the scouts wiped out the majority and convinced the remaining survivors to surrender immediately, the minotaurs throwing down their weapons as the Foxhounds watched them with barrels spinning. “Kneel on the ground and place your hands upon your heads!” a voice boomed from a speaker attached to one of the ‘hounds, “any attempts to move or escape will result in execution!” The hybrids complied with haste, roughly forty following the commands of the Foxhound squad leader. Seeing that the situation was under control the group of guards dispersed as the sounds of battle faded away leaving the melancholy atmosphere of the after-battle cries of the wounded. Stevens didn’t stop to help the Equestrians attend to their own; the battle for the city still wasn’t over as proved by the sounds of energy rifle discharges in the distance. The corporal checked his weapons, having found his rifle just before the Fellreavers had landed. That the rifle was still in working condition despite the hit it had received was testament to the quality of the weapon. He had three energy magazines fully charged and his sidearms were all in working order. His arm-blade was bloody but still in working order and ready for more use. Satisfied that none of the tools were going to blow up mid-operation the wraith moved off by himself towards the closest sounds of fighting, ready to add more notches to his kill-count. Lucky Sweep huddled with his wife Cinnamon and their daughter Pepper behind an overturned market cart as the human soldiers fought against griffons barely three metres in front of them, the bipeds firing their deadly weapons whenever the large group of griffons attempted to charge them. The soldier guarding them, ‘Rosenster’ as the human had been addressed by her sergeant would duck up from her position beside the three ponies and fire off bursts of blue energy occasionally. Three times the soldier had removed a rectangular part of her weapon that was near the grip and place it onto a free slot on her armour before grabbing an identical box and inserting it back into the weapon. Lucky Sweep assumed that the boxes, coloured the same tan as the weapon, served as a some source of power. After leaving their original hiding place the group of three had followed the human troops as the bipeds cleared street after street, brutally and swiftly putting down any griffons that had the misfortune to be found. At one point the group had happened across a second ten-human squad, all of the soldiers garbled in the exact same armour and sporting the same weapons. The two squads had paused at a crossroads for a few moments, nodded at each other and then went their separate ways. Lucky Sweep had lost sight of the second squad as they had rounded a corner, the female soldier escorting them rushing the ponies along when they had lagged behind. The humans had entered many houses; Lucky noticing that many of the dwellings had been occupied with nervous ponies glancing out of windows after the troops had left. When questioned, Rosenster had told him that ‘our orders are to eliminate all griffons, not stay in houses and guard ponies.’ Sweep had decided that reminding the soldier about the fact that she was currently guarding them was not a good idea; Rosenster didn’t appear to like them much already. Lucky peeked through a small gap in the cart, his view of the street obscured partially by one of the soldiers firing their weapon from behind some debris. What he could see however was chilling, a few dead griffons lying on the cobbled road after they had been caught out in the open after a horrifying sound had filled the air a few minutes earlier. Sweep and his family had also frozen at the wail before the griffons had been spotted and the three had been pulled behind the cart by a few soldiers. The humans hadn’t reacted at all to the demoralising dirge, seizing the opportunity to kill a fair amount of griffons before the remainder had sheltered behind walls and rubble. These griffons had crossbows and had been trading shots with the humans ever since, the humans not moving up as multiple alleyways dotted the street that held the threat of ambushes. Sweep jerked back from his peephole as a crossbow bolt impacted a bare inch from his head, Rosenster noticing before aiming her weapon at something behind Lucky. He turned and saw that some griffons had appeared in the windows of a double-story house, possibly the creatures had been hiding until the right time to ambush. Why they had tried to shoot him over the humans he couldn’t work out. The three ponies crouched down even lower as the human moved in front of them and crouched down on one knee, shielding them with her own body. The three Equestrians watched as the solder calmly took three crossbow bolts to the chest, each projectile ricocheting off as they impacted against her evidently strong armour. Rosenster aimed at the window where the bolts had come from, the griffons ducking out of sight to presumably reload their weapons. The Equestrians watched as one of the soldier’s fingers moved to a second trigger further towards the barrel of her weapon, the trigger attached to a grey rectangular object under the weapon’s main barrel. Rosenster depressed the trigger and a loud thump sounded from another barrel sticking out from the object. The faint sound of whistling could be heard before the window sheltering the griffons was blown out with a burst of flame and noise, taking most of the upper-wall with it. Sweep’s ears flattened at the noise as white stone and bits of griffon fell down to the street, Cinnamon and Pepper hiding their eyes behind hooves as they covered their heads and lay on the ground. Sweep found himself unable to look away as four of the humans broke their cover to race over to the house with crossbow bolts harrowing them. The front soldiers raised their weapons and also activated the underslung attachments as what Sweep assumed to be some form of projectiles crashed through the bottom windows before detonating with a loud bang and a bright white flash. These ones seemed to not be explosive in nature, the four humans rushing into the house. A short staccato of human weaponry firing sounded before Sweep saw the four soldiers take positions behind what was left of the upper floor, the humans using the secured elevated position to further harass the griffon troops. It looked as if the battle was at a stalemate; while the humans possessed superior equipment the griffons had the advantage of numbers as well as numerous ambush positions. This changed however when a great gout of flame originating from an alleyway consumed a three-griffon fire-team that where hiding behind a house corner. As they shrieked and burnt another griffon violently flew screeching through the air from an alleyway on the right side, opposite to the origin of the flames. Sweep winced as the flailing griffon impacted against a house with a crunch, evidently whatever had attacked him had surprised him enough that the creature was unable to halt his fall. The griffon lines were thrown into disarray as a large black-armoured human advanced from the alley firing away with a one-handed weapon that tore great rents in every griffon it hit. The most disturbing thing was the singing audible the din of battle and the crack of the new human’s weapon. “Dun Dun Dun, another one bites the dust! Dun Dun Dun, another one bites the dust! And another one gone and another one gone, another one bites the dust!” The first voiced was joined by a second as another black human, this one a smaller than the first. It walked out of the alley from which the flame had come from as it fired away with a weapon that was like the ones carried by the tan soldiers, except it caused similar wounds as the first humans one handed weapon. “Hey, gonna get you too! Another one bites the dust!” the second black human sang with the first, both of them swiftly annihilating any griffons they could see. With a wave of his hand the human sergeant moved out of cover and advanced down the street accompanied with the remaining four tan soldiers, Rosenster remaining behind the cart with the Equestrians. All of the griffons were quickly killed, caught in both flanks with a tide of firepower from the front hammering into them as they tried to run. The few that made it into the air were shot down soon after, bangs ringing out as human troops entered houses and cleared them of any hostiles. The sounds of violence soon died down, the four troops that had been firing from the house passing by the cart as one gestured towards Rosenster. “Let’s go, move it,” she barked at the Equestrians, Lucky pulling Cinnamon and Pepper up as the five troops waited. The ponies were then herded through the street covered with blood and corpses towards the rest of the human troops as well as the two black humans. As they closed in Sweep could make out what the two new humans were saying, the smaller one currently talking to the larger one who was a full head and shoulders taller than the rest. “… so I said to the bull, ‘well done,’ then burnt that Fucker to a crisp.” “Well, I knew as soon as I saw the flames that once again you’d gone and done something. How’d the Golden Cans hold up on the walls?” the three ponies stopped and sat down behind a wall of tan troops, noticing that their escorts had halted. The smaller biped shrugged at his counterpart’s question. “Okay I guess, to be honest most of them just seem really green. Well, that and the fact that their spears do jack shit. Give them some experience and some better weapons and they could perform fairly well. How about you, anything interesting happen?” Sweep wondered why these two were speaking aloud; the other humans seemed to be able to talk between each other silently. “Well, I killed some guys, a Griffon scratched my armour,” Sweep was able to see a large gash across a glowing red eye that was part of the human’s helmet as the soldier showed it off to his conversation buddy as well as the other humans. “So I gutted him, I jumped off a building, saved one of those bat-ponies from a griffon, landed in a house with said griffon and crushed another griffon just before it was going to kill a mare. Then I proposed a coffee meeting, received an affirmative, walked outside and then killed more griffons. All-in-all a very productive working day in the fine service of the UIP.” The human finished his explanation, the other black biped giving a little clap while the tan troops lined up and saluted when the taller human turned his attention to them. “Sergeant Hostenburg reporting sir,” the leader of the ten human squad greeted, “Our mission objectives have been completed with the neutralization of the treat in this street. Thank you for the assist.” “Not a problem Sergeant, I had some free time on my hands and the Corporal here obviously did as well.” The corporal nodded in confirmation, the sergeant gestured back towards the ponies all sitting down in the street. “We also picked up some stragglers, I thought about just leaving them in the first house we cleared but with their wounds I thought it would be best if they were accompanied by medical personnel at all times.” The tall human looked at the Sergeant for a moment without replying, Sweep wondering if the Sergeant had done something wrong by protecting them. “Sergeant Hostenburg,” the black human began evenly after his pause, “to my understanding your orders were to secure the city and drive out any enemy forces. Did your orders include dragging along three natives through a combat zone potentially risking the lives of your soldiers merely because you didn’t wish to leave them behind without medical attention?” “Yes Commander,” the Sergeant replied without hesitation as he stood ramrod straight under the barrage of questions. The Commander once again let silence hang in the air, Sweep wondering just how badly the Sergeant had messed up in the eyes of his superior officer. “Very good judgement Trooper,” the Commander finally responded, “expect a commendation for going above the call of duty. I assume that you are now heading back to the castle?” “That is the muster point sir,” the prideful sergeant answered with a nod, “are you heading the same way?” “I am, mind if Stevens and I here tag along with your colourful group?” “Of course not,” the Sergeant replied as he turned and started to move towards the castle in the distance, the two black humans joining him at the front of the column of troops as the humans moved with their leaders. The three ponies got up and followed, Lucky Sweep, Cinnamon and Pepper at the back accompanied by two humans. One of them was the female who had been with them the entire time, Rosenster, while the other was not known. Sweep tried to keep his mind off the fact that he was walking along a street soaked in death, the stallion looking up at the unknown human as he walked along. “So,” he started, Lucky being rewarded with a nod of acknowledgement from the human soldier. “Are those two black humans your leaders?” The second soldier seemed to pause at this, appearing as to judge whether he could be overheard by the group in front of them. “No they’re not,” the trooper, a male, answered, “They’re ISA.” This was not very helpful to Sweep although the name did sound menacing. “Spooks,” Rosenster quietly explained, “spies and black ops. The guys who do all of the really nasty stuff.” This confused the ponies who were all listening. The fact that Rosenster had spoken something besides short, forceful orders was one thing; the reasoning that the ‘ISA’ humans were worse was another. “Isn’t all killing bad?” Pepper softly asked much to the surprise of the two adult Equestrians. Rosenster let out a small, humourless chuckle at the child’s question as her comrade turned his head towards her. “Yes, yes it is kid. Those spooks are complete psychopaths with no morals though.” “Alex…” the male soldier warned quietly, “watch what you say.” “Come on Mohammad, you know they probably wouldn’t mind being known as that. They sang a song as they killed for Emperor’s sake, that isn’t normal.” “That still doesn’t mean that you have free reign to insult them,” the soldier named ‘Mohammad’ scolded before looking at the Equestrians, “Alex does have a point thought despite her words, whatever you do, do not piss an ISA agent off. I’ve shared a few battlefields with them and that display back there was tame to what they usually do.” The trooper looked forwards as they continued to walk along. “At least these ones don’t seem to be psionics.” Like that the issue was dropped. The humans didn’t elaborate and the ponies did not push for any more information. Sweep shut up and focused on keeping his hooves out of any blood spatters as he absorbed what he had just learnt. If these human troops that he had seen efficiently kill at least three times their number in griffons were nervous around the ‘ISA’ humans then just how bad where the black-armoured bipeds? “Stay inside until the guards tell you otherwise.” Celestia received grateful nods from the throng of ponies, the hundreds crammed into the castle courtyards as they awaited the news telling them that it was okay to leave. At first the majority of the ponies, the nobility, had been complaining about the changelings and humans sheltering with them. Three of the shape shifters were at the far end of the court yard guarded by a very intimidating biped armoured in black. Celestia herself had immediately taken control of the situation, working with her guard commanders to move all of the civilians into the safety of the castle walls. The selflessness of the nobles had come to light, the upper class whining about having to stay and sit on grass like commoners. A few nobles, either extremely brave or extremely stupid had even sought to confront the tan-coloured humans that had arrived in their falling metal boxes outside of the walls, the forty soldiers all reacted with restraint as the nobles threw various insults at them. Celestia had become worried when she had spotted a few humans tightening their grips on their weapons, the Princess herself barraged with countless questions from worried ponies. All of the nobility had ceased harassing the humans however when tremors had been felt, three gigantic sky-boxes landing outside the city. The mournful wails that followed had thrown the courtyard into complete silence, massive giants able to be seen moving outside the city as bright flashes and booms accompanied them. Celestia was incredibly glad that she had made peace with the humans. The thing that worried her however was the absence of her sister, where was Luna during this attack? Luna walked down the street clad in her old silver armour, eleven of her faithful night guard by her side as they flew and trotted from house to house. Luna’s armoured hooves were coated in a thin layer of gore, the night princess having slain two invading griffons while her guard had claimed eight more. Something had already gotten to most of the griffons first however, the twelve Equestrians having come across piles of bodies all with holes blasted in them. Some of the holes appeared to have been caused by great heat while others were so large and ragged that it was impossible to tell what manner of weapon could have caused them. The second type of wound did remind Luna of the Diamond dog massacre at Appleoosa, the Princess still able to recall the moment when twenty dogs were cut down in a second. Her night guard had all performed well, every one of the nocturnes working together to overcome their foes. The few civilians that the group had come across had whispered hurried thanks and bows before scurrying back into houses to hide. The gore that she sported probably wasn’t helping Luna’s image in the eyes of her subjects. A chorus of griffon shrieks pierced the air as a group of the invaders rushed out of a side alley into the side of the surprised night guards. Luna whirled to her left to face the oncoming foes, rearing up and bringing her hooves down upon the head of an on-coming griffon with a crunch. The warrior went down and her tally rose by one, her guards also meeting the foe with the clash of hoof blade on griffon sword. As Luna moved to assist her soldiers she noticed the desperate ferocity that the griffons launched themselves with. What were they running from? Luna was answered as a bunch of humans surged out of the alley that the griffons had ambushed from, the tan bipeds led by of the black humans encountered previously. Luna recognized the larger one as Commander Chalmers, the Commander raising a hand as the tan troops behind him raised their weapons at the melee in progress. “They’re too close,” the human shouted as the griffons that were un-engaged turned towards him in fear. “Fix bayonets and stab the shit out of them!” The tan soldiers’ weapons all glowed blue as long blades of energy extended from below the weapons, transforming the projectile weapons into spears. “Pip Pip Tally Ho!” With the strange cry from Chalmers the humans surged forward into the melee with their weapons extended. Griffons were caught between Nocturne and human, either dying when stabbed by the night guards or when sizzling blue incorporeal blades cut through even plate armour to cut and burn vital areas within. The Commander was just near Luna, the biped crushing a griffon’s skull against the cobbled ground with an armoured hand. “So Princess,” he began as he stood up from the corpse, “how’s your day been so far?” He upholstered his sidearm and with two shots blasted a griffon off a downed night guard just as the hybrid was about to finish off the wounded pony. To say Luna was pressed for an answer was an understatement. “My city is under attack! How do you think it’s been!?” She yelled back with clarity, dodging a griffon sword thrust before Chalmers blew the griffon’s head clean off. “Great!” Chalmers answered as the allied forces pressed forward, the majority of the griffons dead. “Although I must say I myself am looking forward to the end of this little war you’ve got going on, when it’s too easy all the fun gets sucked out of it.” The human then turned his weapon on a griffon soldier attempting to fly above the fight, four shots ringing out as the griffon’s wings were shredded, the hybrid screeching as it plummeted like a stone and crashed into a large display window of a fabric store. “Okay,” Chalmers conceded as the last griffon soldier was killed by a bayonet trust to its throat, “there’s still some fun to be had.” Luna didn’t grace the mad soldier with a reply, the princess instead surveying the recent battle zone. Thankfully none of her guards were dead; many were wounded however with a few lying on the ground. Their comrades attended to them alongside a few of the humans, the biped who had killed the last griffon heading towards the most critical injured while opening a case that sported the same red cross symbol as the human’s shoulder pads. From the alleyway emerged three ponies accompanied by another of the human soldiers, the stallion, mare and foal all trying to avoid looking at the griffon corpses they passed. As they approached they looked up at Luna with awe, the three bowing awkwardly before her. “Rise, this is not the time for such formality,” Luna commanded, the three returning upright before the soldier escorting them ushered them out of the street and under a nearby café sun-shade. Commander Chalmers walked up beside her as the two watched their respective troops pick up or assist the guards too wounded to move under their own power. “Well, that’s dealt with,” the Commander commented cheerily. Luna was surprised that the biped was able to remain so chipper in the midst of combat. “It was, thank you for… assisting us against the invaders,” Luna hated thanking the creature for his help, the Commander must have not noticed the hesitant words as he waved a hand in dismissal. “No problem, gave the troops something to do after all,” he gestured to the castle behind them, the top of the outer wall just visible from their position. “You heading back to the palace now? From what I’m hearing that group was one of the last griffons in the city.” Luna was a little confused at first but then recalled that the humans had some form of internal communication. “If there is no more left to fight then yes, that shall be our destination.” Luna glanced at the three equestrians sitting down at the café watching as the night guards and humans worked on preparing to move the injured, all hostility that may have existed between the guards and bipeds evaporating during the combat. “Those three civilians are…?” “Not mine,” Chalmers answered as he too looked at the three, “they were with the Sergeant before I arrived. I think they got caught out during the attack and were unable to take proper shelter. Two of them got burnt so the sergeant decided to keep them within the vicinity of a trained medical professional." As if cued the human medic, finished with providing aid to the injured guards and ensuring that they weren’t going to bled out approached the three ponies and appeared to converse with them. Evidently everything was satisfactory as he gave a nod to the watching leaders as two more humans joined Luna and Chalmers. One of them was the second black-armoured soldier with his glowing arm blade still extended while the third possessed tan armour, blood covering his slightly larger two-handed weapon as the human re-sheathed a vicious looking combat knife into a slot on his armour. “Commander,” the normal human soldier addressed, “everything is ready to go, we can depart for the muster point as soon as you command.” Chalmers turned towards Luna, the other black clad soldier moving to his Commander’s side. “Ready to leave Princess?” Chalmers inquired. Luna faced the human soldier who had given the news, the biped strangely saluting her and his commander. “Yes, let us leave this place and return to the castle so we may plan our next actions.” Luna noticed that some of the human soldiers had dragged the griffon bodies off of the street into the alley, pilling the corpses up in the darkness. While it may have been seen as disrespectful Luna guessed that they were only clearing the streets in order to make the post battle clean-up easier, Luna receiving a nod of affirmation from the tan human. “Very well ma’am, Commander,” the soldier stated to both respectfully as he walked into the midst of his soldiers and the night guards. Chalmers held a hand out towards Luna as he turned towards the castle. “Shall we depart, my lady? Surely you are looking forward to the end of this war as much as I am, no?” Luna snorted with half-annoyance half-amusement at the Commander’s words; while the end of the war would be welcome she was certain that the human was looking forward to it for reasons different to hers. Celestia trotted over towards her sister as Luna and a group of humans including the Commander entered through the castle gates. Celestia was shocked at the amount of blood on Luna, however thankfully it didn’t appear to be the alicorn’s. Three ponies with the humans stopped and spoke to one of the tan bipeds, Celestia noticing the soldier give a very hesitant hoof/hand shake with the grey stallion before the three moved off to find a space in the grounds. Celestia waited until she was out of sight of her subjects before rushing forwards and embracing her sister with her wings. “Luna, I was so worried about you,” Celestia said as the smaller alicorn looked towards the human troops watching them. “I went forth to protect our subjects, I am quite capable by myself Sister,” Luna felt the need to appear to be strong and protective in front of the humans, it seemed that they respected strength and strength alone. Celestia however didn’t pick up on her sister’s attempt to remain stoic. “I know, but you will always be my little sister and I should be the one protecting you,” Luna blushed as Celestia said this, a badly stifled snigger followed by a thump sounding from the humans’ direction. The two alicorns broke the embrace and looked towards the sound, the smaller black human picking himself of the ground as he rubbed the back of his helmet. Chalmers was standing with his hand raised in the air, evidently having smacked his subordinate with the back of his hand. “The Hell was that for?” the stuck soldier complained as the tan troops stood at attention with their weapons pointed at the ground. Celestia noted that all of the humans were covered in large quantities of blood; their assault must have been very successful. “For acting like a child, let them have their moment.” Commander Chalmers moved past the alicorns heading towards the group of changelings and another of the black soldiers. As soon as he left Celestia swore that the soldier the commander had hit muttered ‘Like you can criticise’ before storming off in the opposite direction. The tan soldiers appeared to silently converse with each other if the head movements were anything to go by before they too departed, heading towards the castle walls as a group. As soon as all the humans had left Celestia looked at her sister curiously, “What were they like?” Luna frowned as she recalled her brief experience with the humans. “The yellow armoured ones seem to be their standard military, from what I observed they are highly trained and efficient, they kill with purpose and do not seem to have strong emotional attachment to the act.” Luna shuddered a little, “Commander Chalmers and his soldiers however are a different matter.” Celestia also furrowed her brows. “They were that bad? I know that they seem to enjoy their jobs a little too much-“ “It was more than that,” Luna interrupted, “The Commander and the soldier with him fought with the ease of drawing breath, I swear that Commander Chalmers was attempting to woo me while he was in the middle of killing a griffon. It’s as if he has no compassion at all.” The night princess’s frown lessened, her look becoming one of confusion rather than distaste. “They did stop to help my injured guards however,” Luna continued as Celestia raised a questioning eyebrow, “and they did bring back three of our citizens. How can such callous creatures also almost appear to be as good as our subjects at the same time?” Both Alicorns looked back into the main courtyard, more human soldiers filing through the gate escorting more Equestrians in various states of wear. Medics adorned with red cross symbols moved throughout the population administrating aid to wounded while normal troopers appeared to converse with groups of Solar guards that entered the castle with them. Lastly the sisters looked towards the direction that the Commander had departed in, just in time to see a grey unicorn foal rush towards the human commander, Chalmers crouching down and giving the young unicorn a hug. The three changelings also crowded around the returned commander, two seemingly pleased that the human as alive while the third appeared to be worried about something. “I don’t know how Luna,” Celestia answered as the two began to walk towards the centre of the city in preparation to address their subjects. “I just don’t know.” “Calm down Horizon,” Nigel chuckled as the unicorn attempted to wrap his forelegs around Nigel’s chest, not even making it half-way due to the human’s armoured bulk. The foal let go and noticed that some blood smears had gotten on his grey coat, his smile fading a little. Nigel acted quickly and withdrew a white cloth from his armour, cleaning the colt off as the three changelings sat down and watched. Boland stood by impassive, his rifle held across his chest as he stared out at the Equestrians watching the reunion. Chalmers noticed this as continued to clean the unicorn. “You had some trouble from the Equestrians?” Nigel inquired, Nestor clearing his throat as the changeling prepared to speak. “From what I gathered the nobility took offense to sharing their space with us and a human,” the changeling responded with a trace of hurt in his voice, “a few of them even informed us and Sergeant Boland as the why we are apparently ‘not even fit to walk upon the ground that they do’ and how we are nothing but ‘cockroaches’ while Sergeant Boland was labelled a ‘repulsive monster that belongs in foals’ nightmares’.” “To be fair,” Boland spoke up as he glared down a noble, the unicorn stallion breaking his gaze and vacating the area, “it appears as if the nobles have been treating even their fellow equines the same. One even ordered a mother and her child off a bench so he could set down upon it.” Chalmers scoffed at this information as he shoved the now-bloody cloth inside his armour, Horizon now free of blood. “And to think that they call us monsters!” this earned a look from Boland, Nigel missing it as he instead focused scratching Horizon behind the ears. “Indeed, sir.” Boland replied with his voice as neutral as always. Horizon’s dark blue tail swished as the scratching continued, Reflection alternating her attention from the Commander to the castle gates. Chalmers noticed her apprehension and took a guess as to what was concerning the changeling. “Relax, Jacobs is fine. In fact his signal shows that he’s just about to turn up… now.” As Nigel said this a battered group of guards, around fifty of the equines, entered the palace alongside the mentioned corporal. The group must have seen heavy fighting, a large amount of the ponies limping or carried in on stretchers. There were even eight stretchers covered with white sheets, even the nobility ceasing their complaints as the procession passed. The guards all headed towards an area of the courtyard that served as the barracks, many waving or offering thanks to Jacobs as he split from them and headed towards his Commander and comrades. A black blur shot out as Reflection made a bee-line for the corporal, the changeling throwing herself into the soldier’s arms as Equestrians watched on in confusion. “You’re alright!” the changeling gushed as she clung to Jacobs, the young soldier chuckling as he lifted her up into his arms in a reverse piggy back. A noble unicorn mare scrunched her nose up in disgust at the sight, scoffing at the two’s display of affection. Jacobs raised his middle finger at the lady, the unicorn not getting the gesture. “It means ‘Fuck You’, you bigoted inbred,” the normally civil soldier explained with not a trace of malice in his voice much to the shock of the targeted noble and the amusement of multiple pony guards and humans in earshot. As he walked away Reflection stuck her tongue out at the speechless pony from her spot looking back over the human’s shoulder. Chalmers chuckled at the exchange, feeling no need to discipline his subordinate as the uppity noble got what was coming to her. He stopped his laughter and whistled as he saw the state of Jacob’s armour however, the tough metal bent and dented in multiple places. The soldier’s helm was untouched; his chest however had a large crater in the middle where the protection had buckled inward. “Yeah,” Jacobs spoke as he rubbed Reflection’s head, “those minotaurs can hit pretty hard. It’s a good thing that their weapons don’t have power-fields otherwise it wouldn’t just be my armour messed up.” “Much fighting in your area?” the Commander inquired as Jacobs leaned back against the stone wall with Reflection still out in front of him. “A far amount, unluckily the guards assigned to my wall seemed to be the newest recruits. I assume that whatever clowns are leading this nation’s military thought that keeping all the veterans in the thick of the fighting while leaving teenagers to watch everything else was a good idea.” “You call the ones I got stuck with veterans?” heads turned to the voice as Stevens ambled over to the group, “I saw one go into shock after she finished one of those rejects off, not even going to start about how their crap spears did jack shit. If those were the vets then the rookies must have been terrible.” “They weren’t too bad once they started listening to me and doing what I told them too,” Jacobs defended, “They may have been young but at least they could recognise just who had the most experience. I didn’t see a single officer out on the walls at all.” Chalmers smiled under his helmet as Jacobs explained what happened. In his early twenties the soldier was the youngest member of the wraiths on this mission, Nigel having heard that he had been fast-tracked up to the ISA squad due to his intelligence and promising future in command. The fact that he had managed to hold a defensive position aided only by a frankly poorly experienced local force that used to be enemies was testament to his ability. Chalmers gestured to the mass of nobles strutting around the courtyard with their noses in the air as they passed human trooper or Equestrian ‘commoner’ alike. “All the officers are probably hiding in here or defending their own mansions while their city burns,” one noble in particular drew attention, the unicorn beginning to berate a family of four that had appeared to block his path. “The funny thing is,” Nigel continued, “they seem to be the only ones who seem to think we deserve equality with their working class.” Everyone except Horizon chuckled, the foal not quite following what exactly was so funny. The laughter doubled when Nigel picked up a small stone and nailed the Unicorn in the flank with the thrown projectile, the stallion crying out in surprise before he and the lectured family looked in the group of changelings and humans direction. Nigel waved politely at the noble, only infuriating the upper-class snob further as the stallion stormed over leaving the equine family behind, all of them, a stallion, mare and two foals of indeterminate gender flashing looks of thanks towards the Commander. “This should be golden,” Nigel murmured to his companions as the fuming noble fixed him with an irate glare. “You there, monster!” the unicorn spat drawing the attention of many onlookers, “Is it not enough that you and your kind stink up this city with your noxious presence!? You also have the nerve to bring those parasites,” the noble pointed a hoof at the two changelings sitting next to the commander, “into our midst with nary a care! No, you then also attack me, Lord Gilded Thimble, most influential tailor in Equestria with a dirty rock! What do you have to say for yourself foul beast!?” Nigel remained still for a second, the noble awaiting a reply. The human turned his head and noticed the dejected looks that Mirror and Nestor had, obviously the unicorn’s remarks had hit them hard. Horizon moved over to the two and attempted to comfort them before Chalmers stood up, the Commander could handle insult directed at him but if the unicorn wanted to go too far then two can play at that game. The noble lost his confidence the second Nigel stood up, the human’s already impressive height made even more intimidating by the patches of blood covering his black armour. “What do I have to say for myself?” Chalmers began in a neutral voice, “Well, for starters I’ve spent the last twelve hours or so killing a lot of things so I’ll make my rebuttal short, precise and easy for an imbecile such as yourself to understand. I’ll start with some basics,” Nigel pointed down at a bloodstain coating his right fist, the armoured digits clenching as the noble’s eyes widened. “This is the hand which I used to crush a Griffon soldier’s heart while it was still inside his chest, I could still feel it beat until it finally popped.” Chalmers continued, gesturing to a stain on his armoured boot. “This here is a stain from when a crushed the skull of another soldier underfoot, he was still breathing after I shot him in the back and I didn’t want to waste anymore ammo.” A final gesture was towards the gash on his helmet, the red eye emitting some sparks where the sword thrust had done some damage. “This is the scar I got from when a griffon stabbed me in the eye, needless to say I lived, he didn’t.” By now the noble was trembling on the spot, the claims even more horrific with the biped’s flat, expressionless delivery. The Commander leaned down until his skull helm was right before the unicorn’s face, the stallion trying to take a step back only to find that his body refused to move out of pure terror. “Forget all of that however,” the human stated as he pointed towards the city limits, the unicorn able to see the upper bodies of the metal gants which still unleased the occasional rocket barrage or flash of plasma energy. “What makes me really, really dangerous to piss off is the fact that as the current highest ranking officer of the UIP I have overall command of every, single, asset. Be it the troops on the ground,” Nigel gestured towards a squad of UIP infantry watching the confrontation, the unicorn gulping as he noticed the soldiers were also covered in gore, “the machines capable of destroying entire armies outside the city to the starships hanging above your planet in the sky above.” Chalmers leaned in closer still, his helmet almost touching the unicorn’s face as he whispered to the paralysed stallion. “I could order the complete destruction of your entire planet and every living thing on it, go ahead, insult my comrades and friends, test my sanity if you dare.” Nigel stood back up right as the noble’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. The pony remained like this for a while, the noble trembling before Chalmers suddenly stomped his foot on the ground with a loud thump. The noble, startled back into reality at the sound bolted, galloping away from the humans and towards the gate. The Commander turned back and faced the group as the guards at the gate tackled the unicorn to prevent him from leaving the city as he screamed like a frightened school child. Everyone who had witnessed the tirade, wraiths, UIP infantry, changelings and equestrians stared at Chalmers in shock and silence. The quiet was broken by solitary clapping, Stevens leaning against the wall as the soldier applauded his commander. “I can see why they took you off diplomatic missions,” Stevens stated before the Princesses approached the group, a black figure almost as tall as Chalmers accompanying them. The human’s armour was far from the plain protection that the wraiths and Chalmers wore, his armour adorned with alcoves containing numerous crafted relics and trinkets much like one would expect to find in a church. Lines of script covered the black plates, the ink a blood red that flowed like red fluid. The figures helmet was elongated vertically, a cylinder atop a blocky helm possessing a grey metal voice grill and two optical sensors, the colour matching the crimson script covering the figure’s armour. The human held a large open book in his left hand, the ornate leather-bound tome attached to his armour with silver chains. In his right he clutched a large mace shaped like a fist crackling with sickly green energy, looking at the weapon for more than an instant caused searing pain to shoot into the heads of the viewers. Attached to the human’s back was a large ebony tube, the barrel stylised like a leering skull opening its jaw with a trigger shaped like a skeletal hand in the middle. A hose connected this device to a backpack the figure sported, the pack looking like a small chapel decorated with angelic figures giving supplication to the sky. All in all it was a very intimidating image that inspired awe and dread in equal amounts. Celestia paused as the three reached the Commander, Luna staying the furthest away from the new biped. “Commander Chalmers,” Celestia hesitantly started, “we found Mister-“ “That’s High-Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber to you, Unenlightened,” the male figure interrupted with a growl. Chalmers shook his head as Stevens and Boland stepped beside their commander as they faced down the newcomer. “Great, if this wasn’t confusing enough then let’s just through religion into the mix,” Chalmers muttered loudly before looking at the High-Confessor, “so Dietrich, what exactly is a Mortisum priest doing down planeside? Shouldn’t you be worshiping a grave or something?” The Priest ignored the Commander’s failure to use his title and the disrespect, the Confessor waving his book at the Equestrians that were all gazing at him in fear. “Why, bringing enlightenment to these poor people of course! They have yet to hear the word of the Lord and it is my duty to ensure that their souls are guided to the afterlife safely and un-molested!” The priest raised his book and arms to the sky as he through his head back. “And the Lord did say that his servants should work to spread his guidance throughout existence!” Dietrich shouted with a powerful voice, “Thus it is with every breath that I share his teachings with all to better their lives and eternal souls!” Chalmers rubbed his helmeted face with a hand as the enthusiastic priest spouted his rhetoric, Celestia and Luna staring at the preaching human in befuddlement. “Okay Confessor, that’s enough,” Chalmers ordered after taking a calming breath, the priest fixing his red optics on Nigel. “High-Confessor! I didn’t spend four years on the battlefield issuing last rites to be addressed as a lowly Confessor!” the priest scoffed after he said this. “Trust an ISA agent to not be able to tell the difference between members of the clergy.” Nigel looked like he was about to retort, however Celestia saw her chance to intervene. “Aren’t you both humans in the same empire?” the sun princess inquired, Detric snorting at her question. “We are, however it doesn’t change the fact that the majority of the military, the ISA in particular, don’t properly adhere to the battlefield guidelines outlined in the Holy Book!” The High-Confessor explained as he waved the thick tome under Celestia’s nose, the Princess catching glimpses of incredibly detailed scenes of death and battle accompanied by flowing text in shimmering silver ink. “He means we don’t try to force enemies to repent their sins against the empire before we kill them,” Chalmers clarified for the two confused alicorns, “the Ministry of Enlightenment also don’t like the fact that we use projectile weapons to kill on the battlefield.” The priest de-activated his mace and attached it to his waist as he pointed an armoured finger at Chalmers. “Everyone, even our enemies deserve the chance at redemption! To deny them that is the height of cruelty and you should be ashamed! As for your use of projectiles to kill that is also wrong! The Lord’s teachings state that only through close-combat or cleansing flame can the vilest Heretics be saved from eternal torment!” “Look, a prepubescent boy all by himself!” Stevens yelled out suddenly as he pointed behind the priest, the High-Confessor glaring at the wraith unaffected by the attempted distraction. “That is the wrong priesthood stereotype and merely by associating me with that foul action you have committed a sin. Besides, our members are not required to take a vow of celibacy so such debatched methods are not needed.” Nestor scrunched his face up at the word, the changeling incredible interested in meeting one of these ‘Mortisum’ priests that Nigel had told him about. “Celibacy?” the changeling asked, Chalmers cutting off the priest before Dietrich could answer. “The Emperor must have decided that they were insane enough so he gave them that one reprieve,” Chalmers and the priest locked gazes, “I doubt the Lord Himself could stomach what would happen if the only things they could play with were flamethrowers and thems-“ “Commander,” Boland stepped in, gesturing down to Horizon watching the argument with wide eyes. Nigel stopped and bent down, picking the colt up in his arms as the priest hummed with interest. “Now this is interesting,” Dietrich commented as Horizon stared at him, the colt’s time spent with humans lessening his fear of the Confessor. “Why does this equine treat you like a patriarch Spector?” Horizon gulped at the imposing human’s question, the colt while not knowing the strange word ‘patriarch’ guessed the meaning of the inquiry. “Nigel’s been looking after me,” the unicorn answered hesitantly. Dietrich’s posture softened as he considered the implications of the young being’s statement. Celestia, Luna and the changelings appeared sorrowful at the reminder of why the foal was in Chalmers’s care. “What happened to your original guardians?” the priest inquired without the fire that had been prevalent in his previous speeches. Horizon trembled a little before Nigel hugged him a little tighter, giving the colt the courage to explain the circumstances. “They died,” the unicorn stated softly and simply, the priest pausing as the colt lowered his head. A metal hand reached out and rubbed Horizon’s head, the unicorn lifting his head to see the helmet of the priest staring at him. With a hiss the front face plate lowered, revealing Dietrich’s face. A surprisingly young-looking brown face with dark-brown eyes gazed sympathetically at the young pony. “I’m sorry to hear that, young one,” the priest responded before his helmet re-sealed and obscured his face once more. The High-Confessor turned and headed back from where the princesses and he had come from. “I must leave you I’m afraid, I have some praying to do,” Dietrich farewelled, Luna staring at the retreating human with worry. “Is it okay to just let such a… unique individual wander around unattended?” Chalmers waved a dismissive hand as he replied. “It’s fine, he actually seems to be one of the less fanatical members of the church so it should be fine.” Nigel moved towards the castle with Horizon in his arms, aiming to head towards the Equestrian war room, Celestia, Luna, the three wraiths and the changelings following him. “Less fanatical?” Celestia asked. The interesting priest certainly seemed very devoted and outspoken to her. Chalmers scoffed as the group entered through the main doors of the castle. “He’s focused more on converting your subjects rather than burning them while shouting ‘Heresy!’ Trust me, that’s considered restrained for Mortisum priests.” No more was said on the topic, all parties happy to drop the issue there as they were escorted by guards down towards the war room in the depths of the castle. “So the counter-assault was a resounding success, the casualty rates on our side were extremely low and the enemy force has been scattered.” The holographic form of UIP General Mahubi Prasad pointed towards the display shining down upon the large stone table, numerous human and Equestrian officers observing the large holographic map of the city as well as the two Princesses. Chalmers was at the back of the room in the shadows, Horizon still carried by the human under the agreement that the colt would remain absolutely quiet. “Extremely low?” Celestia responded with disbelief. “Forty-three of my guards are dead and hundreds more are wounded, at least twenty-nine civilians have been found dead and many more are missing! How is that extremely low!?” Celestia was visibly upset with the General’s statement, the deaths of more of her subjects playing havoc with the normally stoic Princess’s emotion. The holo form of the General raised a brown eyebrow as he folded his green uniformed arms in front of him. “How many do you think would have died if we hadn’t taken the actions we did?” General Prasad countered, “The main attack on the walls was halted and if it weren’t for your senior officers’ disobedience of the recommended defensive positions then the enemy would not have made it into the city at all. You should be glad that your troops proved to be slightly more adept then their commanders.” Equestrian officers glanced at each other, the officers who had ordered the repositioning of the troops without the Princesses’ authorization had already received sever demotions and as such were no longer permitted in the war room. Celestia had denied the Human General’s offer to shoot them for her. “I can understand that you are upset about the deaths of your subjects,” Prasad continued as Celestia and Luna looked up at the projection, “however your mourning must wait, while your soil is still occupied and your people enslaved are agreement still stands. The quicker we finish this the sooner I can go back to the Ishvalin front.” Celestia’s look hardened; while the humans were cold their reasoning was sound. These standard Military forces also appeared to be far more sane then Commander Chalmers and his men. “You’re right,” she conceded as Luna splayed a wing over her back, “the safety of our citizens that are alive should be the highest priority. I dread to think of what they are suffering in enslavement-“ “Enslavement!? Heresy!” All turned to the voice that had yelled out the declaration, Dietrich Von Schreiber waving his book in the air as the alcoves on his armour lit up with baleful crimson light. General Prasad sighed as the priest stood in the room waving his arms about. “Who let the priest inside?” he questioned, a nervous unicorn lieutenant raising a hoof in the air. “He threatened to send my soul to a place called ‘Hell’ if I didn’t sir,” the guard confessed, the priest moving towards him and patting the startled guard on the back with a hand. “Luckily for you your compliance with my holy mission has redeemed all sin you garnered from attempting to block my righteous path!” A second holographic projection appeared from a device on the table that was creating such images. A middle-aged human clad in a navy-blue dress uniform adorned with medals brushed back his short black hair as he shot an impatient look at the General. “Admiral Biggles,” Prasad greeted, “to what do we owe the pleasure?” “My bomber crews have been waiting to strike for hours now,” the Admiral complained, “What is taking you so long? The plan has already been mostly completed so why the delay?” The General gestured towards the priest who was currently petting the rather relaxed looking unicorn guard, the Stallion currently receiving a very soothing ear scratch. As he laid eyes on the High-Confessor the Admiral’s eyes widened in understanding, the human sighing as he along with the rest of the room observed the priest’s rather unusual actions. “At least he’s down there and not up on my bridge shouting scripture constantly like he was for the past three weeks. Almost made me want to join the first drop troops on the ground when we got here,” Luna moved up to face the Admiral with a frown on her face. “So it was you how unleashed this demon on us!” Luna accused, her opinion that the priest was a demon would have held more water if the human was currently not rubbing the unicorn lieutenant’s unarmoured belly as the guard groaned in contentment on the ground. Montgomery rolled his eyes at the claim, the corners of his mouth curling up into a grin as he plotted his next move. “I assume that you would be the Princess who made a certain arrangement with Commander Chalmers then?” Luna quickly blushed and retreated to the back of the room, Chalmers coughing awkwardly as everyone looked at him. Fortunately for him Celestia pulled the attention off him and back to the task on hand. “Yes, well the details of the deal are not important right now, what is important is how we are going to free the two cities captured as well as the towns in the path from there to here.” Prasad nodded in agreement. “Good idea, our plan is quite simple really,” he began as more icons lit up on the holo map which zoomed out to show the area containing the two captured cities. The city of Manehattan was lit up in red, fighting still going on in the city as the garrison beat back the griffon and minotaur invaders. “Your forces are holding your city of ‘Manehattan’ currently, however they will not be able to hold much longer with the constant flow of hostile re-enforcements coming in from the other cities. Firstly we need to re-establish supply and troop lines with them and cut off the enemy from their main supply lines. Orbital strikes and asset delivery are not advised due to the high risk of massive collateral damage, therefore an armoured spearhead is tasked with punching through the enemy lines.” Icons of strange objects appeared on the map, looking to the Equestrians as some kind of sleek tortoises with long barrels emerging from their head. As they watched the objects approach a red circle surrounding Manehattan that represented the enemy ground and naval blockade. The objects crashed through the line and entered the city. “Following this assault mechanized infantry supported by your guards and air support from the fleet,” the General nodded at Celestia as more symbols appeared on the map each in the shape of triangles, “break through the gap and set up a perimeter through which we can funnel more soldiers and supplies through. This will also consist of naval assets being dropped into the sea here,” Manehattan was a harbour city and the sea just outside it was highlighted. “The ships will provide naval fire support while also destroying enemy supply shipping and other hostile water targets.” The map zoomed out once more, the cities of Fillydelphia and Baltimare glowing. “I will be leading the assault on the city of Fillydelphia on the ground, Commander Chalmers will be in charge of the liberation action against forces in Baltimare,” Chalmers once again found himself as the centre of attention, a cough from Prasad returning focus to himself. “Forces will consist of a standard mix accompanied by equestrian forces,” the General paused for a second, “the status of any local forces in the two cities are unknown but are resumed KIA, it is a known fact that civilians are being shipped back to one of the invading countries as slave labour and nutritional needs.” Ponies shuddered at the reminder of some griffons desire to taste pony flesh, the predators used to routinely capture and farm ponies for meat in the early days of civilisation. That had stopped after the tribal unification that saw Equestrian created, however it appeared that some griffons had seized the opportunity to re-kindle old dining habits. The humans were also disgusted; the consumption of sapient creatures was a capital offence in the empire unless it was needed in extreme survival circumstances. The High Confessor jumped up from his position crouched on the floor petting the guard, the religious fanatic raising a hand. “I insist that I be allowed to accompany one of the assaults, surely the occupants of these cities will need much comfort in the word of the Lord!” The General and Admiral seemed to mull this over, both about to decline. Prasad however grinned as he thought of an answer. “What a great idea High-Confessor, I’m sure Commander Chalmers will be relieved to have the support of a favoured servant of the Lord in his force.” Chalmers was thankful that his helmet hid his scowl at the suggestion, the Admiral however picked up on the Commander’s displeasure. “Now now Commander, the ISA and Church have to get over their differences some time so it might as well start with you two.” With that the General and Admiral signed off, officers from both races filing out of the room. The Princesses also disappeared, discussing the plans with their officers as they left the room. Eventually it was just Nigel and Horizon left, the colt true to his word not saying a thing during the meeting. Chalmers sighed as he ruffled the unicorn’s mane. “Thanks for behaving Bleak; I’ve got to go back out okay so I’ll leave you with Nestor and Jacobs this time.” Jacobs had been ruled out as a soldier on the upcoming missions, his armour damaged and unable to be repaired in time so he had been swapped with Boland. “That’s okay,” Horizon answered as shifted in the Commander’s grip and looked up at Chalmers. “Just come back okay?” Nigel scratched the unicorn behind the ears as he walked out of the war room. “Of course I will,” he re-assured, “when I do I promise I’ll take you someplace fun to make up for having to leave again so soon okay?” He received a smile and nod from the ash foal, his helmet audio indicating an incoming signal. “Chalmers, go ahead,” Nigel answered as the voice of General Prasad became audible over the communication system. “Commander, my apologies for sticking you with Dietrich, you’re probably the only officer I can trust to not shoot him after an hour. Thank the Lord and Emperor that not all are as unusual as he is.” “Yes to that,” Chalmers responded, “General, you must have another reason for calling.” A light chuckle was heard, the general replying back with joy in his voice. “Come down to the main assembly zone outside the city, I have a gift for you…” Nigel walked outside the city gates and was met with an impressive sight. Grey boxy transporters of all shapes and sizes moved from the heavens to the ground, depositing entire battalions of troops, supplies, eight-wheeled armoured personal carriers, main battle tanks of both the tracked and hover variety as well as numerous other support vehicles and mechs. Most of the machines were coloured the standard tan colouration of the UIP army, a few however sported custom squadron camouflage or the grey paintjob of UIP navy marines. A thumping sound overhead heralded the fly-over of three Viper gunships, the large rotor and jet combination helicopters looking much like the old soviet Hinds used back in the early days of Terra. The appearance of design had been kept as everyone agreed that Hinds looked awesome even if they were obsolete machines, thusly the Mil Mi-24 had found new life as it was pretty much rebuilt with the latest technologies. The helicopter had served the UIP with the highest possible levels of success. Crowds of ponies flocked to observe the massive landing, the equines astonished at the many different tools of war as well as the sheer number of human forces. The General had declined telling the Equestrian officers that this wasn’t even half the troop capacity of a Planetary Assault Cruiser. Royal guard, both Solar and Lunar were organized into ranks ready to follow the main human advance, the ponies feeling very small next to machines such as the one-hundred ton tracked Legionary MBT, the tank sporting a main railgun backed up by an un-manned gatling laser mounted on the top turret with missile pods on either side of the turret shaped much like the old Leopard tanks of old Terra. Chalmers strolled past lines of troops who stopped and saluted the Intelligence Commander, Nigel making an effort to return everyone. He approached a large mobile command crawler, the massive machine as tall as a ten story building with a length that was ten battle tanks long. Considering that each tank possessed the length equal to the height of a Foxhound it was a large vehicle. As Chalmers moved to the rear of the machine he spotted a mass of soldiers and technicians, the mechanics identified by their bright yellow armoured suits. A medium sized mech, ten meters tall was supported by a frame with numerous weapons and devices attached to it, Nigel moving towards the machine. “Ah, you’ve arrived Commander!” General Prasad approached Chalmers with his arms spread wide. The senior officer had shed his dress uniform and adopted slightly more ornate armour that matched his troops, his colour green and not tan however. A helmet with a standard grey optical visor strip was attached to his waist with the bottom of the helmet made to look like an old gas mask. “Prasad,” Nigel started as he stared at the tan mech with longing, “please say what I think you’re going to say.” The General smirked as he handed Chalmers a set of oversized fluffy dice. “You have the power to commandeer it anyway, take it with my blessing,” the General beamed. Chalmers looked at the white dice in his hands and then back to the mech, blue stripes painted across its shoulders while a single blue line was placed in the centre of the bulky chest. The mech looked sleek and humanoid, a head filled with sensors sitting atop a bulky T shaped torso that was wide at the top and bottom that was all supported on a set of legs joined with an extra set of knees, a four-toes pronged claw serving as each foot. A ‘Rapier’ model, packed with all sorts of toys and gizmos,” Prasad stated as he swept an arm towards it, “What are you waiting for, hop in and give it a try.” Chalmers sat within the cockpit of the Rapier, the control chair quite comfortable as he griped the mech’s controls with his hands. They were only for the unimportant secondary systems; everything else had been linked to the neural connection of his suit giving him unrivalled control. He checked his weapons, laser and plasma cannons located on his left arm, a massive energy-covered lance in his right while his shoulders sported missile pods and rocket tubes. Also located around the mech were numerous secondary weapon systems such as grenade racks and flamethrowers. He went over his comms system, checked that the artificial windshield display in front of him was calibrated and lastly ensured that his fuzzy dice were tied in tight to the roof. Satisfied that he was ready to go he moved his walker forward out of its cradle, the mech gliding smoothly with grace that was unnatural its size. He was about to move to his allocated team when a two-hundred ton ‘Judicator’ Command tank rolled up. The turret hatch of the double-barrelled beast opened and the form of the General popped out, the officer tiny compared to his metal chariot. “Good luck Commander,” he radioed over the comms system as he waved at Nigel, “don’t ding it or you won’t get the deposit back.” With those final words the General moved his hand forward, the tank moving off to join the armoured spearhead tasked to break the land blockade. Nigel shook his head and moved to join his team, a force of Vipers, Foxhounds, Legionary tanks, Armadillo APCs and some self-propelled artillery vehicles. A few hundred Royal guards of both types were loaded upon tracked transport vehicles along with UIP army troops, the equines visibly anxious around the alien machines. Nigel did notice that some of the army troops were conversing with the equines which appeared to calm the pony soldiers down, something that pleased Chalmers. Fumbling around he found the button he was looking for, his audio linked to the comms of his team as well as the external speakers mounted on his mech. “Good afternoon Ladies, Gentleman and Gentlecolts I believe, this is your Commander speaking,” he had gained the attention of every single soldier as well as anyone else in earshot. “Today we will be departing to good ol’ Baltimare town; ETA is two hours so I suggest you plump up your pillows.” This earned him some chuckles from both human and pony alike, the equine soldiers forgetting most of the anxiousness that they had. “Weather is clear with some clouds and a high chance of death to invading slavers, most likely evolving into full blown hostile routs later on in the night. You’re in-transport entertainment will consist of the…” Nigel checked the mech’s media player, why a combat mech had a media player he did not know but it worked for him. “It will consist of much musical offerings of the great twenty and twenty-first century bands ‘Iron Maiden’ and a personal favourite ‘Sabaton’, may their music get your blood pumping and ready for war.” A mighty metal guitar riff sounded out from the external speakers causing a cheer to rise from the human troops while the Royal guards listened in amazement to the alien but strangely invigorating music as the track ‘Back in Control’ blared out, Nigel moving his Rapier forward as the force followed him with Vipers zooming overhead to scout out the area. Chalmers relaxed in his seat as all three teams moved out to their respective cities. ‘I’ve got a mech, some tunes, an army and a pair of fuzzy dice,’ Nigel thought as he smiled happily. ‘Who needs an afterlife in paradise when you’ve got this?’ Author's Note Well, a large chapter this one is. For those who wish for a better idea of the music that the Commander played refer to this: Back in Control Also a new character is introduced, how will the Priest handle the burden of combat? Or rather, how will the combat handle him? Needless to say, lots of stuff will blow up in the next chapter, hope you enjoyed this one however. We're All a Little InsaneThe sea outside Manehattan harbour was calm, the waters clear and the wind was almost non-existent. The sound of the waves and seagulls was soon joined by another, less natural noise that approached an area of sea far away from the city. With the roar of engines a flock of five UIP orbital transporters descended un-noticed onto the patch of ocean, the boxy craft slowing down to a hover through the use of the four large thrusters mounted on the sides, two at the front and two on the back. The heat from the engines belonging to the navy-blue craft caused huge updrafts of steam where they sat over the water, the white clouds hiding most of the crafts from view. With a droning hum all five transporters opened their lower doors, the sounds of magnetic clamps releasing followed by five splashes as large objects were dropped into the sea. Seconds after this was completed the transports began to pull back up into the sky, their bay doors closing as they departed into the upper atmosphere. The steam from the engines blew away in the wind that had picked up, the concealing fog lifting to reveal five menacing dark-grey ships floating firmly in the water. The UIP naval battle group consisted of a Buccaneer-class Destroyer, two Hydra-class unmanned Frigates, one Dugong-class missile cruiser and finally the largest ship out of them all, the Nelson-class heavy cruiser that was serving as the command ship for the group. Senior-Captain Edward Teach stroked his black beard as he observed the departing transporters from his command chair, the bridge around him bustling with activity as his grey-clad crew organized and checked sensor, communications and weapon systems. The large windows that dominated the room were in fact display screens, much like the ‘windows’ on the starships hanging in orbit. Why the military forces of old surrounded ships with armour plates yet put windows made from glass around the bridge Teach still couldn’t work out. Through the front window, the large screen four metres tall, Teach could see the triple-barrelled Plasma turret on the foredeck swivel one the spot and raise its barrels to the sky as the weapons operators tested its functions. To his left he spotted the silo doors of the Dugong open and close while the surface-to-air missile turrets mounted on the back and front pivoted in their mounts. The Dugong was two thirds the size if his own ship, followed by the Buccaneer which was five metres shorter than the missile cruiser. The Hydras were the smallest vessels, the artificial intelligence controlled scouts a third of the size of the Nelson. Teach reviewed his mission brief, his orders to seize or destroy any shipping in the harbour and the surrounding area to prevent enemy re-enforcements and supplies from reaching the city that could just be seen on the horizon. Two fleets exactly the same as his were each assigned to the other two native cities which they were tasked with assisting, Teach not caring about the wider political reasons. He had his orders and he was going to carry them out despite the reported resistance that they would be facing. Wooden ships weren’t much of a match against heavy plasma batteries, railguns, laser cannons, torpedoes and all manner of missiles and rockets that were scattered around the fleet. Still, a chance for combat was a chance for combat; it wasn’t often that sea-going vessels saw action when they were stationed aboard Planetary Assault Cruisers. Most of the work tended to be done before they were deployed. It didn’t help that only a small number of planets actually had large oceans that warranted such measures. Teach was broken out of his thoughts by a message appearing on his command screen that was mounted on the left side of his chair, the captain briefly glancing at the contents, indicating that the fleet was ready to commence operation, before brushing a stray hair off his light-blue uniform and pushing an icon on the touch screen. His microphone that was mounted on his ear piece synced with the fleet’s communication systems, Teach immediately being greeted with the chatter of ship communication staff and the two captains under his command. “Attention all ships,” Teach commanded with a slight accent that on Terra would be referred to as British, “move to your indicated co-ordinates, your orders are to destroy any shipping highlighted and if necessary assist local ground forces once we secure the harbour. Full speed ahead.” At his order the fleet moved forward as one, the two Hydra frigates roving ahead of the larger ships to utilise their extended sensor suites to pinpoint potential targets. The fusion-powered turbines allowed the smaller ships to reach speeds in excess of fifty knots. The larger ships, powered by antimatter reactors due to the increased power demands of their larger weaponry, followed behind averaging forty knots. As the frigates approached the city, the buildings now clear in sight, a multitude of enemy contacts were detected in and surrounding the harbour. Most of the ships were roughly the same size as the Hydras, when Teach looked at the detailed scans he saw that they were incredibly similar to the ships used on Terra in the late Seventeenth century. Instead of cannons which he had expected he saw that they still mounted ballista and catapults, granted some of them were quite impressive in size but he was certain that primitive iron bolts and rocks would do little against hardened metal plating. Tapping orders into his command console he ordered the hydras to pull back to the main fleet, the AIs controlling the vessels responding and obeying without question. While he was confident that the two scout ships alone could probably destroy the entire enemy fleet he wasn’t going to deny his subordinates a chance to actually put their years of training to use. His eyes rested on the picture of the largest enemy vessel, a wooden battleship almost the size of the Dugong which was adorned with multiple large ballista and catapults. The weapons were currently firing into the city, Teach able to see the crumbled remains of buildings and fires that had obviously been the result of the pounding from the enemy ships. The battleship was decorated with extravagant carvings and statues of creatures which he had been informed were called ‘Griffons’, one of the hostile factions that he was tasked with destroying. The decorations and size of the vessel combined with the detailed sails sporting artistic images of regal looking griffons led the Senior-Captain to believe that it was the ship belonging to the enemy admiral, no doubt someone of high importance. Teach decided to do what any UIP commander would do if faced with such a conclusion. He was going to blow that ship up first. Smiling a little to himself, Teach touched the icon representing the enemy battleship and typed in his desired commands, his orders relayed to the missile cruiser traveling alongside his own ship. The majority of the crew on the bridge spared a glance out the port window as a lone white missile streaked up into the sky from one of the silos on the aft of the Dugong. The projectile quickly shot out of sight; however Teach could still track its progress on his display as it headed towards the space above the targeted ship. His communication channel was quiet save for the reports of the weapon officers on the Dugong in charge of the fired weapon, the officers calling out the ETA to impact. Teach also noted that a small number of the enemy vessels were approaching them from the harbour, the human ships having sailed well into visual range. The Senior-Captain paid them little mind, the Hydras had already moved forward to meet them with their twin duel-barrelled railgun turrets and rocket batteries armed and ready. Instead Teach observed as the cruise missile angled down towards the oblivious battleship, the human holding up his white-gloved right hand to the ceiling as his mouth curled into a small smile. “Three, two,” he counted down as the missile descended down towards its target. “One.” He clenched his raised hand into a fist as the missile struck the battleship in the middle, the wooden vessel becoming completely consumed in the white hot explosion as the plasma-warhead of the cruise missile detonated, the huge dome of bright blue explosion lighting up the harbour as the water around the impact area vaporised into steam from the extreme heat. The glow died out after a few moments, absolutely nothing left of the once-grand flagship. The bridge crew reacted as expected; aside from small glances towards the explosion they continued to monitor their stations and input information, just another day in the office really. “Engaging targets,” reported the monotone voices of the two Hydras over the communication net, Teach switching his attention to the forward display of the bridge. He was just in time to catch the sight of a medium-sized brig split into multiple parts as explosive railgun rounds from the left hydra tore it asunder, the heavy wooden hull no defence against the hypersonic projectiles. Shapes that appeared to by Griffons flying up from the wreckage attempted to get clear of the battlezone, however the rapid-fire quad-barrelled anti-air railgun turret on the aft deck of the hydra that had destroyed the brig opened up with precision, griffon bodies exploding in the air as the storm of metal projectiles tore them to shreds. The weapon was not meant for shooting down small flying organics however, isolated groups of griffons fleeing at full speed towards the burning city in the face of the devastation. The second and third brigs that had been traveling with their fellow to intercept the human fleet both tried to turn and head back towards the harbour where the rest of the griffon ships, numbering thirty-three now, were all moving to put up a defence and prevent the alien fleet from accessing the city. All of the ships were smart enough to spread out; evidently the explosive death of their flagship highlighted the danger of grouping up. The two retreating brigs had a strong wind propelling them forward, the ships desperately trying to outrun the second hydra that was chasing them down. Their efforts were vain however, sail power was no match for the twin fusion driven turbines that provided the hydra with nimble speed. The AI ship strangely decided against picking the two off from long range, the frigate powering forward to place itself in between the wooden brigs. Iron bolts were launched from the two griffon ships from their deck mounted ballista to little effect, even the ones coated in tar and set alight failed to have any lasting impact on the agile hydra. The large stones thrown from the heavy catapults located in the middle of the brigs inflicted slightly more damage, the rocks slightly denting the armoured plates of the scout ship. The hydra continued despite the attempts to halt it, time seeming to slow down as its four railguns turned towards the port brig while the boxy rocket launcher turret sitting in the middle of the ship right in front of the command tower aimed at the starboard vessel. The pair of twin-linked railgun turrets opened fire; the unfortunate port brig received four railgun slugs directly to the area below the water line in less than a second, the explosive heads in the shells not arming due to the close proximity. This didn’t matter that much, with four massive holes punched in the brig’s starboard side as well as the large exit wounds in the bottom of the ship water flooded in. Griffon crew abandoned the ship, ignored by the hydra as the brig immediately listed to the side. The starboard brig however was far less fortunate than its comrade. With high-pitched squeals the rocket turret peppered the brig with a volley of short-ranged, armour piercing munitions. A flare of flame erupted from the back of the grey launcher as the turret it was mounted in swept across the entire enemy ship’s length. The swarm of rockets all penetrated the hull of the stricken vessel before their warheads activated, small explosions sending timber and splinters flying into the air while crew were either incinerated or torn apart by the explosive weapons. The hull of the ship ruptured, more than half of the vessel gone once the rocket volley had subsided and the screaming of the weapon had died out. The second brig quickly sank, no survivors flying up from the wreckage as the ship was consumed by the hungry seas. Teach paused to wonder just why the hydra’s computer had decided that closing with the two brigs instead of destroying them from maximum range was the best course of action. Sometimes he wondered just how much emotion the apparently ‘dumb’ AIs could feel, he knew that self-aware AIs were only common in the more secretive UIP departments but still the hydra had seemed to almost gain… enjoyment from the explosive destruction of the ship it just neutralised. Teach shrugged to himself as he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, it still had been more restrained than what some UIP commanders were rumoured to do. The main enemy fleet was now in range of the larger ships main guns, the fore-deck turret of his own ship targeting a fat supply vessel sitting behind a wall of numerous sloops and larger frigates as they faced the oncoming human fleet with their ballista pointing at the harbour entrance. As the triple-barrelled turret pointed its weapons up into the air with the tips of the barrels glowing with an ever-increasing blue light Teach sat back into his chair and raised the cup of tea that had been sitting beside him to his lips. ‘Now to sit back and enjoy the show,’ he thought as the plasma turret discharged its weapons along with the heavy railguns mounted on the destroyer and the anti-ship missiles that skimmed along above the ocean that had been launched from the missile cruiser. General Mahubi Prasad observed the armoured assault from the comfort of his command room in the large Judicator command tank. He was sharing his space with one other, an Equestrian Lieutenant by the name of Quick Strike. The Pegasus mare was the Equestrian leader for this assault; apparently none of the higher ranking pony officers were willing to actually fight at the front. Quick Strike had been chosen when her commanding officer had sent her in his place to kindly ‘give her the opportunity to taste what higher command is like’. To be honest Prasad didn’t mind, he intended to be doing most of the commanding anyway and he’d rather have an junior officer rather than one of the Equestrian Nobility blathering in his ear. He actually didn’t mind the equines that much, sure they were military virgins with an irritating upper-class and they lacked any sense of proper modern military doctrine but apparently they had been at peace for hundreds of years, that was something that the human General could respect. The Equestrian’s peace achievement was not helpful at this current time however; even now the Lieutenant was shaking in her armour at the prospect of combat. “Nervous?” Prasad inquired as he shifted in his seat while going over sensor data regarding the enemy forces. He knew that the question was rhetorical however he hoped that some conversation would calm his equine counterpart down. “A little sir,” the Lieutenant answered shakily, however Prasad noticed that she seemed a little bit relieved at his efforts to talk to her. “Are you sure that we’re safe in here?” the mare continued as she subconsciously tried to flex her wings in the limited space, Prasad guessing that most of the flight-capable equines would not likely be fond of enclosed spaces. “This machine has enough armour plating on it to build a house, we’re perfectly fine,” Prasad reassured, “and don’t call me sir, for starters you’re not under my command and secondly in this operation we are equals as the commanding officers. Just call me General.” Quick Strike nodded at his terms, the Equestrian letting out a breath as she tried to relax. There was silence for some time; the rumble of the tank surrounding them was accompanied by the occasional clinking of Strike’s golden armour. The mare still had her helmet on despite suggestions by the General that taking it off would give her more room to move around, the guard citing that it was required for uniform purposes. Prasad silently questioned why she was so concerned about uniform regulations when she was the depths of a command tank with no-one else from her army to see her but he didn’t voice this, the Lieutenant seemed to find comfort in adhering to the protocol set by her nation so Prasad let it go. Prasad’s display screen was constantly filling with new information, the large holographic touch-display taking up most of the space in the room. Reports were coming in from the scout Foxhounds regarding the enemy positions, Prasad activating the communication system inside the room so that Quick Strike could also hear the reports. “-tiple infantry forces dug in around the perimeter at section two-seven-three-B, I can see earthworks and bunkers facing out with at least five primitive projectile emplacements scattered around the area, can you copy Mastiff-Lead?” A young male voice questioned with detached professionalism. “Copy Mastiff-Two,” an older male voice responded, “emplacements marked and noted. Mastiff-Five and Four do you also have eyes on emplacements?” “Affirmative Mastiff-Lead,” a female voice responded to the lead Foxhound’s query, “four emplacements containing bolt-throwers confirmed, wait-“ Quick Strike jolted back in her seat as a loud clanging rang out over the communication channel. A second later the retort of a laser-cannon firing followed by a distant explosion sounded. There was silence for two seconds before the female Foxhound pilot spoke again. “Correction Mastiff-Lead, there was five emplacements but now it’s back to four, forces should be advised that hostiles are utilising optical camouflage near wooded areas.” “Mastiff-Lead confirms, all forces pull back to the designated positions. What are your orders Command-One?” Prasad activated his headset, Command-One was the designation given to him while Quick Strike was Command-Two. “All units await for incoming air support,” Prasad ordered as he entered in the emplacement positions to the data network, relaying their locations to the wing of naval strike craft assigned to his attack. “Once aerial munitions have been delivered all armoured units push forward and break through the cordon. Infantry and mechanised follow behind to secure the road and corridor, artillery and support move up to assist in the securing of the area and Foxhounds move to positions as per graph seven-A to protect the flanks.” The Commander received affirmatives from all the unit leaders, the assault slowly approaching the enemy line as they waited for the strike craft to arrive. Prasad checked his display, the airstrikes would hit in fifty seconds. He quickly turned to The mare sitting to the left of him. “Fifty-seconds to the airstrike, anything you want to say to your troops?” Each of the transports, whether it was the wide tracked crawlers or the APC’s at the front with the tanks were all fitted with communication speakers in their holds. Quick Strike nodded quickly, Prasad hastily activating the mare’s headset that was awkwardly sitting on her head; the human-intended device had been loaned to her so that she could give her troops orders. “Royal Guards of Equestria,” Quick Strike started, all around the army forces Equestrians looked up at speakers located in APCs and Transports as the voice of their Lieutenant. “As you just heard we are about to commence our assault, you all know what will happen in we fail,” Prasad doubted that they would, the airstrike was now only thirty second away. “You also know that we are assisted by humans, I want you all to put aside any past grievances until we finish our mission,” Quick Strike continued, now only twenty seconds left until the strike. “Remember what you are fighting for, I wish you all luck and valour in the upcoming battle. That is all.” Prasad’s display showed the six dots that represented the ‘Starfire’ strike fighters approaching rapidly just above five-hundred feet. The human gave the Equestrian beside him thumbs up at her speech as the roar of fighter engines increased in volume. The sonic booms of the super-sonic craft flying overhead were drowned out by the detonations of the plasma-warhead toting ground-attack missiles that had been launched before the fighters’ arrival. Prasad observed his display, white flashes of energy on every reported emplacement representing the volatile payloads of the missiles eradicating all traces of the defences from the face of the planet. Prasad waited while Quick Strike examined the tactical map with awe, the General waiting until the glow of the warheads faded from the screen. “Command-One to all forces, commence the attack. Weapons free.” The two officers could hardly feel the tank they were in commence movement, the behemoth advancing forward on its four treads in the middle of the spearhead. Five Legionary MBTs were at the fore-front of the assault, the tip of the spear. The Foxhounds strode along the flanks while the rest of the twenty-five tanks surrounded the numerous support vehicles, transports, APCs and artillery units. Prasad had neglected using the artillery in this attack; he was planning to use it in the main attack on the city itself. The General tapped a few holographic icons in front of him, the tactical map moving to a smaller projector by his right side while the main display changed to a view of the surrounding area as viewed from the turret. The Equestrian swivelled around in surprise as she noticed that every single wall of the room they were in had changed as if they had nothing between them and the outside air. As she looked behind, Quick Strike could see the human tanks behind their own, out to the sides she could see the tall ‘mechs’ in the distance and as she looked back towards the front she could see the twin barrels of the tank’s turret below her. The Pegasus felt like she was standing on the top of the tank turret itself. “This is amazing!” she exclaimed, the soldier’s fear giving way to excitement as she observed the view. “You get used to it,” Prasad commented as he went over his command data, “I remember this one time when I was sitting in my tank all safe and sound. I hear a boom and look up just in time to have the sight of an incoming shell fill my vision. Luckily it didn’t pierce the armour but still it was a nerve-wracking experience.” This curbed some of the Equestrian’s excitement, the Pegasus returning to her seat to look out the front of the tank. She jumped a little as one of the tanks in front of them fired its railgun, the munition creating a small boom as it left the barrel of the tank. Out in the distance on a hill Quick Strike saw an explosion bloom into life, the first soon joined by four more as the rest of the tanks in the lead fired their weapons. She glanced towards the human general, Prasad not paying attention to the display instead he was focusing on the small map that was at his side. Quick Strike jolted a little as the view surrounding her changed, the turret on top of the tank rotating to aim at a field burning with small spot fires. It was a little confusing for the pony, she knew that in reality she was sitting in a room in the very middle of the tank’s main body but her mind kept on thinking that she was on the turret. A large crater was carved in the earth; Quick Strike guessing that it must have originated from the ‘air strike’ that Prasad had been talking about. The forms of Minotaurs could be seen fleeing back towards the city, a few of the braver ones charging at the approaching vehicles with large axes and hammers. Strike quickly looked towards the tanks in the lead, none of the machines aiming at the rapidly approaching minotaurs. Strike was just about to point this out to Prasad before she remembered that even though the beast she was riding in was a command tank it still possessed weapons, the mare noticing that the two grey barrels were aiming at the group of approaching enemies. The ends of the weapons suddenly seemed to widen to double their original width, the barrels themselves pulling back into the turret halfway. “Why are they doing that?” Strike questioned, Prasad guessing what the pony was talking about. “Adjustable-bore laser cannons, by shortening the barrels and increasing the width you end up with a shorter range but the shots contain more energy. When they hit they cover a much wider area then a longer ranged, more accurate shot.” The General’s explanation was punctuated by the two weapons discharging with a strange electronic ‘blam’ sound. Two bright blue bolts left the barrels to impact amidst the charging forces, a bright flash kicking up dust and debris into the air. Quick Strike felt sick in her gut as she looked at the aftermath of the explosion, almost all of the minotaurs were gone and replaced with a steaming crater of blackened earth. The tanks ahead of them all rotated their turrets towards the hundred or so soldiers fleeing back to the city, the bulls jumping over abandoned barricades and defensive walls in their haste to escape the pursing human war-machines. Quick Strike looked around and realised that the retreating troops seemed to be the only enemies left alive. The pegasus was turning towards Prasad to comment on how quickly they had broken through the cordon when she caught sight of red beams flickering out from the guns mounted on the top of the tanks’ turrets. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw minotaurs fall to the ground under the hail of beams. “They’re retreating! Why are you still shooting!?” the mare shouted at Prasad. The General looked away from his map as he faced the confused pony. “Where are they running to?” he asked, Quick looking towards the front display while trying to avoid looking at the massacre in front of her. “Towards the city,” she answered, the General nodding at her before returning to his plans. “Exactly, towards the city that they are trying to take over, the city where right now your comrades are fighting for their lives and the lives of the citizens in the city. We kill them now and it makes everything easier, letting them leave the field of battle only gives them time to regroup or re-enforce forces inside the city already. It’s not pretty or honourable but it is efficient.” Quick Strike thought about the General’s explanation, while it sickened her to shoot fleeing enemies in the back she could also understand his reasoning. Maybe these humans weren’t evil, maybe they just did things in the quickest and most efficient way possible. The mare shook her head at these thoughts, the ill-feeling in her stomach strengthening. She just tried to justify slaughter, she must be a really bad pony to even think that murder like could be excused. She tried to block the scene out of her mind; however the nightmare kept playing over and over in her head. It became too much when she began to insert sounds to the images, her imagination conjuring up death cries and pleas for the killing to stop. She began to heave, the images too much to handle for the in-experienced officer. Prasad noticed his counterpart’s distress, the general quickly handing her a boxy container marked ‘waste disposal’ attached to a tube leading into the floor. The mare grabbed it and vomited into it as soon as it was received, the armoured column halting in the middle of the devastation in preparation to deploy the troops. Prasad waited for the mare to finish, the pony breathing deeply as she tried to catch her breath. Obviously the Equestrian wasn’t too comfortable with his methods, unfortunate but as long as it didn’t affect her ability to command her own troops he could work with it. Turning around Prasad opened the hatch in the roof leading up towards the turret, the General preferring to oversee the unloading of the infantry with his own eyes. He looked back at the pegasus, the mare shakily getting up to follow him as he climbed up the ladder through the hatch. Hopefully getting her out into the open air would do her some good. They were a long way from the completion of their mission and they couldn’t afford to have any slipups. “Right then, everyone listen up!” Chalmers spoke into his communication system, his voice transmitting to every single soldier under his command whether they were human or pony. Unlike the other assaults he had no Equestrian officer to share duel command, meaning that he was in charge of pony troops as well as the UIP forces. They had stopped just out of sight of the city; all of the enemies were in the city itself so they had so far gone un-detected. “Here’s that plan of attack. Vipers, you move out first, deploy your assault teams on rooftops and engage any positions that may hinder an infantry assault. After that provide support to ground forces as you see fit. You may depart now.” Chalmers received affirmatives from the three gunship pilots, the combination-helicopters flying towards the city with a menacing thumping. Each Gunship was carrying twelve UIP Army Commandos, the soldiers tasked with harassing the enemy with sniper fire and heavy weapons from the rooftops as the rest of the force advanced on the ground. “I along with the Foxhounds will move into the city first to soften up resistance, Legionaries will escort the troop carriers and APCs to the city edge and then provide support from outside the city. Carriers will offload their troops and infantry you will advance into the city alongside APCs. Artillery-Captain Ludwig, you have some different orders.” “Yes Commander?” responded an older male voice as the artillery leader replied to his Commander. “Set up positions on the hill just outside the city at sector D-twenty-one-twelve. Your orders are to target any threats outside of the city, the risk of collateral damage if you fire into the city is too great. The rest of the support section will accompany you as well, apart from Cloud-trimmers Three and Four who will advance into the city to provide air cover.” “Understood sir,” Captain Ludwig acknowledged, Nigel’s command map showing that the majority of the force’s support vehicles headed to the allocated hill. The exception was two of the ‘Cloud-trimmers’, the ‘Icarus’ type anti-air tanks moving up behind the ten Legionary tanks that Nigel had been allocated. The squat, flat-topped tan machines were surrounded by light armour plates with a large hexagonal turret on the top. Each of the anti-air machines had two rapid-fire railguns on each side of the turret, looking much like quad-cannons from earlier Terran warfare. In addition to this each Icarus had a boxy SAM located on the top of the turret, four surface-to-air missiles in each launcher. Satisfied that everything was in order, Nigel checked his weapons systems one last time before glancing towards his tactical map. Five Foxhounds, Echo One through to Five, formed up beside him each with different weapon load-outs. “All forces move out according to your orders, Echo with me.” With those words Chalmers moved forwards, the five Foxhounds with him striding alongside him as they closed on the city with the rest of the force following the mechs. Trusting his unit officers to be able to handle themselves Nigel switched to a communication channel reserved for important tactical information only, vastly decreasing the number of voices sharing information and statuses. It was the most relaxed he had been for a long time. ‘Now that I think relaxation,’ Nigel thought as the city grew closer, ‘what ever happened to that annoying priest?’ “You are now blessed loyal servant of the Lord and Empire, go forth into battle and bring victory.” High-Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber removed his armoured hand from the commando’s helmet, the soldier standing back up from where she had been kneeling. The trooper retrieved her dark-grey gauss rifle from where she had placed it on the floor prior to receiving the blessing, the gun matching her heavy grey armour. She was taller than Dietrich in the large armour suit, the protective battle-plate much thicker and plentiful compared to standard UIP infantry armour. “Thank you, Father,” the soldier acknowledged as her thin eye visor stared into his, the crimson band a stark contrast to her dull armour. The bottom parts of the helmets that the troopers were sporting had two outcroppings on the side of the chin area, making the helms appear like twentieth century gas-masks with a single optical band instead of large eye visors. The female soldier sat back down in her seat with her eleven other squad members, Dietrich already having blessed them before. The only exception was the purple armoured bat-pony watching the proceedings with interest, the stallion having been assigned to the team to serve as a guide and liaison between any on the local forces if they had managed to survive. Each of the three Viper loads of special-forces had one Equestrian with them for the same purpose, all of them from the Lunar Guard as they were considered more suitable for the task. In reality none of the pegasi had been willing to board the human gunships, the ponies seeing them as metal boxes that flew unnaturally. Dietrich approached the pony who was sitting down with his back against the wall leading to the front of the craft, the stallion constantly flicking his wing-mounted blades out and back in. “Would you like me to bless your weapons?” Dietrich inquired, the stallion giving the priest a wary gaze. “No thank you, that won’t be needed,” the pony replied, Dietrich sighing in his helmet. He had been told by the Admiral to not try to convert the Equestrians for now, the priest had only agreed due to the condition that once the conflict was over he could preach as much as he could. “If that is what you wish,” the High-Confessor conceded, leaving the equine to his own company. He walked back to the exit ramp of the gunship, passing soldiers checking sniper-rifles, assault rifles and assorted heavy equipment. A slight shuddering could be felt, the gunship firing its nose cannon at a target down in the city. Dietrich spotted a row of Aerial-Infantry-Deployment-Systems on a rack next to the ramp, the High-Confessor getting an idea of how to find more converts without breaking the Admiral’s deal. The thirteen soldiers sharing the hold with him watched on as he picked a pack off the rack and attached it to his suit’s back, the magnetic clamps securing the sleek grey device firmly on. “High-Confessor, what are you doing?” asked the commando squad leader, the man putting his rifle down on his lap as its cleaning was forgotten. Dietrich did not answer him straight away; instead he ensured that the device on his back was interfaced properly with his suit and that all of his things were secured safely on his person in preparation for his plan. “Simple,” Dietrich replied, “I’m going to do my heavenly duty.” With that he slammed his hand down on the hatch release button, the rear ramp of the gunship lowering quickly allowing air to rush into the hold. The commando captain started to stand up to halt Dietrich but the priest had already jumped out of the gunship into the city below. The soldiers all stared in surprise at the open ramp, ignoring the pilots of the Viper who were asking just which moron opened the ramp early. The hatch began to close; clanging shut which cut off the rushing wind. “Should we go after him?” the bat-pony asked, the captain turning his head to face the pony as he sat back down in his seat and picked up his rifle to resume cleaning it. “No, we have our mission and it does not include chasing down rogue priests.” The soldiers all resumed the pre-battle activities that they had been doing before the High-Confessor’s sudden exit. “Besides,” the Captain continued, “I’ve heard that in order to achieve the rank of High-Confessor priests have to serve four years in active warzones, I’m sure that the good Father will be fine.” Bronze Shield huddled behind the makeshift barricade with the remaining members of the city garrison as they listened to the griffons forces outside in the street throw out insults and threats. The fifteen ponies, five unicorns, six pegasi and four earth ponies all were wounded in one way or another, ranging from simple cuts to the pegasi corporal slumped in the corner against an earth pony private, his left wing almost completely torn off. The unicorn lieutenant looked down to his side and counted six crossbow bolts, all the remaining ammunition he had. The other unicorns under his command had run out long before, expending their bolts to keep the griffons from gaining entry to the small tea shop that they were holed up in. The five griffon bodies piled in the doorway stuck full of bolts were the owners of most of the expended ammunition. No effort had been made to retrieve any; the griffons’ own archers had maintained a constant vigil on the doorway. Bronze was thankful that they had managed to block off the two large store windows with tables and chairs before the keen-eyed archers had arrived. “Sounds like they’re going to make a move soon,” Storm Front, a sergeant and second highest soldier, observed. Bronze turned his head to focus on the pegasi mare pressed up against the side of the doorway. Her golden armour was stained with blood, both hers from numerous talon and spear wounds and that of griffons who had met their end at the Sergeant’s fore-leg mounted blade. “They figured out any other threats yet?” Bronze asked from behind the shop counter, the mare swivelling an ear towards the outside street before shaking her head. “No, just the same ‘we’re going to kill you’, ‘we’re going to eat you’, and of course ‘you’ll have a fun time as slaves, ponies’ that they’ve been shouting for hours. All of the intelligent griffons must be in every other part of the city except this one.” “There’s such a thing as an intelligent Griffon?” one of the other unicorns joked, weary chuckles coming from guards scattered throughout the store. Bronze didn’t laugh, while he encouraged the small morale boost he knew that it was only a matter of time till they were over-whelmed. They had already been incredibly luckily to not have seen a minotaur yet, one of those could probably wade in and kill them all easily. A part of him knew that his troops were also fully aware of their dire situation, all of the soldiers having lost hope of rescue. He still wondered if there were any other holdouts like this one in the city, the garrison of two-hundred was one of that largest in the country. He doubted it, the attack had come in fast and caught them unaware. The garrison Commander had been one of the first killed and messengers had just barely managed to escape the city before the combined forces of minotaurs and griffons took complete control. The worst part had been the civilians; the occupying forces had rounded them up and shipped them off to who-knows-where while the guards cowered in their makeshift hideout. They had been tempted to rush out and attempt to free them but they wouldn’t have achieved anything anyway, the odds were just so against them that there had been no chance. Bronze could still hear the pleas of ponies as they were placed in chains, some of the garrison had even been capture and hauled off. Why they were taking captives Bronze didn’t know, all he knew was that with the griffon’s history he hoped that it was for simple labour, not some of the other uses that live ponies could be utilized for. “Get ready,” Storm warned form the doorway as guards hid behind upturned tables with spears and swords pointed towards the door, “sounds like they’re coming in again!” The guard’s warning was validated by the sound of griffon war shrieks rising in volume and proximity. The clatter of metal armour and weapons grew ever closer, Bronze leaning out with his crossbow pointed at the door in his blue magic field. This attack seemed like the one that would finally crush the little resistance that they had mounted. All the ponies braced to receive the charge, the heavily wounded pegasus already having been dragged behind cover by his earth pony caretaker. The ponies all flattened their ears at another, far more intimidating noise however. A steady roar grew louder and louder, the griffon shrieks dying out as the noise increased. “What is it Storm?” Bronze asked, the mare risking glance out of the doorway into the sky. He became concerned when the mare did not pull her head back in immediately, also of note was how not a single crossbow bolt had been fired at her. “I… I honestly don’t know sir,” the mare stammered, still looking outside, “I think it’s a… black minotaur flying on fire.” Bronze did a double take, had the mare snapped under pressure? “Oh my Celestia…” an earth pony stallion breathed as he peered through a gap in the right store window. Bronze left the counter and moved up, his crossbow still held at the ready as the rest of the guards except for the earth pony guarding the immobile pegasus followed him to the door and windows. Bronze looked outside as the roaring reached a crescendo, the unicorn sticking his head out next to Storm’s, his eye’s widening as he looked at the source of the roar. Just like the pegasus had described, what looked like a black minotaur was descending from the sky on a tongue of flame that was spewing from somewhere behind it. The creature’s armour, or at least what Bronze assumed was armour, was decorated like a religious temple with alcoves, decorative red lines of what looked like text written in blood and a large book attached by silver chains to the waist of the figure. A weapon that seemed to be a kind of a green glowing mace was attached to the other side of the creature’s waist on the right, Bronze turning away from the mace as a sudden pain flared up in his head. A long tube was at the back of the being, the creature’s head possessing two glowing-red eyes and a grey-grille where a mouth should be. As the Equestrians observed the strange sight the griffons in the street numbering over fifty strong all backed away from the centre of the cobbled road, the flame dying out as the ebony figure touched down. “Greetings heretics!” A electronic voice originated from the biped, one hand opening the book while the other gripped the shaft of the infernal mace. “I am High-Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber and come bearing glorious news; I have journeyed here for the purpose of saving your souls from eternal suffering! Rejoice! Rejoice for the opportunity that you have been blessed with!” the figure unclipped his mace through some method and help it into the sky, griffon and pony alike shielding their eyes from the weapon. “You have two choices, either repent your sins of slavery now and vow to never stray from the righteous path or choose divine salvation by my hand!” The griffons all looked extremely confused, the soldiers all looking towards each other for some kind of guidance. “That’s a human you idiots!” Bronze glanced up to spot a griffon officer, if his ornate light-plate armour was an indication, flying down into the square with two more soldiers beside him. A earth pony beside Bronze gasped, so this was one of the humans that had been quickly demonized by the Canterlot guard forces. “Kill it, kill it now!” the officer barked as he pointed a claw towards the human. Spurred into action at their officer’s order, the closest griffons charged towards the biped with various weapons raised and war cries on their lips. The human, who Bronze assumed was some kind of religious figure, seemed to not be threatened in the slightest. “Prepare yourself to enter paradise!” the human chanted as a flurry of crossbow bolts were fired at him, the metal projectiles bouncing off the metal plate as a faint blue sheen briefly flashed when the bolts hit. The five griffons moving forward towards the creature hesitated at this, the human however surged forward with his mace raised. “And thus it is written that those slain by a holy hand shall forever achieve eternal peace!” As the human chanted he swung his mace at an oncoming griffon, the hybrid raising a round metal shield to block the blow. The human’s weapon didn’t bounce off the shield or even smash it aside, no, it fully melted the projection as it passed through to smash into the griffon. The Equestrians and surrounding griffons winced as the mace vaporised a large chunk of the griffon’s yellow-feathered chest, a terrifying wail ringing out as the human’s weapon exited out the other side taking most of the warrior’s ribcage with it. “Hallelujah!” the human shouted joyfully as the dead griffon hit the ground with a smack, “Yet another redeemed soul welcomed into the embrace of eternal bliss!” None of the combatants moved, the human’s brutal attack coupled with his disturbing rhetoric really off put everyone watching. The biped didn’t stop however, his steps almost seeming to flow as he advanced on the next griffon. “Kill him!” once again the griffon officer repeated his order, this time however there was a hint of desperation in his tone, “he can’t fight us all at once!” Most of the griffons surged forth in a swarm as the human dispatched another of their number with a blow to the head. Looking at the approaching heretics Dietrich realised that he was most likely going to be overwhelmed, his armour was strong but even that would not save him from the sheer numbers. His neural link sending a command to his suit, Dietrich activated the system intended for just such circumstances. As griffons surrounded him, their weapons and talons putting more and more strain on his energy shield protecting his armour Schreiber felt numerous needles pierce his skin near his spine, a potent mix of stimulants, narcotics and secret holy chemical mixes flooded his bloodstream. Time slowed for the High-Confessor, the griffons hitting him with hammers, swords and maces of their own slowing down to a crawl as his heart pounded faster and faster. His pupils widened to extremely large sizes and his vision was replaced with a sea of colours and shapes that vaguely resembled the heretics assaulting him as bright red blobs. He noticed fifteen other shapes, these ones coloured green which showed that they were not heretics but neither were they faithful. His conversion of them could wait however, the priest had his mission and time started to flow normally once again as the dim of battle was replaced with an angelic chorus in Dietrich’s ears. With his chemically enhanced strength he wrestled his mace from the heretic holding onto the weapon’s blessed shaft and with a wide swing tore through bodies and armour, the wails of the dying turning into holy hymns as the red blobs turned blue and soared to the heavens leaving their earthly bodies behind. The Equestrians watched in equal parts awe and terror as the entire front wave of griffons facing the biped were thrown back into the air, some of the more unfortunate actually hit by the head of the green mace instead of by the bodies of their comrades. Bronze tried to comprehend how the human possessed such strength as another group of griffons were annihilated by a second sweep. “There are no breaks on the salvation train!” the human cackled with an insane voice, far from the practiced preaching that he had been spouting before. “Embrace it my brothers and sisters! Embrace the freedom of death as I deliver unto you the ultimate kindness!” With almost fevered joy the human left the griffons attacking him from the back to pounce upon those griffons on the ground who had not been killed, the human bringing his mace down upon their heads as they struggled to get up. The griffons who had continued to attack him, around twenty left alive, began to waver as Dietrich turned his attention to them. As the priest swept through their numbers with a deadly grace he continued his rants. “Yes! More will be saved! I bring you mercy and compassion children! Give yourself unto the Lord and in return be granted serenity for eternity!” The human shoved his mace into one of the griffon archer’s face, the weapon sliding through the back of the head with ease as steam issued forth from around the shattered skull. This sight broke the griffons, the warriors wisely giving up their attack to flee into the air while the priest held out his still-opened book towards them as he jumped in the air. “No! You are not yet cleaned of sin! Return so that I may help you!” An angry squawk drew the attention of the High-Confessor, the human turning to face the griffon officer who had stayed at the back of the battle. Fleeing into the skies were the two soldiers who had been escorting him, the officer moving to follow them away from the insane biped. He made it into the air, quickly ascending as Dietrich chased after him. The human was too late; the officer was just above mace range as he headed away from the ‘saviour’. Dietrich in his drug fuelled frenzy let his tome dangle by his side as he dropped it to remove the morbid black tube from its housing on his back. The Royal Guard watched from the store as the human held his mace in one hand with the tube in the other, his claw wrapped around some form of trigger. A bright yellow glow appeared at the end of the skull-headed tube as the priest aimed it towards the griffon officer getting further and further away. “I grant you fire now so that you are spared from the eternal flame pits of Hell!” With a hiss-whoof a scorching pillar of flame expelled from the barrel of the tube, the inferno chasing the officer as he tried to escape. His efforts were in vain, the very tip of the fire caught the lower half of his body. He shrieked in agony as he plummeted back down to earth to crash into the middle of the cobbled road fifty metres away from where Dietrich was standing. His broken wing ignored, the griffon desperately tried to beat out the flames ravaging his hind legs as the priest slowly walked towards him. The hybrid shrieked in torment and fear as the flames began to spread higher and hire, more flesh and fur blackening as Dietrich halted ten metres away from him and aimed his flamethrower down at the wailing officer. “And with holy intent I burn away your heresy and grant you absolution.” As he stated these words his weapon spewed forth another extended burst of flame, the fires utterly engulfing the griffon as the officer’s dries were drowned out by the crackling of the conflagration. After holding the trigger down for four seconds Dietrich released it, the billowing flames ceasing as soon as they began. There nothing left of the officer apart from a pile of black ash sitting in a pool of molten metal, the white hot fires having reduced him to almost nothing. The guards had seen it all from the store, the soldiers completely shocked at the devastation that the High-Confessor had wreaked. Bronze stared at the human, his heartbeat quickening as the biped turned and seemed to stare right at him. The unicorn ducked back around the side of the door, pulling Storm back with him as the rest of the guards retreated from their peepholes in the hopes that the human would not notice them. It was in vain however, the damage had already been done and the guards all sheltered behind cover, Bronze and Storm taking up positions behind the counter. Bronze raised his crossbow to point at the door, he knew that it would most likely prove a fruitless gesture considering what the human had weathered from the griffons but they had come too far to be saved from the griffons only to be wiped out by the creature that had un-knowingly rescued them. His soldiers all followed his example, spears and swords aiming towards the door as the heavy footfalls grew louder and louder. The ponies all held their breaths as they awaited the human’s entrance, they knew that this fight was going to be the hardest that they had faced so far. After five seconds of silence save for nervous breathing from his troops Bronze leaned forward as Storm looked over the top of the counter at the door. “Where is h-“ Storm’s question was cut off as the right store window smashed in, the furniture blocking it thrown aside as the human ploughed through it effortlessly. “I have come to bring you salvation!” the human declared as he stood in the remains of the shattered barricade while guards scrambled back from him with their weapons forgotten. Bronze fired a bolt in one last attempt to stop the human, the metal projectile merely bouncing of the blue energy barrier that flared up at the impact. The unicorn gulped as the biped raised his fire-creating tube towards him, the tip glowing with intense heat which distorted the air around it. He was just barely aware of the Storm sighing in resignation beside him as the human started to depress the trigger. Dietrich was just about to grant reprieve through cleansing flame once again before his vision wavered, the blurs and blobs dissolving back to his normal vision again. The priest halted his trigger finger as the mind-altering cocktail of drugs he had dosed himself with wore off, each dose only enough for five minutes to prevent fatal side-effects to the user. Images of un-initiated souls faded away to reveal terrified equine guards, far from the heretics that Dietrich had believed them to be. The priest shook his head to clear any after effects of the drugs, the human lowering his flamethrower away from the two specific ponies that he had been aiming at. “My apologies,” Dietrich stated, causing the two equines in front of him to look at him in fearful confusion, “I was not myself for a while there, please forgive me form any distress that I have caused.” The priest re-attached his weapon to his back, spreading his palms out as he rotated around the entire room to show the guards that he wasn’t going to hurt them. One of the ponies that he had been about to burn stood up shakily on his hooves, the unicorn stallion glanced around at the other equines before facing Dietrich. “Why are you here? You humans are supposed to be our enemy.” the stallion asked, a pegasus mare glaring at Dietrich from behind the shop counter. “Don’t you know?” Dietrich replied as he brushed some dust off his armour, “your Princesses have employed the assistance of the Empire I serve; as we speak a combined force including your fellow soldiers are assaulting this city.” The guards all were incredibly relieved to hear this news; re-enforcements had arrived after days of waiting. “Oh, thank Celestia!” an earth pony praised as he stood up from behind the table he was sheltering behind. Dietrich opened his book and looked at the unicorn he had been speaking to, the pony seeming to be the one in charge. “Indeed, would you like me to bless you before we leave this place for safer ground?” Bronze smiled nervously at the human, given what he had seen he was unsure as to what form this ‘blessing’ would take. He realised that the human did have a valid point about moving and most of his troops needed professional medical care. “No thank you, I think it would be best if we moved straight away,” the priest stared at him for a few moments, Bronze beginning to wonder if the human was going to go crazy again. “They are your troops,” the human responded while putting his book away, “if you wish to go out un-blessed then that is your choice.” Dietrich walked to the broken window and peered outside. “It seems clear outside, moving now would be a good choice before they have the chance to organise a counter-attack.” Bronze nodded at the statement before looking towards the table sheltering Maple Field and the wounded pegasus she was guarding, Steady Hail. “Fields, get Hail up on his hooves and moving.” The mare tried to wake the pegasus however no response was received and as she sat the pony up everyone could see the bloody wing stump wrapped in bandages, the white cloth thoroughly soaked with blood. Maple Fields franticly pressed her ear to her comrade’s chest, the mare relaxing as she detected a heartbeat. “He’s alive,” she informed, “He won’t be moving anytime soon however, we’ll have to carry him.” Two of the other earth ponies moved over to help, however Dietrich stopped them as he walked over to the injured guard. “Allow me to carry your fellow, he will be much less of a burden to me and will leave you with more troops able to fight off any attacks.” Storm Front moved to block the human from accessing the wounded stallion, her wings spread put to the sides in a gesture for him to halt. “No,” she denied as she glared at the High-Confessor, “I don’t trust you with one of us, from what I’ve heard from other guards and seen today you humans are monsters so no, I won’t let you carry him.” The Priest and pegasus Sergeant stared off, Storm gazing at Dietrich defiantly while the priest’s expression was hidden under his helmet. Bronze walked over in-between the pair, the unicorn deciding to step in before Storm provoked the biped any further. “Storm, he does have a point,” the Sergeant gave him a surprised look, “now before you say anything he’s right. If he carries Hail then that frees up three of us, there are still griffons everywhere in the city so we need all the advantages we can get.” “But what if it’s a trick to get us to lower our guard!?” Storm shot back as she waved a hoof towards Dietrich. “He could have easily killed us before,” Bronze reminded, Storm’s defiance deflating at the mention of how close Dietrich had come to killing them. The mare’s wings returned to her sides as she hesitantly stepped aside to allow the human access to the maimed guard. “Fine,” she huffed before shooting Dietrich with a final glare, “but if you betray us I’ll kill you myself human, do you understand?” Dietrich doubted that even the pegasus herself believed her threat, never the less he attempted to waylay her concerns as he bent down to pick the wounded equine off the ground. “I swear on my faith that I only tell the truth regarding my motivations,” the High-Confessor assured as he placed the pegasus he was carrying across his shoulders, his armour making the weight of the armoured equine easily manageable. “Your comrade shall be treated like one of my own.” The priest gestured towards the door, the weary Equestrians cautiously starting to move out of the shop. Dietrich Von Schreiber took a moment to shift the pony he was carrying to a more comfortable position for the equine as he followed the Equestrians outside into the corpse-filled street, the eyes of Storm and the earth pony soldier who had been guarding the pegasus fixed on him the entire time. “Mecha-Chalmers used Plasma Cannon!” Nigel shouted out gleefully over his mech’s speakers as he shot a group of minotaurs and griffons with his mech’s plasma cannon, the blue bolt of energy engulfing the unfortunate soldiers with superheated energy. A blackened crater in the road was left in their place, the weapon designed to engage armoured vehicles grossly overpowered for infantry engagement. “A critical hit, it’s super effective!” he laughed. As the barrel of the recently-used cannon cooled Chalmers checked his tactical map, the holographic display showing in all of the forces in the city. His escort of Foxhounds had all gone a different route, the scout mechs able to nimbly traverse the streets engaging any targets they saw. The tanks had all secured the outskirts and the artillery had been bombarding any enemy forces approaching the city with energy shells. All of the infantry had been unloaded apart from a few squads of mechanised loaded into APCs, the mechanised soldiers tasked to push into the city to secure strategic points such as suspected enemy supply dumps and possible locations that any Equestrian garrison forces were still occupying. The three Vipers had all reported successful deployments of commandos; the only irregularity was something about a ‘flying priest’ that Chalmers dismissed as a communication error. Already the infantry had made impressive gains, the combined harassment from the mechs upon the enemy forces and the support from the gunships had allowed them to push deep into the city. Chalmers guessed that it wouldn’t be long until it was back under Equestrian control; so far no casualties had been sustained by UIP troops or the Equestrian guards thanks to careful advances and surprisingly seamless communication between human and equine officers. Nigel was thankful that he had received a bunch of guards bright enough to save their differences until after the battle. Satisfied that everything was going according to plan Chalmers moved forward down the main city road, his mech crushing benches and lamp posts as it walked by. Nigel was taller than most of the buildings apart from a few high-rise hotels and apartment blocks, this city of Baltimare was not the metropolis that Manehattan was but it still was a decent size compared to other equine cities. Nigel held his lance out in front of his mech while he kept his ranged-weapon arm at the ready. He had so far refrained from using any rockets or missiles, not much point apart from entertainment from saving city if he blew it up in the process. A large amount of life-forms appeared on his scanners, all of them centred in a space that was marked as a community park. The proximity to the docks lead Nigel to believe that they were likely to be captured Equestrians waiting for transport; no doubt they would be guarded by large amounts of griffons and minotaurs. He checked the location off all of the units he had, none of the Vipers were free, the Foxhounds were engaging forces to his east and all of the other forces would not make it in time for his planned attack. ‘Hold on,’ Nigel thought as he peered closer at the tactical map showing the rooftop of nearby high-rise close to him and the park, ‘that may just be exactly what I need.’ Green Chime shifted in her spot on the grass, her chains clinking as she stretched her legs. The grass-green unicorn and the rest of the hundreds of ponies part of her ‘group’ were all huddled in the park surrounded by multiple griffons and minotaurs always yelling at them to ‘be quiet’ and ‘don’t move’. The mare sighed, she had quickly gotten over the shock of being taken from her tea store in the centre of the city and bound in chains after seeing how the invading beings treated ponies who refused to follow orders. She did not want to be beaten to near unconsciousness only to be thrown on the ground and left there until the time came to be loaded onto a ship. Where ponies were being taken had been made know through the griffon’s jeers about slavery, the griffon territories was the destination of large cargo ships carrying the already taken Equestrians. The minotaurs seemed to not be interested in taking slaves, they were more concerned with wealth. After the first lot of ponies had been punished for trying to fight back everypony else just either sobbed or followed every instruction to the letter to avoid having their coats decorated with black and blue bruises. Green Chime had been waiting for days for her fate to arrive, the griffons having kept her and many others in the city as the amount of ponies they were taking was too much for the ships they had brought with them. She flicked her brown short-cut mane, she was happy for them to take their time before taking her away. A new fleet had arrived in the morning, Chime able to see their masts from where she had been lying. The griffons had gotten them up and had begun to move ponies to the docks when loud explosions had boomed out from the city outskirts. The griffons and minotaurs had hurried the prisoners back to the park as some really fast objects had flown overhead leaving more booms in their wake. Under threat of death they had all been told to stay put, every pony chained to one in front and one behind as they all kept still in the park. As the minutes passed the hybrids guarding them had grown more and more nervous as the faint sounds of more explosions and other strange noises grew louder as time passed. More and more soldiers had arrived from the docks to head into the city, however none came back. Her ears picked up along with the rest of the ponies in the park as more sounds of fighting, this time in the harbour itself, reached them. Their guards all looked towards the sounds with concern as some griffons took to the skies to get a better look. As Green Chime turned her head back around she caught a flash of tan behind a large hotel, a strange object almost as tall as the building it was next to peeking out from the side. It had two large metal legs, a large torso and a strange head with lots of red lights. It was all tan and seemed to be covered in a huge amount of metal. One arm held a massive grey spear and the other was hidden behind the hotel. Chime tried to figure out what it wanted but the thing didn’t give her a chance as it ran out towards the park at a speed that seemed incredibly fast for something that big. The thing’s footfalls immediately drew the attention of the guards, the griffons and minotaurs all scrambling for cover in alarm as the towering metal beast raised its left arm fitted with all kinds of black tubes towards a makeshift guard tower sheltering ten griffons and five minotaurs that the invaders had built to keep an eye in their prisoners. The Equestrians all flattened their ears down as a scream emitted from the largest barrel, a blue bolt that was so bright it hurt to look at rocketing out of the tube towards the guard tower. A massive explosion and a wave of heat was created when the bolt hit, completely destroying the wooden tower and all inside. The beast then turned its tubes upon guards outside the area holding the prisoners, lots of smaller red bolts tearing up the ground and guards as they landed amongst them. A few of the smarter soldiers ran amongst the captives, hoping that the bipedal war machine would not be willing enough to fire on the prisoners. Chime squealed in surprise and shock as a burly minotaur lifted her up with a blue-grey arm around her neck in front of his chest. Chime tried to fight back with her bound hooves as the minotaur unhooked her collar chain attaching her to the other ponies like his fellows were with their prisoners but with her legs still shackled it didn’t even bother him. She quickly gave up even trying these ineffective moments when a large axe was held against her throat. “Shut up and don’t move!” the minotaur holding her growled as his grip got tighter, Chime finding it difficult to breath as she tried to suck in as much air as she could through the hold. It looked like several other griffons and minotaurs had the same ideas, each one grabbing a hostage as the giant rotated towards them. Chime heard a male grunt of pain then a loud slap to her right, she found the minotaur holding her turning to face the source of the sound allowing Chime to see a white unicorn with a neon two-tone mane receive a second slap from the griffon holding her hostage as the solider grimaced in pain and anger, red hoof marks on the griffon’s underside. “Knock it off, they’re of no use dead!” the minotaur holding Chime ordered, the griffon ceasing his slaps of the unicorn. Chime noticed that the unicorn seemed dazed by the assault, her red eyes unfocused and a small trail of blood leaking from her mouth. “Attention Griffon and Minotaur forces!” a male voice boomed out, everyone focusing their attention on the giant. “Release your hostages and surrender, failure to do so will result in your execution!” all of the hostage carrying hybrids started to back away to the road leading towards the docks. “No, you listen here!” a griffon officer carrying a pegasus stallion in his talons yelled back as he hovered off the ground, “You obviously want these ponies alive, if you try to stop us we will kill them!” to emphasise his point the officer raised his sword towards the stallion’s neck. “And just where do you think you’ve got to go?” the metal giant boomed back as the hostage-holders continued to move backwards, the seven holding ponies joined by thirty others who were the sole-survivors of the creature’s attack. “Here’s how it’s going to work!” the officer called back, “we are going to the docks, we are going to board a ship and we’ll leave with these hostages! You shoot and they die, you follow us and they die! I heard that you’re working with the Princesses and they would not let you kill their ponies!” The griffon sounded smug as he yelled the last part. His smug smile dropped however when instead of a calm reply that he had been receiving from the giant so far he was answered with chuckling laughter. “Oh, you think I care about what the Princesses think? That’s pretty funny right there. You are correct however in saying that I do not wish to kill any Equestrians, more of a personal choice really.” The hybrids continued to move back, their backs towards the road surrounded by houses and stalls. “I also don’t need to kill them to kill you.” “Is that so Beast?” the officer responded as they continued to move backwards, “and just how will you do that? We hold all the cards in this situation.” The laughter from the giant rang out again at the officer’s reply. “You may hold all the cards,” the giant answered, “but you went and dropped the soap, breaking the first rule of prison and leaving your rear exposed.” Multiple hisses of air followed by wet squelches from behind followed immediately after the statement, Chime finding herself covered in moisture as the Minotaur’s grip around her relaxed and she found herself falling to the ground. Chime landed heavily on her side as more hisses and screams filled the air along with the Giant’s booming laughter. She winced as her body gained a few bruises and for some reason her mouth tasted all coppery. She jolted as a large blue thing in metal thumped down right in front of her, the mare at first unable to figure out what it was. Her eyes widened as she saw spurts of red fluid spew out from the top, the pony realising what was in front of her. It was the body of the bull that had been holding her, minus most of his head. Chime almost threw up, the pony gagging as she tried to backpedal away from the corpse. The chains binding her legs hampered her, she was only able to put a few hooves between her and the body before she gave up and turned her head away. This proved to be a mistake; she had turned towards the direction that the hissing sounds were coming from just in time to see three griffons and a minotaur have large holes torn in their bodies as they tried to run down an alley away from the street. As the bodies dropped eleven beings could be seen advancing towards the carnage, one bat-pony Lunar Guard galloping next to ten, grey-metal bipedal creatures the sizes of minotaurs with objects grasped in their claws pointing towards her. With hisses the objects seemed to spit something out, Chime realising that they were not aiming at her but at a lone griffon who was the last creature in the street remaining. The unlucky hybrid had no time to even scream before he danced backwards as holes were blasted in his chest and head. The bipeds kept on firing for a few seconds, the griffon unrecognizable due to the amount of flesh that had been blasted off him. The hissing sounds stopped and the ravaged body fell to the street with a wet splat. “There’s a few down here!” the bat-pony yelled as the mare stopped and pointed towards another alleyway with a purple metal-clad hoof. Two more grey bipeds sprinted up as the original ten continued forwards to where all the hostages lay, the new bipeds holding larger objects than their counterparts. They skidded to a halt at the mouth of the alleyway as multiple sets of heavy footsteps grew fainter, the two bipeds bracing themselves as they pointed their weapons into the alley. Rapid ripping that sounded like the tearing of paper boomed out as the weapons seemed to kick in the bipeds grasp, lots of tiny bangs and screams echoing out from further into the alley. The grey creatures continued to spray the alley with death for five seconds before a single griffon soared into the sky in a desperate attempt to escape. The bipeds raised their weapons and opened fire again without hesitating, the griffon simply disappearing into a red mist under the hail of fire from the two loud weapons. Suddenly there was silence in the street save for the occasional whimper or sob. Chime watched as the grey bipeds and Lunar Guard moved amongst the bodies, weapons pointed towards the ground. Sporadic sounds of their weapons discharging followed by wet splats signalled the deaths of any hybrid survivors, the grey creatures going about the task with methodical precision. Chime watched the proceedings with horror before metal hooves grabbed hold of her. She whimpered as the bat-pony mare pulled her away from the minotaur body beside her, the guard dragging her to the side of a house. The night guard sat her up so that her back was against the cream-coloured wall, the mare looking at her in concern. “Are you hurt?” the guard asked, Chime managing to shake her head. Chime looked over to where she had been laying, the grey creatures helping up the other hostages who had all survived. “Don’t look over there, look at me instead,” the guard advised as she moved Chime’s head away from the scene with a hoof. As the mare pulled her hoof away Chime saw fresh blood coating the purple metal. “Am I bleeding!?” Chime asked desperately, the bat-pony shaking her head as she turned around and with a foreleg waved over one of the bipeds before she faced Chime again. “No I don’t think so; it doesn’t look like your blood now that I’m a little closer. We’ll get a medic to look at you just in case however.” The guard must have noticed the terrified look that Chime gave the approaching biped, the mare placing a comforting hoof upon her chained forelegs. “Calm down, the humans won’t hurt you.” Chime briefly though about how she had heard the name ‘human’ somewhere before but couldn’t place it, she soon forgot about trying to remember however when the creature arrived and crouched down in front of her as it opened a case that it was carrying. “Righto then, let’s have a look at you young lass,” the creature stated in a male voice with a strange accent. Chime didn’t speak as the biped withdrew a dark-grey cloth from his grey metal case, the night guard patting her on the back in an attempt to comfort her. “Please close your pretty brown eyes for me,” Chime complied, shuddering as she felt the slightly damp cloth on her face. She sat there with her eyes clenched shut as the human wiped her entire face. “So, I’ve already met Corporal Sweet Dreams beside you, how’s about you go ahead and tell me your name then?” The human continued, Green Chime swallowing a lump in her throat. “Green… Green Chime,” she stammered as the cloth was briefly pulled away, only to be replaced with a fresh one. “That’s a pretty name you’ve got there, it’s a shame that this had to happen to you,” the strangely friendly-sounding human commented, Chime unable to believe that a being that had just killed numerous creatures was acting so nice towards her. It was incredibly confusing. Chime only nodded as the human finished cleaning her face, the biped removing the cloth. “You can open your eyes now.” Chime did as instructed and was met with a grey faceless head with a single red line where eyes should be. “Okay now,” the human continued as he moved a metal claw up to her left cheek, “tell me if this hurts.” The human’s talons pressed down on her cheek firm but gently, the digits not sharp like Chime had been expecting. The cool metal traced her face, roving up to her forehead before lowering to her torso. The night guard kept patting her on the back as the human’s claw made it to her left die and ran over the spot where she had landed when the minotaur had dropped her. “Ow! It hurts right there,” Chime reported, the human using his talons to feel the flesh around the area on the side of her stomach. “Just a bruise, apart from that and a few other minor ones you seem to have escaped un-scathed.” The biped packed up his case, having not needed to use any of the strange devices and objects that Chime could see inside. He stood up as gave her a pat on the head as he picked his case off the ground, “good luck to you.” With that he jogged off, heading to the park where Chime could see even more bipeds, these ones tan, and Royal Guard rushing from the surrounding areas accompanied by strange metal machines that moved around on eight wheels. “Dreams!” a female voice yelled out from the street, Chime spotting a grey human holding up something that shined in the sun. The human threw the item and it was caught by the bat-pony with a leathery wing, revealing it to be a set of large keys. Chime was about to suggest that they use her magic to levitate the keys, levitation the only spell that most unicorns including herself knew but the Lunar Guard proved the dexterity of her wings as she used the limb to unlock the chains that bound Chime’s legs together. “Thanks,” Chime said as she shakily stood up with the guard’s assistance. “Come on,” Sweet Dreams replied as she started to walk towards the park and the rest of the forces, “all civilians are going to be evacuated out of the city for the time being and taken to Canterlot.” Green Chime hesitated, the mare gazing at the humans and the large giant in particular. The giant was currently silent, however Chime could see it sweeping its weapons over the buildings to the sides. “Uh, can I just stay here?” Chime asked softly, Dreams looking at her with a questioning look. “Are you afraid of the humans?” the guard asked, Chime hesitating at the query. “A little,” she responded as she stared at a group of ten tan humans kick down the door of a house before rushing in, “but while they scare me a little now after speaking to one when I look at them I just feel…” “Confused that they don’t seem evil?” Dreams finished for her, Chime nodding her head as the night guard sighed. “Have you heard of the name ‘human’ before?” “I have,” Chime answered, “but I don’t remember where from.” “I’ll tell you where,” Dreams responded as the two sat down, “you’ve heard the name ‘human’ before because we were at war with them barely a week ago.” “What!?” Chime exclaimed, “I didn’t hear anything about a war!” “The Princesses didn’t announce it to the public, but you remember the Canterlot Castle attack and the fire a few days later?” Chime nodded her head. “The ones caused by changelings that had been hiding in the city?” She replied, remembering reading a newspaper saying that the changelings responsible had been imprisoned. “Kind of, those are the incidents but it was humans, not changelings that caused them. In fact,” the guard pointed with a hoof towards the giant, “the leader of the group that were at war with us is in that machine right there.” “How do you know?” Chime asked nervously, what Dreams had just told her coupled with the laughter and jokes that the giant had made before did not raise her opinion of the humans. In response to her question the bat-pony smiled a little bit. “The commandos,” Dreams nodded at a grey human ordering a group of tan ones around, “told me when we were in the back of the Viper,” the guard noticed the look of confusion that Chime had. “One of their flying machines,” she explained, “they were rather detached to me at first; instead focusing on their pre-battle checks but after a time we started to talk. They were actually pretty friendly towards me; they told me a few things. Most of it was about the humans that attacked us, the Internal Security Agency. Apparently they’re some kind of intelligence agents or something like that, I didn’t get much else. All I know is that the ISA is considered scary even by other human military.” “Why?” Chime questioned. “Simple, they said that it was because the ISA knows everything about you and that most of their operatives are a little unhinged.” Chime shivered at the reminder. “I got the unhinged part,” both mares looked towards the giant machine, below it ponies were being loaded into the wheeled machines as guards and humans oversaw the proceedings. “Well, if you keep to yourself they’ll leave you alone for the most part,” the bat-pony informed as she got up. “Most of the humans I’ve talked to don’t even seem to hate us like I used to think, they’re just soldiers following orders. In fact it’s almost like they don’t even think that we’re worth the time to fight, something I don’t mind.” Dream turned towards Chime who was still sitting on the ground, “come on, as soon as you get to Canterlot you’ll be safe.” Chime left the ground and followed the guard, the mare sparing one final glance to the tall giant before sighing and focusing on the ground at her hooves as she trotted along. She didn’t know what to think of the humans anymore. “Colonel Straken, we have the latest reports from the front!” UIP Army Colonel Tabitha Straken turned towards the junior officer leading the team manning the tactical communications of the makeshift command centre that had been set up on the ground floor of the native equine castle. Her piercing blue eyes, pitch-black hair and angular features excluded a hostile aura as she observed the room once again, the Colonel liking to run a tidy war-room. All of the UIP army officers were clothed in olive-green dress uniforms with armour vests, a few other UIP officers from other departments with uniforms ranging from black uniforms of the special divisions to the fully-armoured suits of the Shock-trooper commanders. They were occupying what used to be a conference room, the room the largest space apart from the throne room. The two Equestrian Princesses and numerous members of their command staff watched on from around the room as she waved a white-gloved hand at the young man who had addressed her. “Carry on Lieutenant,” Straken ordered with a cold, commanding voice that had seen through many a successful battle co-ordination. “Force Manehattan reports nighty-percent of target city under complete control with total naval domination. Casualties are minimal with no deaths and forty-five Equestrian guards and five UIP personnel heavily wounded but stable. The Equestrian guard forces already in the city have sustained twenty-three recorded deaths with one-hundred-and-seven wounded. Enemy casualties are in the five-hundreds.” Straken turned towards the Princesses as the white one, Celestia, let a few tears fall as her sister comforted her. The Colonel scoffed under her breath, unnoticed by the rulers but a few of the pony officers heard it and glared at her. Straken didn’t care, she was not known for her compassion and in her opinion the Princesses were far too soft to be rulers. The UIP’s methods tended to be brutal but efficient, if the Princesses were unwilling to sacrifice the lives of their troops for their citizens’ safety then they should just let the UIP handle everything, a suggestion of hers that had been politely rejected by the rulers multiple times, the Alicorns citing that the sight of the guards would give the citizens hope. In Straken’s opinion all the in-experienced equine troops did was provide the Griffons and Minotaurs with soldiers unprotected by power-armour to slaughter. She did grudgingly grant the equine soldiers she had spoken to that they were willing to fight for their people at the risk of their own safety, it was just that they were outmatched by the more physically superior hybrids that came with brute strength or sharp claws before even picking up a weapon. “Colonel?” Straken realised that the Communications Officer was staring at her, she must have zoned out. “Continue,” she ordered, the blond officer not skipping a beat as he obeyed the command. “Commander Chalmers reports that the city of Baltimare is under complete control, no friendly forces have suffered any casualties apart from the local garrison which appears to have fifteen-percent dead, fifty-five percent missing in action and thirty-percent wounded. It seems as if most of the guard was captured and transported to Griffon territories, the few remaining survivors were holed up in makeshift defensive points. The Commander reports that search-and-destroy operations have commenced to root out any remaining hostiles as well as warning that hostiles attempted to use hostages.” “Interesting…” Straken responded as she went over the information. Hostages would complicate matters, there was no doubt in her mind that the Princesses would prefer to have their subjects enslaved then killed. Straken would normally order her forces to engage the slaver filth anyway despite collateral damage but for some reason unknown to her the Admiral and Commander Chalmers had stressed that Equestrian casualties were to be minimised. Tabitha herself thought that conquering these equines would save a lot of time compared to trying to remain diplomatic. “Urgent communication from Fillydelphia.” a Communications Technician reported in a steady voice. “Put it on screen,” Straken responded, the large holographic projector sitting against the wall coming to life as the back wall of the room lit up with an image of a city skyline. The view shifted, everyone in the room watching as the camera, appearing to be mounted in a soldier’s helmet, glanced down at the roof of a tall building before panning to show a group of grey-armoured commandos set up with long rifles looking over the side of the building. “Come in Command,” a heavy female voice spoke over the communications net. “This is Colonel Straken,” Tabitha responded, “report trooper.” “Confirmed Command,” the female soldier continued as she lay down on the grey metal roof, “we seem to have had a rather worrying development occur.” The soldier looked through the scope of a set-up rifle, the video feed switching to show the scene through the magnifying sights. Down below in a clear area that looked like the city centre was a mass of Equestrians and a horde of hybrid soldiers. What was concerning was that a large amount of enemy soldiers were separating a large number of the ponies and corralling them into a fenced area made from scavenged metal poles and girders. Aiming at all the fenced ponies were multiple griffons wielding crossbows, a single ballista that had been missed by the pre-battle airstrikes also pointing at the prisoners with a heavy iron bolt loaded. “Murphy strikes again,” was all Straken said, the Coronel going over what to do in her head. Glancing at a tactical map on another wall showing the three cities she saw that there appeared to only be a small number of UIP infantry in the immediate area, along with the commando unit providing the video feed. She didn’t have many options unfortunately, the commandos could attempt to neutralize the enemies before any hostages were killed but with the large amount of enemy troops it was unlikely. It was the only choice remotely possible of saving the lives of the equines she was tasked to protect. “Princess Celestia,” the alicorn broke her gaze from the holo-screen to stare at Straken, the Princess shaken at the sights she had seen. “It seems that our only option is for the commandos to engage the hostile forces. There is a high chance that some of your subjects will di-“ “No!” Celestia yelled, shocking her sister and military officers as she advanced on Straken, “I will not have any more of my ponies die!” Straken stared down the distraught Princess; the Colonel had tackled more intimidating enemies in her life-time. She could understand the ruler’s distress but giving the Hybrids what they wanted was not an option in her eyes. “If we do nothing then they will be carted off to slavery, a fate worse than death,” the Colonel calmly retorted, “some of your subjects have already died and more will die, this is war.” Celestia maintained her stare before dropping her head to the ground, the Princess far from her normal, regale image. Princess Luna moved to her sister and threw a blue wing over her back, as Celestia mumbled out a reply. “Do what you have to do.” Straken turned back to the screen, the commando leader not having said a word during the conversation. Just as she was about to order the commencement of the operation a polite cough from behind drew her attention. She turned, the Equestrians and other UIP officers also looking towards the source of the cough. A UIP officer clothed in a undecorated black uniform stepped out from the corner of the room where he had been lurking unnoticed, the elderly man’s steel-grey hair and large moustache contrasting with his piercing green eyes. The only hint of his identity was the small silver badge pinned to his chest, a human brain cortex surrounded by words in a foreign script. Straken for the first time during the operation felt a twinge of fear, recognizing the figure as an officer with the infamous UIP Psionic Warfare Unit. The menacing officer bowed politely before Celestia, the Princess looking at the new arrival with unease. Could the Alicorn detect something about the officer that she couldn’t? “I may have a solution to our little hostage problem,” the officer’s voice caused shivers to run down Straken’s spine, the Colonel not wincing like everyone else in the room, instead she glared at the PWU officer as he merely smiled at her. He made her feel uncomfortable and out of control and she hated him for it. “What do you mean?” Celestia inquired with a twinge of hope, the old man smiling is response. “Those are your orders Epsilon; fulfil the parameters at all costs.” “Affirmative,” a high-class, refined voice that would not be out-of-place in a royal courtroom replied. James Roberson, Agent Epsilon as he was known by the PWU, closed the communication link as he checked the energy clip on his silenced gauss pistol. The weapon’s colour matched his thin black armour, the only burst of colour coming from the dull blue armour plates covering his groin and chest. His helmet was just a coal-black faceplate, the same screen technology that was used with the windows of starships allowing him to view the outside world as if he was wearing nothing at all. Holding his gun out in front of him with gloveless brown-skinned hands, James moved out of the storage closet filled with cleaning supplies into the apartment building that he had been occupying for a day, having infiltrated the city long before the attack plans had even been made. He had been awaiting orders from his handler, his patience finally being rewarded with an assignment. He stalked through the hallways of the building with his gun at his side, the sounds of war in the distance. James wasn’t concerned with the fighting, he had a specific reason for being here and that reason had just come up. He checked his HUD, his destination the city centre twenty minutes of walking away. This would be too long however, so James exited the apartments and stood in the front gardens of the building. One second his was standing still, then is a flash of faint blue light he disappeared from sight. He rematerialized right behind a wooden fence, the sounds of distressed equines and numerous squawks and bellows becoming audible as his teleportation completed. He peered at the top of a nearby hotel, his HUD picking up the signals of twelve UIP commandos and one bat-pony guard watching the activity in the city square. He doubted that they had been informed of his presence, he doubted that even Admiral Montgomery himself knew that the fleet was harbouring a Pysops Assassin. James checked that his gun and combat knives were all accounted for, a neural command causing his ‘Silence’ suit’s clocking to activate causing the soldier to turn completely invisible. Hidden from sight Robertson left the cover of the fence, the soldier quickly strolling towards a group of griffons and minotaurs that wore armour of command officers. He passed chained equines on the ground, both civilians and captured guards from the city’s garrison lying down on the cobbled area. They must have been awaiting transport; however the UIP naval forces deployed into the sea had effectively blockaded the port and destroyed a large amount of hostile shipping. He ignored the distressed ponies, his target, the largest minotaur officer with a black coat was ordering his troops while he stood next to the makeshift hostage area. Multiple soldiers armed with crossbows aimed at the ponies held inside, the large ballista also pointed at the thirty incredibly upset equines inside. As James approached, his foot-falls silent and his form invisible the minotaur commander’s speech was audible. “… and if the filth advance we announce the demands, the Princesses’ would never risk harming their ‘little ponies’ so they’ll have no choice but retreat.” “But Stonewall,” a griffon dressed in ornate plate armour gilded with gold responded as his claw tapped the hilt of a sword with a gem-studded hilt, “what of the humans?” The minotaur snorted, the three griffon guards and the griffon officer stepping back while the two normal minotaur soldiers held their ground by their commander’s side. “The humans have been reduced to Celestia’s playthings!” the minotaur scoffed. “They will not kill any ponies for fear of incurring their pony overlord’s ire, as pathetic as it maybe!” James smirked under his helmet as he stood beside the bull, what he was about to do reminded him of an old squad mate back in his days as an ISA soldier. “Oh really?” he asked, the solder stepping around the creatures as they whirled around to look at where his voice had been. “What manner of trickery… High Peaks!” the bull faced the griffon officer, “How did you do that!?” The griffon’s reply was cut off by James once more, the soldier having moved to the other side of the confused minotaur officer. “Listen well, Bull,” he spoke, once again dodging the creatures as they tried to spot him. “What the…” a minotaur soldier breathed as they all stared at the empty patch of air. James had once again made his way behind the creatures. “My name is Epsilon,” the cloaked soldier informed, slipping in-between the guards as they spun around once more. He leaned right next to the minotaur leader’s right ear and withdrew one of his knives, the ten-inch dark-grey blade remaining sheathed thanks to specific construction materials. “And I be killing.” With these words he jammed the knife into the bull’s left eye socket and into the brain as the creature jerked his head back at the sound of James’s voice in his ear. The spray of blood interrupted his cloak field for a brief instant, the air shimmering as the red fluid gushed out from the ravaged wound. Robertson shut the stealth off completely, he had gained the attention of every single creature in the square. All part of the plan. As he form became clear and the dead minotaur slumped to the ground the griffon officer yelled out loudly in surprise. “Human!” the griffon pulled his sword from its scabbard and pointed it at James, the shocked guards doing the same. A faint blue glow surrounded James’s armour, not one of the creatures noticing it in their alarm. “Ten points for Captain Obvious,” James remarked dryly, High Crest searching the surrounding area most likely searching for any more humans. The griffon found none, looking towards the human armed with a simple knife he stared at him confused. “Only one of you? You must be mad!” “There only needs to be one of me,” James remarked confidently, the griffon officer actually looking like he agreed for a second before glancing down towards the dead bull’s body. “You’ll pay for what you have done,” the griffon spat as he gestured towards the hostage prison, “surrender or we’ll kill a hostage, then we’ll kill you.” “Get stuck in mud and die of exposure,” was the human’s response, his posh voice only infuriating the officer more. The griffon grinned maliciously as he clicked a talon and pointed at a griffon archer before facing the human once more. “Kill one of the hostages!” The officer smirked as he waited for the sound of a firing crossbow, however after five seconds with no pony death scream he frowned and looked back towards the nominated soldier. The griffon was frozen, his claw almost pulling the trigger as the crossbow was aimed at a terrified brown earth pony stallion closest to the fence. There was visible sweat on the griffon’s body, the officer glaring at the soldier. “Shoot him you Featherbrain!” “I can’t General!” the soldier wailed, “I want to but I can’t move!” Soft laughter came from the human, everyone turning to look at the biped who was now glowing a noticeable blue from crisscrossing electric blue lines that had appeared which covered his entire suit. “Oh, excuse me,” James apologised with a wave, “I just thought that you pathetic excuses for soldiers would have managed to kill a single unarmed hostage without failing.” “Shut up! I’ll show you!’ with his screech the General made a series of signals with a talon, every crossbow armed griffon and minotaur raising their weapons towards the hostages. The ballista as well was pointed towards the ponies as the officer once again waited for them to fire. Nothing happened. Turning around, the griffon saw that these troops as well were unable to move, the ones crewing the ballista also trying to fire the weapon t no effect. The officer shot the blue-tinged biped a glare as he leapt forward with his sword pointed at the laughing human’s head. “I’ll kill you myself… what!?” The officer had halted a bare inch from ramming his gleaming sword into James’s face, the human giving him a slow clap as every griffon and minotaur in the square found themselves paralysed. James started a slow clap that built into full blown applause, the Griffon General’s eyes widened as far as they could as he stared at his unresponsive body. “Oh no, you most certainly will not,” James informed, “my death is not in the mission parameters, we’ll have to postpone my demise if that’s the same with you.” The griffon’s eyes looked at the human with fear. “What’s going on!?” “It’s simple,” James replied as he began to pace back and forward in-between the multiple frozen guards. “Using my special talents and training I’ve invaded your minds so to speak, preventing you from killing anything. Well, any Equestrians that is.” One of the griffon guards frozen beside the General suddenly lunged forward and buried his spear into the neck of a minotaur guard, the only movement from the bull was his mouth moving as he gurgled on his own blood. The griffon who had attacked was paralysed once more, the soldier hyperventilating as he stared into the eyes of his comrade who he had just murdered. His pain at having no control over his actions was lifted shortly after, a light puff of air from James’s raised pistol sending a metal slug into his brain which freed him from the torment of the psychic control. As the body fell, pulling the slain bull’s corpse to the ground with it James turned his attention back to the griffon general who, if he had not been under paralysing psionic, would have voided his bowels then and there. “Well, I’d love to chat some more but I have a timetable to keep so I have to finish this,” General High Crest found himself falling to his knees, the griffon kneeling before the human as his sword was moved towards his exposed neck while his head tilted back. “What manner of demon are you?” the General stammered as his own talon shakily pressed the blade of his sword to the feathers on his neck. James placed his gun back into his holster as he patted the General on the head. “I’m just a soldier,” he replied stepping back as, with a slice, the General drew his own sword against his throat, the body falling to the cobbled ground. James glanced up to the hotel housing the bat-pony and the commandos, the soldiers having been instructed to not interfere. “Kill the rest,” James ordered over the communication system, high speed gauss rounds cutting down helpless hybrids where they stood. Making sure that he maintained the mental control, James checked his suit’s status, the psionic-enhancer systems all green and running well-under safe levels. If it wasn’t for the armour his abilities would not be nearly as powerful. It wasn’t long before almost all of the hostiles had been eliminated, the equestrians watching all staying still on the ground in pure terror as dead bodies hit the floor. Just before the last creature fell a shadow moved over the city centre as his communication system burst into life with rapid reports and chatter. James looked up, pausing for a few seconds before looking back down towards the pistol at his hip. ‘I might need a bigger gun…’ Chalmers was relaxing in his mech listening to Bach as he reclined in his seat, waiting for the forces below him to finish loading up the final batch of Equestrians into the transports. He probably should be paying attention to the surrounding area but everything had been cleared so nothing could go wrong, he might as well take a well-deserved break. His calm enjoyment of classical music was interrupted as rapid radio chatter erupted for his comms system. Chalmers had just enough time to register the word ‘Dragons’ before a gigantic force slammed into his mech, Nigel being thrown around in his chair as the mech fell to the ground with a crunch. The walker had landed on its back facing up, thankfully it had not crushed anything or anyone underneath it when it had toppled over. Chalmers shook his head, a loud roaring accompanied by the sounds of numerous weapons fire filling his cockpit with noise. His view screens were still working, glancing out he could see a massive blue dragon perched on top of a high-rise building as lasers and APC cannon shells peppered the beast’s hide causing it a large amount of pain. Chalmers noticed that it was opening its mouth and aiming at the APCs full of Equestrians as well as the pony and human troops next to them. Remembering that dragons could apparently breathe fire Nigel decided that he would have to act quickly. “Hold your fire, this bitch is mine!” Chalmers called out over the speakers, the UIP forces immediately ceasing their attacks. “Hey, wannabe Godzilla!” Nigel taunted, gaining the focus of the dragon, “I’m going to smack you silly for touching my ride!” With those words Nigel used his energy lance as an aid while he made his mech stand up, racks of boosters firing on the back legs and torso to assist him to his feet. The Dragon glared at him as the mech stood tall once more. Chalmers raised the tip of his lance towards the beast; the mech’s other arm by its side. “I’ve got a lance, some tunes,” as Nigel said this he put on a musical piece titled 'The British Grenadiers' over the speakers, “and I’m all ready to kick your scaly arse!” Both fighters squared off as British marching music played, the APCs and troops using the distraction to evacuate the area. “Is that what you think human?” The dragon, a male, spoke, “the griffons promised me and my children all of the gems that we can find once they take over Equestria, your death is needed for that to happen so prepare yourself for destruction.” “Very well, just call me Saint George,” Nigel stated as he pushed his mech forwards the dragon lifting off to charge at him with its mouth open wide. A rush of flames enveloped the mech, and while they would give normal troops and maybe APCs trouble the mech was designed to operate on a vast array of planets including volcanic-strewn wastes so the heat shielding held firm. The inferno did however block Nigel’s view, the Commander thrusting his lance out in front of him in the hopes of impaling the dragon. He was rewarded with a screech of pain, however when the flames cleared he saw that dragon un-harmed save for a large gash down his side, the wound not life-threatening. “Want to try that again?” Chalmers mocked, the dragon’s yellow eyes narrowing in rage as he charged towards the mech. With the clash of claw on metal the dragon rammed the mech once more, however this time Nigel was ready for the attack and he braced with the help of the thrusters at the back which activated to keep the mech upright. Nigel strained against the controls as he fought against the dragon, the two were locked in a grapple for a few moments before Chalmers noticed that his mech’s left arm, the one with the ranged weapons, was left free. Smiling, he placed the barrels of the arm right against the dragon’s underbelly; the beast smirking as he slowly forced the mech back towards a high-rise. Just as he was about to slam Chalmers against the building Nigel spoke up. “Well, it’s been a good fight,” Nigel stated to the confusion of the dragon, “but I’m afraid that I believe that you just don’t have the stomach for it.” Right after he said this he fired all of his guns at once, laser bolts, beams and plasma shots all tearing into the dragon’s soft hide as the beast roared in agony. It reared up with its wings as it tried to fly away, in doing so placing its chest right in the path of a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. “Goodnight, sweet prince,” Nigel farewelled as he fired a huge anti-tank rocket right into the dragon’s left shoulder, the explosive detonating and tearing off larges chunks of flesh as well as peppering a wing with shrapnel. The dragon let out an ear-splitting wail as it plummeted to the ground, smashing down in a heap atop of a water fountain. It moaned pitifully as dark crimson blood pumped out of his many wounds, Nigel placing on of the mech’s clawed feet upon the fallen creature’s neck as the music reached a crescendo. “People never learn, tangle with me and you’ll lose your head.” Chalmers pressed the mech’s foot down, a sharp claw slicing through the dragon’s neck and severing is head from its body in a spray of gore. Chalmers moved his lance down and with some careful manovering it was raised back up, the dragon’s head firmly stuck on the point. ‘Well, I just liberated a pony city while driving a mech, killed a dragon and mounted its head upon a pike,’ Chalmers thought to himself. ‘It’s days like these that really make me love my job.’ Author's Note Well, that chapter was a bit of work but it's released finally. We find that the UIP is a mixed bag of people, some sane, others not so sane. Can anyone tell just who this 'James Robertson' might be, who does he seem to act like? Readers who have read the latest chapter of Nigel M Chalmers, Emperor should be able to get this one. Also, his taunting while cloaked is a very silly reference that I doubt people will get, if you do then you need to aquire a better taste in skyrim machinima. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, I do intend to go back over the entire fic and edit it obsessivly once it's done, some of those earlier chapters need some polish. A Friendship Renewed A Friendship Renewed “Kill it! Kill it now!” Captain Edward Teach yelled his order as the large brown dragon landed on the top of one of the Hydra’s, the beast roaring as railgun rounds pelted its body. The lizard sank its claws into the metal of the AI frigate’s control tower, the metal buckling under the sheer strength of the enraged creature. Sighing to himself as Teach watched the dragon rip the tower off to throw it into the ocean, the Captain tapped an order into his command console as the crippled Hydra’s guns went silent. The dragon paused as a bright light grew in the bowels of the stricken vessel, the beast flapping its wings to take off but it was far too late. With a large boom, a blindingly bright explosion radiated out from the Hydra as it self-destructed, the dragon screeching in agony as it was caught by the fireball and shards of metal. The glow died down, what little remained of the Hydra sinking to the bottom of the sea while the dragon wearily flapped its wings as it stared in a mad rage at Teach’s command ship. The glow of fires burning on the remains of the griffon fleet surrounding the combatants illuminated the dragon’s brown hide, the gems shimmering as the creature started a desperate dive to target the bridge of the command ship. It never made it, two surface-to-air missiles rocketing out from one of the launchers on the cruiser to the left to home in on the approaching dragon. With its wings already damaged by the shrapnel from the destroyed Hydra, the dragon was unable to evade the projectiles meaning that the missiles hit it in the right side. The warheads detonated, tearing most of the dragon’s flesh off its side as it roared in agony, flapped three more times and then careened into the ocean two-hundred metres from the command ship. Teach stared at the dragon as it weakly tried to stay afloat, his eyes moving towards the spot where the beast had destroyed his frigate. The captain narrowed his eyes, tapping some commands into his console the microphone hanging off his left ear activated. He wanted to finish this the old fashioned way. “Captain Teach to navigation,” he spoke into the microphone as he stared out of the bridge windows. “Increase speed to flank speed, ram the lizard.” Teach sat back and smirked as he received an ‘aye aye’ and felt the ship underneath him move forward. Nothing destroys one of his ships and gets away with it. The dragon barely had time to lift its head before the large metal bow of the command ship struck it just between the right shoulder and the neck. Powered by its powerful turbines the ship cut through the dragon’s body with ease, staining the bow red with blood as the dragon let out a final screech before expiring. Captain Teach sighed happily as what remained of the creature sank into the sea, its death had really lifted his mood after the loss of a ship. He turned his attention to the city and from the looks of the mass of creatures flying towards him as they fled it seemed as if the assault had been a success. Once again orders where issues, the four ships sitting in the harbour amidst the destroyed enemy fleet as they aimed their numerous anti-air armaments towards the sky in preparation for the duck hunt. General Prasad stood next to Lieutenant Quick Strike amidst the throng of Equestrian and UIP troops helping civilians into a central area in the city square. The pegasus had gotten over her squeamishness when they had entered the city after having exchanged the tank for an APC. Seeing the effects of urban fighting from front lines had been a terrifying experience for her but after encountering the first group of the local garrison and having them explain what the griffons and minotaurs had done her resolve had strengthened. She hadn’t fought herself, Prasad preferring to keep her by his side which was something Quick Strike was secretly thankful for. Minotaurs and griffons were scary and fierce combatants who had numerous advantages over ponies. The pegasus had been kept busy however with Prasad explaining to her about certain tactics that the enemy seemed to favoured and how to counter them. Quick Strike had proved to absorb it surprisingly quickly, her cutie mark of a sword slashing through a cloud possibly meaning more than first assumed. Strike hadn’t had as much luck with trying to explain the concept of cutie marks to the General with the human not seeming to get it at all. He had asked just how pony names were so accurate and matched the marks with Quick Strike informing him that it was magic. The human had seemed to pause at this, Strike unable to see his expression due to his helmet. She wondered what humans looked like under the armour as every one of them she had met all wore some sort of concealing head wear. Quick Strike was snapped out of her reminiscing as another crowd of civilians walked past her, the ponies all shooting the General beside her fearful looks as they were ushered past by Solar guard. The humans were still an enigma to most ponies including the guards working with them and the fact that the siege of the city had been crushed effectively with minimal friendly casualties only added to their intimidating reputation. Quick Strike could still remember when the APC they were in was attacking the enemy, the thunder of the ‘gauss cannon’ it was armed with still stuck in her mind. What had they gone through to have to rely on such extreme ways of war? The humans all seemed to treat this like a chore rather than a war. General Prasad certainly seemed to not care about the creatures that they were killing by the dozen, Strike unsettled at this as the human General had treated her with nothing but respect and kindness. A small part of her thought that if the humans had turned out to be the malicious and evil demons that they had been described as before they had begun to help then the aliens would make a little more sense. “Lieutenant,” Prasad started as he held a hand to the side of his helmet. Quick Strike glanced up at him with a questioning look. A loud boom from the harbour followed by a flash of light drew the attention of everyone, pony and human. Quick Strike shuddered as a dragon roared in pain in the direction of the noise, pegasi and dragons had never gotten along. “Why is there dragons, did your commanders not feel the need to tell us that the griffons and minotaurs are working with them?” Quick Strike ignored the sounds of more roars and focused on the General. “They don’t, dragons tend to be only out for themselves or their family groups so I don’t know why this one helped the griffons.” Prasad lifted his hand once again, Quick Strike not privy to what Prasad had described as their ‘Secure channels.’ Her borrowed headset only let her issue orders to a few selected Equestrian officers. The humans didn’t trust them that much. “It seems like this wasn’t the only one,” the General informed her. “Troops in Baltimare report that a dragon was sighted and destroyed while Fillydelphia…” Quick Strike nudged Prasad with an armoured hoof when the human didn’t continue. She had figured out that bipeds didn’t seem to be too comfortable with physical contact as ponies were but she wanted to find out what was happening. Prasad removed his hand from his helmet and glanced down at Quick Strike before walking off towards a group of Equestrian and human soldiers setting up a makeshift command post. “Wait, what happened to the Dragon?” Quick Strike asked as she hurriedly moved to Prasad’s side. The General didn’t look down at her as he waved a human officer over. “A psionic happened,” was all the General said which wasn’t any help to Quick Strike at all. She had to wonder however what could rattle the General so much even after all the horrors of war that they had witnessed in the last few hours. James sat down on the bench as his suit continued to inject him with painkillers, nanomachines and life-preserving drugs. Equines and UIP troopers were all around the area escorting civilians out of the city while a group of APCs dragged the body of the fallen dragon off the main road. Maybe mentally ripping the creature’s own ribcage out of her chest was a little over the top. He cursed silently to himself as he felt his muscles burn and his heart rate finally start to slow down from a rapid thumping. He was still only relatively new to this whole psionic thing so his body’s limit for the strain caused by overusing his abilities was still pretty low. His tendency to overdo things had stuck with him after he had left the employ of the ISA, Ripping bones out of a flying dragon the size of a transport lander is far more difficult than freezing a bunch of soldiers. Luckily none of the civilians had been crushed by the falling body although a few unlucky ones had been drenched in the blood that had rained from the sky when the dragon’s chest had burst open. Considering what had almost happened with the Griffons and Minotaurs, James could live with it. Both UIP troops and Equestrians had been avoiding him as he rested, no-one wanted to disturb the agent as he let his suit repair his battered body. Luckily his organs hadn’t shut down this time, knowing that you were clinically dead but still fighting as your suit took over vital functions was not a good feeling. James had heard stories of some PWU agents relying solely on their suits for all body functions as their insides had all but withered away or been replaced with artificial organs. Thankfully the painkillers had kicked in and everything had died down to a numb throb. As ponies were loaded into transports heading back to the capitol city the allied forces started to set up a staging ground for the invasion over the sea. James lost himself in his own thoughts as he spread his arms over the back of the small bench while he relaxed. He had only drifted off for five minutes before a set of hooves approached him from behind and he felt a young presence brimming with curiosity and fear. “I know you’re there,” he casually informed causing the pony behind him to tense up and its fear to increase. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.” The equine hoofsteps resumed as the pony made a wide-circle around to the front of the bench. A sapphire-coloured pony child stood in front of him and stared at him with wide yellow eyes. It was what the locals called an ‘Earth’ pony and James guessed his age to be in the early teens. The colt judging from the muzzle brushed his brown mane back shifted from hoof-to-hoof. “Are you the human that killed the dragon?” the colt asked as James chuckled. Out of all the ponies and soldiers around him only a colt had come up to talk to him. “I am,” James answered warmly. “I’m sorry you had to see that, I got a little carried away.” The colt nodded and took a second to squint at James’s armoured forehead as he stepped a little closer. “How?” he inquired. “You don’t have a horn so how could you do magic?” James chuckled again as the colt sat down on his rump. “Now why should I tell you that if I don’t even know your name? I’m James Roberson.” The pony in front of him seemed hesitant to answer but relented. “Full Harvest,” the colt muttered. “My parents are a little obsessed with the farm.” James shrugged, he’d heard worse names. “At least they didn’t call you something stupid like ‘Orthodox’,” the human replied. Harvest brightened as the human didn’t have a go at his name. “So can you tell me how you do magic now?” he asked excitedly. James in response waggled a finger in the air. “It’s not magic, I’m a psionic.” Seeing the confusion on the pony’s face James decided to elaborate. “What that means is that instead of using a horn like unicorns do psionics use their minds. Only a small amount of people develop the capacity for the abilities and there’s nothing magical about it. All it involves are special parts of the brain developing and a lot of psionics go unnoticed unless they either discover their abilities or are tested positive in tests.” James had kept the explanation dumbed down which meant leaving out the discussion of cells, neural development and genetic changes. Harvest seemed satisfied however with his face locked in thought as James reached up and removed his blank-faced helmet. The pony leaned forward a little to get a better look at the human’s brown face as the helmet was placed on the bench beside James. He didn’t find a muzzle but a small nose, small brown eyes, a smooth bald head and a mouth curved in a warm smile. Harvest was a little disappointed; he was expecting rows of eyes and multiple fang-filled mouths. “You said something about a farm,” James asked. “Why are you in the city then, are you here for a holiday?” Harvest nodded, both of the conversing beings not noticing the frantic grass-green earth pony mare begin to gallop towards Harvest from the crowd in the distance. “Our farm’s a day’s walk away,” Harvest informed. “We come in for a few days every month to sell things in the market and buy stuff we can’t make. Mom and sis came with me while Dad and my older brother stayed back on the farm. Have you ever been on a farm or have you-“ “Full Harvest!” A female yell called out as the two turned to the left and spotted a mare running towards them. The green mare’s blond hair fluttered behind her as she galloped towards the colt sitting down. Harvest was pulled to his hooves as the mare reached him and grabbed him around the barrel. “Harvest what are you doing!?” she quizzed the colt as she glanced nervously at the human sitting on a bench. “I told you to stay away from any humans,” she whispered but was still overheard by James. “But Mom, James is really nice,” Harvest defended. “He said he’s a ‘psionic’ and he’s the human that defeated the dragon!” The mare glanced at the dead corpse of the dragon that was now being pushed towards the sea by a group of the humans’ strange war machines. Knowing that didn’t exactly ease her fears. “No Harvest, we’re being taken to Canterlot so we have to go now.” She turned to the human and tried to force a smile but failed, “Please forgive my son for bothering you, I promise it won’t happen again.” James waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, I enjoyed out little chat. He was no trouble at all.” The mare didn’t seem convinced and she quickly pulled Harvest away to re-join with the main crowd. James smiled as the colt gave him a wave goodbye and returned the gesture. He could understand the mother’s uneasiness and considering that even veteran UIP Army soldiers tried to avoid him her fear didn’t bother him too much. A small smile was still on his face as James stood up and re-attached his helmet. He stretched and popped his limbs before walking off towards an alleyway away from everyone else. His job here was done so he begun to head back towards his handler as per his orders. Harvest had watched James leave the bench from in-between the crowd of ponies heading towards a group of human machines on tracks as royal guards and human soldiers directed them forwards. His mother was pulling him with her with a hoof wrapped around his as they moved with the crowd. Harvest’s eyes widened as one second James was walking towards an alley and then in the next second the human disappeared with a blue flash. A nudge from his mother drew his attention to the front of him where he found a large metal ramp leading into the belly of a large metal beast. As his hooves clacked on the metal he wondered if James was also going to Canterlot, the colt and his mother being squeezed onto a hard bench in between a throng of ponies all stored in the metal hold. Three royal guard were the last to enter the machine before the ramp closed behind them, Harvest’s mother hugging him close as with a rumble the transport holding them began to move, heading towards Canterlot as outside the body of the slain dragon was claimed by the sea. Bronze Shield, Storm Front and their thirteen troops were all resting on beds within the temporary medical centre that had been built in the market located in the outskirts of Baltimare. Human and Equestrian medics moved between the hundreds of beds commandeered from houses and stores, the ponies on them all in various states of wear. The injuries ranged from concussions to missing limbs, surgeons attending to the most serious of cases while tents and shade-cloths were erected to shield the beds from the sun. Bronze and Storm had been immediately tended to after the priest had escorted them back, the group having run into more griffons along the way. Bronze had earned a few more cuts from a griffon warrior but after some magic from a unicorn medic his wounds had been sealed and bandaged. Storm Front had one foreleg almost covered in bandages from when a griffon had bit her during the escape, a large wound having been torn in her flesh from the sharp beak in addition to her other cuts and scraps. Out of their soldiers Bronze Shield and Storm were the only ones awake, the rest having taken the opportunity for sleep as soon as they were able. Bronze was still wary around the strange bipeds, his time with the priest not helping his fear. Dietrich had left as soon as he had given Hail over to the medics after stating that many needed his services elsewhere. Bronze hadn’t had time to offer a hesitant thanks before the black-armoured figure had disappeared into the mass of equine and human soldiers. “Well,” Storm muttered from her bed next to his, Bronze glancing over as the pegasus shifted her wings. “At least we made it out of that tea shop.” Bronze couldn’t help but smile at that. The mare was right, they had come so close to death and yet had survived. He couldn’t be prouder of the guards that had been under his command. A slight rumbling from outside accompanied by a surge of humans and fellow guards rushing past their tent flap caused the two to glance at each other with concern. Bronze winced a little as he got off the bed, his joints aching from the past few days as Storm made to follow. “Storm,” Bronze sighed as the pegasus flapped down to stand on three legs. “You shouldn’t be going anywhere with that leg.” Storm looked down towards her bandaged leg as she held it off the ground. “I’ll be fine,” she stated as she hobbled towards the tent opening. Bronze rolled his eyes and followed, the two equine guards exiting out into the warm sunlight. All around them on the cobbled ground stood equestrian guards and human soldiers all gazing to the right of the market. When Storm and Bronze looked towards the source of the commotion their eyes widened. Standing taller than almost all of the high-rise buildings around it was a large bipedal beast with four smaller ones around it. The large machine had large gouges in the metal around its main body, an arm riddled with weapon barrels covered in a layer of dries gore. The other held a large lance, however it was the severed dragon’s head impaled on the tip that was the source of most of the whispers and attention of the crowd. “Soldiers of the UIP and Equestrian guards,” a male voice boomed out from the large machine. “I have just received a report from our commanders that no hostiles are left alive in the city. The city is back under friendly control.” A massive cheer went up from the Equestrians in the area, some of the humans joining in while others merely stood and watched for their leader to go on. “There are still things to be done before we can celebrate however.” The cheers died out, the reminder that they still had duties to do calmed most of the soldiers. “First off we need to attend to the wounded; I know many of you Equestrians are standing here battered and your drive to continue working is commendable. However, infection is one of the biggest killers on the battlefield so anyone with a wound is to see a medic, no exceptions. Secondly we have the task of setting up a staging point. This war isn’t over yet and your fellows are still held within the Griffon lands. The Brass back in Canterlot are finishing up the plans right now so I predict that we’ll have a day before we move out again. Some of you will stay behind of course and you will unfortunately be in charge of the clean-up.” Bronze winced at this. He couldn’t pick which was worse out of fighting or burying all of the bodies left over. While any dead Equestrians would be no doubt transported back to Canterlot the griffons and minotaurs were still an unknown. A whirring sound drew Bronze’s focus back to the huge walker, the lance lowering to set the dragon’s head on the ground. The massive head came off with a wet plop as the machine drew its weapon back. “One last thing,” the human leader announced. “Before we all return to our respective duties I have one thing left to say. I want to stress that we are close to ending this; there is a light at the end of the tunnel. After this war is over our respective nations will return to a state of strained relations due to prior incidences.” Bronze noticed that many guards and humans exchanged looks at this. He had heard of the ‘incidences’, everypony in the guard had and could understand why things would end up this way. It mattered not if the soldiers didn’t despise each other, the leaders of both Equestria and the UIP had come to an agreement. “I am proud that all of you, pony and human, have managed to not let these differences sway you in your tasks.” The human commander continued. “All I ask is that you continue to work together when we take the fight to the griffon and minotaurs. Now everyone get some rest, patrol schedules will be passed around shortly.” The Commander paused as the machine he was in tilted downwards. “Oh, and someone have that head transported back to Canterlot, I desire for it to be mounted on my wall.” A silence descended over the area at the strange request. Soon however a team of human soldiers moved towards the head with a large tracked transport, orders were orders. The crowd dispersed as groups of ponies and humans moved away, Storm and Bronze heading back to their tent. It seemed like they would need to grab all of the sleep they could get, both wishing to be included in the attacks against the two rival nations. James walked straight into the command room in Canterlot, no need for stealth as his presence had already been revealed. Army officers and soldiers gave him a wide berth as he walked into the buzzing room, only the Equestrians not veering away with unease. He spotted his handler standing next to a female army Colonel and the two Equestrian rulers. James approached them as Barry, his handler, clapped his hands together as the ponies and Colonel shifted uncomfortably. “Good work Epsilon,” Barry congratulated. “It seems like your training has been paying off. The dragon was a bit much however; I noticed that you needed a pause after it.” James focused on the holo-map on the wall behind the group showing the country of the Minotaurs. “Once ISA always ISA,” James retorted dryly. Barry smirked, the cold officer almost laughing at the phrase which was very true. “Indeed,” he gestured back towards the Colonel and the two Princesses. “Colonel Straken and the Princesses here have just finished forming our next steps in regards to the counter-attack. I’ll let the Colonel continue the briefing as this is her forte after all.” Barry stepped back, the Army Colonel wrinkling her nose before looking at James’s blank faceplate. “You’ll be heading to the city of Baltimare and placed under the command of the officer in charge,” stated Straken in a harsh tone with no trace of friendliness. “You will attack the port city of Salt Peaks at night after missile strikes. According to recon flyovers the majority of Equestrians are still held there in large warehouses on the docks. The Griffons appear to be starting to distribute them around to surrounding towns and cities so we’ve had to move up our schedule.” James furrowed his eyes under his helmet. “You mentioned a bombardment,” he recalled as Straken nodded. “Wouldn’t that result in possible death of Equestrian civilians?” Straken was about to answer when the white-coated Princess stepped forward, Celestia if James remembered correctly. “Colonel Straken and the Admiral have assured us that the contents of the weapons you are using before the attack are non-lethal.” James noticed that the Princess had long tear streaks under her eyes; evidently the loss of some of her soldiers was hitting her hard. James reached out to her mind, finding it smothered in sorrow and fear. Celestia’s eyes widened as she felt a warm feeling envelop her, the human ‘psionic’ staring right at her as she felt some of her emotions stabilise. She sniffed a final time, with the intervention Celestia’s mind cleared a little and she was able to think more clearly. Throughout this exchange the others watched the two and waited until James broke his gaze to look back towards the Colonel. Celestia gave him a brief nod in thanks before Straken cleared her throat. “Yes, well as the Princess said, we will be using a knockout gas deployed from canisters to cover the city in an attempt to maximise target neutralisation and contain civilian panic. The members of the initial assault will be exclusively UIP due to a lack of gas masks for equine forces. The Equestrian guard will be tasked with securing the city after the gas has been dispersed and co-ordinating with other UIP forces to transport civilians back to Equestria. While the primary invasion force lands after the city is secured a task squad led by the ISA will infiltrate the Griffon capitol to submit our demands to the King.” “And if he refuses to surrender?” James inquired. “Then he and the entire Royal family dies,” Straken replied with no compassion. “This will throw the country into turmoil and weaken resistance to a full occupation. After all Equestrians and our forces are withdrawn the fleet will target the area and reduce the griffons to slag. If they refuse to surrender then they will pay the full price for their choice of slavery.” James nodded, while the Princesses obviously found the threat of genocide abhorrent judging from their horrified faces, it was a standard method of the UIP to eliminate populations that used nation-wide slavery. It was harsh but it certainly got the point across. The griffons were actually fairly lucky in that the UIP commanders were willing to let them surrender and as a result live. “When do we attack?” James asked. “Tonight,” Barry spoke up with a nod from Straken. “It doesn’t give our forces much time to prepare but a hard and fast strike will be the most effective way of breaking the will of our opponents.” “What of the Minotaurs?” Princess Luna spoke up, Celestia sharing her sister’s curiosity. “They have not taken any of our subjects but they will surely help the griffons repel an invasion so what is to be their punishment?” Colonel Straken smiled a cruel smile that radiated malice. “I was just about to get to them. We are about to make contact with their Emperor and start negotiations. I think you’ll find that they will cease to be a concern of ours.” Steel Legion, Emperor of the Minotaur Lands, sat on his throne and drummed his brown-furred fingers on the throne as he read the latest report from the battlelines. A frown was firm on his face as he read about the forces that they had lost in the expulsion of the joint Griffon-Minotaur forces from Equestrian soil. It appeared as if Celestia had struck a bargain with the very foes that had beset her own country. He snorted as he glanced over the numbers of troops lost, Steel having ordered his surviving generals of the attack to withdraw to the ring of stone forts surrounding the Empire. He was going to have to clean out some of his incompetent military commanders, the Empire having never suffered a blow like this in recorded history. Even his best General had fallen prey to insidious magics of the humans with reports that no-one was able to fire a shot before the majority force was executed with only a few escaping to bring him news of the failure. His throne room which was hewn from the tan stone of their rocky homeland buzzed with activity as guards and advisors moved around in a hurry. Steel had ordered that all war-related activity happened around him as he wanted to stay constantly updated. Maps of the known world were pinned on walls and spread over tables as positions of Equestrian and human forces were marked as information from scouts filtered in. The enemy were moving troops towards the coast cites from what they could see, most likely in preparation for an invasion across the sea. Steel wasn’t worried, he was confident that the forts his grandfather ordered built would hold even against the powerful human weaponry. What little magic the Minotaurs possessed was useful in construction and fortification. Natural magic and enchanting resulted in strong stone; metal weapons and armour while also helping fields grow. Food wouldn’t be an issue and with a strong grasp on healing magic the mages could keep the country running under a siege for years. It was a pity that few minotaurs were born with magical abilities otherwise Steel would have ordered them to fight against the Equestrians. As it was the few hundred that existed had been kept back and protected like precious metals. Finishing reading through the report Steel huffed and threw the scroll down to the floor as he closed his yellow eyes and breathed deeply. Armoured hooves approached his throne, a minotaur nervously clearing his throat as Steel snorted in annoyance. “What is it?” the Emperor asked as he opened his eyes to stare at the yellow-coated bull who was armoured in iron plate. The guard straightened and gripped his drawn axe tighter. “Emperor sir, a diplomat from the humans has arrived and is requesting an audience.” Steel sat up in his throne. The humans had the nerve to send a diplomat after what they had done? “Bring the human in soldier!” Steel ordered. The guard hesitated however and glanced back towards the open throne room doors where the sounds of frantic activity came from. “The diplomat… is not a human Emperor,” he informed to Steel’s confusion. “It seems to be a living thing in the shape of a giant dragonfly.” The Minotaur emperor leaned forward intrigued. Now this was interesting. “Bring it in,” Steel ordered. “I wish to see this for myself.” The guard nodded and disappeared through the throne room doors as the officers and nobles stopped and glanced towards the doorways. The marching of many hooves accompanied by the clanking of metallic limbs on stone approached and it wasn’t long before thirty guards surrounding the diplomat walked into the throne room eliciting gasps of shock from all watching. Steel examined the strange form of the creature that had entered, six dark-grey metal legs propelling it forward as two solid wings on its back shifted. Steel couldn’t figure out how it could possibly fly with such weight and he stared right back into the six red eyes mounted on a downwards-triangular head. The… thing was brought forward and was halted six metres from his throne. “What do you want creature?” Steel inquired, his guards tensing as a burst of static emitted from the metal insect. “This ‘creature’ is merely a drone,” a female voiced lectured from the machine. “It is an automated construct that has been sent to deliver our terms for your surrender.” Steel burst out into laughter at this. “My surrender?” he questioned with a chuckle. “Why would I surrender to something that doesn’t even show her face to me when delivering this ludicrous demand? Our defences are strengthened and you’ll find that minotaurs will fight to the last for their land so bring the full might of your forces, they will break upon our walls!” Troops and nobles applauded their ruler and bellowed in agreement. Steel stood up and stared down at the machine as mocking laughter rang out from whatever allowed it to produce sounds. “Ah, such a heroic speech Emperor,” the human controlling the device replied. “The thing is we do not need to throw our forces at you and I am fully willing to demonstrate to you just how we will destroy your primitive nation.” Steel returned the laughter and stepped towards the insect machine. “What empty threats spoken by a feeble-hearted female! You hide behind proxies threatening the greatest peoples in the world. Unlike the changelings we will not let ourselves become pawns in your schemes. Celestia and Luna may be blind to it but I will not allow the Minotaurs to be manipulated by trickery!” Another chuckle from the machine was the response Steel got. “Very well then, eliminate the first target.” Steel was about to asked just what the human meant by that when the sky flashed blue and a mighty earthquake shook the ground. Steel managed to keep his hoofing as chunks of masonry rained down around the occupants of the throne room. The Emperor looked out a window looking out to the left of his castle towards the ring of forts in the distance. A giant blue doom was consuming a large area before it exploded with a large boom. A second tremor shook the ground as trees surrounding the area were blasted into the air by a wave of out-rushing air. Steel blinked his eyes as the glow died down. Instead of two of the forts there was nothing left but a massive crater torn in the earth. Dirt and stone began to rain from the sky as they returned to earth, the area inside and around the crater blackened by intense heat. Spot fires started to grow into blazes as steam wafted up from the devastated area. The Emperor turned to face the ‘drone’ with his former bravado gone. “For your information the next ten targets are your remaining forts,” the human informed. “The next thirty-seven after that are your towns, villages and cities and the one after that is your own castle. That was one shot from a single space-to-ground adjustable bore bombardment antimatter-energy cannon. That cannon is capable of one shot every five seconds. A single planetary-assault cruiser carries forty of those cannons on its underside. We have two of those ships orbiting above your country right now. You can’t touch them and they could turn your entire country to nothing in a minute. After that any Minotaur would be hunted down and slaughtered by regular forces leaving the so called ‘greatest people’ a stain upon the history books. Surrender now or your race dies, I will have no qualms with ordering such an action.” Steel glanced out the window again and then back to the soldiers and nobles in the room with him. “I’m done playing nice with you,” the human continued with annoyance clear in her tone. “Hurry up and pick so I can actually go off and contribute to a war that actually means something.” The Emperor didn’t know what shook him more, the fact that two of his strongest forts had just been wiped out in a second or the human’s willingness to wipe out his race. His soldiers and advisors looked to him awaiting an answer as the drone stayed still. Steel sighed as he stared back out at the crater in the distance and imagined what that would be like if it had hit a major city and not just some forts. It seemed like his hands were tied. “What are your terms?” he asked bitterly without turning to face the drone. All around minotaurs breathed in relieved. While they didn’t want to surrender they did recognise what fighting on would do. The majority of them were thankful that their ruler had the courage to blemish his own honour and pride for the sake of his people. “You cease hostilities against Equestria and us while also ceasing your support of the griffon nations. You will not expand your borders towards Equestria and the UIP will have all rights to your airspace.” Steel waited for more terms but was surprised when the human didn’t say anymore such as demanding land or wealth. “Is that all?” he inquired. “Yes, you can even keep the spoils your forces have plundered. Now choose.” Steel really needed more time to think about this. Nods from his closest advisors and generals however swayed him. “Fine then,” he relented. “We’ll stop our attacks and I’ll send a diplomat to Canterlot to sign a peace treaty. I hope you monsters are happy.” “No need to be so sour about it,” the human answered. “If it’s any consolation I couldn’t care less if you lived or died. It’s purely business. We’ll be watching so I suggest you honour you agreements least you wish to see some of the more sinister weapons we have for destroying civilisations. Good day to you.” With the human’s final words the question of how the drone could fly was answered. The two wings extended to the sides and racks of thrusters on each on activated. With yellow glows in the engines the drone lifted off the ground as minotaurs backed away. The six legs dangled in the air as the machine left through a window, the glass having broken with the prior earthquakes. Steel watched it depart with a scowl. One day he’d have his revenge and his soldier’s sacrifices would be worth something. Until then he’d have to play along, Steel returning to his throne in preparation to organise the rebuilding of his country. The Minotaurs were out of this fight, the Emperor wondering whether the griffons would receive the same offer as he had. “Piece of cake,” Straken commented to the two Equestrian Princesses as she moved away from the drone-control console manned by a group of technicians. Celestia and Luna were still staring at the projection against the wall showing the massive crater that had been torn in the ground. “Was that,” Luna began before swallowing a lump in her throat. “Was that really needed?” The two Princesses couldn’t expel the moment when the weapon had hit the area, a blue bolt impacting the earth before a large blue dome consumed the area in fire. Straken picked up a water bottle and took a swig of the cool liquid. “It worked and we now have one less enemy to contend with. You should be thankful that this petty war just leaped forward in regards to the conclusion. If all goes well the Griffons will be begging for mercy in a few days. Then you will be rid of us and you can go back to your simple lives.” For one of the first times since the war began Celestia felt anger swell up at the Colonel’s dismissive tone. “I have to bury hundreds of my ponies after this ‘petty war’ and comfort all of the families that they leave behind,” Celestia snarled out. Colonel Straken turned around and fixed the Princess with a cold gaze while officers, both Equestrian and human, stopped to observe the confrontation. “Our lives will never be what you call ‘simple’ again.” Straken said nothing for a while, an uneasy silence descending over the room. “In my time spent as a Colonel I’ve buried thousands of my own troops lost in wars that make this on look timid in comparison.” Straken stated this with no emotion as she continued to stare at Celestia while Luna glanced between the two. “When I turned eighteen standard years of age I spent four years on the frontlines in the general infantry, as do all able-bodied UIP citizens. I fought in more wars during that time then years that I had been alive. After I left the general infantry I joined the special forces and dropped into some of the most hostile warzones imaginable.” Straken paused, Celestia’s glare having dropped as she realised why the human seemed so dulled to her ponies’ suffering. “A soldier’s duty is to fight and die for their people,” Straken continued. “Your soldiers have done that and although they pale in comparison to our forces even I admit that they have performed their duty adequately. I know that my esteemed colleagues in the ISA also killed subjects of yours.” Sarcasm dripped from the Colonel’s voice when she praised the ISA, Celestia and Luna catching a brief sneer at the mention of the intelligence agents. “When you do remember the lives taken by both the ISA attacks and this war ask yourself this: how many would have been lost if the Griffons and Minotaurs won?” With a final glare Straken broke the gaze and walked off, leaving Celestia to mull over the words. Luna reached out a wing to place it over her sister’s back but it was brushed off. Luna noticed that Celestia had a slight, weary smile on her face. “Sister,” Luna addressed, Celestia glancing up with tired, bloodshot eyes gained through days of stress. “Maybe it would be best if you took some rest. I am used to staying up for long periods of time so I am able to look after things. Our subjects look to you and from the sound of it this war will soon be done.” Luna gave Celestia a quick nuzzle. “They will need you to comfort them afterwards and act like the mother they see you as. You need all of the rest you can get.” Celestia sighed, she knew Luna was right. The days after would be a trial in themselves. “Okay Luna,” Celestia relented with another nuzzle. “If you need anything do not hesitate to wake me. I don’t think Colonel Straken will go easy on you.” Luna grinned, the first genuine display of happiness that she had displayed since the war began. “She’ll find me a tough opponent, I will not bow easily.” Celestia gave her a parting nod before leaving out of the door escorted by four solar guards. Luna looked to her own guards, two nocturnes all she had brought with the rest of her small force spread out with the human special units. Luna felt a twinge of pride knowing that it was her guards who the humans had requested accompany their best forces. The nocturnes had a hard time fitting in with Equestrians and hopefully this would help their reputation with the day guard. With a flick of her wing she signalled them over, the mare and stallion saluting as human officers shot the bat-ponies passing glances. With her soldiers by her side Luna moved back over to Straken, the Colonel busy going over a holo-map with an assortment of other humans in green uniforms. Luna was only given brief looks from the humans as she joined the circle, her presence no longer abnormal after the days spent in the room with them but there was still a lack of trust. Luna examined the map as the humans returned to their conversations. A part of her was slightly invigorated by being in a hub of military command; she had always been more aggressive than Celestia. Hopefully she would no longer be needed in this room in a week’s time, she felt guilty in the fact that she found it a nice change to siting alone in the night court. James walked away from the transport VTOL and into the bustle of a city full of troops preparing to embark over the sea to Griffonia. As he walked to the city square the air buzzed with Viper gunships and the roar of heavier orbital transports with their four side-thrusters. Equestrian soldiers and UIP infantry lined up in rows as aircraft touched down in preparation to load them up. The PSU agent strode through the activity, searching for a member of the UIP command. While he didn’t mind the equines he still didn’t trust them enough to ask them anything and to be honest he doubted that they would know. Spying an army lieutenant preparing platoons of soldiers for transport James moved towards him. The officer saw him approach and immediately halted his activity. “I am required to report to the commanding officer,” James asked as regular troops paused to watch their lieutenant and the PSU agent converse. “Do you know their whereabouts? I can’t seem to locate them on my scanner.” The Lieutenant pointed towards a large mech having multiple gashes repaired by a team of engineers. “He won’t show up, he’s ISA.” The woman’s answer was gruff and abrupt, the soldier obviously wanting to spend as little time with the PSU agent as possible. James actually smiled a little at this, an ISA agent was probably one of the only ones here who would even give him the time of day without soiling himself. “That explains that, what is his name then Lieutenant?” As a PSU agent James outranked the soldier and bringing it up would no doubt make any further inquiries go much smoother. It worked, the Lieutenant pausing before answering. “It’s ISA Commander Ni-“ “Is that who I think it is!?” James and the Lieutenant turned and looked at a soldier wearing heavy black armour as he pointed at them. James grinned and waved at Chalmers; his day just got a whole lot better. The ISA agent almost bounded over towards them as James stepped away from the Lieutenant. Chalmers skipped a salute or handshake and just straight-out embraced James as soon as he reached him. Equestrian soldiers watching looked towards UIP soldiers for an explanation but the humans were just as confused. “When the hell did you get here you bastard!? It’s been so much fun!” James chuckled at Nigel’s enthusiasm; it was rare for any of the old unit to meet at work these days. They still met up for birthdays and the like but the four members of their old ISA Mortus squad were kept busy in their respective careers. “I arrived with the fleet,” James informed. “I was stationed in Fillydelphia to deal with a small hostage crisis and a dragon.” Nigel let go and stood next to James, his heavy armour giving him an extra head of height over the tall black man. “You had those too huh? Did you rip the dragon’s head off with your wizard skills?” James rolled his eyes under his helmet. Nigel still insisted on calling him a wizard, a given thing ever since James had been recruited by the PSU. “I did not,” James answered. “I did the stupid thing and decided to rip its ribs out of its chest. Seems like I can’t get away from those bad habits I picked up from you.” Chalmers placed a hand over his right breast and tilted his head. “Bad habits?” he acted with mock hurt. “I’d hardly call showing some creative flair a bad habit. What’s the point of doing a job if you don’t enjoy it?” James shook his head before his attention was directed to the damaged mech by Nigel. “See that?” the ISA agent continued. “The army gave me that and I used it to kill a dragon of my own.” James took a closer look at the damaged war-machine, the gashes did look a lot like claw marks. “Really, how did you manage it?” “Simple,” Chalmers replied. “He got the drop on me but I recovered, he tried to melt me but his flames did jack-shite and then I nicked him in the wing with the energy lance. The moron tried to rip me apart so I blew his guts open and then cut off his head.” Nigel looked towards his mech again. “Then all I did was pop his head on the lance and bring it back here. They’ve already sent it back to Canterlot; I want that bitch mounted on my wall.” James burst into full out laughter. “Never change Nigel, never change,” he ordered as he patted his friend on the back. “Anything else happen?” “I’ve got a son now,” Nigel bluntly informed. James took a moment to process the information. “Wait… what?” the PSU agent asked as he stared at Chalmers. A good father was one thing that he could never see his friend being. He knew Nigel could be a good guy but the thought of a kid raised by him actually scared James. There was also another question to be asked. “How?” “He’s a pony colt. Bunch of slavers killed his parents and then I killed the slavers. Somewhere along the line he started to see me as a replacement and it just developed from there. The kid’s good though, he’s only something like eight or nine but the trauma got to him pretty bad. He’s doing better now though so things are looking up.” James kept on staring during the explanation as more transports arrived and touched down on the outskirts of the city. “I’m sorry,” he replied with another head shake. “I just can’t see you as a father, you lack responsibility.” Chalmers huffed in return at the snub. “I am very responsible, for example…” Chalmers paused to turn to a large gathering of army officers in olive-green armour surrounding a holo-map. Nigel cupped his hands to his helmet’s speaker, more out of habit then practicality. “Oi! Major!” A single officer seemed to sigh and broke off from the group. He looked the same as all the other officers; his icon on the two agents’ HUDs however displayed his rank. “No Commander, I cannot get your walker fixed any faster by yelling at the engineers again.” The Major informed. “Forget that,” Nigel ordered. “There is a change of plans. The PSU agent and I will go in by ourselves in the first wave. We require a crewed gunship and you’re now in command as you are the highest army officer here.” Chalmers turned back to James. “See? I was responsible in making sure that the chain of command was respected and I appointed the next highest officer as the leader before I go out to mess stuff up. Isn’t that right Major?” “Indeed sir,” the army officer responded, glad that the ISA commander was thinking ahead for once. “The attack is due to begin in an hour,” all three glanced up at the sky as the sun started to dip behind the horizon. “I’ll have your gunship ready in a few minutes.” “Very good Major Jenkins,” Chalmers congratulated before giving the officer a parting salute. The major returned it to both agents before rushing off to follow his orders. Nigel nodded his head and grasped James’s left hand in a shake. “Just like old times,” James commented, any qualms about responsibility out the window with the prospect of going into battle with his buddy again. “Just like old times,” Nigel agreed as a gunship flew down and lowered its rear access ramp while it hovered above them. “Let’s go crack some skulls like we used to while we have the chance.” “Target conditions are clear, winds are ideal for maximum weapon dispersal.” The information was transmitted over the comms system of the ‘Diplomat’ strategic bomber while the large aircraft soared through the upper atmosphere of the planet. The twenty crewmembers sat within the large cockpit, weapons officers preparing the bomber’s payload while pilots and navigation officers attended to their own tasks. Each of the crew was in the grey-blue armoured flight-suits of the UIP Navy, fully enclosed helmets containing full life-support systems. The outside of the aircraft was a flat triangular wedge, the steel-blue machine propelled along by racks of small thrusters located along the back. It was sleek, deadly and was almost invisible to modern sensors, not that such invisibility would be needed against griffons. “Confirmed,” the Chief Weapons Officer replied to one of his subordinates. “All lights are green. Estimated time of arrival?” One of the four pilots at the front of the cockpit glanced down at a readout to his left. “We are within the target corridor, awaiting confirmation from High Command.” The Communications Officer, sitting on the right of the cockpit opposite the weapons officers gave a thumbs up. “Confirmation received. Attack forces are in position. Command gives authentication for launch.” “Roger,” the CWO responded. The weapons had already been assigned their targets and all he had to do was push a single icon on his screen. As the icon turned from green to red after his activation. Outside, two of the cruise-missile bays of the bomber opened, four large missiles dropping from the craft like bombs. They fell to within two-thousand feet of the ground before their engines activated, the weapons heading straight to the Griffon lands. The bay doors of the bomber had already closed and it had vanished higher into the atmosphere, its job already done. The four fat weapons continued to their targets in under a minute, their large engines propelling them at six-times the speed of sound. They passed over a mass of aircraft heading towards the Griffon country and split up, all heading to different areas. One of them descended upon a large port town, the glow of its engine causing many griffons to look up and see it as a shooting star. The missile was far more malicious however, pointing downwards braking thrusters fired and slowed it down to just under Mach one. A small sonic boom roused the populace already sleeping in the early hours of the night, griffon soldiers guarding warehouses full of Equestrian prisoners gripping their spears tighter. Grey panels on the side of the missile shot away from the main body, forty silver canisters launching out of the sides of the missile. As the main missile exploded harmlessly in the sky the canisters plummeted towards the port city below. Five-hundred feet above the ground and the silver contained broke open and released their contents upon the unprepared city. An odourless, almost colourless gas that looked like harmless mist quickly covered the port city and surrounding area. As the town was blanketed in fog griffons outside breathed in the mist, convulsed and then dropped to the ground paralysed. Griffons in the skies fell down to impact with crunches, many dying in the falls or soon after due to injuries. Houses and buildings with open windows or chimneys also were soon host to the gas, the occupants collapsing like their fellows outside. As Griffons either fell victim to the gas or sought shelter indoors a number of human aerial gunships and transports arrived and began to disgorge troops to take the city. A long night of violence and bloodshed was approaching, the sharp crack of a gauss rifle signalling the first invasion of Griffon soil in hundreds of years. “Shut the Fuck up!” Sky High yelled at the hundreds of pony slaves chained up in the warehouse. Surrounded by Griffon soldiers with cloth tied around their beaks in an effort to protect against the gas, the Equestrians were lying on the dirt ground and whimpering as explosions and human weapon retorts echoed outside. Nervous Griffon soldiers had boarded up windows and doors and were posted all around the area. Some guarded the ponies on the ground while others kept an eye on things from catwalks suspended above the main area. This warehouse was one of the newer ones constructed by Emperor Kestrel, a wooden structure re-enforced with metal that was used to store goods for sea trade. Currently it was one of the few being used to store Equestrians captured. The Griffon forces had only managed to transport roughly a thousand ponies back to their homeland, three hundred already sent to the capitol of Soaring Heights as gifts to nobility and the Emperor himself. This newest warehouse stored two-hundred slaves, the most out of all of the buildings on the docks. Fifty-three Griffon guards had made it inside before the gas had hit, a few of the ponies already passed out from the small amount that has entered through windows before they were boarded up. Sky High pressed his ear against the door as a heavy dragging sound approached. Griffons pressed themselves against walls as human flying machines flew overhead. The ponies had gone quiet save for the occasional sob from a child, the equines just as afraid as the sounds of fighting as the griffons were. Suddenly, rapid knocks on the door caused Sky High to jerk back and grasp his sword tighter, griffons around him holding their breaths as the knocking stopped. “Hello?” A male voice called out from the outside. “UIP postal service, we have a parcel to deliver.” Sky High was almost offended, did they expect him to open the door with that obvious trick? Evidently his co-operation was not required as the door burst inward, with a large weight throwing Sky to the ground. Soldiers panicked and pressed their mouth coverings on tighter as gas bellowed in through the broken doorway, while the ponies had no such protection. Two bipeds, both in black fully-enclosed armour stepped in through the door and stood in front of Sky, who was still trapped under the thrown object. “I’m sorry sirs,” the largest biped apologised as he pointed down at the thing on top of Sky, the trapped griffon’s eyes widening as he realised that the object pinning him was the shattered body of another griffon guard. “He didn’t have a fragile sticker on him so he broke during transit, these things happen.” Sky felt gas seep in past his white handkerchief, his eyes fluttering as the large human stood over him and withdrew a one-handed weapon from his waist. “Here at UIP Post however we pride ourselves on our fine customer service, so I’ve brought another package as a compromise.” With a loud bang Sky High’s life ended, the retort of the weapon increasing the panic in the warehouse as more ponies and griffons began to succumb to the gas. “The package was death,” Nigel informed as Griffons scrambled for their weapons. James walked up beside him and shook his head. “Really?” he commented as Griffons began to re-organise. “You still use that boring line?” Chalmers took a second to shoot a griffon preparing to fire a crossbow as he looked at the PSU agent beside him. “Well what do you recommend then, since you’re so knowledgeable about comedy?” Nigel huffed as James shrugged. “I don’t really know. What about ‘that’s what happens when you don’t use enough stamps’?” Chalmers lowered his gun a little as another crossbow bolt from above pinged off his armour. “Damn it that one’s good,” he replied after a pause. Shaking his head he faced the griffon troops still standing, eleven on the left and ten on the right. “You want left or right?” he asked James casually as he pulled out his second hand gun. The psionic sized up the enemy troops as bolts embedded in the wood around him, the psionic deflecting them away from him. Nigel just stood there and let his armour shield him from the ineffective projectiles. “I’ll take the right; you’ll get pissy if I kill more than you.” Chalmers snorted and was about to retort but before he could utter a single word James’s armour glowed a light blue. The psionic flicked his wrist and one of the griffons was flung back into the wall, the soldier’s body pulping as his iron armour crumpled. Before the others could react James quickly teleported towards them and re-appeared next to a startled soldier holding a longsword. Slashing the griffon’s unprotected throat open with a knife, the PSU agent then outstretched a hand to the remaining eight soldiers on his side. With a chorus of cracks he used his powers to snap their necks, all of his griffons dead within ten seconds. Chalmers rolled his eyes under his helmet as he raised he two handguns at his eleven griffons. The hybrids stared at the human who had just killed their comrades and then back at Chalmers. Deciding that the human blocking the only exit was a better target than the one that could kill them without using a weapon the soldiers attempted to bum rush Nigel. To reach him however they had to travel twenty metres through a carpet of unconscious equines, something that would prove their undoing. None took flight, instead using their wings to hold their mouth coverings on while they tried to dash forward in three legs as one talon was used to hold their weapons. “So easy it’s getting boring now,” Nigel lamented out loud as he allowed the griffons to reach within ten metres of him. Just as they surged forward in a final attempt to escape he opened fire, bullets designed to pierce power-armour cutting through the soldiers and detonating in explosions of blood and feathers while James watched admits his own pile of corpses. It was over in seconds, the griffons stood no chance with the combination of the deadly projectiles and the blinding gas. Their bodies thumped down next to and atop the knocked-out ponies on the floor. As the last one died Nigel sighed and put away his guns, James walking up to pat him on the shoulder. “Come on, there’s plenty more in the city,” he re-assured while Nigel still sulked. “It’s not fair,” Chalmers complained as the two walked to the door. “Why do you get Jedi powers? I’m a higher rank than you.” As they walked outside into the gas-filled city James pointed towards a large-scale battle happening over at the next warehouse. “You don’t need them, you getting psionic powers would probably lead to the death of all the universes in existence somehow.” Two squads of standard UIP infantry gave the two agents passing glances before entering the warehouse James and Nigel had just vacated. The two friends strolled down the war-torn street as weapons fire from the warehouse behind them signalled the execution of the griffons still alive. “I doubt it,” Chalmers retorted before shrugging. “You are right about nothing changing it however. How about with the next batch we only kill them in hand to… talon?” James nodded, cricking his neck as they casually approached the loud battle only a hundred metres ahead. “No complaints here,” the PSU agent answered. “Let’s just get this over with so we can go beat the crap out of their Emperor as soon as possible.” “Oh how I’ve missed this,” Nigel commented as the two friends dove into the fight, griffon death-cries soon drowning out the other sounds of battle. All Things Must End“So the changelings are-“ “Ruled by a queen called Chrysalis.” Nigel paused his explaining their new allies to James as his armoured fist broke the beak of a griffon soldier. “She’s pretty nice. Gets a little cranky sometimes but she isn’t all high and mighty so that’s points in her favour.” A snap signalled the end of the griffon’s life, Nigel dusting his hands as the body slumped to the ground. “Do you think she’ll be willing to give up some of her power?” James inquired, standing up from the body of another griffon, this one’s face an unrecognisable mess. “Yep,” came the answer, Nigel glancing over to a squad of UIP soldiers as energy rifles peppered a darkened alleyway with death. “They’re grateful for the help we’ve given them, and there were already talks of them joining willingly. I’m sure if we give her a title, a good pay, a leadership position and manage to get the upper brass to treat her with some respect then we should be golden.” The two, seeing that the regular army had things covered here, moved on in search of more entertainment. “You’re going through a lot of effort to get them assimilated,” James commented as he kicked a stray pebble. “Add to that the colt as well; I hope you haven’t gone soft in my absence.” Chalmers laughed a dry laugh, his helmet speakers giving it a harsh electronic edge. “No need to worry about that,” Nigel reassured as a group of soldiers kicked in the door of a house behind them. “Bleak Horizon’s a good kid, he does wonders for my mood. I’ve always wanted a son or daughter, might as well take one in.” James and Nigel shared an awkward silence at the reminder of exactly why natural conception was impossible for them, all ISA agents giving up that privilege for their artificial genetics. “So back to the changelings,” James continued, keen to switch to a better topic. “I just don’t mind them,” Chalmers informed while the pair turned a corner to head into the town centre. “Think of the scientific benefits we could learn. They can change form and feed off emotions, imagine if we could replicate that? Hordes of agents feeding off nothing but fear and desperation, able to be anyone and everywhere,” Nigel envisioned while sweeping an arm out in front of him. “Nigel,” James started with a shake of his head. “Promise me you’ll never go and work Research and Development.” “Elijah’s already got that covered,” Nigel joked, James chuckling at the reminder of the sadistic, bookish scientist that had once been part of their squad. “What’s the nerd up to these days anyway? The records are shut to me and I haven’t seen him since his last birthday.” “Hell if I know,” James stepped over a dead griffon guard as he replied. “It’s apparently out in very far away location though.” The psionic leant over to Nigel, his voice lowering more out of unease than the desire for the conversation to be private. “I heard rumours that a whole congregation of priests were loaned to R and D, that’s all I know.” “You’ve got to stop believing in that,” Nigel scoffed as they approached the town square, the clear area buzzing with activity as bulky aerial transports and gunships kept their engines running while they were landed. “There’s no such thing as demons or pacts.” “Yet they managed to create necrotech from those ruins all those years ago,” James reminded as a group of soldiers split around them and headed in the direction that Nigel and James had come from. “That certain group is the same one that he’s leading.” “Don’t remind me of them,” Chalmers requested with a shudder. “That stuff should have stayed buried and forgotten.” James hummed in agreement, the pair finding a wooden bench which they sat down upon, the wood creaking under their combined weight. The two watched as UIP soldiers loaded unconscious Equestrians into transports, the equines knocked out by the gas that was still heavy in the air. It was probably a good thing that the gas was lasting so long, the Equestrians would likely have been much more resistant about getting into the boxy craft without it. “Where’s the changeling queen now?” James wondered as he leaned back. “I’d like to meet the royal that didn’t manage to piss you off somehow. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.” Chalmers smirked under his helmet, his fingers tapping against each other. “Oh, the sergeant of the wraith squad I commandeered was a little put out that I left him behind in the pony capitol to play diplomat between any Equestrian nobility and our changeling friends. So I took the time to organise transporting Chrysalis to Canterlot so she can meet some officers, as well as the princesses that she seems to hate. That should give him something to do.” “You’re truly evil, you know that?” James commented with a sideways glance. The psionic turned back to the front before rolling his shoulders. “Please tell me that you’re going to get the helmet recordings later.” “Oh yes, I plan to get the recordings from the entire time.” Nigel answered merrily. “Let’s just hope that everyone reacts as expected and we get an entertaining show.” Chrysalis gritted her teeth as she tried to use her magic to undo the straps securing her to the seat. The humans had requested her presence at Canterlot as some of their military officers wished to meet her. While she appreciated the provided transport, the large four-engine aircraft was a little much in her opinion. Traveling fast was all good, but nothing should travel at four times the speed of sound like the humans had claimed it did. “Allow me, Your Highness.” Chrysalis held back a huff as one of the human bodyguards assigned to her undid the seatbelt’s release effortlessly with an armoured hand. The two soldiers were sitting either side of her, Chrysalis’s four changeling guards already out of their seats and out of the door. “Ma’am,” the same bodyguard addressed as he stood up, the human holding out a hand towards her. “I’m fine, thank you,” she replied as she left the seat. Chrysalis glanced at the other human in the transport, this one a female of their species. The ‘woman’ as she had been told was doing a last check of her weapon. The gun was short and compact, a matte black with gold trimming. They had informed her that it was called a ‘gauss carbine’, a light glow coming from the blue stripe along its rectangular body. Her two human guards had been the ones that had brought her the news of the request, the humans’ golden armour with red trim far more ornate than the ISA agents or their standard forces. With two red ‘eyes’ instead of visors, their large, decorated helmets were a mix between a work of art and an item made for war. Apparently from the UIP Diplomatic Corps, they had informed her that their duty was to keep her safe at all times during the visit. Chrysalis was thankful for it, she’d much rather have the humans by her side than face Celestia and Luna alone. As she stepped off the metal floor of the aerial transport and onto the grass of the castle courtyard, the clanking of metal drew her attention. A squad of ten royal guards, solar guard in their golden armour, were facing her with a mix of blank looks and glares. Chrysalis stood tall and grinned back, the Equestrian’s spears unthreatening when two armoured and armed humans were protecting her. Her changeling guards seemed a lot less sure of themselves, having only their chitin armour, magic and horns. “Queen Chrysalis,” the lead solar guard addressed evenly, a large blue plume in the unicorn’s helmet. “I have instructions to take you to the command area. Your changelings will have to stay in a designated area above ground however, the Princesses were reluctant to even let you step hoof in our city again.” Chrysalis glared at the guard, the other Equestrians shifting on the spot while their spear-tips glinted in the moonlight. “It’s fine, Your Majesty,” the female human said to her, the soldier having seen that Chrysalis was about to reply angrily. “They will be with the changelings that the ISA agents brought with them. The castle is also swarming with our own troops,” Chrysalis looked around as the female tilted her head towards a squad of UIP troopers. Now that it was pointed out, Chrysalis noticed identical squads all around the area. “Fine then,” she relented while refacing the Equestrian guards. “Now if you are done I wish to get going, I have important people to meet.” Chrysalis noticed some of the more unruly guards muttering insults under their breath. “Oh, and your Princesses as well.” “Say that again!” a guard snarled as the stallion broke ranks to move towards Chrysalis. Chrysalis remained calm and maintained a sneer at the pony as her human and changeling guards stepped out in front. “Private!” the guard leader yelled out, furious. “Get back in line!” “She insulted the Princesses!” “I did not,” Chrysalis answered with mock hurt. “I never said a mean word towards them.” Everyone knew what she had been implying, but the guard sergeant was aware that any actions against the Queen would not end well. “Private, let it go.” The angry stallion continued to glare at Chrysalis, the pegasus remembering that he had a spear ready to go. His eyes drifted to two golden humans flanking the changeling queen, the bipeds’ hands on their weapons. He knew that he would be unlikely to make it to Chrysalis before they stopped him, and even his own sergeant was supporting her. Grumbling, the private returned to his unit and received a glare from his sergeant. Chrysalis gave him a final grin of triumph before the squad of Equestrians headed to the castle entrance, one of the human guards looking down at her as the group of changelings and humans followed the ponies. “That was not needed,” the female human informed. “I recommend that you attempt to hold back any previous distaste for the Equestrians. Baiting them will not help your image with the officers.” “It may not have been needed,” Chrysalis replied with a smile. “It was satisfying though, the royal guard are so easy to rile up.” The human didn’t reply, the soldier straightening as the group approached the main castle doors. Chrysalis saw another ten solar guards and a squad of normal human soldiers standing outside the heavy wooden doors. The Queen smirked as she noticed the humans were standing on the left and the ponies on the right, evidently the divide between her new allies and Equestrians was quite pronounced. “Sergeant Harper.” Chrysalis tilted her head as her male human guard greeted the other UIP troops, the ten, tan-armoured humans saluting. She was quite interested in the humans’ names, she had heard so many strange combinations during the ISA agents’ stay in her hive. “They’re expecting you sir,” one of the normal troops said. Harper nodded before turning to the Equestrians, the solar guard exchanging glares with the changelings. “Are we allowed to enter?” “Yes,” a pony grumbled out, the unicorn mare breaking off her glare at Chrysalis to answer Harper. “You’ll find the other changelings to the left of the entrance hall, only humans and the changeling queen are allowed in the war room.” The Equestrian lieutenant had an expression of distaste at the mention of Chrysalis’s title. “Thank you so much,” Chrysalis replied with a sickly sweet tone. She grinned at Harper, the human shaking his head at her. The standard UIP troops found her attitude hilarious, Chrysalis catching a few of them chucking within their helmets. The solar guard were not as amused, the lieutenant scowling at her as the changelings in the back snickered. “Just go in,” the pony growled. “The Princess’s time is precious.” Harper gave Chrysalis a warning nod as their group moved into the castle. Chrysalis decided to ignore it. “I’m sure it is, otherwise they wouldn’t be spending it on me.” “Why you-“ the furious guard was cut off as the main doors closed behind them, the sound of electronic-tinged laughter mixing in with the pony’s muffled yelling. “Just how long did you spend with the ISA, if I may ask?” Chrysalis looked to the woman, going back over the last few weeks in her mind. “Too long,” she answered, eliciting a brief chuckle from Harper before the solider steered them down a corridor on the left. They passed guards and UIP soldiers, getting reactions ranging from glares to salutes. Chrysalis knew she shouldn’t be enjoying it, but she was. Walking in Canterlot castle and having the Equestrians unable to do anything about it was oh so satisfying. Her grin remained and she had a spring in her step as the group entered a room that seemed set aside as a servant’s break room. Sitting around a plain table were three changelings, a human ISA trooper and a pony colt who Chrysalis recognised as Bleak Horizon. The foal that Chalmers adopted was the second to notice the new arrivals after the ISA agent. “Hi Queen Chrysalis!” Horizon greeted as he waved a hoof at her from his cushion. Chrysalis found herself wearing a warm smile; the pony had finally gotten her name and title correct. “Hello Horizon.” The three changelings all had left their seats and were bowing before her, the lone ISA agent lifting his head up from a pony book before giving her a nod. “Your Highness.” Chrysalis nodded back at the human that she now knew was Sergeant Boland, the agent the most stable that she had met. “Soldiers,” Boland greeted to her two human guards, the ISA agent evidently higher ranked as the two guards saluted him. “Rise subjects,” Chrysalis ordered, the three changelings standing back up. “I have to meet some human military officers and the Equestrian Princesses, they have said that changelings are to stay in this area so they’ll have to stay with you.” “It’s so stupid,” a female drone spoke up, before quickly bowing before Chrysalis. “I mean it’s so stupid Your Majesty.” Chrysalis grinned at the drone’s behaviour before waving a hoof. “No need for such actions drone,” Chrysalis reassured. “I don’t know if it’s the influence of Commander Chalmers but you can drop the formality. Tonight has just been so great.” Chrysalis looked down at the drone. “What is your name subject?” “Mirror, Your Highness,” the drone answered with a confused look. “Excuse me for asking, but why didn’t you just use the Hive-mind to find out?” “I’m getting a little sick of using it all the time,” Chrysalis answered as she gestured to her changeling soldiers. “I don’t have time for more questions, I have my duties to attend. Soldiers, wait here until I come back.” The six changelings that had arrived with Chrysalis found seats in the room, the other three changelings returning to their seats. Chrysalis looked towards Sergeant Boland, the ISA agent still reading his book. “Will you be joining us Sergeant?” “No Ma’am,” Boland answered as he turned a page. “You’ll find that you will receive a warmer reception if I’m not there with you. Also, the Commander has got me looking after Horizon for him.” “Me as well,” one of the original three changelings spoke up. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at him, the drone quickly bowing while the pony colt moved towards him. “Sorry my Queen, I forgot that you wish for us to state our names. I am Nestor.” “Ah, I remember you,” Chrysalis remembered fondly. “You were the drone that tried to steal that book from the scholars last year.” Nestor flushed green, the changeling earing looks from all of the others in the room. “Uh… yes, that was me.” The drone looked down as Horizon sat down next to him. “Excuse me, Your Highness,” Harper spoke up. “As entertaining as this is, we really must be going.” Chrysalis nodded her head gave her nine subjects a smile. “I know. Thank you all, I have to go now but I know that you’ll keep out of trouble. I’ve been told that Sergeant Boland will deal with any Equestrians so please behave yourselves.” Chrysalis received a chorus of affirmatives in reply, the six soldiers getting comfortable in their seats as they prepared for the wait. She allowed herself a small smile as she witnessed Nestor rub the colt’s head, the foal not shying away from the changeling at all. A throat clear from the female human next to her broke her out of her thoughts, Chrysalis rolling her eyes as she looked up at the bodyguard. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.” With a final wave that was returned, Chrysalis and her two guards left the room, heading down the same corridor they had arrived from. “What is your name anyway?” “Corporal Raah.” Chrysalis nodded as the female human informed her of her name and rank. “That’s different to what I’ve heard so far, even for human names.” The Corporal shrugged, the trio approaching a guarded staircase. “I’ve got Indian ancestry, my parents were born on the Core Worlds so they wanted to keep tradition strong.” No more was said on the matter, Chrysalis a little irked that the humans tended to explain things while assuming that she had the faintest idea of what things like the ‘Core Worlds’ were. Chrysalis decided that she’d find out more later, the staircase that was their destination only a few metres way. The changeling mentally prepared herself to be judged by a lot of humans as the Solar Guard guarding the staircase glared at her. She wanted to give a good impression to the bipeds, Chrysalis knowing that they were capable of elevating her people to greater heights than anyone else on the planet. While her hooves clacked on cold stone steps, Chrysalis smirked once more at the thought of redeeming herself of the embarrassment that Celestia and Luna had caused her and her people. ‘Let’s see how the Equestrians act when the Changelings are exploring the stars above them, while they are stuck on the ground and unable to rival it. Then we’ll see just who is the better ruler.’ “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am.” Chrysalis smiled at the male UIP Army Colonel, the man shaking her hoof with a white-gloved hand. The tanned soldier let her limb go and returned to his subordinates, brushing his blonde hair with his hand. She had been pleasantly surprised with the reactions and greetings she had received, all of the human officers had been very welcoming. Chrysalis tried to find a human she hadn’t met yet, her two guards by her side the entire time. She caught a flash of deep blue, her eyes narrowing as she spotted Princess Luna standing near a human female. Deciding that it was as good a time as any to confront one of the princesses, Chrysalis moved towards the two as they were looking over a large table that was lit up with lights. Equestrian guards and humans watched her while she walked, the humans having been very curious about her and her race overall. Chrysalis had been surprised that most of them had no idea what a changeling looked like, despite having been told of the relationship that they were seeking between the two races. With the only three changelings that were in Canterlot confined to the small room on the ground level, Chrysalis was the first one they encountered. From the looks of things she was doing well, all of them leaving with smiles after conversing with her. “Watch out for this one,” Corporal Raah muttered to her as the solider nodded her head to the back of the human female officer while the three approached. “That’s Colonel Straken, she’s cold so if she doesn’t seem to like you then don’t worry. She’s like that to everyone.” Chrysalis gave a nod in understanding before they reached the table, Sergeant Harper standing up straight before clearing his throat. “Colonel, presenting Her Royal Highness Queen Chrysalis.” Chrysalis maintained her smile as the Colonel and Princess Luna turned around. Straken’s cold blue eyes ran over Chrysalis, the human sizing up the new arrival. Princess Luna instead frowned, although Chrysalis suspected that it was less to do about her presence and more about the things that Luna and the Colonel were discussing before. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Colonel,” Chrysalis started while extending a hoof towards Straken. The human stared at the hole-riddled limb before meeting it with her gloved-hand. Chrysalis struggled to keep her smile as the Colonel gripped her hoof with a fierce grip, the human’s sharp features set in a detached expression. “I’ve heard only good things about you,” Straken answered with a slight nod. “Granted, all of it’s from the ISA so I’m unsure how much of it is true. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, just don’t mess up my command room.” Straken let go, Chrysalis breathing out in relief as the pressure on her leg was removed. “You mean my command room,” Luna interrupted with a light tone. Straken shot the Princess an unamused glare while Luna directed her attention to Chrysalis. “I do not think I’ve met you myself,” Luna added while extending her own hoof. “I however have heard very different opinions to those that the Colonel has.” It was now that Chrysalis noticed the eight bat-ponies lurking at the far end of the table, the night guards maintaining a watchful gaze on her. “My history with Equestria is well known,” Chrysalis replied with a hint of bitterness in her tone. Hesitantly, she extended her hoof again and it met the Princess’s silver shoe. “Indeed it is,” Straken commented as the two rulers broke the hoof-greeting. “Our research and intelligence departments are very eager to learn about your people’s abilities.” Chrysalis nodded, she wasn’t stupid. She knew that the main reason the UIP was even willing to give her the time of day was because they wanted to use the changelings to their own advantage, something that Chrysalis was okay with. After all, if helping them learn more about changelings was the price that she would have to pay to secure her people’s future then she was ready to pay it. “We are willing to allow that,” Chrysalis replied carefully while Luna watched to two with interest. “Commander Chalmers already mentioned the possibility of us joining the UIP.” Straken seemed to brighten at the news, Chrysalis noticing a slight smile on the Colonel’s face. “So you are thinking about joining then?” Straken asked with some of the coldness leaving her voice. “Possibly,” Chrysalis answered, relaxing a little as the Colonel’s tone became friendlier. “You can understand that as a ruler giving up that privilege and passing control of your people over to aliens is not something you do lightly.” “You won’t have to worry,” Straken reassured as Luna furrowed her eyes on the sidelines. “As the former leader you’ll still get a huge say in civilian matters and some military ones. All the other races that have joined us in the past have flourished as a result. From the sounds of it, you changelings managed to make friends with a few ISA agents which is a difficult thing to do.” Straken glanced around, Chrysalis assuming that the officer was looking out for any ISA agents. “I also heard that one of them has gotten really friendly with one of your subjects.” Chrysalis knew exactly who the officer was referring two, the Queen remembering that the drone named ‘Reflection’ was one of the three that had been in Canterlot before the main human force had arrived. Chrysalis had met Corporal Jacobs, and he had seemed to be a nice male. Her impression of him as well as Reflection’s injury in the service of her hive had been the main reasons that Chrysalis had allowed Reflection to keep on seeing the human. Chrysalis had already acknowledged that if the changeling race joined the UIP then she would have to sacrifice most of the control she exerted over her subjects, things like allocating mating rights and social statuses. She was confident that it was a decent trade. After all, if one human was able to love a changeling willingly then who was to say that others wouldn’t be the same? With the safety and advantages that they offered, Chrysalis was certain that such strict control over her subjects while part of the UIP would not be needed. She was actually looking forward to a chance to not have to worry about all of her people dying from lack of food or vengeful enemies. “You’re not thinking of joining them, surely?” Chrysalis was broken out of her daydreams of a nice, relaxing bath and instead had to face Luna, Colonel Straken already eyeballing the Princess with a warning glare. Luna looked at Chrysalis with a pleading look, the alicorn ignoring Straken as she extended a feathery wing towards Chrysalis. “I am,” Chrysalis answered without malice. “It’s getting more and more temping by the minute.” She didn’t actually mind Luna from what she had seen so far, the night Princess having been absent abroad during the invasion due to an issue in the bat-pony homeland. The fact that she had yet to receive even a glare from a lunar guard also skewed her opinion of Luna for the better. “Chrysalis, please,” Luna replied, Chrysalis glancing to her left shoulder as a blue wing was rested upon it. “I know that changelings are not loved by ponies, but we can work those problems out. You don’t need to force your people into service of the humans and a lifetime of war. With your help, I can try and get changelings living with ponies in peace in a year. Think of how your subjects will change if you accept the UIP’s offer.” “I already have thought about how they’ll change,” Chrysalis informed softly. “While your willingness to forgive me and help us means a lot, it’s too late.” Chrysalis looked up at Luna, the surrounding humans remaining quiet as the two rulers conversed. “If they hadn’t arrived when they did, my people would have starved to death. Now they offer my changelings the opportunity to live amongst the stars, spread across multiple universes. They offer us a place where we’ll be accepted fully, part of an empire that is larger than I thought was possible.” Chrysalis bowed her head, glancing at her hooves before facing Luna again. “What ruler would I be if I withheld that opportunity from them? I know that they’ll face death and will be forced to serve the UIP, but all the humans here already do that.” Luna looked around as Chrysalis swept a hoof in front of her. “Even the humans that are disliked by those around us have made friends with my people. We’re not that different from them, they understand us and what we’ve done. Something your ponies never will.” Luna withdrew her wing while shaking her head sadly, Chrysalis shifting on her hooves uncomfortably. “I know you’ve faced the same thing.” Luna winced at Chrysalis’s words before looking at the Queen with hope. “They forgave me though,” the Princess replied. “If they forgave me then they can forgive you. You just have to wait for a while and-“ “The humans offer me acceptance now,” Chrysalis restated. “Thank you for trying, but I’ve made my decision.” Chrysalis looked at Straken, the human having been absorbing the conversation with an analytical gaze. “The changelings ruled by me will join the UIP.” Straken nodded, Luna continuing to shake her head as she turned away. “It is your choice,” the Princess said sadly as she walked back to the table. “I fear for what you’re people will go through. I will miss the opportunity to get to know your people better.” Chrysalis felt a foreign feeling, one of guilt. Princess Luna seemed genuinely accepting of her, the alicorn’s concern also unexpected. Chrysalis didn’t know what to say to change things however, she had already made her choice and despite Luna’s points she was sure that the course she was taking was the right one. Sighing under her breath, Chrysalis moved beside Straken as the Colonel retuned to the table, Chrysalis seeing that it was one of the ‘holo’ devices that Commander Chalmers had told her about. On the table there was a map representing the griffon coastline, a mass of blue dots with lines of text surrounding the largest costal town light up with blue. All the other cities and towns were covered with a red tinge. Chrysalis guessed that it meant that the invasion of the Griffon Empire had been a success, a guess that was confirmed by Straken. “All enemy resistance in the landing point has been destroyed, we have the town.” The Colonel scanned the table, a few officers from different areas of the UIP military gathering around as Straken’s fingers danced over a touchscreen. The view zoomed in to just the town itself, icons in the shapes of infantry, aerial transports and numerous other vehicles all in and around the settlement. A mass of transports were heading back to Equestria, Straken glancing at Luna before pointing a finger at them. “There, Princess, the majority of your citizens are on their way back to your country. There are no reported casualties.” The Equestrian Princess brightened, the alicorn watching intently as the transports made their way across the sea at an impressive pace. Chrysalis was more focused on the town, the changeling marvelling at the detail that the map provided. She could see buildings, streets, roads and everything else, the Queen gazing at the blue icons with interest. She wondered what it would be like to be a part of it, everything she had seen the humans use was so alien and different. As Straken and the other UIP officers focused on reports and lists, Chrysalis noticed an icon break away from the town and head to the north, where the Griffon capitol was if she remembered correctly. “Excuse me, Colonel,” Chrysalis began as she pointed a hoof at the icon in the shape of a human viper gunship. “Is that craft meant to be heading to the Griffon capitol by itself?” Straken leaned in, her eyes narrowing as she noticed what Chrysalis was talking about. “Communicator,” Straken ordered, one of her subordinates handing her a boxy device. “Patch me in to that gunship; I want to personally find out why the pilots are violating orders.” “Yes Ma’am,” one of the officers at a row of computers stated emotionlessly. “You have a channel.” “Viper three-seven-one,” Straken commenced after a throat clear, Chrysalis noticing the numbers next to the icon matched what Straken had said. “Why are you departing towards the second point without authorization? Turn back immediately.” “I uh… can’t do that Ma’am,” a male voice replied over the communicator, the surrounding people able to overhear. “This is Colonel Straken, and I order you to turn around. Now.” “Believe me Colonel, I’d love to,” the pilot answered with an apologetic tone. “I’m afraid that the passenger who ordered me to fly to the capitol outranks you. Sorry Colonel.” “Outranked?” Straken muttered dangerously, the closest officers backing away from the Colonel. “Which officer ordered you to fly to a heavily defended capitol with complete disregard to the battle plan?” Chrysalis, Luna and the surrounding officers all heard an audible gulp over the communications, the pilot evidently stuck between a rock and a hard place. “It was an ISA commander, Ma’am. He’s got a psionic with him and they are going to, quote, ‘Mess up a fuck-ton of griffons.’ They’ve ordered me to fly to the griffon castle and deliver them into it. Trust me Colonel, I would much rather follow your plan, but my hands are tied.” “Chalmers,” Straken muttered like the name was trouble incarnate. Chrysalis, having spent a lot of time with the Commander, could relate with the irritated Colonel. “Understood,” Straken continued after a deep breath. “Follow your orders, I’ll scramble re-enforcements immediately. Stay alive, Pilot.” “I’ll try Colonel,” the pilot replied over the radio. There was a brief pause, a loud burst of metal music starting before the man continued speaking. “Please hurry with the re-enforcements, the Commander is talking about ‘making an entrance, ISA style’.” Straken winced, Chrysalis noticing that all the other humans also seemed to shudder at the mention of Chalmers’s words. “Over and out.” Straken burst into action as soon as the communication cut off, the Colonel barking orders to her subordinates as the Command room became swamped in activity. Chrysalis decided that she’d spent enough time making an appearance, the Queen weaving through human and pony officers as they hurried around the room. Her two guards followed her to the exit, Chrysalis giving a final glance towards a yelling Straken before slipping out of the room with her escort in tow. Compared to all of this chaos, spending the remainder of her stay in a small break room with nine of her subjects, a pony foal and three humans seemed like a holiday already. Emperor Kestrel nervously tapped his yellow talon against his armrest, the Griffon glancing out of one of the windows nervously. His throne room was almost silent, save for the occasional whimper of an equestrian slave. Twenty of the ponies had been gifted to him directly as personal slaves, all of them beautiful young mares which were grouped to the side of the room in chains. Kestrel had at first been delighted with the gifts from his Generals, granted he could have just taken them but the gesture had lifted his spirits and he wasn’t going to complain about receiving twenty of the finest mares. His wife, Empress Swiftcrest, had thought differently. Kestrel had spent hours reassuring her that the slaves would be used for cleaning and general household duties only, his wife not as excited as he was regarding the presence of the mares. Her threats to pluck out every single one of his greying feathers were far more intimidating than any space-faring bipeds. Kestrel returned his attention to the main doors, the four armoured guards stepping to the sides and gripping their spears tighter as the heavy double doors opened. An army messenger escorted by a further five guards entered, the young messenger wearing a simple chainmail uniform over his rust-coloured feathers. “It’s been confirmed,” the young griffon spoke as she bowed before her Emperor. “The town of Saltside has fallen to the human forces. The same mist that is blocking off the roads is confirmed to also be in the town. It appears that the humans are immune to the mist and are using the town as a staging point.” Kestrel rubbed his face with a talon at the bad news, the griffon regretting ever encountering the malicious creatures that had now invaded his country. “What is their strength?” He inquired, the messenger wincing as she shuffled on the spot. “At least two-hundred troops, roughly thirty of their bladed flying machines and numerous other machines which we haven’t encountered before. All of them seemed to be armed and as I was leaving there were reports of Equestrian troops being off-loaded outside of the mist on the beach from human ships. What are your orders?” Kestrel breathed out as he leaned back in his seat, the messenger glancing towards the huddle of slaves. “We can sit here and wait for their attack, something which I doubt will end well for us. There is still no word from the Minotaurs so we can assume that we’re on our own. Alternatively, we can attempt to attack their landing point and hope to drive them away. That’s probably our best chance.” Kestrel looked down at the messenger, the griffon moving her view back to him. “What do you think?” “I’m just a messenger,” she stammered out, surprised at the Emperor’s request for her input. “I know,” Kestrel replied with another glance outside his window, the night sky deceptively calm. “I find that the opinions of my subjects have helped my decisions in the past.” The messenger glanced down at the stone floor before returning her Emperor’s gaze. “Attacking them at their landing point,” she confirmed. “Hopefully the mist will stop them from seeing us coming. The troops hide, and when the humans start to move out of the mist we ambush them. We’ve been able to fight them in melee, it’s just difficult to crack open the armour they can apparently hit like a Minotaur.” Kestrel nodded with a weary smile on his face while he waved a wing towards the main doors. “That is what I was thinking, please fetch General Talon and bring him here as quickly as possible.” The messenger nodded with determination and turned towards the doors, the four door guards moving to open them. “Wait,” one of the soldiers that the messenger had brought interrupted as he tilted his head. “Does anyone else hear that?” Kestrel, the messenger and the rest of the guards all strained their ears, a faint thumping sound growing closer and louder. Kestrel noticed the messenger’s eyes widen, the Emperor jolting back as the messenger dived to the ground. “Human flying machine!” she cried out, the guards all ducking as a roaring sound boomed into life. The throne room was pelted with stone fragments as something demolished a large part of the wall. Three guards closest to the wall were killed by blocks of stone crushing heads and bodies, the pony slaves relatively untouched by debris thanks to their position at the far wall. It still didn’t stop them from screaming in fright though. Kestrel spat out dust and sat up straight in his chair. His body ached where small stones had struck him and the messenger was groaning with one wing trapped under a jagged block of dark-grey stone. The Emperor looked towards his ruined wall, a large metal beast hovering in the air with two glowing boxes at its sides pointing downwards. He got a brief look at an angular, black metal surface with a deadly-looking assortment of barrels mounted under it before the machine turned around. The surviving guards got their bearings just as a ramp attached to the flying machine lowered, Kestrel pressing himself back into his chair as a black-armoured biped skilfully jumped into the throne room, the human pulling off a roll before standing up perfectly. A strange, violent-sounding music was playing from the inside of the machine, a second biped jumping after his fellow. This second human was also armoured in black, his armour much more bulky and in his hand was one of the humans’ deadly projectile weapons. Unlike his companion though, the second human did not pull off a perfect landing. Instead of rolling and standing on his feet, this human completely missed the hole in the wall and plummeted down the outside of the castle. The first human rushed over to the wall and bent down, Kestrel able to see that a single armoured claw was gripping onto the edge of the wall. A blue glow lit up around the first human, the biped pulling his companion up and onto the floor. “I meant to do that!” The second human proclaimed as he stood up, his fellow shaking his head. “I had you all fooled; now you’re unbalanced and open for attack!” Kestrel was confused, evidently his guards were as well as they all stared at the humans with shock as the flying machine closed its ramp and left the way it had come. “A flawless plan you said, Nigel,” the first human muttered, Kestrel able to easily hear what they were saying now that the flying machine was gone. “James, not now,” the second human, who Kestrel assumed was named ‘Nigel’, replied back before facing the griffon guards staring at him. “Gents,” the biped switched his view to the captive ponies that were all frozen in terror. “Ladies.” “Get them!” Kestrel ordered to his six remaining guards. The soldiers all snapped out of their dazes at the Emperor’s order, the soldiers darting forward with spears in their talons. Kestrel’s ears rang as a sound like parchment tearing ripped through the air, the second human having raised its short, stubby weapon towards the main group of guards. Four of the griffons were ripped apart, the human holding down the trigger of his weapon for a full ten seconds. Gore flew everywhere, the guards cut apart under the hail of super-sonic projectiles that exited the weapon. Holes were torn in the opposite wall, some appearing a mere beak-length from the Equestrian slaves. Kestrel removed his talons from his ears and looked up as the human’s weapon fell silent, the remaining two guards having dived for cover. The Emperor started to breath rapidly, his eyes searching for an escape route. The four guards had been torn apart, the once strong soldiers nothing more than twitching, hole-riddled corpses lying in pools of their own blood. “Oh yes,” the human known as Nigel groaned he removed a rectangle from his weapon’s grip before replacing it with one he had taken from his suit. “I have the hardest erection right now.” “Speaking of erections,” the first human known as James added as he looked straight at Kestrel. “I think we’ve found the prick that we’ve been looking for.” Kestrel tried to scramble out of his chair, but found that his body was frozen. The blue glow had returned to the first biped’s armour, James staying still while Nigel approached the terrified Emperor. “Keep an eye out for any guests James,” Nigel commented, Kestrel’s heart-rate quickening as the biped approached. “Oh, and watch those three griffons as well, still haven’t decided if we should kill them or not.” “Don’t take too long,” James answered, the human glancing at the main doors as well as the inured messenger and the two guards who were flat on the floor with. “I doubt having a wall blown into their castle is going to increase our reputation with the locals.” Nigel waved off his companion’s concerns, the human changeling course and walking over to the Equestrians. "You, ponies,” Nigel addressed while nudging one sobbing mare in the flank. “Get up.” Kestrel watched on as the Equestrians shakily got to their hooves, the ponies all shaking as they tried to avoid looking at the corpses next to them. Nigel tilted his head, Kestrel getting the impression that the human was holding an invisible conversation. “You can’t do this!” Kestrel demanded, managing to get his mouth to work despite the force that was paralysing him. “We do what we want,” Nigel replied, the human finishing his conversation. He walked over to Kestrel and lifted the terrified Emperor up, before sitting down on the golden throne and placing the frozen griffon ruler on his lap. “Let me tell you a story,” Nigel continued, the two guards and the messenger staying stock still to avoid death. “A long time ago, some humans came to a planet searching for something they had lost. The leader of these humans, a charming, handsome, witty, intelligent-“ “Nigel,” James interrupted. “The leader was a great guy,” Nigel continued as if nothing had happened, one of his hands patting Kestrel on the head. “Anyway, this leader made contact with a race of bug-equines, and after getting to know them offered to help them get food in exchange for assistance. A friendship blossomed between the two races, finding that despite their physical differences they had much in common. That all changed when the Equine nation attacked.” Nigel paused and cleared his throat, a thumping on the throne room doors starting up before they gained a slight blue tinge. Kestrel also noticed that the hole that the humans had entered from was also blocked off by a blue barrier of light. “So these equines had a past beef with the bug-horses, and captured a group of scouts,” Nigel continued. “The humans, as friends of the bug-horses, rescued them and as a result the equines declared war on them as they were frightened of their coolness. Thing is, the equines evidently thought that the humans were far too awesome to take on alone, so they used a weak tactic and got a bunch of guys to help them gang up on them.” Nigel flicked Kestrel’s beak. “Guess who one of those guys is?” “Me?” Kestrel tried, hoping that co-operation would save his life. He was rewarded with a nod, the human giving him another head rub. “That’s right, one of those idiots with a death wish is you. Now, what do we do about it, hmmm? Your Minotaur friends have already surrendered but we are a little ticked off that you’re a slaver.” “No, I’ll do whatever you want!” Kestrel pleaded, the human having started to tap the barrel of his weapon against his head. “Oh, there’s no question that we will get what we want.” “Nigel,” James broke in, a mass of noise growing greater. Nigel and Kestrel looked out of the hole in the wall, a mass of gunships and transports closing on the castle fast. “We’re running out of time,” Nigel calmly informed. “I’ll tell you what, surrender now and return every single Equestrian alive and unharmed and I’ll let you and your family live. Hell, we’ll even let you keep your country and title. What do you say?” Kestrel shivered, the only movement he was capable of. He knew that if he didn’t agree then the humans would carry out their threat, the Emperor wondering what sort of circumstances would breed creatures so evil. “Okay, okay!” Kestrel agreed desperately. “I’ll sign the peace treaty and release all of the slaves!” “Good boy,” Nigel complemented, Kestrel finding himself shoved to the floor. The Emperor found the control over him lifted, however he elected to remain on the floor while Nigel remained in his throne. The Equestrians at the back remained sullen despite the news, huddling against the wall as James walked over to peer out the hole in the wall. The sound of the gunships and transports grew louder, Nigel giving a nod to James and glancing at the two griffon guards on the floor. “You two,” Nigel stated, the two griffon soldiers having not moved from their spots. “Go and tell the rest of your military about your Emperor’s decision. I doubt you’d want to be the cause of your entire race being wiped out?” Both griffons scrambled to their claws, the soldiers bolting out of the main doors as James swung them open with his psionics. Chalmers chuckled at their haste, leaning back in the throne as he started to prod the frightened Emperor with his boot. “Ah,” he said out loud as he put his arms behind his head. “I love my job.” “So it’s over then.” Celestia and Luna were standing side by side, both Princesses watching as the Griffon Emperor signed the peace agreement down in the sunny courtyard. The area was swarming with soldiers, both human and Equestrian. Queen Chrysalis was standing next to the group of ISA agents, Commander Chalmers having returned the previous night after picking up the rest of his troops from the changeling hive. Celestia and Chrysalis hadn’t spoken, Celestia far too preoccupied with the prospect of sealing the peace deal. All of the UIP troops had already withdrawn from the Griffon lands and every Equestrian city apart from Canterlot, the majority returning to the troopships above in orbit. Celestia had declined the humans’ offer to help Equestria rebuild, the Princess never wanting to see another human again. The forces they had here were a precaution against any griffon attack, the majority of the Royal Guard occupied with helping rebuild the shattered country. “It does seem to be over, Sister,” Luna agreed, the Griffon Emperor finishing signing his name before shooting the two alicorns a glare. Celestia winced inside, a blank expression on her face as she realised that relations with the Minotaurs and Griffons would never be healed. “There,” Emperor Kestrel spat as he placed the quill down. “I hope that we never need to speak again. I have no respect for those who consort with demons to win their battles.” A harsh clacking sound drew the attention of everyone, Commander Chalmers having cocked one of his hand guns. The Emperor paled and turned around, leaving as quickly as he could towards his personal chariot. Royal Guard followed him, more for his sake than anyone else. “I believe that’s our signal.” Celestia and Luna turned around to face Chalmers, the only human remaining as transports flew down to pick up the changelings, humans and Bleak Horizon. Celestia maintained her blank expression while Luna grimaced, the Princesses knowing what was about to come. “You have your land,” Celestia stated. “As per our agreement you are also permitted access to Appleoosa and supervised visits to Manehattan.” Celestia paused as the last of the human troops passed her, the Royal Guard maintaining watch over the bipeds. “This also applies to the changelings. I hear that Chrysalis accepted your Empire’s offer.” “She did,” Chalmers confirmed with a nod. “As of now the changelings are a part of the UIP. You will never have to worry about attacks from them again.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed slightly, Luna shifting on her hooves as she sensed her sister’s attitude change. “It’s not changelings that I worry about,” Celestia stated icily. Chalmers took the hint, the human raising his hands and backing away towards a final transport. “Understandable. You stay out of our business and we’ll keep out of yours. Know that we will be willing to open negotiations if you ever desire something more than an uneasy peace.” Chalmers turned and began to walk away, before remembering something. “Oh, and Luna?” he called out, Luna wincing and gritting her teeth. “Yes?” “I’ll pick you up at eight, your time.” Celestia’s frown deepened, Luna noticing and placing a wing over Celestia’s back to try and stop her making a rash decision. Chalmers was thankfully civil for once, the human not saying a thing and leaving. Celestia continued to watch him until the transport he was in disappeared into the sky. “Let it rest Sister,” Luna comforted as she stepped closer to Celestia. “We knew what we would pay when we agreed to his terms. We must focus on the present; our subjects need us now more than ever. The humans and changelings have left and hopefully will not return, we need to focus on our ponies.” “You’re right,” Celestia conceded a she returned Luna’s gesture with her own wing. Luna nodded and led Celestia back towards the castle, the guards not interrupting the two royals. “Luna?” Luna stopped as Celestia raised her head. “Yes Sister?” “Did I do the right thing when I asked for their help? So many have died-” “We still have our nation and our ponies are free.” Luna did not want Celestia wallowing in guilt. “The humans did what they chose to do, as did the Griffons and Minotaurs. I lost members of my personal guard, to both the humans and our former allies.” Celestia looked up and caught Luna sniffling, Luna always having had a close relationship with all of her guards. “How can you forgive them?” Celestia asked, the humans having committed greater crimes than anyone else ever had in her time. Luna sighed, for once feeling like the big sister. “You forgave me,” she reminded. “They aren’t like us, Sister. They are true aliens. How is your student going?” The mention of Twilight brought a smile to Celestia’s face. “Twilight Sparkle is still in Ponyville, after the first battle with the humans she and her friends were shaken up. They were able to recover together, and they are still safe and sound.” “Is it possible that giving Twilight Sparkle the task of investigating these humans would be a good thing? She could learn about them and we could try and find out how and why they act like they do.” “I’d have to ask her,” Celestia replied with a nod. “I think she would enjoy it though, her mind is always hungry for new information.” Luna smiled, having been successful at improving Celestia’s mood. “We should contact her as soon as we get everything in order. We have a lot of work to do.” Luna continued walking, her sister moving with her. “We do Luna,” Celestia agreed, dreading all of the funerals that would have to be arranged. “We sure do.” Chrysalis sat at the front of her subjects, six-hundred and fifty-three changelings all sitting on a sandy hill. Nurse drones kept the sixty nymphs in check while changelings of all classes chatted amongst themselves. They had to leave their hive, the Equestrians reasoning that if they liked the humans so much then they would have no qualms with moving in with them. Chrysalis hadn’t fought the decision; with the current circumstances staying with the humans would be far wiser than remaining and awaiting any retaliation. All of them looked up as a transport flew overhead, the changelings following it with their eyes as it passed over the valley below. The area was buzzing with activity, hundreds of humans and machines working to quickly build their base on the new land. Chrysalis was amazed that they had already gotten multiple buildings up, the structures dropped off by heavy orbital lifters. In addition to the premade buildings, the humans were also digging under the ground and using strange machines they called ‘robots’ to construct underground facilities. Chrysalis had been reassured that quarters for her entire hive were include, the humans even landing one of their transports on the hill to give the changelings some shade while they waited. Commander Chalmers had already said his goodbyes, the Commander claiming that he had to write up reports and compile video footage during the day. He had taken Horizon up with him to the human fleet above, the ships due to leave as soon as the base was self-sufficient. Some of the ISA agents from the original twenty had opted to stay on the base, most notably Corporal Jacobs and Corporal Stevens. Needless to say, Reflection had been overjoyed with the news. The scientists had all left, every single one thanking Chrysalis for hosting them. Needless to say, Chrysalis had been overjoyed that Klaus was no longer on the planet. Sighing, Chrysalis cricked her neck and relaxed as the construction below continued, the humans claiming that it would be habitual by the end of the day. She had at first been doubtful about the claims, but after seeing the construction methods she had been rethinking her initial impression. She had completely cut off the hive mind, her head free from the constant chatter of her subjects. It was a nice change, but she had encountered a problem. She was bored. Trying to think of a solution, Chrysalis turned to the changeling next to her, that changeling being Transmutation. The scholar was sitting down with a focused look, the changeling muttering to himself as his eyes examined the humans down below. Chrysalis steeled herself, she was Queen of the changelings. She had this. “So, Transmutation,” she began, the scholar glancing up with her with surprise. “How’s everything been going for you?” Luna winced at the knock on her bedroom door, the time having just hit eight o’clock. She did a final touch up to her mane and face, she may have to spend the night with an alien but a Princess always was supposed to look her best. She adjusted her regalia and took a deep breath, preparing to face her tormenter. She nodded to her guard in her room, the bat-pony mare grimacing but returning the gesture with a salute. Luna moved to the door and opened it, revealing Commander Chalmers. The human was not dressed in his armour, instead he was wearing a simple black suit with a dark blue undershirt. “Good Evening,” Chalmers greeted, Luna giving him a polite nod before looking towards her guard. “Swift Shadow, you’re excused from duty.” The bat-pony walked past Luna stoically, Chalmers stepping aside to allow her to exit. The guard gave Luna a final, sympathetic look before disappearing around a corner in the corridor. Luna refaced Chalmers, stepping aside to allow him entry and revealing her large bed in the room. “Well Commander, I am a mare of my word. Let’s get this over with so that I can put all of this behind me.” Chalmers chuckled and held out a gloved hand. “Princess Luna, do you really think I would be as uncivilised as to just bed you? I fully intend to have a full night.” Luna was confused, she was certain that the human only desired her for carnal means. She gazed at the offered hand, remembering that the humans used the clasping of frontal appendages as a greeting. Carefully she extended her hoof, the humans hand skipping her silver shoe and grabbing her fur-covered leg. “What are your plans then?” Luna inquired as she stared at her hoof, the smooth fabric of the Commander’s glove soft on her leg. His grip was surprisingly gentle, Luna surprised that he seemed to be treating her with respect. “Why, dinner of course,” Chalmers answered as his free hand moved to his belt. “Please don’t be alarmed, I assure you that this is perfectly safe.” Luna was about to ask just what he was warning her about when she saw his hand press a button on a device he was wearing. A blue glow overtook her vision, Luna feeling like she was teleporting. As the glow died down she stumbled, something felt off. Then she realised what it was. There was no ambient magic around her at all. Luna blinked her eyes, moving her head around to survey where the Commander had taken her. She was met with grey walls; the room they were in was massive, roughly the size of the Canterlot throne room. It was oval in shape, a single table in the centre of the room with a set of four candles burning to provide light. “Have a seat,” Chalmers offered, Luna allowing him to lead her to the table. She noticed that instead of the chairs that she had seen the human officers use, they had somehow acquired one used by ponies. As they approached the table, Luna noticed bottles of wine in a cooling bucket and a platter of food on the circular table. Chalmers pulled out her chair, Luna sitting down on the red cushioned chair. Once she was settled he pulled out his own, pausing to fill two glasses with a bottle of wine before sitting down. “This was unexpected,” Luna commented, using her magic to bring the glass under her nose. It smelled great, the Princess wondering just how expensive it was. “Oh, I had it planned from the start,” Nigel replied as he took a sip of his drink. “You won’t believe what I had to offer the Admiral to use his flagship’s meeting room for this.” Luna felt her breath hitch. “Flagship?” she asked, Chalmers grinning as he touched a screen set into his side of the table. The walls and floor of the entire room transitioned from dull grey to a starry sky. Luna stared down at the floor, a massive blue and green planet filling up the view below them. “Is that…?” “Yes, that is your planet,” Chalmers confirmed as he took another sip. Luna thought for a second before glancing out to the right wall, her eyes widening as she set eyes on her moon. It was full and luminous, two more human ships floating to the side of it. “It’s beautiful,” Luna murmured, having never had an opportunity to view it like this before. “Hmm,” Nigel hummed. Luna fought to turn her head back to him but her politeness overcame her desire to stare at the moon. She found that a plate had been placed in front of her, a pile of cream-white pasta steaming with a sprinkle of cheese on the top. Luna couldn’t help it, her nose informed her that the pasta smelt great. Following Nigel, she used her magic to pick up the provided knife and fork and raised a forkful of pasta to her mouth. She chewed with bliss, whoever had made the pasta was very talented. It melted in her mouth, releasing a burst of flavour that she was unable to identify. It was still delicious, Luna putting down her fork and savouring the first bite. She watched Nigel finish his, the human taking another sip of his wine. Luna picked up her glass and took a sip, a heavy wooden flavour combined with a rich fruit taste assaulting her taste buds. “What is this wine? It’s one of the best I’ve tasted in my life.” “It’s Pinot Noir,” Nigel informed as Luna took another taste. “I… liberated it from the ship’s hold. Are you enjoying everything so far?” “I am, surprisingly,” Luna answered with a smile. “I must admit that you’ve acted far better than I expected. Can I ask what ‘Pinot Noir’ means?” “Not a single clue,” Chalmers replied. “All I know is that it looks, smells and tastes expensive.” Luna couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at Nigel’s cluelessness. She was amazed, what had happened to the brutish, violent and unstable human that she had thought he was? “You’re acting very different,” Luna observed before taking another bite of pasta. Nigel finished off his current mouthful before replying. “I’m off duty,” he explained. “I only have to be a murderous rogue when I’m on the clock. Tonight is just meant to be a fun, relaxing evening.” Luna found herself torn. On one hoof, he was technically the being that started everything. Luna wondered how different things would be if the humans had encountered Equestria first. On the other, she was finding herself enjoying the dinner more than any night she could remember. A thousand years alone on the moon did not help her social skills and despite the help she had received from Twilight Sparkle and her friends she still had difficulty interacting smoothly with ponies other than her guards. The food was great, the wine was perfect and she was finding the conversation good as well. Luna took another sip of wine, Nigel’s glass almost empty as he waited for her to speak. “That’s good to hear,” Luna replied before taking another drink. “I am also pleased that I don’t have to worry about ruling for the moment. I haven’t sat down with someone for dinner for years.” Luna paused, both diners finishing off their pasta at the same time. “It feels wrong putting everything behind me though, given what has happened over the past few weeks.” Nigel waved a finger, Luna finding herself out of wine as she took a final sip. “You have to learn when to block it all out,” he informed as he refilled her glass and his. “If I thought about work all of the time then I’d go crazy.” Luna gave him a flat look, Nigel not picking up on it as he continued on. “Anyway, I’ve now got a son to look after. The next few years are going to be interesting.” Luna remained silent, both beings reflecting on what sort of life the colt would face. Luna soon found herself watching the candlelight dance over the Commander’s face, Chalmers must have noticed as he flashed her a confident grin. Luna used her wine glass to hide her embarrassment, this glass somehow tasting better than the first. “Are you ready for the second course?” Luna was unsure if the Commander was using innuendo, his smile had a certain look to it. Hesitantly she nodded, as after all she had already prepared herself before he had even arrived. Evidently he was not making a sex joke and was genuine, Luna raising her eyebrows as a small, grey machine hovered into the room from a hatch in the roof. The saucer-shaped object had eight arms hanging below it, two of them holding fresh plates of what looked like a fancy potato bake surrounded by steamed vegetables drizzled in a white sauce. The machine hovered down and picked the empty plates off the table before placing the next course down in front of them. “Where were we?” Nigel continued while Luna used a hoof to touch the machine, before it flew away with the empty plates in its claws. Luna took another sip of wine before smelling the food in front of her. “Let us forget about all this talk of war and work,” she suggested, the wine hitting her harder than she expected. It still didn’t stop her from taking another sip. “As you can probably guess, I have a love for the night sky. What sights have you seen on your travels?” Chalmers chuckled as he took a drink from his glass, watching as Luna lifted a forkful of food to her mouth. “It’s a good thing we’ve got an entire night,” he informed. “I can tell that this is going to take a while.” “Nigel, wake up.” Chalmers groaned, using a hand to try and push away the things poking him in the shoulder. He snorted with irritation as the objects resumed their attack on his skin. He opened his eyes, quickly adjusting to the gloom to see Horizon looking up at him from the side of the bed. Nigel was about to ask Horizon what was wrong, but it was then that he remembered that he was not alone. Chalmers glanced quickly to the side, Luna fast asleep next to him. Her shoes and jewellery were stacked on the bedside table next to her, and the alicorn was lying on her side facing him with the ash-grey bed sheets over her. “What’s the matter Horizon?” Nigel asked groggily, hoping that the young colt hadn’t noticed the Princess. “There’s something scary outside my window.” The colt stood up taller as he said this, his eyes spotting Luna next to Nigel. “Horizon, we’re out in space,” Nigel reassured. “There’s nothing there, and even if there was then your window is only a video screen. There’s armour plating, shields-“ “I know,” Horizon replied as he dropped back down to the floor. “But something’s happening to the planet.” Nigel tried to remember if anything was supposed to be happening, his foggy mind unable to recall the information. Groaning again, Nigel pointed towards the still open door, Horizon having figured out how to use the grey slide door. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” Nigel told him. “Just let me get dressed.” Horizon nodded and trotted back to the door, the colt looking back with confusion on his face. “Is Princess Luna coming as well?” Nigel winced, how was he going to explain this? “No,” he answered while he glanced at the sleeping Princess next to him. “Princess Luna needs her sleep, you’ll just have to settle for me.” Luckily, Horizon was satisfied with the answer and didn’t push the issue, the colt leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Nigel gave Luna’s head a quick pat, earning a smile from the Princess, before getting out of the bed to find some pants. He dragged a hand down his face as he walked over to the dresser, opening a metal draw to retrieve a set of plain grey underpants. Remembering that Horizon’s borrowed quarters was just at the end of the corridor, and that this habitation deck was empty except for a few ISA agents, Nigel didn’t bother with any other clothing. Leaving his small room, Chalmers left the door open as he stumbled towards Horizon’s room. The door was open, and as he entered Nigel could see the colt staring out of the ‘window’. “What’s going on?” Nigel asked, moving to sit down next to the colt. Horizon glanced at him before pointing a hoof towards the view outside. Memories came back as Nigel laid eyes on what had spooked the foal, flashes of light raining down upon the planet from a UIP ship in orbit. “Oh, that,” Nigel murmured, reaching out a hand to rub Horizon’s head. “That’s just a ship destroying a bunch of Griffon forts and military bases. You don’t need to worry about it.” Horizon continued to watch as the hail of blue bolts stopped, even from here he was able to see the black scorch marks on the planet below. “I thought that you had already beaten them,” he said as he tilted his head to the side so that Nigel would scratch behind his ear. “We did,” Chalmers answered. “But we also decided to destroy a lot of their military buildings and supplies, that way they are less likely to try and attack again.” Horizon didn’t reply, both beings looking out the window as they sat. “Nigel?” Both turned towards Horizon’s door, Luna looking at the two with half-lidded eyes. “Is something wrong?” Horizon gave Luna a wave before Nigel picked him up and stood up. “Not at all,” he answered while he walked over to Horizon’s bed, the human tucking the colt in. “Horizon just got a little scared. Everything’s okay now.” Horizon yawned as the sheets were placed over him, the colt giving Nigel a thankful smile before his eyes began to close. Nigel gave him a final pat on the head before leaving the room, facing Luna as soon as he had closed the door. “I suppose you should be getting back to your planet,” Nigel continued. Luna shook her head, a sleepy smile on her face. “Not yet, my sister said that she would take care of my duties for me. Besides, there is still a few hours left until dawn and I haven’t had a sleeping companion for centuries. If it’s alright with you, I would enjoy going back to sleep for the rest of the night.” “It’s your choice,” Nigel informed as he walked back to his room, Luna missing the slight smile he had. The Princess glanced back at the colt’s room, before she followed Chalmers back to bed. As much as she hated to admit it, it was nice sharing a bed with someone once again. Even if she did feel a little guilty that she had enjoyed the night so much. Chalmers was already in it when she walked into the room, Luna clambering under the covers once more. It wasn’t the most comfortable or spacious bed, Luna understanding that it was a military ship after all. She tried to make the most of it, shifting so that she was on her back and her side was against the human’s. She was surprised when an arm reached out and started to stroke her mane, Luna feeling her wings twitch at the pleasant sensation. Before she knew it, the warmth of the bed and the soothing motion had lured her back to sleep, the Princess of the Night soon out like a light. Celestia paced back and forth in her throne room while her guards watched on worried. Luna was missing and none of her guard knew where she had disappeared to. One bat-pony mare had said that the Commander had arrived at Eight like promised, but none of the other guards had seen him. A flash of light grabbed her attention, Luna appearing in the middle of the room with a dozy look on her face. “Luna!” Celestia exclaimed with relief evident in her voice. Luna took a step back as Celestia approached her, her older sister wrapping her wings around her in a hug. “Where did you go?” “Commander Chalmers treated me to dinner on one of their ships,” Luna answered, Celestia narrowing her eyes at the reminder of the human. “What did he do to you?” Celestia murmured, nuzzling her sister while Luna gained a light blush. “It wasn’t that bad,” Luna answered, glancing around and keeping her voice low so that the watching guards would not overhear. She did not want anyone, especially Celestia, to know that the previous night was one of the most enjoyable she had experienced. “We spent most of the time talking and then we went to bed.” “So you didn’t…?” “No,” Luna lied. “We were both too tired for anything else. You don’t need to worry about me. Did anything happen while I was away?” Celestia scowled, Luna able to feel the alicorn’s anger. “The humans attacked the Griffons from space,” Celestia stated with a grimace. “They blew up most of the surviving griffon military bases. Emperor Kestrel is furious at them, he’s already sent me a letter accusing me of asking them to do it.” “What did you say back?” Luna asked, concerned that war would break out again. “I told him that the humans and Equestria no longer are working together, and that all humans are banned from our lands apart from the agreed town and city. He hasn’t replied yet.” “It will be fine,” Luna reassured. “With their military decimated, I do not think that the Griffons will attack us soon. If anything, they would target the humans first as they are the biggest threat.” “Their military aren’t the only ones that have suffered,” Celestia mumbled. “We have the funerals for the Guard today at noon.” Luna winced, not looking forward to the next few weeks. “We’ll get through it,” Luna replied as she walked with Celestia towards the dining room. “Our ponies will as well. They are stronger than they appear.” Celestia smiled at the reminder. “I think you’re right Luna, and for once I get to share breakfast with you.” Both sisters laughed, relishing the moment to bond while they still could. They had a lot of work ahead of them, and both were keen to not have to think about war or death for even a brief moment as they prepared to share breakfast. “Goddamn it! How the hell am I going to carry all of these apples back to the hive?” Nigel and James burst out laughing as they watched Steven’s video recording. The two were sitting in Nigel’s cabin, the Admiral having offered to show Horizon around the bridge for a few hours. The ISA Commander and Psionic were sitting on the bed and enjoying the Corporal’s cluelessness. “This is priceless,” James commented as he wiped a tear from his eye. “How did he even survive a month in the military?” “I know right?” Chalmers chuckled as he took a drink of water. “Ah, but really he’s not that bad once you knock some sense into him.” The two friends continued to watch and laugh, the helmet cam showing Stevens picking up a sack. “Yes, yeeessss! Suck on it Commander Clusterfuck!” All laughter stopped, James pausing the recording as Chalmers went silent. “Nigel?” James asked, Chalmers having gone stock still. “I need to breath and calm down.” “Oh, I am calm,” Nigel replied with a nod before getting up. He was dressed in his armour, the bed creaking as he stood up. James was surprised at his lack of reaction. “Really?” “Oh yes,” Nigel answered. “I’m perfectly calm.” James watched as Chalmers walked towards the door, the barrier opening as the sensor detected him there. “Where are you going?” James asked while standing up, the psionic wary of what Nigel was about to do. “Stevens is on the planet and the fleet leaves in an hour.” “Oh, I know. I just thought I’d take a little stroll down to the mech bay.” With that Nigel left the room, the door closing behind him. James took a second to put two and two together, the answer telling him that Nigel was probably going to borrow a mech. An armed mech. A mech that was made to be dropped from orbit. Dropped from orbit onto the planet that Corporal Stevens was on. The same Corporal who had just been seen insulting Nigel. “Oh balls,” James muttered under his breath before opening the door and running out. “Nigel!” The End Author's Note Well, that's this fic wrapped up. However, I might have a sequel in the works... Nigel didn't get his coffee date yet after all. R.I.P Corporal Stevens. Not Only a Killer, But a Poet As WellNigel awoke, his eyes blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the bright light above him. He shifted, his arms disturbing what seemed like piles of paper around him. He rose from the pillows, the make-shift sheets constructed of magazines falling off his armoured body to join their fellows on the bed. Nigel looked around the room; the other soldiers were sitting around chatting to each other over cups of tea and coffee and checking their weapons. Two Corporals were hurriedly cramming as many bottles of booze as they could into the crate that had held the charges they had used the other night. Nigel considered telling them to stop, but he figured that as the commanding officer he could expect a ‘Donation’ when they returned to the Hive as a thank you. Nigel looked at the window at the ravaged Military District, only a few fires left smouldering. Pony Pegasi were manovering rainclouds over the areas still on fire, a fact that did not surprise Nigel as the humans already had been informed of the Pegasi ability to touch clouds. He turned to gaze out of the other window, the one facing the castle. The area around the fallen tower was swarming with ponies, a large amount of fallen masonry had already been cleared, and Nigel raised the golden telescope still clutched in his hand from the night before to his eye to receive a better view. He gazed over multiple workers all assisting in the clean-up, a few guards patrolling the area and must amusingly of all the small purple unicorn from the attack on the hive was sitting next to a huge pile of ruined books bawling her eyes out. ‘Serves you right, I hope your crying because those books crushed your mother or something’ Leaving the sight of the distressed pony, Nigel moved his view towards what was once the throne room window just in time to spot a very irate Princess Celestia apparently yelling at a group of scared pony guards. The Princess appeared to have suffered some wounds; small cuts on her face that Nigel figured were caused by glass shards, possibly from the throne room window when the bombs went off. ‘Well’ he thought as he zoomed in towards her face, her expression indicating that she was absolutely livid ‘I did tell her to not stand too close to windows’ While he was watching the amusing scene the horse known as Princess Luna entered the room with a note held in her energy field. ‘Ah,’ thought Nigel ‘seems like they got my note, now we play the waiting game’. Nigel settled back onto the bed, brushing many of the magazines onto the floor before closing his eyes. ________________________________________________________________________________________ “Over Two Hundred dead, almost every armoury destroyed and the entire Military area wiped out, what was it that you morons were doing!?” The guard officers flinched at Princess Celestia’s outburst, the six ponies in the room the ones in charge of the city watch. The Princess had summoned them to discuss how their sentries failed to spot any signs of intruders, the guard caught completely un-aware when the Explosions happened. It was too early for a cause to be found but the Princess was positive that the humans were responsible, considering that they had already proven themselves competent in the field of explosive weaponry. “Princess Celestia” the oldest guard began with his voice clear and un-wavering as he responded to his ruler “with all due respect I believe that we are outclassed here if it was the humans who caused the detonations. While we haven’t found any evidence of external factors, I think that judging by the previous tactics we have observed regarding the humans’ method of warfare it is entirely likely that they somehow orchestrated the explosions, possibly by using timed bombs like some of the modern copper mines are” Celesta’s anger had subsided as the guard continued, and she made a mental note to commend him, the officer seemingly the only pony in the room that was capable enough to perform under stress, the other five officers still shaking in their armour. Celestia gestured for the old officer to continue “This ‘Poseidon’ character appears to be an enigma, your highness, from your own account he appeared to possess the maturity of a foal, yet the creatures under his command have so far eluded capture whilst wreaking massive havoc upon our forces, indicating a high level of command skill. From what we have gathered from those who witnessed his actions at the first engagement at the Changeling Hive some of our Physiatrists have all deduced that he seems to thrive on attention, and possibly this need could be a major driving force behind his actions. If he and his soldiers were behind the bombs, Princess then” the officer took a breath “I believe that it is entirely likely that they are still in the city somewhere, based on my theory that a creature such as him couldn’t stand not being able to watch the chaos he brings.” To say Celestia was impressed was an understatement; this officer was clearly a cut above the rest. Just as she was about to inform the Guard of this Luna entered the room, a piece of parchment in her magic and a bald spot on her forehead. Luna was incredibly pale, her legs were trembling and her mane had lost its starry texture leaving it hanging limp. “Luna, what happened, are you alright?” Celestia cried, fearful for her sister. Luna simply stared at Celestia, shook her head and levitated over the parchment she was holding over towards her sister, The top of the parchment had a spot where it had appeared to have been glued to Luna’s forehead, blue hairs stuck to the paper. This was soon forgotten as Celestia read the note, the written contents much more shocking ******************************************************************************************** “Dear Equestrian Princesses, As you have no doubt noticed, your city is on fire. While this is certainly a tragedy, I hope that it teaches you one thing. Don’t Fuck With Me. I admit, I am currently enjoying this whole back-and-forth thing we’ve got going, but it’s starting to get a little stale, and do you know why? Your pathetic, I mean, I’m not even trying right now it’s that bloody easy so I’m going to preoccupy myself with creating a list of why you and your country sucks Your military fight like a bunch of drunken toddlers with loaded diapers and are so poorly equipped it almost makes me want to somehow vomit up my own eyeballs. Your soldiers are armoured in GOLD for fuck’s sake, whoever decided that that was a good idea is a moron. Your super-weapon sucks, I mean, a rainbow? A FRIKKEN RAINBOW!? THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE? IT DIDN’T EVEN SCORCH THE GROUND IT WAS THAT PANSY! Your porn sucks, the centre-pieces didn’t do anything for me, really killed my night. Your Buildings, “Hey guys” some bright spark must have said “Let’s build everything out of flammable materials and then have an in-adequate fire service” cause you know, that’s a great idea. The fact that you sic'd a group of Teenage Girls on me, not cool. Every. Single. Fucking. City. Name. You don’t have a Disco ball in your castle. Corporal Stevens. Those half-bird, half lion things. I ate half of one thinking it was like chicken and it wasn’t, tasted more like Himalayan Yak. Last of all, while the Nocturne Ponies look pretty cool and have armour which actually looks half decent they are far too easy to embarrass. All I had to do was mention the sexy-times and her Wings went straight up, was fucking hilarious. Also Zarkrof says hi and he would love to ‘Examine you for science and the good of the UIP’ (We all know what that sick bastard really means, don’t we?) Now that that’s over we can get to the main point. As you are aware, most of your military power just got wiped off of the face of this planet and I highly doubt that your so-called ‘allies’ are going to come to your aid again, considering the fact that the majority of those armies they sent you are either captured or dead. We have achieved this with only a small amount of us as well as that one Changeling, (Buzz I believe, he still mopes around the hive with only half a tail) while suffering no losses. Based on these simple facts, I think that your best chance of survival is surrender, and if you’re willing to discuss terms I will be overjoyed to meet with you at that farming place, ‘Appleoosa’ I believe it was called five days from now at midday. You both can come if you want to, and I’ll even let you bring up to twenty guards each (If you have any left), hell, if you feel like it those six teenagers can tag along as well, maybe we can ‘drop some fully sick beats yo’ or just ‘frizzle in the snizzle with the dizzle’ and all of that hip junk. Just to remind you, turning up is completely voluntary and I TOTALLY WON’T start to execute captives if you don’t. Also if you don’t turn up I hope you get stuck in mud and die of exposure, you dried up hags. Love, The Guy Who Wrote This Letter XOXOXO P.S Luna, you look adorable when you’re asleep, especially when your hind leg does a little kick when you’re dreaming, I should know, I sat in your room and watched you for hours that night, nearly gave you a hug right then and there. ******************************************************************************************** Celestia stood in the middle of the room frozen with her jaw agape, unable to process coherent thought. The officers in the room looked between the two broken rulers, unsure as to what to do. The old Guard, Major Observation thought of a solution and headed straight towards the Kitchens. He returned five minutes later with a large chocolate cake suspended in his magical field. While the other officers looked on in alarm he swung the cake into Celestia’s face, the overwhelming scent of chocolate waking the Princess from her daze. “Who, What, Watching Luna Sleep?” Celestia mumbled as she jolted back to reality, pausing to lick a large amount of frosting from her muzzle before looking over towards the Major “If it was any other flavour you would be currently on your way to the Dungeons Major, but considering the circumstances I feel that a thank you is in order” “It was no problem Princess; it appeared to be the only way to revive you from your awful state” the Major responded, saluting “I do have to admit, this… Disturbing letter may have had a terrible effect on me, and that effect must have been doubled with my sister.” Everypony in the room turned towards Princess Luna, the Midnight Alicorn still standing on the spot. Celestia walked over to her sister and put a wing across her back “Come on Luna; let’s get you back to bed” “NO!” the royal voice rang out through the throne room “WE HATH NO DESIRE TO RETURN TO OUR CHAMBERS! WE WILL SLUMBER IN YOURS INSTEAD!” Celestia sighed, she hoped that this would not last for long “It’s okay Luna, I’ll make sure that there are guards posted in YOUR chambers and you can rest there.” Luna looked up at Celestia with Large pleading eyes, causing Celestia to sigh “Fine, you can sleep in my room today, but today only, is that clear?” Luna nodded her head at her sister’s terms “Good” Celestia continued as she began to walk with Luna out of the room “I have a feeling that we both will need a lot of rest for the days to come. _____________________________________________________________________________ Nigel lowered the telescope, laughing loudly when the pony guard had caked Celestia in the face. His letter had obviously served its intended function and his message had been clearly received. He holstered the telescope and got off the bed, taking a final swig of cider before throwing the half-empty bottle out of the window. The other wraiths were already to leave, climbing gear out and ready for their escape, climbing down the mountain side their chosen method of escape. “Alright Men, parties over so let’s get moving” Nigel glanced at the map popping up in his HUD, Appleoosa marked with a waypoint “We got a date” As the soldiers left the building via the window, leaving the trashed room behind Nigel stopped, withdrawing a five-thousand-credit money chip from his suit and tossing it on the bed, hoping it would be enough to cover the cleaning costs, before joining his troops on the outside of the building, preparing to rappel down into a street full of ponies. The Morning After“My bloody head…” Stevens awoke with a groan, keeping his eyes closed in an attempt to soothe the rampant headache that was plaguing him. His left leg twitched, the naked limb hanging off the side of the bed he was in, cool air flowing across the bare skin. He couldn’t remember anything about the night before, his memory a blank slate. Something about whisky and a near-death experience emerged, the details too vague to make an accurate re-telling. He was naked; the corporal able to feel smooth sheets upon his body as well as a large, soft cushion beside him. He rolled over onto his side, hugging the warm furry pillow closer to his chest. ‘Hang on,’ Stevens thought as he slowly opened his eyes, being greeted with sunlight filtering through a square window. ‘Since when are pillows furry and capable of breathing…’ Slowly Stevens angled his vision downwards towards the object pressed up against him, the corporal’s heart stopping for a second when he saw what he had dreaded. Snuggled up against his bare chest was a lilac-coated mare, her light-pink mane spread out in the worst case of bed-head the soldier had ever seen. The mare was resting on one of his arms, grasping the limb with her two front legs as she breathed heavily in her slumber. Stevens had to admit that she did look rather adorable like that, but that didn’t help the fact that he had slept with a small equine. He managed to break his stare away from the mare and looked around the room, wincing at the sight. Various parts of golden armour was scattered around the room, a golden helmet perched at the end of the bed. His armour was slightly more ordered, all jumbled in a heap in one corner. Stevens once again looked towards the mare, a soldier belonging to the nation that they had been fighting no less. The humans already knew that Equestrians had enchanted armour to alter their appearance, Stevens not knowing anything about magic or psionics or any other of that voodoo crap. Thanks to the enchantment however he could not guess which pony guard he was looking at. Stevens let out a soft sigh as he remembered that fateful sentence he had uttered the night before. He just had to go and invite the universe to screw with him, more specifically a horse alien that was now currently resting its genitals on his right leg if the wetness was any indication. Maybe the Commander and the rest of the group were un-aware of what happened, yeah, it’s not like they would have noticed anything right? The corporal sniffed the air, the scent of carnal lust filling the room. He groaned and attempted to remove himself from the embrace of the mare, succeeding in removing his arm from her clutches. The lower body was next, Stevens very gently moving his right leg as softly as possibly. He wasn’t careful enough however, his leg ‘stimulating’ a certain point of the mare as it moved away. The sleeping pony’s wings shot up, the Pegasus letting out a squeak intermixed with a moan as Stevens cursed under his breath. Stevens froze, the mare not awaking despite the contact and he let out a breath that he had been holding. He stealthily vacated the small bed and left the slumbering mare alone, a smile planted on the pony’s face as she continued dreaming. Stevens moved over towards his armour, pausing to sniff under his armpit. To put it bluntly he smelled like sex incarnate, the scent of the night’s drunken activities clogged in his pores. He glanced over towards a door marked ‘bathroom’ at the other side of the room before looking back at the sleeping mare. ‘Surely just one shower couldn’t hurt’ he thought as he tip-toed towards the door. ‘I’ll be in and out before she wakes up, then from there on its smooth sailing.’ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Stevens emerged from the bathroom clad in the black body-suit that all of the wraiths wore under their armour. The shower had been small, Stevens having to duck to use it however it had done the job. He felt so re-vitalised by the shower that he completely forgot to remain quite, the bathroom door swinging shut loudly as he exited. The mare in the bed jolted awake, the Pegasus swivelling her head around to look at the source of the noise. Her eyes widened as she saw Stevens, the biped frozen on the spot in shock. After a few minutes of staring at the human the mare looked down at herself, her nose wrinkling as she smelt the surrounding air. “So it wasn’t a dream” she groaned, moving herself to the edge of the bed as she raised herself to a sitting position. The guard stared at her dangling hind hooves as her mind tried to comprehend what had happened. “Why, why was I so stupid? The Sergeant will kill me!” Stevens did not respond, the human slowly edging around the wall as he made his way to the pile of black armour while the mare was distracted. “What, are you just going to get up and leave?” the mare questioned from behind him, Stevens freezing like a statue. The mare’s voice did not contain any anger but there was a hint of… disappointment? “Look, uh, you see Miss…” Stevens began as he turned around to face the pony, the mare looking at him with brown eyes. “Wind Slash” the mare said with a little hurt present in her voice, “I would think that you would know my name, considering we made love last night.” “No no no no no, there was no ‘made love’ at all!” Stevens replied with his voice raised as he began to put on his armour “I got drunk in a bar, you got drunk in a bar and we banged, there is no love involved at all! There shall be no after-sex breakfast or brunch, no hugs and kisses, no lasting relationship! We will get dressed, exit this room, walk down those stairs and pretend that nothing happened, you got that?” The mare looked down at the floor, tears building in her eyes. “As for me forgetting your name” Stevens continued, his voice lowering to normal levels “I was drunk and I can’t remember anything. All of you guards look the same in that armour so how am I supposed to tell? I’m just glad I didn’t wake up spooning a dude, though this is not too far off.” “So, it meant nothing at all to you?” Wind Slash asked, the mare beginning to sob as she lifted her head. Stevens looked at the crying pony, his armour complete except for his helmet which he held in his hand. All of his equipment was strapped and ready to go; the only remaining signs of his presence being the unmade bed and the crying mare sitting on it. “Nothing at all, now stop crying and get over it” he finished as he walked out the door, leaving the mare alone by herself. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Stevens whistled a merry tune as he walked down the stairs, his mind wondering whether this pony inn would serve a decent breakfast. Meat products would certainly be out of the question but that still left egg, toast, muffins, waffles, pancakes, crumpets and a whole range of foods. Stevens reached the bottom, walking through the door leading into the barroom/dining area before halting right as he entered the room. Sitting around in various spots around the room were the rest of the wraiths, the changelings and the three pony guards. The Commander’s foal, Lack of Trizon or something like that was also there, the young pony the only one not looking at Stevens as the colt was too busy eating a stack of pancakes. “Uh, good morning everyone, I trust you all slept well?” Stevens enquired as he slowly sat down at an empty table closest to the door. “I in fact did not” replied Sergeant Boland; his helmet removed revealing a hard face framed by coal-black hair, the Sergeant sipping tea from a cup. “It was the strangest thing, five minutes after you claimed that you were retiring for the night, after shooting your gun at the clock I might add,” Stevens looked to where Boland gestured, a large hole in the right wall surrounded by burn marks sitting about two meters up from the floor, “Corporal Wind Slash,” continued Boland “also retired, claiming that she was going to make sure you weren’t causing trouble up there.” “We then all decided to follow the example you two set,” Commander Chalmers added, “all of us, including our Equestrian friends here retreating to our rooms for some much needed rest. I personally had just sat down next to the bed against the wall since it was already occupied” Chalmers ruffled the foal’s mane with a hand, the child beaming at the Commander with a mouthful of breakfast “when the sound of bed springs and other questionable noises emanated from another room. This continued on for about five hours from what I gathered and while that is certainly a remarkable achievement it was annoying as Hell.” The foal paused his breakfast and looked at Stevens, the majority of the conversation flying over his head due to his young age. “I had a nightmare,” he commented “there was lots of strange noises and at the end of it I heard a pony go ‘ZOING!’ and then I woke up. Mister Nigel told me to go back to sleep so I did.” “Gre-great job there… champ” Stevens replied shakily to the foal. The young pony simply smiled again and took another bite of pancakes, syrup dripping down from his chin. “So Stevens,” Chalmers said as he made a point of glancing towards the door, “where is Corporal Wind Slash? I would have expected her to be down here by now.” “Oh, she’s still sleeping Commander, you know how it is” Stevens answered as he rubbed the back of his head with a hand. Nigel was not convinced, unknown to Stevens the Commander had gone upstairs to inform the corporals of breakfast only to halt when he had heard raised voices coming from the room. “Yeah, I guess I do know” the Commander responded, a false smile planted on his face. “Stevens, help yourself to some breakfast, I’ve got to go and visit the bathroom” Nigel said as he got up from his seat, making his way outside the room. ‘Well, that went surprisingly well’ Stevens thought, the Commander buying his lie as easily as an elderly grandmother buys jars of conserve. He moved to the main table, pouring himself a cup of tea as the surrounding ponies, humans and changelings watched him. Stevens paused his drinking to butter some toast, spreading the two slices of bread with the dairy product as he hummed happily to himself. “Uh, Stevens?” Stevens looked over towards the voice, Jacobs looking at him with his changeling squeeze sitting beside him, the changeling resting her head against the human’s side. The changeling, unlike her fellows was not drinking from a vial and Stevens could not recall the last time he actually saw her use one. “What is it Loverboy?” Stevens taunted, Jacobs shooting him a flat look while the changeling merely scowled at Stevens. “First off Stevens you’re not exactly squeaky clean yourself, at least we don’t keep everyone up at night” Jacobs retorted. “Really appropriate breakfast conversation guys, particularly when there’s a child in the room” Murray interjected, the corporal covering Bleak Horizon’s ears with his hands, much to the displeasure of the colt. Jacobs gave Murray and Horizon an apologetic look before turning back towards Stevens. “Secondly, ask yourself this question. If our suits handle all bodily functions and the Commander is wearing his suit now, then why did he need to go upstairs to relieve himself?” Stevens froze, the entire room going dead quite. Corporal Stevens put down his half-eaten slice of toast, standing up quietly as he pushed the stool he was sitting on back. Without a word he began to move towards the doorway, hoping to get out before Chalmers came back down. Just as he had almost made it to salvation however the Commander flew through the doorway and tackled the surprised Corporal out of a window, shards of glass flying everywhere. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ “What the fuc- *Crack!*” Stevens was cut off by Nigel’s un-armoured fist colliding with his face, the force of the blow knocking Steven’s head backwards. The Commander was standing over the surprised Corporal, holding Stevens off the ground with his left hand while the right was clenched into a fist. The early morning Manehattan rush was in full force with ponies, griffons and donkeys watching the fight in shock. “The Hell did I d-“ Stevens was cut off once again by another punch from the Commander, Nigel drawing his fist back in preparation for another strike. Corporal Stevens looked up at his Commander, not a single trace of emotion on Nigel’s face. Stevens almost shat his pants, there weren’t many things that could stop the Commander’s legendary humour and those that did usually did not survive to tell the tale. “I’ll tell you what you did you piece of dried-up monkey-shit,” Chalmers stated in a toneless voice, “you bedded a lady and then flat right walked out on her without so much as offering to escort her down to breakfast. That right there is just not on and you tarnish the reputation of males everywhere by doing so.” The Commander punctuated his sentence with another blow, causing the Corporal’s vision to spin. “Not only that,” Chalmers added as he slapped Stevens to make sure the corporal understood what he was saying “you outright tell her that it ‘meant nothing at all’ and that she should ‘stop crying and get over it’ before you left her sobbing her eyes out alone. I expect better from the men under my command, have some decency and honour you toss. We have to work with these Equestrians while we stay in this city, having you treating one of them like a bar-room whore is not going to cut it, do you understand?” Stevens stared up at Chalmers with hate in his eyes, before he spat a glob of blood onto the ground. “Well look who decided to grow up all of a sudden. What happened, you ran out of people to kill or are you just mad because out of all of us you get a kid instead of some action? Go fuck yourself you filthy abomination.” “Wrong answer” replied Chalmers, the artificial-muscles in his armour tightening as he picked the surprised Corporal off the ground and threw him into a nearby market stand. The flimsy wooden structure splintered into match-sticks at the force of the blow, the Commander walking over towards the wreckage as the crowd watching emitted gasps at the brutal display of strength. Chalmers stood over his subordinate, Stevens hacking up a mixture of blood and bile. The commander reached down once more, grasping the Corporal by the neck area of his armour and hosting the winded soldier up to eye level, the Corporal’s feet dangling in the air due to the Commander’s armour-assisted height. “Now Stevens,” said the Commander as he stared into the Corporal’s fear-filled eyes, “You’re going to go back into that Inn and apologise to that mare for acting like a wanker. You are going to ask for her forgiveness and offer to spend the day with her to make up for the nasty things you said. You are also going to start treating your superiors with some respect, Sergeant Boland may not be your normal squad leader but this is not a normal operation. I want no more lies from you and if you don’t pick up your game there will be consequences.” Chalmers finished by walking over towards the entrance of the Inn, halting at the open door. He flung Stevens through the doorway into the inn, the corporal hitting the ground with an audible thump. His task complete, Nigel turned towards the crowd of spectators, a warm smile on his face as he faced the horde of assorted creatures. “Nice weather we’re having, it looks like it’s going to be a wonderful day!” He exclaimed with joy, turning around and re-entering the Inn, leaving a speechless crowd and a broken stall behind him.
DesperationThe changelings of Hive Chrysalis were in trouble. After the failed invasion of Canterlot and the resulting expulsion of every single member of the hive from the country of Equestria starvation was becoming a major issue. The lack of available food had existed before, in fact it was the reason for the invasion in the first place, but the threat of total annihilation had never seemed so real. Every changeling in the hive from the lowest drone, the strongest soldier to the most important elite, was slowly dying a long, drawn out agonizing death with no resolution in sight. Chrysalis sat on her throne in the dark gloom of the hive’s central chamber, every single bioluminescent light had been extinguished in order to conserve every last remaining scrap of energy. As a messenger drone exited through the main entrance way she was left alone, the majority of her usual guards and servants either in hibernation to conserve as much energy as possible, scouting the surrounds of the hive for sustenance or dead. The news from the drone was grim as the nurse drones reported that the last reserves dedicated to the sustainment and development of the hive’s nymphs was down to the last dregs, if the situation was not rectified then it there is only enough left for a another three days. It appeared that Chrysalis was all out of options. Well, maybe not out of all options. Two years before the invasion, workers expanding the lower recesses of the hive found an anomaly, a chamber formed of a perfect, seamless metal substance unlike any encountered before. Inside the chamber, seemingly discarded amongst metal scraps and other assorted detritus, the investigating soldiers found a cylindrical object constructed of the same metal substance the covered the walls covered in writing in an unknown language. The object had what appeared to be some sort of interface in the middle and, most disturbing of all, an emblem located on either end consisting of what appeared to be a Skull with an eye imprinted in the middle of the forehead. The skull was flanked by a pair of flared wings that resembled that of a Pegasus and had three symbols in Gold text below it that looked like “ISA”. When the object was retrieved for research a brief magical scan revealed that it was emitting an unknown energy that was barely detectable. Despite her scholars insistence to the contrary, Chrysalis forbid any further attempts to unlock the devices secrets and had it securely locked away to prevent any further experimentation. “Well, no time like the present,” Chrysalis muttered to herself as she sent a command via the hive mind to her second best scientist, as her best had perished two days ago, to retrieve the device and bring it to the throne room. The hive mind does not allow a Changeling ruler complete control over her subjects, rather it allows for wide spread, limited communication between the two. While the ruler can transmit complex messages, in this case a command requesting a specific item to be transported to a specific place, ‘normal’ changelings can only send simple one-worded thoughts such as ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This process of transmitting information takes considerable concentration on behalf of the sender and so cannot be used in times of great duress thus limiting its usefulness in times of emergency or in battle. A major advantage of this method however was that there was next-to-no delay between sending and receiving these messages and barely ten minutes had passed when the Changeling scientist Transfusion and four soldier class escorting the device, dubbed the ‘preserver’ (due to the device’s constant energy production) entered the throne room sluggishly. The reason for their lack of haste was clear as Chrysalis could clearly see Transfusion’s ribs through his carapace and the soldiers in their current state of nutrition were the bearers of sunken, murky blue eyes and dulled carapaces. Chrysalis guessed that they had few days left in them. “We have brought the device as you have requested my Queen,” stated Transfusion, as the accompanying guards placed the device on a pedestal to the side of the room. “However, we still do not know how to activate it or even its function.” “I know that, subject, I was after all the one who ordered that research on the device be ceased," Chrysalis snapped, her tolerance sapped due to her current situation. “I apologise, my Queen.” “We have no time for your apologies now, Transfusion; the activation of this device may be the last chance we have of survival.” “But how do you know, my Queen? For all we know this device my just be a simple trinket or an insignificant device.” “Because Transfusion, while I stopped the study of the device itself I allowed a select group to analyse the writings on the object. Due to… other matters they only translated one word, and they believed it was ‘Emergency’.” “So, my Queen,” Transfusion replied, trying to word his question in a way that he hoped would avoid insulting his ruler. “You believe that the activation of this device is our only choice and if so, how are you going to activate it?” “I’m not going to activate it, Transfusion, you are,” Chrysalis’s commanding tone leaving no room for argument. “The energy field that it emits seems to change occasionally, so I would suggest providing it with more power.” Swallowing a sudden lump that appeared in his throat, Transfusion made his way over to the device, knowing that he was caught in an unwinnable situation. On one hoof, if he disobeyed his Queen it would mean certain death, but on the other he would have to use some of his precious remaining life-force to power the device and possibly kill himself with the effort. These thoughts ran through his head as he pressed the point of his horn against the case of the device, closed his eyes and, aware of his Queen’s impatient gaze upon him, zapped the device with magical energy. A loud beep rang out through the room and a red glow shone from the front of the device. This glow ran over the lines of language on the device, causing its entire surface to glow. Warning! Emergency subspace locator beacon activated, unauthorised use will result in extreme disciplinary action! UIP (Unified Imperium of Planets) Space Sector - *Classified* ISA subsection of the Department of Security and Intelligence, Listening Station 236377B A bleak room, filled with consoles and screens and surrounded by the hum of machinery, its bleak atmosphere only interrupted by the occasion dust mite falling from the cold metal ceiling to join the thin layer covering the disused monitoring equipment. A room that had been forgotten, consigned to desolate blackness. A blackness that was suddenly interrupted by a single, flashing blue light from a centre console, a console with a screen that read: 'Emergency ISA Locator beacon active, Location locked, please inform your supervisor of this occurrence.'
What do we do with a flightless diplomat?Commander Nigel M Chalmers was not having a good month. After being re-assigned to some back-end listening post after a ‘minor diplomatic incident’ he had the pleasure of exploring the joys of sitting in a chair in full black armour, supervising and attempting to make some form of idle conversation with the ISA intelligence operatives that shared the spacious command room he was in. He was not having much luck on the conversational side, who would have thought that a group of people who spend their entire working career in a room staring at a screen would have poor people skills? What he would give just for something, anything to happen that would give him something to do. “I never should have thrown that Tarkin diplomat out the window,” he muttered under his breath, leaning back in his chair and slowly allowing his eyes to close. “How was I to know that those wings were purely for decoration, I mean really who in their right mind makes decorative wings a part of their military uniform it’s not like-” “Sir!” “I wasn't talking to myself!” Nigel bolted upright in his chair to find that every single data technician in the room had stopped what they were doing and were staring at him like he was mad. This was probably not too far from the truth. “What are you all staring at? Get back to work!” the situation salvaged, Nigel proceeded to direct his attention back to the front the command area, where a Senior Logician, judging from his uniform markings, was standing at attention. His dark grey uniform was dull and bland, save for a name badge reading ‘Robert Paulings’ and the three-eyed, winged skull icon that represented the ISA. The Logician had his right arm raised in a salute, his brown eyes staring straight ahead, seemingly going straight through the commander. “What is it Paulings? I swear if this is about another transmission that just turns out to be another old advert for freeze-dried potatoes I’m going to eject you out of the airlock.” “No sir, it seems that one of the stations on Deck C has picked up a locator signal from an Emergency transmission unit,” Paulings replied, seemingly unfazed by his commander’s threat. “An emergency beacon? What agent was recorded to have be issued that particular unit?” “None sir, no record of this particular unit exists at all in our databanks, all that we know is that it was activated a short time ago, the location does not show up in any record and that the readings of the device indicate that the surrounding atmosphere is able to support life.” “Are we able to lock onto its transponder signal?” “Yes Sir, we have a solid lock and we can establish a safe transit tunnel to it’s location.” Nigel placed his hand on his chin in thought; it was unheard of for an Emergency Subspace Beacon to be issued without any record at all, mainly because anything incorporating subspace technology wasn’t exactly cheap. The fact that one of these beacons suddenly is activated in an uncharted area of space raised alarm flags in his head. Either one of the other Imperial Intelligence divisions had been conducting operations without the knowledge of the ISA or somehow the beacon had fallen into enemy hands at some point in time. Commander Nigel M Chalmers considered all of these possibilities and came to one conclusion. “Attention all personnel!” The Commander's voice boomed over the station’s intercom, causing all of the 3154 ISA staff garrisoned on the listening post to halt what they were doing and pay attention. “I want Wraith teams three and seven to report to the transit area in full gear, Lieutenant Takinata report to the command area and the science team meet me in the Deck G laboratory for briefing immediately, that is all.” ‘Finally,, a chance to do something other than sit on my arse,’ thought Nigel as he fastened his helmet onto his armoured shoulders and began to make his way to the briefing with the science team. ‘Maybe this will get me out of this dreary assignment and back in some action.' Deck G – Anomaly Research Division Briefing Room Commander Chalmers surveyed the expressions of the group of scientists in front of him after he informed them of the discovery of the transmitter. Excitement was reflected around the room, clearly the scientists were as anxious to do something useful with their time as he was. Events and finds such as these were the primary reason that each remote listening post had a small scientific team, although opportunities to leave the station and investigate were rare. “Due to the nature of this anomaly,” Nigel said, continuing the prior conversation. “We require at least five of you to accompany the first response team, led by myself, to ascertain the circumstances of this beacon’s activation as well as how it arrived at the location in the first place.” “Excuse me Commander,” the head Xenobiologist, Dr Charles Zarkrof spoke up. “While I am interested in the endeavour, what sort of environmental or, dare I say, local inhabitants might we encounter? How safe if the area surrounding the beacon, while I have the utmost faith in your men, how do we know that they will be able to ensure our safety?” ‘Bloody scientists, always concerned about the competence of people without multiple P.H.D’s’ Nigel thought as he sighed mentally, preparing himself for the objections that will surly follow his response. “I can assure you, Dr Zarkrof, we will be able to adequately neutralize any threat that would dare threaten your team as killing is, after all, our main profession." “I can… understand that Commander, it’s just I do not trust anyone but myself with my own safety. I mean as… professional as your men may be I feel that the only person I can trust is myself.” ‘He just doesn’t give up does he, I wonder if scientists are viewed in same group as foreign diplomats when it comes to windows.’ Nigel slowly started to become disinterested in the conversation as the Xenobiologist continued his tirade. ‘Then again the station doesn’t have windows, maybe a trash ejection unit would work the same, oh! I wonder if he’ll freeze straight away if he is ejected or will it take a wh-‘ “Commander?” The Doctor’s nasally voice brought Nigel away from his happy thoughts and back to depressing reality “How do you propose we solve this issue?” ‘Crap, come on brain, think of something, anything to get me away from this god-awful excuse of a man and give me a solution!’ Suddenly, possibly the greatest idea of the day, no, the decade graced the front of Nigel’s mind. “Tell me professor; you have been keeping up with your firearms training, have you not?” “Well, yes Sir it is after all a requirement of my position but I don’t think I quite understand what relevance that will have to do with anything regarding our current discussion?” It was a requirement of all UIP personnel to undergo basic military training. Zarkrof could not see the expression under the Commander’s onyx-black, skull-faced Helmet but he had the feeling that the Commander was sporting a wide malicious grin. “Well, you see my good Doctor,” Nigel said as he pulled what was possibly one of the meanest looking black handguns Zarkrof had ever seen out of a holster strapped to his side and held it, grip out towards the professor. “It looks like your standard defence training will come in use after all.”
Flawless IntroductonsThe throne room was shrouded in gloom, the only light source a dull red glow emitting from the device sitting on the pedestal to the side of the room. Multiple bodies were slumped around the space, black figures in varying states of unconsciousness brought on by the intense energy released by the devices activation. Quiet had descended over the room, and there was no sound safe for the harsh, raspy breaths of its occupants and a dull hum resonating from the source of their unresponsive state. At the back of the room, the tallest figure stirred, shaking her head to clear the fog from her mind. Blinking open her luminous green eyes, she clumsily removed herself from her throne and stumbled over to the device, or rather, to the prone form lying at the base of its resting place. Queen Chrysalis, having completed her perilous trek to reach her objective, eyed her target and debated on the most effective way of rousing him from his slumber. A swift kick to the torso proved to be an adequate measure and the scholar Transfusion jolted awake, his slumber violently interrupted by his Majesty’s Hoof-of-Wrath©. “Gahh what? What happened? Why does- Ow! that stings, whatever is wrong with you mor…” Transfusion trailed off as his eyes traced the offending Hoof all the way to the face of his Queen, a face which he was positive could frighten even the most infernal daemon from Tartarus back to its lair. Its physically impossible for a changeling to sweat, as they do not possess sweat glands, but if they were able to Transfusion would currently be drenched in liquid fear. “Transfusion,” Chrysalis stated in a monotone voice “Can you kindly explain why I woke up, covered in my own drool and no progress to show for it?” Chrysalis said, gesturing to the unknown device, quietly humming away on its pedestal. “Can you explain why all of my subjects appear to have collapsed after a certain ‘Intellectual’ decided to meddle with an unknown device?” Transfusion decided that now was not the time to point out she was the one who ordered him to activate it “Can you explain why you cannot achieve one task, one simple task?” Chrysalis started to raise her voice, and the other changelings in the room began to stir, awoken by the lecture. Transfusion was paralysed with fear, the Queen was known for her temper and nothing irked her more than failure. “Well, Transfusion? What do you have to say for yourself?” The Queen’s voice had lowered in volume, her sudden calm tone doing nothing to calm his nerves, rather it sent a chill down his spine. The other changelings in the room, the four soldiers, now fully awake, gazed on the scene fearfully, knowing full well what the Queen was capable of after the failed invasion a month ago. Transfusion’s body had begun to shiver, terror shooting through his mind, possible punishments that the Queen could enact dancing in front of his eyes. He tried to voice a response, but all that came out was an “Garbpfft”. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at her scientist’s response and she raised her right foreleg above the head of the snivelling individual in front of her. She began to bring her hoof down, intending to deliver a dreadful blow to her cowardly changeling’s critical cranium. The ebony, hole-ridden hoof sailed through the air, its destination clear and tr- Rip! The sound of reality tearing itself apart froze the hoof in the air, and all eyes turned to the right of the room, where a large spiral, five times the size of Chrysalis forced its way into existence. Chrysalis could only stare as the spiral materialised, its menacing black glow seemingly leeching what little light was left in the room. Her heart beat in her chest, a feeling of despair filled her heart as out of the spiral advanced skull faced, black bipedal figures, footfalls echoing around the cavern like the beat of a war-drum. ISA subsection of the Department of Security and Intelligence, Listening Station 236377B Subspace Transit Station, five hours after beacon activation Commander Chalmers inspected the twenty Soldiers in front of him, two squads of ISA specialists referred to as wraiths. Each squad was made up of ten men or women, soldiers hand-picked by the ISA from the multiple branches of the UIP Military and, as a result of brutal training, extensive genetic and technological enhancements, rigorous mental strengthening and state-of-the-art equipment transformed into highly efficient black-op’s soldiers experienced in the arts of murder, infiltration and subterfuge. Each soldier was equipped with smooth, black, light-absorbing armour crafted from classified composite-carbon nano-tubes with an insulating layer of artificial muscle. The armour was fully self-contained, incorporating life-support and emergency trauma systems as well as a compact fusion-core that served as a power source for the suit. Each soldier had adapted to sleeping inside their armour and as such a soldier could remain in their suit in an operational capacity for eight standard Imperial months. Each wraith was armed with a EQ1898 rifle, a fully automatic carbine that fired antimatter-infused munitions. This was made possible by UIP weapons engineers, who came up with the idea of rather than utilizing regular ammunition magazines to construct a way of allowing a weapon to fabricate its own ammunition using ‘energy packs’, high powered batteries that replaced conventional magazines. A soldier could recharge these packs by interfacing them with any powered amour or by placing the packs near a source of heat or light. The method of charging the packs by exposure to heat or sunlight takes far longer than by conventional means but allows a soldier almost an infinite amount of ammo. At the stage of current production only specialist forces of the UIP, such as the ISA department, had access to antimatter based weaponry with mainstream troops utilising laser and plasma based weaponry, with some still even using ballistics weaponry due to a matter of preference. Each wraith was also carrying a sidearm or PDW (Personal Defence Weapon) of their choosing and these ranged from sleek laser pistols to bulky plasma pistols, fusion handguns and a corporal in wraith team three even had an infernus gun, a compact flamethrower that could be used with one hand. In addition to ranged weaponry each member possessed a powered monomolecular blade that could either be used as a conventional combat knife or, when the weapons power-field was activated, a knife capable of cutting through plate steel. Many wraiths had also armed themselves with an assortment of explosives, anti-personnel traps, small blades, plasma cutters, wrist-mounted blade gauntlets and assorted backup weapons. All in all it created twenty specialist soldiers armoured in state of the art armour and carrying enough weapons to take down a small country. Whoever said that preparation was just for boy scouts? The Commander’s musings were interrupted by the opening of the rear doors of the transit area and the slightly-less-then-majestic arrival of the members of the science team. Nigel could not tell where the scientists began and the equipment ended. “Zarkrof!” Nigel yelled, his helmets external speakers giving a harsh electronic edge to his voice “I said to bring only the most important equipment needed for this mission, why does it look like you have seventeen laboratories worth of gear strapped to your assistants?” Zarkrof glanced behind him, the four other scientists from a range of fields including Electronics, Weapon Engineering, Metallurgy and even a Viral Warfare Biologist attempting to manoeuvre a black sealed case the size of a small car through the door with the help of an anti-grav lifter. The scientists were dressed in white hazmat suits, armour covering vital areas and with cases and bags secured with all manner of straps and clamps covering their bodies. Each scientist had a holster with a small laser pistol strapped to their hip with the exception of Zarkrof, who still possessed the large, black handgun given to him by the Commander and, Klaus Steiner, the Weapons Engineer who for some unknown reason was sporting a large, brutish looking pump-action ballistic shotgun in a holster across his back. “With all due respect, Commander, we have no idea what is waiting for us on the other side and due to the nature of subspace tunnelling we have no estimate of how long we will be stuck out there. If for some reason we require access to chemicals or extra weapons then we at least have the tools require to synthesize basic supplies.” It was a valid concern as subspace transportation was notorious for its drawbacks, mainly that the tunnels created were only one way. Commander Chalmers was aware of this and as the listening post they were currently on was not issued any portable subspace generators the plan was that once their mission was complete the team would activate a long range communications beacon and would have to await extraction from the UIP navy. “Fine, Professor, you can keep your toys, just realise that our main priority is the Emergency beacon itself, all other matters are secondary, and that includes the welfare of your equipment,” the Commander conceded with a huff “How soon until you will be ready for departure?” “We are ready to leave right know Commander, we, ahem, 'borrowed' this lifter from Supplies so transportation should not be an issue.” “Good, I’ll contact Lieutenant Takinata and inform him that we’re about to depart,” Nigel stated as he turned to the direction of the portal generator. He walked two meters before looking over his shoulder. “Oh, one more thing Zarkrof” “Yes Sir?” “Where in the seven circles of Hell did Klaus get that shotgun?” The atmosphere in front of the swirling maelstrom in the Transit room was both of excitement and nervousness. The Commander and every single one of the wraiths had all travelled by subspace before, where the only member of the science team to do so was Klaus, the shotgun-toting Weapons Engineer who had served a ten year stretch with the Department of Exploration. The wraiths were busy checking their equipment, ensuring that nothing would come loose and get lost during the transit while the science team were busy discussing amongst themselves as to what could possibly be awaiting them on the other side. Nigel had already transferred command of the Listening Post to Lieutenant Takinata, a capable Intelligence officer of forty three years. He had also arranged for a UIPN ‘Murphy’ class Cruiser to be on standby for the team’s extraction. The diplomatic pull one received from being a high ranking officer in Intelligence almost offset the often bland assignments he was gifted. Content that everything was in order he faced the uninviting blackness of the subspace tunnel. “Alright, wraiths move out first with me, secure the surrounding area, eggheads stay at the rear and shut up until everything is in order, everyone got that?” “Acknowledged,” came the reply from the two Sergeants commanding the wraith teams through the headset built into Nigel's helmet.. “Yes Sir,” replied Zarkrof, the science team’s Hazmat helmets lacking internal communication devices, instead relying on the external speakers built in. With a final nod, Commander Chalmers drew his sidearm from his holster, identical to the one he gave Zarkrof, before stepping into the portal, the wraiths flanking him with rifles drawn and ready while the scientists cautiously advanced behind the commander, their precious equipment trailing behind on the lifter. Nigel emerged from the portal, stepping into a gloomy cavern, his helmet's low-light optics automatically compensating for the gloom. The room appeared to be constructed of some smooth ebony substance, nether metal or biological, and according to his suit's sensors they were located underground. Over to his left he spotted the object of the mission, a metal cylinder glowing with red text, sitting on a pedestal seemingly constructed out of the same material as the surrounding cavern. A noise caught his attention and he noticed several forms surrounding the pedestal. He mentally commanded his helmet to enhance his vision and he could not believe the resulting image. Staring back at him like a deer caught in the floodlights of a Main Battle Tank, were what he could only describe as black, insect-like equines with holes in them. Five of them, which he estimated to be four foot tall, barely coming up to his armoured waist, possessed solid blue eyes with what he assumed was an pupil in the centre. Four of the beings possessed a jagged horn sprouting from the forehead and appeared to be covered in heavy chitin, no doubt some form of armour. All four appeared to be suffering from severe starvation. The fifth figure cowering beneath the sixth and most imposing one, which he assumed was the leader, looked slightly shorter than the first four, which, combined with the lesser amount of amour this fifth one possessed, convinced him that the first four were some sort of soldier or guard caste. The other major difference between the shorter one and the ‘soldiers’ was that it possessed dark green hair as well as a dark green tail, unlike the assumed soldiers which just had bald heads and jet black tails. Also, its horn was slightly longer, although it did not apear to be as sharp as the previous four. The sixth and tallest figure, around five feet tall, seemed the most responsive, it gaze moving from the Commander’s visage to the twenty wraiths slowly fanning out of the portal, the muzzles of their guns pointed at the abnormal equines. What caught Nigel’s attention most was the that instead of having a pair of solid blue eyes, the leader equine had what appeared to normal eyes with deep green irises, granted the size of the eyes were huge, their size assisting Nigel in identifying that the owner was absolutely terrified. Also of note was the flowing cyan blue mane and tail as well as the jagged, twisted horn atop it’s head, almost double the length of the other equines. Nigel also took note of the equine’s sunken face and skinny form, no doubt it too was suffering from starvation. “Permission to engage Sir?” The leader of wraith team seven, Sargent Perkins inquired. “Negative, form a protective perimeter around the scientists, as soon as everything is through I want to try to establish communication. If they attack use lethal force as a last resort, I’m guessing that they played at least a minor part in the beacons activation, so any infomation we can retrive from them would be useful.” “Roger,”came the reply, the wraiths halting their advance but still training their weapons on the unknown creatures. By this time the scientists had all disembarked from the tunnel, the science equipment in tow, and were staring wide-eyed at the equines. What surprised Nigel the most was the hungry, almost predatory look that the Xenobiologist, Zarkrof, was sporting through his helmet visor. Clearly the Doctor’s curiosity had overridden his earlier anxiety. With an anti-climactic ‘pop’, the subspace tunnel closed, returning the room to its former state, all twenty six members of the first response team standing opposite the insectoid equines. Seeing that everyone and everything had made the trip smoothly, Nigel decided that know was the perfect time for introductions. Striding forward, handgun at his side pointed down at the ground so as to appear non-threatening, he began the all-important first contact speech, specifically prepared by the UIP Department of Diplomacy for situations just like this. “Greetings, On behalf of the mighty United Imperium of Planets, I hereby extend the greatest of pleasantries in the hope of formulating a magnificent- bollocks!” Well, it would have been a great speech if only he hadn’t tripped over a rock, landing on top of the pedestal holding the device with an ear-splintering crunch. .
Second time lucky...‘That could have gone slightly better,’ thought Nigel as he pulled himself up from the remains of the pedestal, the locator beacon thankfully having survived the incident, its solid construction carrying it through the trauma of having three-hundred kilos of armoured biped fall on it. As he stood up he noted that equines, with the exception of the smallest lying prone on the floor, had retreated a couple of paces, no doubt startled by his less-then-graceless entry. ‘Damn, I’m losing it, got to do something, got to do something, gotta do som- ‘ding!’- perfect idea.’ Nigel stood proud, the next words out of his mouth carefully formulated for maximum effectiveness. “Well,” he started. “At least that ‘trip’ lowered the ‘gravity’ of the situation.” ‘Smooth, Oscar Wild couldn’t have done better himself.’ Others in the room had different opinions, with one of the corporals from squad three even going so far as to raising his left hand and miming shooting himself in the head with his sidearm. ‘Congratulations, you just signed up for every single suicide mission I can think of in the foreseeable future,’ Nigel thought, creating a mental note to make that particular soldier’s life a living hell. Corporal Stevens must have realised what his Commander was thinking, probably due to the fact that he had two blood red helmet lenses staring right at him, seemingly piercing him to his very soul. He quickly returned his hand to the grip of his rifle and took a sudden interest in checking the surrounding area for any threats. “Hehehe gr- gravity of the situation.” Nigel turned to look at the source of the chuckle, the smallest equine of the group, clearly the only other being in the room with a decent sense of humour, was currently repeating the joke from its position sprawled out on the floor. Transfusion finally got his laughter under control. He had to admit, despite this biped’s appearance and un-orthodox introduction; it obviously possessed a highly developed taste of humour. He looked up from the dull grey colouration of the floor and realised that the focus of every single being was on him. Everybeing, from the imposing black bipeds, the slightly less imposing but equally confusing white bipeds, the four soldier class and Queen Chrysalis , who was currently fixing him with a look of utter befuddlement. ‘What?’ he thought. ‘Surely they all got the joke as well?’ Transfusion was puzzled, sure the atmosphere was tense, but from what he could interpret from the bipedal leader’s interrupted greeting and following actions he assumed that they had no intentions of harming any of the changelings in the room at the moment. Plus, judging by the appearance of the black bipeds, which he assumed were soldiers of some kind, as well as what he assumed were deadly weapons possessed by each of them, if the bipeds had wanted to kill them then they would have encountered little resistance from the six malnourished changelings. Nigel diverted his attention from the equine on the floor to the leader, who he had mentally dubbed as ‘Swissy’, due to the fact the multiple holes in its legs made it look like a large walking piece of Swiss cheese. He wisely decided to avoid voicing this observation as the atmosphere was already fairly tense. Swissy was currently staring at its subordinate in what Nigel assumed was confusion, the bipeds’ presence currently forgotten. This did not last long however, as Swissy directed its gaze back to the Commander, its facial features returning to a look of terror. Nigel was used to being feared, all-black armour designed to make him look like Death-Incarnate and deep-red helmet optics did not exactly say ‘Hi, I’m a really nice guy, let’s be friends’. Normally this would have been a positive boon, the ISA was known for its love of psychological warfare, but in a delicate situation such as this the effect was detrimental. Nigel was thankful that, judging from the smallest equine’s earlier outburst that the unknown creatures spoke English, the main language of the UIP. This would make the issue of communication much easier. Nigel turned to Swissy, this time making sure that his feet were not moving at all. “How about we start over. I am Commander Chalmers from the United Imperium of Planets Military Intelligence Department, ISA Division, and I am here regarding the activation of our beacon,” Nigel said as he pointed towards the subspace beacon currently nestled in the crook of a scientist’s arm. The man, the teams Electronics specialist, had previously retrieved the beacon from the remains of the pedestal and was now investigating the object, the fingers of his right hand dancing over the beacons interface. Nigel returned his hand to his side, subconsciously tapping the grip of his sidearm, which he had holstered earlier, and continued. “Any information you could provide us with in regards to our objective would be incredibly useful, and such co-operation would be looked upon favourably.” Chrysalis stared at the tall biped trying to find the will to voice a response. The biped spoke fluent Equestrian and it had made its demands known, the device obviously immensely important to it, and Chrysalis had a difficult choice to make. Should she lie, and try to convince the bipeds that they had nothing to do with the device, or should she try to explain to them the circumstances surrounding the current dilemma? The bipeds guarding the leader appeared to be heavily armed, and she knew that the wrong choice would likely result in bloodshed. Chrysalis did not place much faith in the four guards in the room with her; they were all still appeared to be in a state of shock, with one even cowering under his hooves. Knowing that her fate would be dictated by what she said, she summoned up the courage to form a reply. “I-I am Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings, and the device of which you speak of…” Chrysalis trailed off, her courage sapped by the un-wavering stare of the bipedal leader, two embers burning right into her mind. Drawing upon her last reserves of strength, Chrysalis glanced at Transfusion, the Scholar having not moved from his position on the floor, barley two body-lengths away from the biped, before pointing her right foreleg at him and finally mustering a coherent reply. “He did it.” Transfusion nearly cried like a Newborn Nymph as the imposing biped lowered its burning gaze towards him. He began to shiver as biped began to approach, stooping down on its hind legs as it lowered its face towards his. The biped’s face, a leering bone white skull surrounded by what appeared to be smooth black chitin, was pointed directly at him, and at this distance he could hear what appeared to be a quiet ‘hum’ resonating from the dread figure. The bipeds gaze never wavered, and surely his judgement was sure to begin. “So,” the biped asked, its unnatural voice echoing around the surrounding area. “You’re the one that activated our emergency beacon, forcing me to leave my comfy chair and come all the way to this god-forsaken galaxy, where in the last ten minutes I’ve already fallen flat on my arse in front of my troops and your ruler, possibly damaging the only chance our Empire had at diplomacy?” Transfusion compressed his body even more, hoping that by some miracle he could just disappear. “Do you know how important my time is, what precious things I had planned to do before SOMETHING had to go and run my carefully laid plans?” The other bipeds had slowly started to back away from their leader, its tone gaining an icy edge to it, an edge detectible even in the monotone voice it possessed “Do you know,” the biped’s face growing closer to Transfusion’s. “What I’m going to do to you?” Transfusion shook his head, tears welling up in his blue eyes, terrified of what this biped was going to do. “I’m going to do something I should have done at the start of this conversation” the biped stated, and Transfusion braced himself for inevitable. “I'm letting you off with a warning!” The biped’s voice having lost all malicious meaning and had returned to its original cheerful tone. ‘What?’ Transfusion thought as he raised his head, the biped having stood back up, it’s attention now focused on Queen Chrysalis, its prior target forgotten. Transfusion wasn’t certain, but he swore that the white bipeds seemed just as shocked as he was with the sudden mood change, although the black bipeds appeared to have not been surprised in the slightest. “Now,” the biped began joyfully. “Let’s get on with the show, I’m sure you have many questions to ask about our appearance as well as what we plan to do with you and I’m a busy man, so let’s get to it!” The biped clapped its two front claws together as it said this and started walking towards the startled Queen, leaving Transfusion curled up on the floor, wondering just what manner of insane beast had been unleashed upon the planet.
Chemical Love (I can feel you in my veins)As he approached the Queen, wide grin hidden under his helmet, Nigel reflected upon his conversation with the smallest equine. Sure, maybe he had over-done it a little, but the satisfaction of terrorizing the little equine had done wonders for his current state of mind. He was a s[ector agent, the ISA’s order of elite operatives and he had been specifically created to sow fear and misery to enemies of the UIP. This power of intimidation was like a drug, the need to create terror constantly scratched at the back of his mind, altering his mindset and warping his judgement. His earlier episode had cleared his mind of any fog, and his thoughts remained crystal clear and unclouded. “So, Your Majesty,” Nigel gave a sweeping, one-handed bow as he said this, his attention fixed on Chrysalis. “I’ve come to notice that you and your subjects appear to be quite malnourished. As a symbol of good faith I offer you some of our supplies, in the hope that we can ensure good relations between our peoples.” Chrysalis was shocked, first this biped, this ‘Commander Chalmers’, nearly scares one of her scholars to death and then offers them food barely a minute later? Seeing that the Commander appeared to be patiently awaiting a reply, she responded, the majority of her nervousness receding at its sudden offer. “I thank you for your offer Commander, but I don’t think that you will be able to meet our ‘unique’ dietary needs,” Chrysalis stated, trying to stay vague on the topic, fearful that the Changelings habit of draining the love from others would alienate them in the eyes of the extra-terrestrial visitors, as it had already done with the races that shared the planet of Hesperia. The Commander, however, approached the subject with the subtlety of a brakeless freight train. “I assure you your majesty, I’ve seen many methods of acquiring substance in my lifetime, I highly doubt that the preferences of your people will shock me.“ Chrysalis sighed; it looked like the Commander was not going to drop the issue until he received an answer. She could only hope the bipeds would not react violently to the revelation. “Well Commander,” Chrysalis started, preparing for the likey possability of the biped erupting into violence. “You will not be able to help us as our race feeds on the stolen love of others…” Chrysalis trailed off, noticing how the biped had suddenly started to twitch, no doubt furious at what abominations of nature the Changelings were. Nigel could hardly keep his composure, laughter threatening to escape his mouth and exit through his helmet speakers, the idea that these Changelings existed purely on love was hilarious. Sure, the UIP had encountered races that fed on the emotions of others before, but they generally were able to exist on a wide variety, ranging from joy, sorrow and most often rage, never an emotion as saccharine as love. Trying his hardest to avoid upsetting the foreign ruler, he voiced the most important question he could think of at the time. “Sooo… you’re like Succubi then?” “I don’t know what that is,” replied Chrysalis, surprised that the biped did not seem at all concerned about sharing a room with emotional vampires, maybe there was hope for her Changelings yet? “But as you pointed out, we are in dire need of sustenance.” Chrysalis gestured towards Transfusion, who had fainted after his ordeal with the Commander, one of the white bipeds trying to awaken him from this state by pouring what appeared to be water on his head from a yellow container. Transfusion spluttered back into consciousness, the biped screwing the lid back onto the container and walking back to join its fellows. “Our main source of food, the ponies of Equestria recently repelled an invasion of ours, which we were forced to do as we had begun to starve, our numbers growing too great.” Chrysalis continued, sorrow building within her at the memories of that day. “Now there is barely more than six-hundred of us left, and my subjects are continuing to die, we have only days left until every single changeling in the Hive is dead, myself included." Nigel had missed the last part of the Queen’s tale of woe, his mind still churning over the fact that another race existed on this planet, a race of sentient ponies no less, undoubtedly capable warriors if they were able to repel an invasion from these Changelings, who, despite their current state of nutrition appeared to be naturally prepared for conflict with their carapace armour and sharp horns. ‘These ponies must possess a proficient military,’ thought Nigel. ‘If we side with these Changelings we may end up dragged into a prolonged conflict.’ “Excuse me Commander, Your Majesty,” both Nigel and Chrysalis were broken from their individual thoughts, both turning to face the source of the interruption. An armoured hazmat-suit clad biped Nigel recognised as Dr Harris Thrax, the mysterious Viral Warfare researcher who had been assigned to the Listening Post his origins shrouded in secrecy. “I apologize for the interruption, but I believe that I can provide you with a solution for your food-shortage problems your Royal Highness, if the Commander agrees that is.” ‘This ought to be interesting,’ thought Nigel as he gave a nod of his head, signalling the Researcher to continue. “Before I proceed with my idea Commander, may I ask you if you are familiar with Article 721B, or the ‘Souleater Virus’ as it is known?” Dr Thrax had gained the attention of every human in the room with the mention of that name. The ‘Souleater Virus’ was notorious, a virus specifically designed to target the brain functions of almost every single sentient being encountered by the UIP. The virus targeted the brain chemistry, stripping inhabitations from the host and instilling a overwhelming sense of never-ending hunger, forcing the host to feed on anything organic in the vicinity. The virus was transmitted by bodily fluids, most often blood and saliva, and was manufactured so that the virus would gestate inside the host for days, ensuring that a wide section of the target population was infected before the outbreak was detected. This ‘Zombie virus’ had been attributed to the destruction of over thirty-seven civilisations, all bitter enemies of the UIP. “I am well aware of that particular weapon Doctor, what I am not aware of is how a biological weapon is related to a shortage of food for love-reliant xenos.” ‘Biological weapon?’ Chrysalis thought, completely confounded by the bipeds’ confusing conversation. “You see Commander,” Thrax continued. “I was a part of the team that developed the virus and a major part of its fabrication was the creation of ways to manipulate the base emotions of the targets and one of those emotions was love, the very same emotion that your subjects so desperately require your majesty.” “That’s all very well Doctor, but surely the materials required for such synthesisation would be incredibly complex and difficult to obtain?” Nigel supplied, genuinely interested in Thrax’s theory. “Some of them are Commander, but thankfully I have the majority of the compounds with me,” Thrax stated as he gestured towards the large black cases loaded onto the cargo lifter, forgotten at the back of the room due to the unusual encounter. “The only chemical components that I am currently missing are Alpha-Linoleic-Acid, Asparagine, D-Categin, Isoqurctrin, Hyperoside and Neoxathin-” “All of which are located in the common apple,” interrupted Commander Chalmers, much to the shock of Dr Thrax as well as the surrounding scientists, drawn in by the conversation. The wraith troopers were too busy discussing the alien equines’ appearance over their internal communications to notice and the changelings were under the impression that the Viral Biologist was speaking a different language. “What?” Nigel questioned as he looked around him, the scientists’ shock clear, even from behind their tinted visors. “I know stuff.” Thrax shook his head to clear his mind, the Commander’s comment leading him to question the nature of reality, and turned back towards the Changeling Queen, who was staring at the Commander in surprise. “Your Majesty?” he inquired. “Would there be anywhere in the surrounding area where one might find a source of… apples?” Thrax could not believe that one of his first conversations with alien Royalty would involve the acquisition of fruit. “Well…” the Queen began, clearly as uncomfortable regarding the questions as he was. “There is a small pony settlement four miles from here, and from what my subjects have observed, the ponies there grow a large amount of apples. However,” the Queen continued. “I don’t think that any of my subjects have the strength to make the journey as well as avoiding the local pony farmers.” The Queen gave a deep sigh “I do however thank you for trying, it’s just that I think it is an impossible task.” “Maybe not as impossible as you think, Chrissy my dear” Commander Chalmers had dropped all formality, an exciting idea forming inside his head. “I’ve got just the soldier for the job.” The Commander turned to the group of wraiths, narrowing his eyes inside his helmet as he spotted his target. “Corporal Stevens!” The Commander’s voice jolted the wraiths out of their private conversation, and they all turned to look at the summoned Corporal, who was beginning to sweat inside his armour, despite its numerous internal climate control systems. He turned to face his Commander, his apprehension growing as he ever-so-slowly rotated his body. “It’s your lucky day Corporal,” said the Commander as soon as the Corporal was facing him. “You better pack your parasol and bonnet, you’ve won the lottery, and the first prize is that you get to go on an adventure.” The Commander grinned under his helmet, he had been waiting for an opportunity to get back at the Corporal since he had mocked Nigel’s finely crafted joke earlier. ‘Oh, this is going to be hilarious,’ Nigel thought, imagining all of the horrible things that the Corporal could encounter on the surface.
An apple a day keeps starvation awayWestern Equestria – Outskirts of the native settlement ‘Appleoosa’ Corporal Stevens had learned a valuable life lesson that day. The lesson being that if your superior officer makes a joke, no matter how terrible you just shut up and play along. As a result of his earlier mistake regarding this lesson, he found himself prone in the dirt outside a primitive native village, observing the brightly coloured inhabitants through the scope of his EQ1898 rifle, having activated the long-range optics and in-built suppressor. The sun was starting to descend in the sky, and judging from the activity in the town the natives were preparing to turn in for the night, making their way from the various shops and stalls to primitive wooden buildings. The Corporal found himself imagining just what effect his Infernus gun would have on the towns wellbeing, the town he observed possessed no water source aside from two large wooden water tanks on the outskirts of the eastern side of the settlement. His goal, the large orchard of apples located to the south of town was a large source of activity with multiple natives moving carts full of apples into a large barn with haste. Corporal Stevens moved his scope, scanning the barn for any alternate access points before his vision landed on an open window located on the upper floor of the barn. ‘Bingo’ he thought, marking the location of the point in his helmets Heads-Up-Display. He shifted his view downwards, his crosshairs resting on the head of a yellow-orange haired horse wearing what appeared to be a cowboy hat. ‘This entire planet is insane; I can’t see why Commander Clusterfuck is so enthusiastic about being here’ The nickname ‘Commander Clusterfuck’ was common amongst ISA forces, birthed from the fact that Commander Nigel had a habit of finding himself in awkward situations, only to make the problem worse, usually resulting in explosions, intergalactic war and most recently the untimely demise of a foreign diplomat after he inadvertently insulted the Commanders dress uniform. Apparently it took the cleaners three hours to scrape all of the remains off the floor. Of course the Commander himself was unaware of the unofficial codename, a fact that Stevens was incredibly thankful for. Watching the yellow horse, Stevens mused on just how easy it would be to end its pathetic existence. His finger stroked the trigger like an owner petting their dog, hoping to all the gods that the equine would suddenly pull out a weapon and start firing at him, giving him an excuse to send a high-velocity anti-matter infused slug into its head. Of course, the equine did not give him the chance, instead of pulling out a plasma cannon and firing indiscriminately into the surrounding terrain it instead shut the barn doors after the other equines had finished their labours. Grumbling to himself, Stevens lowered his rifle and settled in, waiting for night to fall before the commencement of the heist. Darkness had descended over the quite settlement of Appleoosa, the pioneer ponies snuggled in their beds, completely unaware of the stealthy black figure stalking his way towards their precious apple horde. Upon reaching the side of the barn, this ninja of the night extended his right arm, pointing it towards the Barns unprotected second story window, its depths vulnerable and unprotected. With a barely audible ‘Psssst’ the grapple shot from Steven’s right gauntlet, shooting through the open window and securing itself on the other side. Stevens tested the weight, and, finding the line secure activated the motorised climbing device and entered the dark interior of the barn, his rifle slung over his back and his helmets optics compensating for the gloom. Slowly he crept down towards the main storage area, his descent panned out to the last detail, every potential move placed under extreme scrutiny and analysed down to the optimum resul- “Goddamn it! How the hell am I going to carry all of these apples back to the hive?” ‘…’ As a wise man once said, ‘no plan is perfect’ so Stevens looked around the barn, trying to find something, anything to store the apples in for transport. Doctor Thrax, possibly one of the creepiest humans he had ever met, had specifically said that he needed at least thirty apples in order to manufacture enough of the emotion that their new ‘allies’ needed to survive. Stevens himself did not care much for the Changelings, how could they let themselves be beaten by those prancing prissy pony pussies? Obviously the Changelings would be of no use to the UIP in a militaristic fashion, maybe the Commander was planning on keeping them as pets or something as the Commander was known for his love of exotic animals, rumours existed that he had even once possessed a Hydraxian Morphsquid, an invertebrate that could transform its body mass into any liquid it came into contact with. With a mental shout of success, Stevens laid his eyes on the most magnificent prize, sitting nestled in a pile in one of the dark corners. Striking a triumphant pose, Stevens raised the object above his head, its presence the answer to his prays. He began to fill the object with apples and at number sixty-six he could cram no more in, his objective completed. Abandoning all pretence of stealth, Stevens let out a bellowing cry of joy “YES, YEEEEEESSSSSS! SUCK ON IT COMMANDER CLUSTERFUCK!” “Hey, is there somepony in there?” Stevens froze as a voice, male with a country twinge to it filtered through the barns front door, and his helmets in-build sensor picked up a life form approaching the barn. ‘…Fuck’ Thought Stevens as he retreated to the second floor, secreting himself between two hay bales, hoping that the Equine’s enlarged eyes did not grant it excellent nightvison. The barn door swung open, and the orange-maned equine from before entered the barn, its head swivelling from side-to-side, searching for the source of the noise. Its gaze passed over Steven’s position, his dark armour blending into the blackness. Giving a loud snort, the equine turned and left, evidently thinking that it had been hearing things. Stevens sighed in relief as the barn doors shut, his mind locked on one thought. ‘Should have shot that Bastard when I had the chance.’ Corporal Stevens, highly trained black-ops commando, a killer belonging to one of the most feared Intelligence agencies in existence found himself running fell pelt back towards a hive full of love-sucking, insectoid equines who looked like they were the result of a Horse fly screwing a piece a of finely-aged Swiss cheese, with a sack of sixty-six pilfered apples slung over his shoulder. Needless to say it wasn’t the highest point of his illustrious career. After avoiding detection by the yellow farmer, whom he had affectionately dubbed as ‘That Inbred Tosspot’ –‘TIT’ for short- he had exited the barn via the same window and stealthily made his way out of the town. He was ecstatic, he had made it halfway back already, traveling along a crude dirt road, Stevens reasoning that no-one else would be using it at night. Stevens smiled, he was making excellent time and he figured that with no interruptions he would be back at the hive in less than our hour. “Hey you! Stop!” Stevens whirled around; dropping the sack of apples of the grounds he faced the voice. What he saw didn’t leave him frightened, rather it left him in a state of jovial confusion. Standing behind him, located right next to a bush he had passed stood four figures. Two he identified as ponies, stallions judging from the obnoxious facial hair each were sporting. The third figure looked like an over-sized canine, standing on two legs with its arms trailing on the ground, its brown fur blending in cleanly with the dirt on the road. The most threatening figure of all however was the massive bipedal bull, its dark red fur complementing the oversized yellow sombrero perched on its head. Maybe it thought that the hat looked intimidating, Stevens thought that all it did was make the bull look like a Mexican bandito from an old terran taco commercial, all it needed was a poncho and the look would be complete. “Well, well, well, look at what we got ‘ear boys, a lost little minotaur runt al by his lonesome.” This brought snickers from the rest of the group “Tell you what, runt, howsabouts you give us all the money your carrying and we leave you with all your limbs unbroken” The large bipedal bull proposed as he glanced back at his lackeys, and evil glint in its eyes. The bull turned back to Stevens, flexing its biceps “So Runt, what’s it gonna’ be, you gonna’ give us the cash as well as that purty sack o’ apples there or are we going to have to break you?” “Here’s how it’s going to work, you overgrown barn animal” Steven’s eyes were fixed on the four bandits with his hands on his rifle, having unslung it during the bull’s threats “You and your buddies are going to walk back into that bush and resume your little country butt-fucking session, I’m going to pick up this sack and walk away, and you’re going to forget that you’ve even seen me.” “Why you little…” began the bull as he slowly began to advance on the corporal “I’m going to tear out that tongue of yours and use it to clean up my sh-“ ‘BANG!’ the bull was cut off as the report of Stevens rifle echoed around the country side as an antimatter projectile exited the pitch black barrel and entered the bull’s stomach, where it detonated, blowing a hole in it which was as large as a soccer ball, showering the other bandits with a mix of blood, bone and entrails. The bull collapsed to the ground as his fellows stared In shock, until they too received bullets of their own to their craniums. Stevens walked over towards the dying bull and removed his helmet, revealing short-cut brown hair and cold blue eyes. He looked down as he stared at the bull, its face contorted in an expression of pain and fear. Stevens lowered his rifle, placing the muzzle against the bull’s forehead, and grinned. “How da like these apples?” BLAM! Stevens wiped his face with his armoured hand, clearing the bull’s blood and brain matter off his face, its skull having exploded like a rotten watermelon. He replaced his helmet, walked back over to the dropped sack of apples and slung it over his shoulder. As he began to walk away from the corpses, he suddenly stopped and turned back, walking over to retrieve an item that had fallen to the ground during the skirmish. Nigel was discussing with the Changeling Queen the layout of the Humans’ base camp, the Queen having gifted them an old, spacious storage area at the back of the throne room. The wraiths were currently pitching the team’s tents while the scientists were busying themselves with the setup of a temporary laboratory; Dr Thrax in particular was working on connecting a menacing gothic-looking machine to a portable fusion generator. ‘Great’ he thought as he stood up, the generator humming away merrily ‘now i only need those apples and the process can begin.’ SLAM! The Throne room doors were thrown open violently, interrupting Nigel’s conversation and causing the wraiths to drop the tents and draw their rifles, pointing them towards the open doors. Out of the entrance way emerged a wraith, Corporal Stevens, with a sack flung over his shoulder, his armour covered in streaks of blood and a large, yellow Sombrero balanced precariously on his helmet. The Corporal swaggered over to Thrax, and dropped the sack at his feet, the sack spilling open to reveal a multitude of shiny red apples. The corporal leaned forward until his blood-stained helmet was almost touching Thrax’s face. “Enjoy your fucking apples” he growled as he started to walk away to re-join his fellow wraiths. ‘I have just got to obtain that helmet’s video recording’ thought Commander Chalmers as he turned back around to continue his conversation with the awe-struck Queen.
Hey! Thats our job!Commander Chalmers, Queen Chrysalis, Transfusion and Sergeant Murray Boland -leader of wraith team 3- were gathered around Thrax’s machine as he mumbled and cursed, his hands a flurry of movement as he added chemicals and compounds from a bright orange case sitting on the floor to the multiple orifices on his device. The sack of apples that had been retrieved earlier was resting against the side of the machine, ready to be added at the final stage. It took a while but eventually with a relived sigh Thrax stepped away from the synthesiser, his labours complete. “Sergeant, if you wouldn’t mind” Thrax asked Sergeant Boland as he gestured towards the sack containing the apples, the final ingredient needed. The Sergeant nodded, and proceeded to walk over towards Thrax, his primary weapon, a Mobius-pattern Fusion Gun, swinging from a strap attached to his armour as he did so. Thrax and Boland picked up the apple sack and emptied into the bowels of the machine, all sixty-six, cores and all. When the sack was empty they tossed it towards the back of the room and Boland resumed his position at the Commanders side. Boland and the Commander had worked together before and the Commander had specifically chosen Boland’s squad to accompany them on this mission as he believed him to be a competent leader who had earned the respect of his squad as well as the respect of his commanders through impressive operational results. The room was filled with a soft ‘hum’ as Thrax increased the output from the portable fusion generator connected to his machine. “Alright, the first batch should be finished in approximately an hour, and after three days we should have enough of the drug to last your people a month your Majesty, provided your population does not grow any larger.” “Thankyou Doctor, Commander, you don’t know how much this means to our race" Awnsered Chrysalis. “Don’t worry about it Chrissy” replied the Commander “the amount of science data the boffins have collected more than makes up for it." It was true; the other scientists have been busy analysing various objects such as the material making up the hive to the Changelings themselves, the Queen ‘volunteering’ some drones to assist them in their studies. All-in-all the experience had added a vast amount of knowledge to the coffers of the UIP and it was even rumoured that Klaus had begun to draw up schematics for Changeling-mounted weapon systems, but the Commander doubted that the Weapons Engineer was THAT insane. Chrysalis let out an annoyed huff, not a fan of the Commander’s new nickname. “Still Commander, I do legitimately appreciate the lengths that you have gone to save our lives.” “As I said before, don’t worry too much about it” the Commander said, turning around to wave at the wraith that Chrysalis knew as Corporal Stevens. The wraith, still wearing his pilfered sombrero noticed this and in return raised his right fist, middle finger sticking firmly up in the air, the meaning of the gesture lost on Chrysalis. “Ah, they grow up so fast” the Commander said, chuckling as Sergeant Boland raced off to educate the Corporal in regards to meaning of the term ‘insubordination’, the Corporal quickly returning his hand to his side, but it was too late and the damage was done. The next day, two days since UIP arrival Canterlot Castle, Equestria Royal Celestial Hospital, East Wing Celestia looked down upon the two blank white sheets placed separately on the table with sorrow in her eyes, the vaguely pony shaped forms lying beneath them motionless. Struggling to keep her emotionless mask intact, she turned towards Doctor Vascular, the beige coated stallion standing beside her. “How did they die?” She asked, the violent deaths of two of her subjects weighing upon her mind. “We are not too sure of the cause, my Princess, but what we do know is that whatever it was it completely destroyed the majority of the head, almost as if it just… exploded” the doctor replied “we also believe that death was instantaneous, if that is any consolation” the Doctors tone was clear and clinical, no doubt used to having to deliver bad news. “I see” Celestia sighed, trying to remember any other instances of sudden skull explosions during her long reign, but was unable to. She turned towards her left and addressed the only other figure in the room “Captain Bulwark, where were the bodies found?” Unyielding Bulwark, the newest Captain of the Solar Guard glanced at the covered bodies before replying. “In the Desert surrounding the Settlement known as Appleoosa, your Highness, the remains of a Diamond dog as well as a Minotaur were also found, their manner of death the same, with the exception of the Minotaur who had an additional hole in its torso” the captain could still remember the reactions of the guards sent to examine the reports of a strange, black biped seen fleeing Appleoosa, having been spotted by the local sheriff. The guards had been searching for clues when they had found the bodies. Three privates and a sergeant had gone into shock and the entire thirty-strong group of guards had all since requested Personal Leave, leave that had been approved immediately by the Princess once she had been informed of the situation, the two non-Equestrian bodies having been returned to their respective peoples as soon as they had been recovered. “And what of the reports of this unknown biped in the area, could it have contributed to the tragedy?” “Unlikely” snorted Bulwark “we found no evidence of ‘Apple-Abducting Aliens’, as the sheriff described it, your Highness, in my opinion those settlers have been living in the desert for too long” the Captain’s expression changed to one of disgust “There are reports of Changelings in the area Your Highness, I have no doubt that they were responsible and we do know that sentries have stated that survivors of the invasion had been scouting around frontier towns.” At the mention of Equestria’s most recent enemy, Celestia’s face had morphed into one of distaste. “Very good Captain, dispatch guard teams to the area in an effort to spot any of these Changelings, if your Guards find any detain them and return them to the palace for questioning.” “Yes, Your Majesty” the Captain saluted “I’ll send some of our finest Guards right away” and with that he turned and left the room, leaving the Princess alone with the Doctor as the medical pony began discussing with Celestia his theories regarding the deaths of her beloved subjects, the atmosphere no less melancholy than before. Nigel was walking towards the Changeling scientist Transfusion; he believed his name was, with the intent of finding out exactly why he still seemed so petrified around the humans. All of the Changelings in the Hive had been terrified of the imposing bipeds at first, but after learning that they had reacted to the Changeling’s nature respectfully as opposed to outright rejecting them the humans had become accepted around the hive. After the announcement made by their Queen that the new visitors would be staying for the time being many Changelings had been attempting to sneak peeks at the mysterious figures, the humans preferring to stay in their own designated area. The revelation that the newcomers were also assisting with the food shortages had brought with it appreciation and even adoration, some of the Changelings viewing them as saviours sent by the Heavens to aid them in their time of need. Any humans upon meeting any of these Changelings would attempt to halt this ideal, claiming that they were only doing what was morally right and that the majority of the Empires that they competed with would do the same. “Excuse me Doctor Transfusion” Nigel began, the small Changeling turning to face him, fright quickly ascending to its features “there’s no need to worry” Nigel continued “I only want to talk about your attitude towards me as I happen to have noticed that you seem, well, to put it bluntly, positively terrified of me. If I have done anything in particular to scare you I would like you to talk to me about it, as I fear that we may be stuck with the possibility of us never coming to speaking terms.” Transfusion was shocked, could the Commander really not recall how he had treated Transfusion when they had first met, scaring the life out of him with his threatening under tones and menacing actions? Transfusion struggled to form a reply. “What about when you first arrived, you threatened to kill me!” “OH that” dismissed the Commander with a wave of his hand “that was just a joke, I threaten to kill people all of the time, it’s kind of what I do, well, that and actually killing people, but you get the point.” “WHAT!” yelled Transfusion, his fright giving way to anger “THAT WAS A JOKE? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW CLOSE I WAS FROM DYING OF FRIGHT ALONE!?” “I don’t know” replied the Commander as he started to turn away from the furious Changeling “but i do know one thing” “What?” answered Transfusion, confused as to what the biped was referring to. “At least you’re not scared of me anymore” Transfusion’s shocked spluttering was interrupted by the sudden entrance of a lone soldier drone, its cyan coloured fly-like wings beating furiously as it propelled itself through the throne room’s main entranceway. “My Queen!” it panted, coming to a stop in front of Chrysalis throne, Chrysalis having being enraptured by the conversation between the Commander and Transfusion. The soldier bowed before continuing “Equestrian Royal Guard have abducted six of our soldiers whilst they were preforming reconnaissance outside the Hive, and they appear to taking them back to the Equestrian Capitol!” “What, how could this have happened!” shouted Chrysalis, dismayed that the Equestrians had captured some of her soldiers, just when things appeared to have been improving for the struggling Hive “If they question them, they could discover the location of the Hive and after the invasion…” Chrysalis trailed off, knowing fully well that Celestia was determined to end the Changelings’ threat towards her little ponies and would not be against the eradication of the Hive. She turned towards Commander Chalmers, a pleading look in her eyes. “Please Commander, we need your help once again, if the Equestrians find out about our location…” her breathe caught in her throat, afraid of the possibility of her precious changelings facing annihilation again. “There’s nothing to fear Your Majesty” the Commander dropping the Queen’s informal nickname, his tone turning serious “We’re the aliens in this situation and I’ll be damned if anyone else tries to abduct others, that’s our bloody job” he stated angrily, retrieving a rifle from the arms stockpile located in the middle of the human camp, cocking the receiver dramatically. “Sergeant Boland, select four troopers of your choosing and bring them to attention” the Sergeant nodded, pointing at various wraiths and voicing commands over the comms system. The Commander turned towards them, the four chosen wraiths as well as Sergeant Boland stepping up and saluting, filling the Commander with rabid anticipation. “Gear up gents; it’s time to pay the neighbours a special ISA-branded diplomatic visit” As the assembled team of wraiths dashed off to prepare for the upcoming festivities, Nigel caressed the rifle, polishing It with a handkerchief he had pulled from a storage compartment located in his armour. “Soon my pretty, soooooooon…” he cooed as he walked out of the main entrance of the throne room, the Changeling guards standing on either side of the doors outside shooting each other nervous looks. “Soon…”
Diplomacy, Commander Chalmers StyleCanterlot Castle- Equestria Royal Dungeons, Interrogation cell “Tell us the location of your Hive changeling, I’m getting sick of asking you” Captain Bulwark said, looking directly at the captive Changeling, the leader of the six-strong scouting group they had captured. Reflection stared back defiantly at the pony Captain before mustering a response “Go Buck yourself!” Bulwark nodded to the Solar Guard Sergeant standing next to the bound Changeling. With a solid ‘CRACK’ the Sergeant’s armoured hoof connected with Reflection’s face, sending her tumbling out of the metal chair, a trail of green blood running out of her mouth and collecting on the dusty stone floor. “I’m going to ask you one last time” Bulwark said, walking over until he was standing above the Changeling “Where is the location of the Hive?” Reflection lifted her head from the slowly growing pool of green, locking eyes with Bulwark “I don’t know, I was too busy changeing into your Father and Bucking your Mother to ask” she spat “Wrong answer” replied Bulwark, his voice emotionless. He began to beat the Changeling with his metal clad hooves, targeting the soft spots unprotected by chitin, in particular the vulnerable underside of the belly. This continued for five minutes, at the end of it Reflection was covered in green blotches where the tormented areas had already begun to bruise, multiple lacerations leaking green vital fluid, the Changeling in question having blacked out from the pain. “Take this one back to the cell” commanded Bulwark “and bring one of the others, the Princess has ordered this Hive’s destruction, and I intend to not disappoint her” the Sergeant nodded, leaving the room, the unconscious Changeling held in the magic fields of the two unicorn privates accompanying him. Bulwark trotted back over to his seat at the opposite end of the room, not bothering to clean his green-blood stained hooves, knowing that there was much more to come. Outskirts of Canterlot Castle – Three days after UIP arrival Nigel was currently lying prone underneath a camouflage sheet just outside the walls of the castle, the other five members of the rescue team having secreted themselves around the perimeter of the city with the reasoning that it would be easier for six individuals to infiltrate the city separately, rather than as a group. They had made good time in their journey to the city, their suits and training enabling them to continue on non-stop. It had taken a full night and half of the following day to reach their destination and the group had spent the rest of the day observing guard patrol routes and plotting possible routes to their destinations. The guard coverage had been surprisingly sparse especially considering that the capitol had been invaded barely a month ago. The weaponry possessed by the majority of the guards had appeared to be primitive in nature, with the most advanced item being crossbows. Nigel was confident that the metal-bolts would be unable to penetrate the armour of the wraiths, having been designed to deflect bullets and energy weapon discharges. The sun had dropped behind the horizon four hours ago, and whilst the full moon provided ample illumination Nigel was confident that the team would be able to reach their objective, the roof of the citadel overlooking the city, without being spotted. Nigel had noticed the day guards, whom were easily recognizable by their ornate gold armour and white and blue colour scheme, had been relieved at sundown by what appeared to be the spawn of a pony and a bat, Nigel shuddering as his brain provided him with images, incredibly detailed images. “I’ve got to stop falling asleep in front of the nature channel” Nigel mumbled, shaking his head to clear himself of those vile thoughts. ‘It’s incredibly sad, but I just know that someone out there would probably get off on it’ he thought before he gave the order for the wraiths to commence the infiltration, trusting that each individual soldier was capable enough to achieve their task. Nigel removed himself from under the camouflage sheet, folding it up and storing it in a compartment in his suit before rushing over the edge of the city wall. Nigel checked his sensor, the nearest life signs located fifty meters down the wall in a stone guard tower, the occupants currently ascending the internal staircase towards the top of the wall. He quickly hauled himself up using the suits grappling hook, expertly landing on the top section of the wall with hardly any sound. Checking around the surrounding area, he quickly rappelled down the opposite side, coming to a rest beside a cart loaded with watermelons. He stealthily made his way towards the castle and was surprised about the fact that the city seemed to possess little nightlife, the only activity coming from a few restaurants and bars. The rest of the journey took roughly an hour, Nigel constantly having to avoid civilians and guards, the military presence increasing as he got closer to the castle. After much concealment in boxes and containers located in various dimly-lit alleys Nigel finally made it to the base of the castle, ascending towards the roof of the main spire where he awaited the arrival of the other Wraiths. He was immensely proud when all of the five wraiths had joined him within ten minutes, all of them reporting that they had made their journey without being spotted. Boland had almost been sighted by an inebriated civilian but was luckily mistaken for a statue, the drunken stallion believing him to be an advertisement for a new Minotaur themed restaurant that had just opened in the same city district. “*What now Commander*” Boland asked “*should we proceed to enter whist it is still night and secure the objectives?*” “*Negative Sergeant*” Nigel radioed back “*these ponies need to learn to fear us, and I wish to make an example*” the Commander pulled out his camouflage sheet, the reactive material already changing to match the colour and pattern of the Spire. “*Conceal yourselves for the time being, I’ve got a plan that I believe will for fill all our multiple goals with one strike.*” With a chorus of ‘Affirmatives’ the Wraiths moved into their allocated positions, preparing for daybreak and the inevitable chaos that their ‘visit’ would bring. Canterlot Castle Royal Throne Room Twenty Six minutes past eleven, four days after UIP arrival Celestia was tired, tired of Day Court, tired of dealing with dead ponies and especially tired of arrogant nobles demanding information regarding the captured Changelings, the news having been spread by loose-lipped guards spending their time off-duty in one of the many bars situated around the Capitol. “Your Highness, it is not our right as the nobility of this land to have access to any information regarding any possibility of those disgusting insects existing within our city, how can you withhold this important information from us?” The noble speaking was Spending Cash, a Stallion who, like many of his fellow nobility had inherited vast sums of many as well as spacious mansions that had belonged to their families for generations. Spending Cash was a member of a group of around twenty members of the upper-class in the throne room at that moment, all of whom had gathered to petition the Princess for increased Guard patrols around the high-class area of the city. “It’s not that simple, Spending Cash,” spoke Celestia as she got up from her throne and moved over towards the large stained-glass window overlooking the room. Celestia paused for a moment as she stared at the large window, the scene on it depicting a post-unification Equestria, multiple renditions of ponies frolicking happily without a care set in coloured glass for time eternal “The majority of the Royal Guard are currently searching other towns and cities for any other signs of Changelings, and the city watch is short staffed as it is.” “What about the reports of strange bipeds, Your Highness, shouldn’t the guard also be investigating the sightings regarding them?” Celestia turned around to face the noble, her radiant sunlight shining in through the window to land upon her back. Captain Bulwark entered the room and stood beside the twin thrones, having obtained information regarding the Hive’s location. Celestia noticed this and responded to the noble, attempting to finish the conversation as soon as possible. “Those are merely rumours Spending, there is no solid proof of any unknown biped running around Equestri-“ ‘SMASH!’ Celestia whirled back around to the window as she was interrupted, catching a glimpse of two black objects speeding towards her, right before the two offending objects provided her with solid proof of the existence of unknown black bipeds in the form of a knockout blow to the side of her head, the sounds of the nobles’ terrified shrieks filling the air before she passed out, her body being shoved to the floor by an impressive weight. Nigel cursed under his breath as he raised himself back upright from his position sprawled on-top of the tall white horse, having not expected anything to be standing in front of the window when he had rappelled through. As he picked himself up from the rather compromising position a pony guard in golden and purple armour attempted to rush him, the pony drawing a sword that appeared to be suspended by some kind of energy field. Nigel payed the guard little attention, more focused on the incredibly loud and annoying sounds coming from the group of ponies dressed in fancy clothes, their wails of terror ringing in his ears. Just as the pony guard reached the apex of its charge and began to swing his sword at the Commander, Nigel lashed out with the butt of his rifle, nailing the guard square in the unprotected snout and knocking it out cold, breaking the guards muzzle in the process. As the guard’s unconscious body hit the floor the five Wraiths led by Sergeant Boland, who had unslung his fusion gun, entered the room via the now broken window having rappelled down from their positions on the roof, preforming perfect landings, unlike the Commander. Two guards rushed in from the other side of the Throne room’s main doors, having heard the commotion. One was swiftly put down from a three round burst from the Commander’s EQ1898 rifle, the anti-matter rounds blowing off a foreleg and punching through chest armour with ease. With a sinister ‘HISSSSSSSSSSSSSS-ZOMPH’ Sergeant Boland fired his fusion gun, turning the remaining once-proud Solar Guard to a pile of steaming slag, the reaction so violent it left nothing behind but a black featureless blob. At this sight the sounds from the nobles intensified, until the Commander could take no more. “SHUT THE HELL UP BEFORE I SLAUGHTER YOU ALL!” This had the desired effect, the mouths of the nobles clamping down, stifling their cries lest they provoke the fury of the violent invaders. “That’s better, thankyou” said the Commander before he activated his internal communications “*Alright, whilst my landing could have gone better, we have entered the building successfully. Sergeant, I want you to head on down to the lower areas of the castle, I’m betting that the objectives are located down below, most likely in a dungeon of some sort. Head down and secure the targets and wait for us to join you, we still have some matters that need attending to*” the Commander ordered as he gestured toward the civilians. “*Affirmative Sir*” Boland replied, exiting through a side door, fusion gun at the ready. The Commander turned his attention back to the four remaining Wraiths before his eyes were drawn to an object resting near the prone body of the White Horse. “*You four, change of plans, clear the rest of the surrounding area and kill any guards you find but spare any civilians, then head down to the lower levels, ill finish up here by myself.*” “*Yes Sir*” the wraiths replied, all four leaving via the main entrance way, the sounds of sporadic rifle fire filling the air with noise soon after. The Commander walked over the unconscious body of the White Horse, the side of its face swelling up where his boots had made contact. He stooped down and retrieved the glittering tiara, turning it over in his hand. The Commander placed the tiara on his helmet, the fine piece of bling secured snuggly on its new home. Nigel stepped towards the crowd of nobles whose faces were locked into expressions of shock in response to the events earlier, such extreme acts of violence unheard of in Equestria. “What do you think” he asked, giving a small twirl “does it suit me or does it clash with my optics?” The nobles were unable to form a reply, their large eyes locked onto the Commander’s imposing form. “You right” the Commander continued, acting like they had provided him with a critique “Bling is bling no matter what, I think I’m going to keep this, knock Stevens and his sombrero down a few pegs,” he got no response, not that it mattered. “Well I’m off, remember kids, proper dental hygiene leads to winning smiles, brush twice a day after meals, so long.” The Commander exited out of the same door that Boland had, leaving the dumb-struck nobles behind, the diamond in the middle of the tiara on his head shining briefly before returning to its original state. Lieutenant Sure Shot raced down the corridor, the nine unicorns in his squad behind him, all brandishing spears with swords hovering in their telekinetic grip. Explosions had been heard coming from the Throne room and with the recent capture of six Changelings the guard was on high alert. The ten-pony squad rounded a corner and all stopped at once, their path blocked by an intimidating bipedal creature appearing to be made out of metal, the creature brandishing a black club and what appeared to be Princess Celestia’s tiara mounted on its head. “Excuse me sirs” Spoke the creature in fluent Equestrian “If you would so kind as to move out of my way, we can part company on peaceful terms.” “Halt vile beast! You are in possession of Royal Equestrian Property, surrender now or face destruction!” The Lieutenant concluded his speech by pointing his sword directly at the creature, his face full of rage. “Awww, you ponies are so cute when you’re angry” the Creature taunted, attaching the club to its back and unsheathing a brutal looking knife, easily the rivalling the size of the swords wielded by the ponies “let’s make this interesting” commented the Creature, stepping forward towards the steadfast Guard ponies “I’ve been waiting for this for a loooong time…” Castle Dungeons Private Slammer looked upon the six Changelings with disgust, the foul creatures huddled together in their cell. All of the Changelings sported various wounds, resulting from the interrogations held over the last two days with the most heavily injured one, the leader unable to move. It was currently being shielded from his gaze by two of the other Changelings, both of which were attempting to sooth it, its injuries causing it a debilitating amount of pain. Slammer’s colleague, Private Hardtime approached the cell, an entirely different look in his eye as he scanned the body of the broken Changeling leader. “Hey, you, the Changeling bitch!” He called out, and the Changeling lifted its head off the ground in response to Hardtime’s insult “You look a little hungry, how would you like me to come on in there and fix that” Hardtime chuckled, his eyes lingering on the Changelings skinny flank. Slammer rolled his eyes, used to the eccentric behaviour of his co-worker. However, he did admit to himself that it had been an awfully long time, he thoughts straying to the fact that it was just him and Hardtime assigned to guard the Changelings, all the other guards pulled away to join the search for any others. “Shut your mouth, you pig!” The voice of one of the other changelings interrupted Slammer’s thoughts, it’s voice indicating that it too was female “It’s our luckily day Slammer” the enthusiastic Hardtime said “Two bitches! One for me and one for you!” Slammer turned to face the changelings; the changeling who had insulted Hardtime was currently standing right in front of the two guards, an expression of hate directed at them through the bars. Slammer looked the changeling over, its scrawny body whilst not too attractive could work and he found himself responding with a “Sure, let’s go for it I guess” “I knew you’d be up for it” Shouted Hardtime gleefully, before turning to once again leer at the Changeling leader. “I get the leader” he said with a grin “I’m going to break her all over again” he chuckled at the nominated Changeling’s expression, it’s previous look of defiance had morphed into one of fear “No” The extra voice caused both Hardtime and Slammer to turn to the source, the former guard finding himself staring into a metal object with a black circle in the middle. The circle suddenly flashed blue, and the Guard known as Hardtime ceased to think forever. “No” Reflection watched in morbid fascination as the two guards turned towards the mysterious voice, its tone cflat and clinical. The guard that had ‘chosen’ her, referred to as Hardtime, was currently staring into a large grey object with a glowing blue section arund the middle held in the hand of a tall black armoured biped, whom she recognised from stories circling the Hive before her capture as a human. With a violent flash of light, a burst of blue energy left the barrel of the hand-held object, colliding with Hardtime’s face, melting it clear off and exposing the inside of his head, the entire front half of his skull burnt away. As his body dropped the biped rammed a blade that had sprung from its other wrist into throat of the other guard, his look of shock at the fate of his friend changing to one of pain. The biped withdrew his blade from the pony and placed the barrel of its other weapon against the convulsing guards head. ‘SPLORT’ Sergeant Boland lifted the smoking muzzle of his plasma pistol away from the remains of the second guard’s cranium. He holstered the sidearm, turning towards the shocked occupants of the cell before activating his right wrist knife again, the power field-sheathed blade cutting effortlessly through the lock. As the cell door swung open the four wraiths under his command entered the area, heading straight over to the Sergeant. “*Secure the targets, assist those unable to move*” He commanded. The two wraiths moved into the cell with one of them, Corporal Jacobs, crouching down next to the Changeling which sported the most serious wounds. “Are you able to move?” he inquired Reflection shook her head “No, I’m fairly certain that both of my rear legs are broken.” “I see” replied Jacobs “Please prepare yourself, this will no doubt cause severe pain” Reflection nodded and Jacobs lifted up the injured Changeling, eliciting a sharp squeal of pain from her. Jacobs supported her with both arms, making sure that the Changeling’s two broken rear legs did not come into sudden contact with anything. His task accomplished, he began to rub the Changeling’s head with his free hand as he exited the cell in an attempt to sooth it, the pain having caused it to begin to cry. All the other Changelings were able to move under their own power, and soon the group had reached the entrance to the dungeon. “Where’s the Commander?” A wraith questioned, using the external speakers so the Changelings could understand “I thought he was sup-“ “I’m here, I’m here!” Shouted the Commander as he dashed around the corner. Boland, the cold, harsh individual who always thought of the objective and nothing else had to stop himself from bursting out into laughter. He had known and worked with the Commander for over ten years and that could still not prepare him for the sight of Commander Chalmers, covered head to toe in gore with a large, shining tiara Boland recognised as belonging to the large white horse that had been knocked out at the start of the battle wedged firmly on his helmeted head. “Sorry I took so long, some of the locals wanted some directions to Hell, so I was kind enough to give them a guided tour” said the Commander, completely oblivious to the reactions of his men as well as the Changelings as he began to walk up the stairs leading the main area of the castle. “What are you waiting for” he yelled back over his shoulder “let’s get moving, Tally Ho! Pip Pip!” Discord awoke from his slumber, removing the pink blindfold from his eyes but leaving his cotton candy earplugs in. He yawned, his mouth comically touching the bottom of the floor and he stumbled over towards a table made out of elder cheese snapping his fingers, a glass of chocolate milk materialising in one hand and a copy of the Equestrian news appearing In the other. As he sat down at the table, about of take a sip of pure chocolate deliciousness he was interrupted by a knocking on his door. He grumbled to himself as he got up from the table, walking rather than floating cause hey, he just woke up, do you have the energy to float when you’ve just woken up? No, that’s what I thought. Dismissing the voice in his head, attributing it to it being Tuesday, he pondered who could be disturbing him this time as he hadn’t been able to cause any major chaos, the princesses enforcing strict rules upon him ever since his reformation. What he saw when he opened the door woke him up fast, that’s for sure. Standing in the doorway covered in what appeared to be copious amounts of blood and wearing what looked like Tia’s tiara stood a large biped, its metal skin black save for its face which was shaped like a skull, its colouration bone white. Behind the biped stood five other bipeds, one holding a crying Changeling with five other Changelings huddled together in a group behind the bipeds, using the bipeds’ armoured legs to shield themselves from the confused draconius. “Forgive me for the interruption sir, but can I please ask you if this wall at the end of the corridor here leads outside, we seem to have gotten a tad bit lost” the biped asked, pointing towards the said wall. Discord could only nod his head in response, much to the joy of the Biped. “Great!” Exclaimed the biped as it walked over towards the wall and stuck what looked like a large blob of rubber on the wall. The Biped then stuck a pin into the end of the rubber blob and returned to Discord’s doorway. It then retrieved a remote with an oversized red button on it from within its skin and slammed its finger down on the trigger. ‘KRRRRRUUUUMP!’ The castle shook violently as a gigantic hole was blown the wall, exposing the corridor to sunlight. The bipeds and changelings all walked down the corridor and exited out of the hole into the outside gardens, however once every single one was out the one which Discord assumed was the leader stuck it’s head back through the hole. “Thank you for the directions, Stay in School!” Discord stared at the hole for a few seconds before slowly stepping back inside his room and closing the door, locking it. He then went and re-applied his blindfold as he returned to lie back down on his bed. ‘That’s it, I’m going back to sleep, I want nothing to do with whatever’s going on’ he thought as he laid back on the pillows ‘Nothing at all.’
Salvation via Home InvasionThe Changelings and humans had fled the castle hours ago, their speed diminished due to the Changelings’ poor physical condition resulting from their captivity. There appeared to be no pursuers and the group was currently sheltering in a dank cave located near the outskirts of a verdant-looking forest. Three of the wraiths had left the cave and journeyed to the forest, searching for a water source to refill their stores. The humans had a large amount of water left in their suits but they also needed excess water to help treat the wounds of the party, as well as sanitization reasons, with all of the Changelings covered in their own blood while the Humans were covered in the blood of numerous Solar Guards. This left the six Changelings, Nigel, Boland and Jacobs in the cave, Jacobs having laid Reflection down on a makeshift bed made from the team’s Camo Sheets which had turned a dull, dusty brown due to their chameleonic nature. Reflecting had passed out an hour before, allowing Jacobs to treat her wounds as much as he was able to, the Changelings’ biology not being too alien with the most varied difference being the colour of their blood and the flesh that was hidden under the chitin was coloured green as well. Her back legs had been bound with splints, the humans having used wood retrieved from the nearby forest. The other five Changelings were sitting around the makeshift triage area resting, not possessing the endurance that the humans’ suits provided. Corporal Jacobs was currently keeping watch at the cave mouth fifty meters away, his silhouette just visible from the main cavern where Nigel and Boland were crouching around a holo projection originating from a projector located in the Commander’s armour, the Changelings that were awake were gazing at the immaterial 3D map of the surrounding area in amazement, having never seen a hologram before. The humans had comprised the small map whist heading to the Equine Capitol. “We still have at least two days of traveling if we continue at this current rate” said Nigel as he gestured towards the map “the current status of our companions is a grave cause for concern, and I’m not sure how much longer that one will hold out for without proper shelter and treatment” Nigel inclined his head towards Reflection’s form, the Changeling occasionally trembling in her slumber “I studied battlefield aid and surgery, but we need a clean space and more medical supplies if I’m going to be able to help her at all” Boland cocked his head, he had learned a lot about Chalmers during this operation and had already known from previous experiences working with him that he was not as stupid as he often appeared, but advanced medical knowledge? He knew for a fact the one last people he wanted rummaging around in his insides was the Commander, beaten only by Corporal Stevens, but he had to admit that if he was wounded on this planet it did bring a small amount of comfort knowing that at least one of the team members was versed in the medicinal arts. Boland revised the mission objectives within his head before activating his internal communications “*Sir, our mission was to secure the captives to prevent the Equestrians from gaining intelligence regarding the location of our base and we have achieved that. This Changeling is a burden and is a danger to the continued success of the mission, I recommend that we put it out of its misery for the sake of the mission.*” “*Whilst you raise some good points Sergeant*” Radioed back Nigel “*sometimes you have to take risks in life for the sake of security. These Changelings are willing to co-operate with the UIP and I intend to insure that no incidents jeopardize the relationship that we have fostered. I value your insight and straightforwardness but I don’t want this topic to surface again, understand?*” “*Yes Sir*” “*Good*” replied Nigel, turning back to the holo-map “Now you see this village here” Nigel continued, switching back to external speech and pointing at the indicated village “whilst I imagine that it would contain at least a local police presence it is rather isolated and it lies directly on the route heading back to the Hive. If we were to somehow-“ “Excuse me, um, Sirs?” Nigel and Boland looked up, one of the Changelings having walked over from its fellows to stand beside the map “I’m sorry for the interruption, it’s just that I overheard you talking and a few months ago I was assigned to watch that village” the Changeling gestured with a hoof towards the map, eyeing it warily “it’s called Coltsdale and there’s a small farm on the outskirts that’s hidden from the town by wheat fields.” “That’s certainly helpful, what was your name?” Nigel replied, not recalling having been told its name, in fact he only knew that the leader was named Reflection. “It’s Nestor Sir” “Well Nestor, thank you for the information, can you tell us anything about the local garrison or any police in the village?” “They don’t have a garrison but that was long time ago, they might have put one in there after the… failed attack on Canterlot.” Nigel noticed that whenever the failed invasion was mentioned the Changelings seemed to become depressed, the Queen hadn’t provided any details and the humans hadn’t asked so the circumstances surrounding the situation were largely unknown, with Nigel only interpreting that the Changelings had attacked out of desperation, and the Equestrians had beaten them back with strength-of-arms. He made a mental note to subtly enquire about the failed attack when they returned to the hive. “It’s all right, the information you gave us is appreciated Nestor, I’ll be sure to inform Chrissy to commend you on your attention to detail.” Nestor nodded happily and began to walk back towards the other Changelings before the human Commander’s words caught up with him ‘Hang on; did he just refer to the Queen as Chrissy?’ Canterlot Castle Throne room – seven hours since the biped assault Celestia surveyed the damage to the Throne Room, the floor littered with glass and multiple pools of blood. The bodies of her fallen guards had been removed and the nobles that were in the room at the time of the attack were currently in Canterlot hospital being treated for shock. Her Captain was also in hospital, having received a viscous blow to the head, his muzzle ending up fractured and the doctors estimated that it would be at least a week before he was able to speak again. Celestia bowed her head in sorrow as she glimpsed two unicorn guards moving past the main doors, a body concealed by a white sheet levitating between them. ‘Six bipeds, six bipeds killed over fifty-nine of my guards, fifty-nine of my little ponies’ Celestia’s mind wondered back to the image of a side corridor where the remains of ten guards had been found, the walls, floor and even ceiling covered in their blood, their lifeless bodies scattered around the bloodstained walkway like discarded children’s toys. She could remember being woken by a frantic guard, his face filled with fear. She could still picture the formless black blob she had spotted as she had raised her head, a head which had a swelling on the side which still hadn’t gone down. She remembered the bodies of the guards that had been found in the dungeon, their heads destroyed and the Changelings they were guarding gone. She thought back to the massive hole in the exterior castle wall and she shuddered to dwell upon what had caused it. Celestia recalled all of these images and came to one conclusion ‘We can’t do this alone, we need to contact the Griffons, the Zebras and the Minotaurs, only with their help can we win, as I doubt the elements will be enough to fight this new threat.’ Outskirts of Coltsdale – Hoofull Farm Generous Hoofull sighed with content as he leaned back on the living room’s blue sofa and basked in the warmth of the roaring fire located in the brick fireplace, the bright flames reflections flickering off the clean wooden walls. It had been a good harvest and the crops were plentiful, the family barn filled with carts loaded with corn, wheat, flowers and vegetables. The Moon had risen some time ago and his three children Harvest, Plentiful, and Righteous had fallen asleep in their beds upstairs. His wife, a beautiful mare by the name of Daisy Bloom was busy in the kitchen, bottling some of her renowned daisy jam. Hoofull rested his head on his grass green forelegs, utterly relaxed after a hard days labour working the fields. ‘KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK’ Hoofull jolted off the couch, his straw yellow tail getting caught between the two cushions as he righted himself beside it. Who could be knocking on the door at this time of night and why? Hoofull moved out of the living room and towards the front door, the hallway littered with children’s toys. Hoofull wrapped his mouth and opened the door, the heavy oaken barrier swinging open with a loud squeak, its hinges in need of some oil. Hoofull removed his mouth from the door knob and looked to see which pony had disturbed his rest. The bipedal figure standing in the doorway had him frozen in shock, its monstrous form freezing the blood in his veins. “Good evening” said the monster, its voice flowing from its immobile skeletal mouth “I’m Pastor Chalmers from the Later Day Church of Gratuitous Violence, and my colleagues and I would like a moment of your time to talk to you about the good word of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” At this sentence two other bipeds emerged from either side of the outside doorway, levelling two black objects at Hoofull’s head. The first biped stepped forward, and Hoofull could see behind him three other bipeds, one carrying what looked like a pony as well as five other pony sized shapes, their forms obscured by the darkness. “The first thing we would like to discuss with you” the lead biped continued, moving ever closer to Hoofull “is how the good Lord helps those who help themselves…” The Hoofull family were huddled in the corner of the living room, the remainder of the room occupied by six of the bipedal monsters as well as what Glorious now recognized as six Changelings. One of the bipeds was currently holding a sleeping Changeling in its metal arms, the Changeling covered in cuts covered in green fluid, yellow crust starting to form around some of the larger lacerations. The Changeling was shivering as if it had a fever, the biped holding it petting it on the head. The monsters had worked fast, entering the home swiftly and rounding up the five members of the family, shoving them into the living room where two of the monsters sat down and watched them. The other bipedal terrors had left the room, the sounds of shutters and blinds closing filling the air with noise. Hoofull reasoned the monsters and changelings where fleeing from something and that they were planning on staying a while. The largest monster, the leader Hoofull thought, judging from the fact that it’s skin seemed to be more ornately decorated then it’s fellows had walked into the dining room where it had carefully cleared the large, solid oak table before heading upstairs, re-emerging minutes later with a bundle of linen in its arms. The biped had then proceeded to cut the pilfered linen into long strips with a long knife, placing the strips on the side of the dining table. The tiara perched on the biped’s head looked grossly out of place and Hoofull could swear that he had seen it before somewhere. That had been five minutes ago, and bipeds were currently sitting around the room while the changelings were grouped around the monster holding the gravely injured Changeling, seemingly at ease in the midst of such horrible creatures. Hoofull looked towards his children, his youngest, Harvest, a strawberry-maned golden-coated filly of six years of age was sobbing into her mother’s tan coat, traumatised by the monsters. His Eldest filly at fifteen years of age, Plentiful, was shielding her ten year old brother Righteous from the Monsters with her light brown body. The young colt was the only one of the ponies not completely terrified, his large teal eyes staring in awe at the monsters, their appearance and weapons so… alien. Hoofull, having seen the state of terror that his family was in, turned to the leader of the invaders, summoning up the courage to speak “Please… Ple-please just take what you want and leave my f-f-family alone” The Monster’s leader turned to face Hoofull before striding over and crouching down, causing the family of captive ponies to scrunch themselves against the wall, except for Righteous, who was fixated with the object attached to the Monster’s hip, a large black box much one the ones carried by the other Bipeds. The leader removed this object from his hip and tapped Hoofull on the muzzle with one end. “Now you see that there is a great idea” it spoke, its voice sending shivers down Hoofull’s spine “however one of our group is a little injured, so we’ll need the use of your dining room table, which reminds me,” the leader stood up and started walking into the Dining Room “Corporal Jacobs, bring Reflection into the dining room and set her down on the table, Watts and Boland, come in and help me with the procedure. Smith and Roberts keep an eye on the Equestrians, if they cause any trouble” The leader turned to face Hoofull “shoot them.” “Yes Sir” replied the two biped guards, who Hoofull assumed were these ‘Smith’ and ‘Roberts’. The monster identified as ‘Corporal Jacobs’ moved into the dining room, the injured Changeling, whom Hoofull guessed was ‘Reflection’ in its arms. The rest of the Changelings were looking worriedly through the doorway with two of them, one of which he saw was whatever the Changeling version of a mare was, Hoofull being provided with some… ‘Evidence’ when the Changeling picked itself off the floor, its back towards him. For five minutes the dining room was quite aside from some muttering along the lines of “we need to clear the infected build up out of the wounds" and "hold her down, if she wakes up she’ll thrash around and probably open them up again”. Commander Chalmers and his assistants worked quickly, cleaning out the Changeling’s wounds and re-splinting her broken rear legs. ‘It’s going well’ thought the Commander as he cleaned a particularly gunky cut in the Changelings face ‘if we’re lucky she’ll sleep through the entire thing.’ Just as he thought this one of the Changeling’s eyes opened “… Fuck you too, Universe” sighed Nigel out loud, right before the agonised screaming began. It had been an hour after the screaming had stopped and Hoofull hugged his family closer as the leader of the bipeds emerged, his black metal skin covered in splotches of green gore. Behind him followed another biped, the Changeling in its arms having to appeared to have been bandaged with the destroyed linen, once white strips of cloth slowly turning a dull green. The other bipeds left the dining room soon after, Hoofull unable to tell them apart, the only monster with a different appearance was the leader; all the others looked the same to him. The biped carrying the Changeling set her down on the sofa, the rest of the changelings rushing over to it, crowding around the once-again slumbering Changeling, obviously concerned for her wellbeing. The bipedal leader settled down next to the sofa, resting it’s head against the wall with the remaining bipeds taking up positions around the room, all of them settling in for the night. The leader turned towards the changelings gathered around their injured companion, with two clambering onto the sofa to join it. “I suggest you get some rest while you can, we’ll be leaving at dawn.” “Yes Commander Sir” replied one of the changelings, lowering itself to the ground beside the couch before looking at the only other two Changelings that were still awake, the two on the sofa having dozed off already. One of the Changelings quickly brushed the injured one’s head with a hoof before it joined the first Changeling on the floor. The first changeling looked up at remaining Changeling, the one which Hoofull knew was female. “Come on, Mirror, there’s nothing you can do for her right know, the humans already did what they could” the Changeling said in a male voice. ‘So those monsters are called Humans then’ thought Hoofull “It was my fault Splitting, I was supposed to be guarding the rear, but I got distracted” replied the Changeling known as Mirror “If it wasn’t for me we wouldn’t have ended up in the dungeon” the Changeling bowed her head, ashamed of her mistake. “You can’t change the past, Changeling” Hoofull recognised the voice of the bipedal leader, the Changeling looking over towards the owner of the voice, the biped shining an emblem of a three-eyed skull located on the left side of its chest, with ‘ISA’ below it. “We all make mistakes, and the only thing you can do is learn from them, cause once something happens it’s happened, you can’t go back and change it, sometimes you have to deal with the hand life deals you.” Mirror sniffled before replying “That didn’t make things better, Reflections still injured and it was my fault, no speech is going to change that fact” “And beating yourself up over it doesn’t do anyone else any good either,” responded the biped, now polishing the tiara it had removed from its head “but what is important is the fact that you haven’t slept in two days, it’s easily noticeable and I cannot afford to have anyone slowing us down anymore. I am in charge of this operation, that makes me your superior and as the highest ranking officer here I order you to lie down and get some rest” the biped finished, returning the tiara to the top of its head. The Changeling named Mirror hesitantly nestled down next to the one called Splitting, tucking its tail underneath it and curling up its hooves. The biped turned towards Hoofull, red eyes glowing menacingly “You, ponies, just keep sitting there quietly like that and by dawn we’ll be out of here and you’ll still be alive” the biped leaned back against the Changeling-occupied Sofa, one of the Changelings on it rolling over in its sleep and resting its head against the back of the biped’s large shoulder, the biped turning its head towards the dozing Changeling before facing the farming family again “So remember, you misbehave and I’ll kill you myself, slowly” the biped threatened, Hoofull detecting a hint of joy in its voice “sweet dreams.” Never in his life had Hoofull wished so badly for morning to arrive.
Trouble in the Wild, Wild WestThe sun was rising in the sky and the group of humans and changelings left the small sleepy town of Coltsdale, the farm they had sheltered in the night before receding slowly behind them. They had left in the early morning, Boland and Nigel deciding that the risk of traveling by day was less than staying at the farm. Reflection’s condition had stabilised, her wounds having stopped bleeding and the bandages covering them were fresh, although she hadn’t awoken at all since that night. The group had quickly stopped for a meal, the humans having the nutrients pumped into their bloodstream thanks to their armour and the changelings were rejuvenating themselves with some chemical love, Nigel having brought along enough vials to last ten Changelings for a week. “Mister Chalmers, Sir” inquired Nestor, half-consumed vial of love held between two hooves, turning towards the Commander who was currently sitting down on a rock examining the holo-map “Yes Nestor” Responded Nigel, diverting his attention from a supposedly abandoned pony town on the map towards the Changeling “What is it?” “I was just thinking, what’s stopping that family of ponies from telling the guard about us, they could be alerting the garrison right now” “Don’t you worry Nestor” reassured the Commander “I took care of that problem, they won’t be leaving that house for a while…” “Mommy, Daddy, can I go back to bed now, I’m really tired” “No Righteous, don’t move, that monster said that if we left this room before nightfall the bomb will explode!” “Oh, the looks on their faces, priceless” Chuckled Nigel, and Nestor decided that it would be wise to drop the issue. The group, having finished with their sustenance continued westward, the abandoned town known as “Saddleburg” their destination. The town was an old mining town and while small the buildings would no doubt provide adequate protection from the elements as well as from the prying eyes of any pony guard patrols. If the group were discovered the town would most likely feature some mineshafts, Nigel reasoning that these would make a good defensive fall-back, the ponies most likely not being used to subterranean warfare. The town however was still half-a-days walk from the group’s current location so Nigel decided to use the time to talk to their changeling companions about the planet they were on. “So Nestor” Nigel began, turning towards the Changeling walking beside him, the one that had been a reliable source of information so far, the Changeling in question turning its head to face him “tell me about the other races that inhabit the planet…” Canterlot Castle – Royal Meeting Hall “I thank you all for your swift response to our request, your willingness to attend this emergency meeting is much appreciated” Celestia spoke, looking across the large rectangular towards the group of foreign diplomats looking back at her, Councillor Swiftbeak of Griffonia, General Stronghorn of the Minotaur Empire and Chieftain Mustasable of the United Zebra Tribes. The ambassador of the Diamond Dogs had declined the invitation to the meeting, despite having lost a citizen to the bipeds. “We would not hesitate for a chance for retaliation against these Monsters, Princess” Stronghorn replied “the unprovoked death of one of our people has the entire Empire calling for action; I understand that you lost two of your ponies as well?” “We lost far more than two, General,” Celestia give a long sigh “I’m sure you all have noticed the increased guard presence around the castle?” The ambassadors all nodded, the castle was swarming with Guards, thirty fully armed and armoured Solar Guard were currently in the room with them, all of the Guards keeping a close eye on the large windows dotted around the room. “Yesterday, whilst Day Court was in progress, a force of black, metal bipedal creatures stormed the castle, killing many guards with strange projectile weapons before freeing a number of changelings we had captured. We were able to retrieve information regarding the location of their hive, however during the attack my Captain was wounded, he was the only one with the information and it will be another three days before he is able to speak.” “So Princess” began Swiftbeak, the griffon pruning his golden feathers as he spoke “Do you believe that these ‘Bipeds’ are allied with a hive of… Changelings” the Griffon spat the word Changeling with disgust, the foul creatures being exterminated on sight within the Griffon Empire. “There is strong evidence to support that Chancellor; the bipeds’ main target appeared to be the retrieval of the Changelings, although from the accounts of a few nobles present at the time of the attack, the apparent leader of the bipeds stole my Royal tiara and was wearing it when it left the castle. My tiara is enchanted with a locator spell, however due to injuries I sustained during the attack,” Celestia turned her head, the Ambassadors collectively winching at the sight of the Princesses face, a huge black bruise covering the majority of the left side “I am unable to cast the spell, however my Sister, Luna, is returning from her visit to the Capitol of the Bat-ponies and she will be here by tomorrow night.” “When you find these monsters Princess” spoke Stronghorn, thumping a fist to his blue chest “you have my assurance that the Empire will assist your forces in hunting down these beasts” “You have the Griffon Empire by you side as well” declared Swiftbeak “any creature that is willing to align itself with those rotten insects is an obvious threat, and their swift destruction should be a high priority” The group turned towards the diplomat for the Zebras, Mustasable, the Zebra having have not said a single word during the discussion. The Zebra appeared to be deep in thought, her eyes closed and her head tilted back “While the United Tribes have no Quarrel, with the ones both black and horrible, we feel that their existence, is a problem that requires great persistence, because of their crimes so terribly cruel, not standing with you against them, will make us fools.” “Then it’s agreed then” said Celestia “as soon as my Sister returns we will cast the locater spell and track down these monsters so that they will never be able to harm any of our subjects again” Celestia turned and gazed at one of the paintings on the wall, depicting the Elements of Harmonys’ victory against Nightmare Moon “I’ve already summoned the Elements to Canterlot; I just hope that they, combined with the might of our conjoined forces will be enough.” Celestia turned back towards the Diplomats “I can’t shake the feeling that this will not end well” ‘The leader of these Bipeds must be a tactical genius to be able to thwart our finest guards’ thought Celesta. “So then the vampire spits out the wine, turns to the priest and says “What the hell are you talking about, this swill isn’t blood at all!” The Commander finished, throwing his hands up to empathise the punch line of the joke. Nestor was confused, why would a priest, a being dedicated to religion, lie to someone about wine being blood, it just didn’t make sense. The Changelings had little to do with religion with many only going so far as to believe in an afterlife but these humans seemed to have so many! Nestor had found out that the most popular religion in the human’s empire was something called ‘Mortisum’ a religion firmly focused around their Emperor and death, the religion promoting that everyone was entitled to an afterlife as long as they lived their lives for the good of the Empire. Nestor himself thought that the idolization of death was a little strange, but after spending a few days in the company of a group of alien killers he could see why they would want a religion telling them that what they were doing was right. “Commander!” Nestor was pulled from his thoughts by the voice of one of the human ‘Wraiths’, the soldier belonging to the group of three sent to investigate the old mining town. “What is it Roberts?” replied the Commander “The town shows no signs of recent occupation sir, and a Saloon in the middle of it looks suitable for our needs” “Good work Corporal, lead the way” Corporal Roberts lead the group towards the town, the ramshackle wooden buildings having seen better days. The plain colours of the houses and stores blended in with the dusty landscape, their aged wooden walls covered with the signs of abandonment. The group approached the largest building in the town, a large saloon, the sign with its name having fallen down long ago. As the assorted humans and changelings filed into the building the two wraiths already present in it moved away from the bundle of cloth they had found in one of the surrounding houses, Corporal Jacobs lowering the Changeling in his arms onto the make-shift bed. The Changelings all made themselves comfortable on the floor surrounding their comrade, the humans instead opting to sit on the many stools located around the bar, the bipeds’ size nearly causing the pony-intended furniture to break. The stout stools held, however and the bipeds and changelings settled down into their own conversations, the Changelings discussing the events of the previous days whilst the humans were reminiscing over the time Corporal Stevens was accidentally set alight during another operation a few years ago. This state of relaxation continued for many hours, night having fallen upon the land barely an hour before. Corporal Jacobs was currently telling the enthralled group, the Changelings having joined the bipeds in conversation previously when Reflection had awoken, about his time spent as an Orbital Special Forces Trooper and his many dangerous planetary assaults when a distant wail echoed through the town. The Wraiths immediately readied their guns and jumped up, all of them taking up positions around the saloon, peering out of windows and doors. The Commander strode over to main doorway, drawing his two handguns, making him look like a Bandito, “Boland and Jacobs, stay here, Roberts, Watts and Smith with me, let’s find out what’s going down in Funky Town” “Wait! Take me with you!” the wraiths about to leave through the door stopped and turned around, Mirror having gotten up and running after them “No” replied Sargeant Boland “There may be Hostiles present; you should remain here with your fellows” “Let her come if she wants to Boland” Nigel said, turning towards Mirror “You know that there is a high chance that you can die out there and I also don’t want you questioning what I say, if you agree this then I’ll let you come, you understand?” “Yes, I just feel useless; all we’ve done so far is slow you down while you humans have to do all the fighting” “I don’t mind Mirror” responded Nigel “I enjoy fighting,” the commander turned back towards the door, raising his head and making exaggerated sniffing sounds through his helmet “Thar be trouble brewing in this her’ town,” the western accent filled the air and Mirror swore she heard banjos playing, the Commander exiting through the swinging doors. “I can smell it” __________________________________________________________________________________ The group of four humans and one changeling stealthy made their way through the town, the wraiths scanning every alley and possible hiding place with their rifles whilst the Commander and Mirror followed in the rear, the Commander swinging one of his pistols in his hand, the other safely snug in its holster at his hip. Mirror kept on nervously checking over her shoulder, this situation being eerily similar to when she was originally captured by the Equestrians. The wails had increased in frequency and volume as the group neared a mineshaft dug into the side of a mountain at the back of the town. The group stopped at the mouth of the shaft, the tunnel descending into inky blackness. “Roberts, stay out here and keep watch for any hostiles, Mirror, Smith and Watts back me up, let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.” With these words Nigel descended into the dark, handgun held outstretched in front of him, Smith and Watts followed him without hesitation while Mirror nervously trailed behind, starting to regret her choice to join the search team. After five minutes of walking a glow could be seen up ahead, and multiple cries could be heard as well as the sound of mining. “*Roberts, we seem to have found the source of the disturbance, how are things topside?*” “*All clear Commander,*” Roberts replied “I’ve established a sniping position on the upper rock face, I have a clear view of the entrance*” “*Roger, hold your position and let us know if you see anything, lethal force is authorized, fire at your discretion*” “*Confirmed Sir, happy hunting*” Nigel started moving towards the glow after the signal was cut, the tunnel mouth widening out into a carven, the light from wooden torches dancing across the stone walls. He crept up towards the edge of the cavern, making sure that his form was cloaked in shadow, the two wraiths edging along the walls of the tunnel. Mirror remained at the tunnel mouth, choosing to stay and wait until the humans needed her. Nigel reached the edge of the drop and looked down, studying the situation. Down below, accessible by walkways carved in the rock, were around ten Equestrian ponies, eight earth ponies and two unicorns. The majority of the earth ponies were attached to mining carts with the two unicorns wielding pick-axes, working upon on of the rock faces, a vein of diamonds visible in the rock. Also present in the cavern were a large group of bipedal dogs that Nigel recognised from Corporal Stevens’ account from the apple incident, wearing what appeared to be crude metal armour and wielding spears. Judging from the whips wielded by some of the dogs, the lash marks on the crying ponies and the earth pony chained up to a pole in a growing pool of blood with a small foal crying into its mane Nigel came to the conclusion that the ponies weren’t here role-playing a relaxing game of LEGO Rock Raiders. “*Slavers*” Watts muttered, pointing his rifle at the head of a Guard dog standing on a walkway “*permission to execute Sir?*” Slavery was viewed in the UIP as a barbaric practice, with the punishment carrying a death sentence. All UIP military and policing personnel had the authority to execute slavers on sight, although since slavery was viewed with such distaste, often death did not come quickly for slavers that had the misfortune of being captured by UIP forces. The UIP was even known for declaring war on other empires that used slave labour and as a Dewbeccian Comedian once joked “Those crazy UIP bastards, you can be a megalomaniacal Warlord responsible for the deaths of billions and they’ll walk up to you, shake whatever you call a hand and invite you over for tea, or you can be a slave owner with two slaves and they’ll tie you to a table and cut off all your limbs while your family watches.” Needless to say, the UIP had a reputation for extreme cruelty when it came to the matter of slaves. “*Permission denied, Corporal*” came the response from Nigel, the Commander eyeing a large dog that was walking over towards the pony chained to the pole, the amount of blood certainly meaning it was dead. The foal, a grey unicorn that was sobbing into what Nigel assumed was its parent’s corpse, lifted its head to look fearfully up at the approaching dog, its large aqua eyes framed by a dirty midnight blue mane. “*I think this situation calls for a personal touch,*” Nigel shifted his pistol to his left hand, a large sword –like blade springing from his right wrist gauntlet, the blade buzzing with electricity, casting a menacing glow upon his helmet, bathing the pale skull in blue light. Bleak Horizon pulled his head away from the grass-green mane of his mother to look at the Diamond Dog approaching him. It was Yella, the Alpha of the pack that had taken him and his parents prisoner while they were travelling to Canterlot. That had been three weeks ago, his father having died within the first week down the mineshaft and now his mother was dead as well. Horizon knew that this was true as she had stopped breathing yesterday, the blood loose from the spear wound proving too great. It was Yella’s fault that his mother was dead, the Alpha having speared her in the chest as an example to the other captives. As he remembered that day a fresh wave of tears flowed from his eyes and the Alpha saw this, his many yellow teeth forming into a rotten smile “Awww, is the little pony sad? What a shame, would you like to see your mother again?” The Alpha raised his spear, the dried blood of Horizon’s mother still on the tip. Yella began to advance upon the foal, his vile tongue lolling out as he licked his lips “You know” he said, stopping three meters away from Horizon, spear raised in the air “I love it when my dinner cries, the sadness makes the meat very tender” this prompted chuckles from the thirty other dogs in the room while the other ponies watched the scene in horror, unable to look away. Yella brought his spear do- ‘CRASH!’ The Alpha whirled around, the rest of the pack following the noise, Horizon and the other ponies turning to look as well. Horizon had never seen anything so terrifying in his life, and he was just almost on the receiving end of a spear in the midst of a den of Diamond Dogs. Pulling itself up from the wreckage of a wooden cart was a tall two-legged black monster. The monster’s head was a skull with two glowing red eyes and a picture of another skull with three eyes was attached to its large metal chest. “I’m incredibly sorry for the interruption” said the biped in Equestrian, its voice sounding clear despite its mouth not moving. Horizon thought from the sound of the monster’s voice that it was everything but sorry “but I was just taking a nice evening stroll around the town when I smelt the disgusting stench of cowardly dogs and guess what, it led me to you fine chaps” the monster had a bulky black object in its metal claw that it was tapping against the side of its head. “You can’t speak to Alpha like that, Monkey!” Growled one of the guard dogs, its paws clenched around the shaft of a spear “Oh, I do apologize” the monster responded “would Itty bitty rover prefer it if I talked like this, would ya boy? Where’s the ball, go get the ball, good dog!” “You Mongrel!” roared Yella, charging towards the monster, spear ready to slay the vile fei- ‘BLAM!’ A tongue of fire roared from the object held in the Monster’s left claw as Yella’s charge was halted, his right hind leg coming off at the knee in a spray of crimson. “Lie down boy, that’s a good dog!” Praised the monster over Yella’s agonized howls, the monster walking over to the injured Alpha and kicking away the spear from his outstretched paws. The rest of the dogs backed away from the Monster, the rear most guards beginning to circle it, until the monster was surrounded by dogs. The other ponies had all run to the opposite side of the cave, cowering in fear in a huddle. Horizon had not moved from his spot next to his mother in the pool of her blood, he was too busy staring at the fallen Alpha, the dog whimpering on the ground. “We got you surrounded Monster, you going to die now” Spoke the second-in-command, a heavyset grey-furred dog by the name of Scruffy. Horizon looked away from the fallen Alpha and looked behind the monster; the two Guard dogs on the walkway above it aimed their crossbows at the monster’s back. “Is that so?” the monster questioned, before it raised its free claw and brought it down, two loud bangs echoing around the mine as the two Guard dogs fell of the walkway, their heads exploding into red mist before their lifeless bodies came crashing down behind the monster. The monster flicked its right arm, a long glowing blade sliding out with a snick. “Let’s get this party started!” It bellowed, dashing towards Scruffy with speed that seemed impossible for something its size. The monster lashed out with its blade, Scruffy raising his spear to block but the glowing sword cut through the shaft of the spear effortlessly before catching Scruffy in the gut, leaving a long gash as it swung away again. The disembowelled dog dropped to the ground, howling and trying to hold its entrails in as they spilled upon the dusty ground amidst a torrent of blood. The monster then raised its other claw, the object held within barking thrice, dropping a further three dogs the ground, their metal armour doing nothing to stop whatever was flying from the barrel of the object. “Play dead!” the monster yelled before decapitating another guard with the glowing blade. The remaining dogs, around twenty, rushed forwards together hoping to overwhelm the monster with weight of numbers. Their plan may of succeeded if two other monsters, smaller than the first hadn’t slid down the wall off the cavern, the black objects held in their claws roaring, yellow flame erupting from the ends, scything down the remaining dogs, their blood filling the air as great holes were rent in their bodies. The two new monsters rolled as they reached the bottom of the drop before coming up in a crouch, scanning the surrounding cavern with their weapons. Horizon stared at the first monster in shock, the creature in question re-sheathing its blade before walking over towards the wounded Alpha, Yella being the only Diamond Dog still breathing. “Corporals, head over there and free those captives, they may be our enemies but nothing deserves this fate” the two smaller monsters approached the other ponies, attempting to re-assure them that they would not be harmed. While this was happening the leader of the monsters pointed its loud weapon at the wounded Alpha’s head. “Right Mister… I’m sorry; I didn’t quite catch your name” The Diamond Dog gazed fearfully at the weapon being pointed at it, already well aware of what it could do “My name is Yella, Demon” spat the Alpha. The monster paused, Horizon noticing that it had begun to shake. Was the monster sick- “HAHA! HAHAHA! Your name- Your name is- Ha – Yella?” The monster laughed, its manic laughter booming around the mine “I’m sorry, it’s just- wow, that right there has just made my day, oh yeah, so back on topic” the laughter stopped, the monster re-affixing its attention towards Yella “You are a slaver, and the UIP’s policy regarding slavers states that I’m supposed to shoot you on sight, so that’s what I’m going to” “No! Wait! I’ve got twelve pups back home, you can’t kill me!” “Well I don’t have a conscience and I love killing slavers, so tough luck” BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! , BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Nigel holstered his pistol and glanced down at the corpse at his feet, the dog’s chest almost non-existent, the seven anti-matter rounds he put into it reducing the once-proud Alpha to a hole-ridden bloody mess. Chuckling, he kicked the lifeless corpse with an armoured boot “I’m sorry boy, but you were getting on in years, it was time to put ya’ down.” Nigel looked over towards the two Corporals, the two wraiths having successfully calmed the Equestrians and were now removing their chains. A shuffling sound caught his attention and he glanced towards the body of the dead pony, the small grey foal attempting to hide from him behind it. Nigel began to walk over towards the foal, crouching as he neared the corpse of its parent, the foal was half-hidden, its blue mane and bloodstained tail were clearly visible against the dull colouration of the ground. “Hi there little one, I’m not going to hurt you” Nigel said, watching and waiting as the small horse poked its head up, staring at him with moistened aqua eyes “All the nasty dogs are gone, and your pony friends are about to leave now” the foal glanced over towards the group at the same time Nigel did, just in time for the Commander to catch quite a humorous scene. One of the ponies, a mare if Nigel was correct, judging from its smaller muzzle shape was currently embracing Corporal Watts in a large hug while one of the unicorns, a stallion, had somehow grasped Corporal Smith’s hand with its two front hooves and was shaking it up and down, the ponies fear of the humans obviously disappearing once they had been freed from their chains. The ash-grey foal looked down at the dead pony before looking back at Nigel, wet patches on its cheeks “I don’t know any of those ponies Mister Monster” Nigel was a little disheartened that the child saw him as a monster, what could have- ‘Oh, right’ thought Nigel as he recalled slaughtering the Dogs, glancing briefly at the nearby body of the Alpha ‘that’ “The onlyponies I knew was Daddy and Mommy, Daddy died two weeks ago and Yella killed Mommy yesterday” Nigel was surprised that the foal was able to speak about the death of its parents just like that, maybe the weeks in captivity had hardened the child. “Well, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do for them now,” Nigel looked up towards the tunnel leading outside, the ponies having already made it up there and Nigel could see Watts signalling him to hurry up “we have to go now, come on” Nigel began to walk away, turning around to see that the foal had refused to move from his mother’s side. “No, mister, I want to stay here, I can’t leave her alone” ‘Well, at least he stopped calling me a monster’ thought Nigel as he gave a large sigh, walking back over towards the foal and its dead mother “Nothings ever easy, is it kid?” And that was how Nigel found himself digging a hole on a sandy hill with the dead body of a mare beside him and a sobbing foal lying next to it. ‘Join the military they said, serve the Empire they said’ though Nigel as shovelled dirt out of the hole with his armoured hands, the gloves cutting through the earth easily. When the group had left the cave it was almost sunrise, and with thankful goodbyes the ex-slaves had left the town, promising that they wouldn’t alert the royal guard in return for the rescue, the three wraiths as well as Mirror, who had watched the entire fight from the mouth of the tunnel had returned to the saloon. The only pony that refused to leave was Bleak Horizon, despite the offers from the other captives to look after him. In the end Nigel had relented, retrieving the body of the foal’s mother and taking it and the colt to a sandy hill just outside the town. Nigel reckoned that the hole was deep enough now, allowing the colt to say a final goodbye to his mother before he laid the body in the hole and began to fill it back up with earth. With a final handful the hole was filled, and Nigel patted done the top of the grave to flatten it. His task complete, Nigel picked up a piece of stone in a shape of a tombstone that he had carved earlier with his power-blade and set it up right at the head of the grave. He picked up the young colt, who had cried himself to sleep, and walked off back towards the town, heading towards the saloon with one final thought. ‘Why does this shit always happen to me?’ Up on a sandy hill, there stood a solitary tombstone, its edges uncut by anything native to Equestria, an inscription written in an alien language upon its face. In memory of Maple Fields, Loving mother of Bleak Horizon, Taken away long before her time R.I.P
There were... ComplicationsBy the time Nigel returned to the saloon, sleeping colt in arms the sun had risen, the bright light of morning glittering off the spots of shattered glass that were distributed around the town. As he entered the building he received curious looks from all within, the majority of them directed at the bundle of fur held against his chest. None of the Changelings had been informed of the intricate details, Mirror not being present for the majority of the incident and the wraiths who were a part of the team provided a mere “There shall be one more joining us on the trip back to base.” The sleeping colt was still covered in a thick crust of dried blood, and with the help of Boland and two of the Changelings Nigel managed to procure an old wooden tub and soap powder from one of the buildings in town. As the colt was lowered into the warm soapy water it awoke, his eyes darting open in alarm, scanning its surrounds rapidly. When it spotted the changelings standing in a group, with the exception of Reflection, watching the proceedings it flinched back and as it did so the back of its head was halted by Nigel’s armoured hand. The colt turned its head and faced Nigel, its frantic look of fear receding and its features morphing into an expression of calmness as it allowed Boland to wash it. Nigel was confused, why did this colt not fear him? He knew that the Changelings, with the possible exception of Nestor feared him greatly, no doubt because of that whole thing back at the castle. Nigel’s thoughts returned to the tiara atop his head, ‘Ah, fond memories.’ Turning his attention back to the colt in the tub, the colt currently grasping Nigel’s arm with its forelegs as the Sergeant began to clean the blood out of its tail, Nigel was hoping that it didn’t see him as a replacement father figure. As one could guess he wasn’t very good with children, especially alien pony children. Boland reached for a one of the bundles of linen that they had found the night before, his task of cleaning the child complete. The water in the wooden tub had turned a dark shade of red, the amount of blood in the water testament to the colt’s ordeal. Nigel lifted the small unicorn out of the water and Boland wrapped the linen around it like a towel, the fabric absorbing the pinkish water rapidly. The foal had fallen asleep again and Nigel guessed that its age was around seven to eight years old, granted he wasn’t exactly a reliable source of information regarding horses but by comparing its level of speech to a human child it gave him a fairly rough idea. “What are you going to do with it Sir?” inquired Corporal Jacobs, lifting the awake Reflection off of the ground, the group preparing to continue on. Nigel glanced down towards the sleeping colt held in his arms, still firmly wrapped in linen “I have no clue, Corporal, any suggestions anyone?” “Well, it can’t stay in the Hive” provided Mirror “the queen would never allow a pony to live amongst us, their diets are just to different” “You can’t just leave it here either Sir, it’s too young to be able to fend for itself, plus if any more dogs appear…” Jacobs pointed out, a point that Nigel agreed with “You could kill it Sir, that way it won’t hinder us and it would have a quick death” the ever-efficient Boland suggested, drawing shocked looks from the Changelings, the wraiths not showing any signs of alarm, used to the often cold methodical thinking of their Sergeant “No Boland, I swear, you seem to have a habit of wanting to shoot everyone we happen to meet, I mean, first Reflection then the colt?” “Wait, What! You were going to kill me?” Reflection bolted upright in Jacob’s arms, before remembering that she wasn’t supposed to make any sudden movements, the jolt of pain shooting up her spine forcing her to settle back down, that didn’t stop her from shooting a glare at the Sergeant. “You were a liability at the time and your injuries were a factor of concern that was affecting our mission. Your survival was not within mission parameters and due to the critical nature of your wounds a mercy killing was seen as the most effective solution to both problems; however the Commander’s intervention prevented me from carrying out said solution.” Reflection looked over at the human Commander, the being that had so far prompted a war with the most powerful country on the planet, slaughtered a large group of Royal Guard, killed a den of Diamond Dogs and now, she had just found out, the being that was also responsible for saving her life. As she thought about this, as well as the Sergeant's explanation she realised that the Sergeant had made some good points, and while she would not do the same in his position she did understand the reasoning behind his thinking. She looked back at the Sergeant, her glare softening “I’m willing to forgive you Sergeant, as long as you don’t intend to try to kill me again” “I’m not going to make any promises” Replied the Sergeant in his flat tone, causing Reflection to increase her glare “Knock it off you two, Reflection, the sergeant is not going to kill you and Boland” The commander turned towards his subordinate “If someone forgives you for trying to kill them, take it, don’t imply that you still intend to” The Commander picked up his rifle with one hand, whilst cradling the sleeping pony colt in the other, from a nearby table making him the last of the group to be ready to depart “Now, if we’re all done with our pointless bickering let’s move out, if we’re lucky we’ll make it back to the hive by sundown.” The changelings all let out a cheer, the prospect of returning to familiar territory a welcome one. The wraiths, true to form did not say anything, opting instead to tighten their grips on their rifles as they left the Saloon, last night’s events proving that they were not quite out of danger yet. As the group left the town it returned to the abandoned dump it was, the only changes being a few misplaced stools, a bundle of linen, a used tub with its sides stained red and a sandy hill, a lone tombstone set at its peak. Chrysalis sat on her throne, waiting patiently for news of the Commander’s mission. The humans possessed some kind of long-range method of communicating, although she had been informed by one of the human scientists that the six humans on the rescue team would have ‘switched to an internal channel so to avoid any unnecessary interruptions whilst carrying out the operation’, whatever that meant. Chrysalis was unable to detect her changelings via the telepathic link, its range being much too short. She was beginning to worry, night had just fallen and the group was due back over four hours ago, Chrysalis starting to fear that something might have happened to the group. She glanced over into the room that the humans had occupied, spotting a glimpse of one of the scientists, Klaus she believed his name was, working on some kind of metal device, the human having removed his helmet. Chrysalis and the rest of the changelings in hive had been surprised earlier when one the humans, Doctor Zarkrof, had removed his helmet, the Changelings at first believing that the biped was tearing off its own head. This proved to not be the case and the alien’s face had proved to not be that… alien. Whilst certainly different to a changeling’s, the extra-terrestrial visitors possessed a nose, a normal mouth filled with teeth, the shape of some proving them to be carnivorous, although the Doctor assured the changelings that they were omnivores and were not going to start consuming the nymphs in order to feed an never-ending hunger for flesh, Chrysalis having a very firm talk with the Changeling that had started that rumour. They did not possess any tentacles or stalk-eyes, all-in-all they looked fairly normal. Due to some of the rumours circling the Hive Doctor Zarkrof had suggested to Chrysalis that they begin cultural exchanges, the Doctor apparently a ‘Xenobiologist’, which he explained to Chrysalis as a scientist who focuses on the study of alien life-forms and their cultures. Chrysalis had already given her approval for the suggestion and already it was bearing fruit, and she was happy to note that the humans and her changelings had been getting on well with each other, any fear the changelings had of the bipeds disappearing. Chrysalis was pleased with the way things were working out, now if only all of her changelings could be- “My Queen!” Chrysalis jolted out of her thoughts, a messenger drone bursting through the Throne Room doors “the humans have returned, and all six of the scouting party were rescued alive!” “Excellent, inform the humans that their comr-“ “That shall not be necessary” Chrysalis turned in her throne, one of the human wraiths having somehow approached without her noticing. Despite her acceptance of the humans, she still felt uncomfortable around the black-clad soldiers, none of them having removed their helmets, unlike the scientists. It also didn’t help the fact that she had overheard one of the scientists making a joke about the wraiths not being human at all. “We have been informed of the mission success” the wraith continued, and Chrysalis recognized him as being the Sergeant that was left in charge by the Commander, the slightly different emblems on his shoulders indicating his higher rank “although there were some… complications” “Complications?” Questioned Chrysalis, before the Throne Room doors opened once more. Nigel strode into the Throne room, Bleak Horizon still in his arms, followed by four of the wraiths and five of the changelings that had made up the group, Corporal Jacobs having taken Reflection to the Hive’s medical section. Nigel saw the sergeant he had left in command, Sergeant Rommel, standing beside Queen Chrysalis, the Queen’s vision focused on the bundle in his arms. The colt had awoken during the walk but it had refused to leave its position in Nigel’s arms, prompting Corporal Jacobs to joke that it was probably the first thing the Commander had held that hadn’t voided it’s bowels in fright. A bullet passing a mere inch from the Corporal’s groin had shut him up, and during the rest of trip no more was said regarding the Colt’s resting place. “Commander Chalmers” the Queen began “What is that?” “Oh this, this here is Bleak Horizon Chrissy” the colt in question upon hearing his name poked his head up to look at the Queen, his right foreleg giving a little wave at the Queen. The colt had become more comfortable during the previous day around the changelings, with Nestor in particular showing a particular interest in the young colt, the two having spent the better part of an hour asking each other questions, Nestor’s seemingly unsatisfiable curiosity proving to be broad in its target subjects. “He-hello Miss Chrissy” spoke Horizon, still uneasy about the new changeling; this one was much bigger than the others. Nigel noticed that the Queen looked like she was about to launch into a tirade, presumably about being called ‘Miss Chrissy’ by a pony foal. “Horizon, she’s Queen Chrysalis, so I’d recommend treating her like such, now, would you like to try again?” “Sorry Mister Nigel, and I’m sorry as well” the foal waved once again at the Queen, not a trace of malice in his voice “Queen Chrissy” ‘Ha, I like this kid already’ thought Nigel, before realising that the Queen did not appreciate the humour of the situation, her face turning green with anger (‘he he, green instead of red, makes her look ill’ thought Nigel’) “Why you little-“ The Queen began, before her eyes caught sight of the shining tiara sitting on the Commander’s head, Chrysalis stopping to rub her eyes before looking once again at the Commander’s helmet “Is that Princess Celestia’s tiara you’re wearing, how did you get it?!” “My God” responded Nigel with audible shock, one of his hands shooting up to tear the Tiara of his helmet, bringing it up to his helmet optics “That horse was a bloody Princess?” Canterlot Castle Royal throne Room “Are you ready sister?” Luna nodded in response to Celestia’s query, her horn aglow with blue magics, a map of Equestria between the two alicorns. Celestia’s horn also was aglow; however her magic field was much weaker, the biped’s assault taking a toll on her mental capabilities. The glows from both horns intensified, until two shafts of light erupted from them, combining to shine upon a single point on the map, the spot at the base of a mountain only four miles away from the settlement of Appaloosa. The glow suddenly cut out, both of the Princesses staring at the spot on the map, Luna marking it with an ink covered Quill. “So the fiends have made that thou location their lair” “It seems so Sister” Celestia replied, turning towards the large window, the former stained glass that was the first victim in the attack on the castle replaced by a plain sheet of clear glass, this one magically reinforced to prevent any further intrusions. Outside was the Royal Guard parade grounds, the fields packed with Equestrians, Griffons, Minotaurs and Zebras, all soldiers from the different nations forming the alliance against the bipeds. Weapons were being loaded onto supply carts and yet more flashes of gold and grey were visible outside the main gate, the combined force numbering four-thousand strong. Luna joined her sister at the window, looking down eagerly at the bustling soldiers “with a force as fine as this, no enemy, no matter how Monstrous shall prevail!” What Luna did not know was that they were facing no ordinary monsters, oh no, they were going to be fighting humans, and if there’s one thing that humans are universally good at… Its Fighting.
Confounding ConfrontationsThe Hive was abuzz with activity, news having spread about the groups successful mission and the six changelings that were captured had become the most popular in the Hive. All six had been recognised by the Queen herself, Chrysalis having made the official announcement of the groups’ success at sunrise. The six Changelings had spent the majority of the night in the medical area, their multiple wounds being treated and Reflection was once again able to move under her own power. Nestor had acted as the spokesling, entertaining the other members of the Hive with the details of the mission, from the rescue from the cells in Canterlot castle to the night spent hiding in a farm barely three hundred meters from a local garrison. The Humans had chosen to stay amongst themselves, discussing the events of the past few days and the Commander made sure to show off the tiara he had plundered from the castle during the assault, making sure that Stevens had a front row seat, yellow sombrero outshined. The scientists had asked a multitude of questions, ranging from what level of advancement pony society appeared to be as to how the Commander managed to acquire a pony foal. The colt in question had spent most of the night either sleeping or exploring the makeshift human base, evidently feeling safe enough around the many bipeds to leave the safety of the Commander’s arms. Many of the humans noted how the child still seemed to keep within a distance of twenty meters from Commander Chalmers, and when the scientists had found out about the circumstances surrounding the foal, questions were raised about what would become of it. The UIP was quite accepting of foreign cultures, and the unicorn colt would have no problem with being integrated with the UIP, especially considering Commander Chalmers’s influence as well as his rumoured vast sums of wealth. The problem was who would look after it, UIP policy dictating that any alien not affiliated with the UIP or a member of an allied empire would have to be escorted by a member of the Department of Security and Intelligence. Commander Chalmers was a member of that Department but the biggest question was would he look after it properly, the Commander not being known for his nurturing personality. These problems were currently forgotten however, as the morale in the Hive was high, bolstered by the fact that starvation was no longer a big concern, the humans having promised the Changelings a constant source of the chemical salvation in return for information and friendly relations, a deal that was readily accepted by the Queen. The scientists were discussing their plans for the day, jokes being shared all round while the wraiths were, as usual, engaged in their own private conversation, with the exception of Corporal Jacobs who had left to visit Reflection in the medical area, the two having become good friends during the trip. Nigel had just prepared a cup of delicious coffee, having brought real beans grown back on Terra. The price he paid for them had been high, but for real coffee, not standard issue stuff, it was defiantly worth it. Nigel had removed his helmet, the first time since arriving on planet and was about to take a nice sip of fresh mouth-watering caffeinated bevera- “There’s an enemy army approaching, we have only an hour before they arrive!” A frantic changeling messenger announced, zooming past the Commander before running out the other side of the room, in the process causing the Commander’s cup of coffee to spill all over the floor. Nigel stared down at his fallen beverage, a single manly tear leaving his eye. His fists clenched, and he strolled over towards where his helmet was located, affixing the war helm to his armoured shoulders. As the wraiths and scientists scrambled around grabbing weapons and equipment Bleak Horizon dashed up to Nigel’s legs, throwing his hooves around the armoured trunks and burying his face into Nigel’s shins. Nigel sighed, pushing the anger deep, deep down like his therapist had told him to, before picking Horizon up, placing his hands underneath were the forelegs met the body (Armpits?). “Now Horizon, I need you to stay in the Hive okay, the Changelings won’t hurt you and I’ll get one of the nurses to look after you, who knows, maybe you could make some friends with the nymphs.” “Why, where are you going Mister Nigel, are you going out to fight again?” “I’m going to have to, Horizon” Nigel, spotting a nurse drone (Identifiable by the white hats with a red cross on them, why they needed to wear the hats Nigel had no clue) gestured it to come over, before placing Horizon on the ground next to him, the nurse flashing the colt a reassuring smile as it arrived “I need you to go with the nurse here okay? I promise that I’ll come back and get you” Boland came up to the Commander, handing him a rifle and some extra charge packs, the scientists having manufactured a few extra since their arrival. Nigel nodded towards Boland, the Sergeant leaving out the throne room doors, heading towards the exit to the Hive. The nurse drone prompted Horizon towards a side door leading to the nursery, the colt giving Nigel a final wave before exiting the room with the nurse. Nigel was the only being left in the room, all the other occupants having left in order to assist in the upcoming battle. Nigel’s thoughts strayed to his fallen coffee, his rage at the Equestrians building, they being the cause of its loss. Rifle in hand he exited the room, heading outside to join his soldiers in possible the greatest test of their skills since arriving on the planet. ‘Those horses are going to pay for ruining my breakfast, if it’s the last thing I do.’ Celestia and Luna watched over the combined army from their spot at the rear, the various Pony, Zebra, Minotaur and Griffon generals and officers organizing the force into perfect ranks, all spaced out evenly, Each race sporting a thousand soldiers each, all armed with spears, swords, axes, bows, crossbows, pikes and other assorted blades. The army had stopped just short of the hive, awaiting the Princesses orders to attack, the Equestrians being given over-all command due to the fact that they lost the most to the bipeds and Changelings. In the distance figures could be spotted moving at the entrance of the Hive, makeshift barricades had been erected and the sky above the mountain was filled with changelings, all of them taking up defensive positions on the mountain side. Celestia looked over to her left, Twilight and her friends standing firm, eyeing the Hive warily. Celestia had ordered that they be spared the details of the attack on the castle, feeling that they did not need to know of such violence, however it now appeared that they would experience it first-hoof. “Princess Celestia!” Celestia turned towards the Solar Guard Sergeant who had called her name “What is it Sergeant?” “One of the monsters is approaching Princess; it appears to be wearing your Royal Crown!” “Let us confront the beast, come guards!” Luna shouted as she flew towards the head of the army accompanied by ten of her Lunar Guard, the bat-ponies an unusual sight during the day. “Luna wait!” Celestia chased after her Sister, the Elements rushing behind her. Nigel strode ahead of the Hive’s defences, much to the chagrin of Chrysalis and Boland, the Sergeant not understanding how a matter of an invading army could be ‘Personal’. Nigel had tried to explain about the loss of his coffee, but all that had yielded was confused looks so he just went out anyway. As a wise man had once said, ‘YOLO’ He was about fifty meters in front of the main defensive line, the enemy army before him, comprised of ponies, zebras, minotaurs and griffons, began to jeer, throwing out labels such as ‘Demon’, ‘Monster’ and the ponies even called him a ‘Flankhole’. Nigel got the hint that he wasn’t popular, much like the new kid at school, so he responded in the way outlined in the ISA handbook. He stopped his advance, raised both fists towards the enemy and extended both middle fingers into the air. He then proceeded to strafe the enemy lines with this gesture, making sure that everyone got a taste. This only served to confuse the enemy, the majority not possessing fingers, so he switched tactics “GO AND GET A JOB YOU BLUDGERS!” This served its intended purpose, elements of the army starting to break ranks and began to charge, however they stopped when a group of ponies flew down in front of him, barely twenty meters away. There were ten of the bat-pony hybrids, a large blue horse clad in black armour and sporting a tiara, much like the one he was wearing. Following shortly after the blue horse was the white one he recalled knocking out in the assault at the castle during his window entrance, the horse Princess shooting him a glare filled with the fury of the sun as she landed. Nigel was not intimidated; after all, she did not possess a bitchin’ tiara. Running up behind the white horse were six ponies, all possessing some of the most God-awful colourations Nigel had ever seen, there was even one with hair the colour of the rainbow, the Pegasus who was the owner of the hair glaring at him, no doubt itching for a rumble. The Blue horse opened its mouth, preparing to challenge him “Foul Creature, for too long hath you terrorized our fair subjects, sowing chaos were thou treads, thou even had the nerve to rob thy Sister of her Royal Crown after assaulting her! What say you, monster, vile Demon, destroyer of peace and harmony, what say you?” Nigel collected his breath and prepared his rebuttal “In my defence, she really shouldn’t have been standing that close to the window and the tiara does look better on me, you have to admit” “You and your minions killed fifty of my guards!” The White horse finally found its voice, however the six smaller non-guard ponies obviously had not been told of the castle attack, all wearing expressions of shock “Fi-fifty?” a yellow Pegasus quietly said, the pony looking up at him with fear-filled eyes “Oh come on! It wasn’t fifty” Nigel replied, acting as if he had been insulted “It was Fifty-nine guards, get it right next time, I work hard at my job, some proper recognition is all I ask” “Regardless of the number, it was a completely unprovoked attack!” Nigel was starting to wish that the white horse had just stayed quite; its voice was beginning to annoy him “If I recall correctly, you abducted six Changelings, and we happen to be quite good friends with the Changelings, so rescuing them was the least we could do, besides, the conduct of your guards was most unbecoming!” “They tried to invade during my Brother’s wedding!” The purple unicorn spoke up, a tiara that looked far more bling then his sitting on its head ‘Change of plans, kill them all, then take the purple one’s tiara’ thought Nigel before the orange Earth pony pitched in its two cents “Those critters are downright dishonest!” “And they’re very scary” yellow Pegasus again “They almost ruined the party!” Squealed the pink pony, somehow managing to corkscrew up into the air “Alright, how the hell did she just do that?” Questioned Nigel, a question that went unanswered “They look downright horrendous, I shudder at the very thought of them!” Nigel assumed that the white unicorn was one of those prissy types, much like the wives of high-ranking generals “But we still kicked their flanks, just like we’re going to kick yours Monster!” The rainbow pony punctuated its statement by flying right into Nigel’s face “Rainbow Dash, come back here!” Shouted the purple unicorn while the cyan Pegasus preoccupied itself by trying to win a staring contest with his optics “Your name is Rainbow” Nigel stated in a flat voice “Were you parents’ that unimaginative or just plain moronic?” “THEY WERE NOT UNIMAGINATIVE!” yelled the flying pony before punching Nigel square in the face with its right foreleg CRUNCH! “Ow Ow Ow! What the buck are you made of, solid metal!?” Moaned the brash Pegasus, rubbing its hoof while retreating back to its friends ‘Real genius this one’ thought Nigel before replying In a faux Irish accent “No, I be made out o’ wee fairy floss an’ gumdrops an’ all sorts o' yummy candy!” The pink one gasped “You must taste delicious!” before starting too bound up and down rapidly “Sorry Pinks, you’re not my type, and even if you were it would still be a no” “SILENCE!” The voice of the blue horse Boomed around the space, silencing all conversation. Nigel noticed that the bat guards surrounding it had all covered their ears and were wearing expressions of extreme pain. “With a voice like that I had you mistaken for my ex-wife” Nigel commented “Creature!” White horse again “You have been nothing but a source of Chaos and disharmony, and as such you are to be destroyed by the Elements of Harmony!” “And just what are they supposed to be” responded Nigel “a Christian rock band, ready to spread the love of Jesus through music, changing my heretical ways?” “No, Monster! They are our most powerful weapon, used to destroy evil creatures like you!” As the white horse was talking, the six mares had begun to glow, each piece of jewellery humming with power. The six ponies began to levitate, the musical hum increasing. “And just what are they going to do, shoot me with a Fucking Rainbo-“ ‘WHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS’ Celestia watched with a smile on her face as the rainbow shot out from the Elements and collided with the biped, leaving a white after glow. ‘Finally, with their leader defete-‘ The glow cleared, revealing a biped that was very much alive and well, the Elements having no effect on it. Celestia’s jaw had dropped, the army behind her had been stunned into silence, Luna’s face was scrunched up in shock and the Elements were all staring at this Biped with fear, how could it have survived Equestria’s most powerful weapon with no effects? Nigel glanced down at his groin ‘Thank God I’m wearing armour, otherwise this would be really embarrassing’ he thought, returning his attention towards the group of horses. They were all wearing expressions of shock; clearly they expected their ‘ultimate weapon’ to do more than simulate the effects of a certain pill marketed to the older generation. Nigel took this opportunity to give a speech, switching his external speakers to max volume, his ego demanding satisfaction “HEAR ME PONIES, MINOTAURS, ZEBRAS AND GRIFFONS! I HAVE VANQUISED YOUR MOST POWERFUL WEAPON, IT NOT EVEN SCRATCHING THE PAINT ON MY ARMOUR! YOUR LEADERS ARE POWERLESS, YOUR FORCES INSIGNIFICANT, YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS CRUSHED! YOU SOUGHT TO DEFEAT US, TO DESTROY US UTTERLY, BUT KNOW THIS! YOU MAY TAKE OUR LIVES, BUT WILL NEVER TAKE OUR-“ “FIRE THE MISSILES!” Nigel was broken out of his speech, turning towards the source of the interruption, and nearly collapsed out of shock. Standing a little bit out of the defences at the entrance of the Hive was Klaus, but this wasn’t what surprised Nigel, oh no. What surprised Nigel (as well as the enemy army, Princesses and Element Bearers included) was the lone Changeling, looking absolutely scared to death with what appeared to be two large boxes strapped to its back via a metal harness standing next to Klaus. The Changeling was rooted to the ground, four metal lpoles digging into the ground on either side, supports of some kind to reduce recoil Nigel guessed. Klaus Steiner, upon completing his ruination of the Commander’s heroic speech, slapped the side of the Changeling, activating a button attached to the harness. With a massive belch of flame, swarms of rockets erupted from the boxes on the back of the Changeling, flying over the shocked ponies in front of Nigel to land amidst the assembled enemy army. The Explosives claimed a terrible toll, with the Minotaurs and griffons being the worst hit. The survivors of the first barrage turned tail and fled, before more rockets spurted from the back of the Changeling, sowing more confusion and chaos. A Pressure filled the air, and with one last look of hatred from the princesses they, the mares and their guards teleported away in a flash of light. “WAIT!” Nigel looked over to the source of the voice, one of the Bat-pony guards was looking franticly were the Princesses once were, left behind in their haste to escape. Nigel began to approach the pony, a mare judging from its voice. The mare turned and looked at him, fear in its eyes “Hey, not one more st-step Mo-monster!” exclaimed the guard, brandishing a short sickle –like blade with a leathery bat-wing. Nigel darted towards the mare catching the blade in his armoured hand, the inferior metal unable to pierce his armour. Nigel made a show of crushing the blade in his hand, the silvery metal bending and breaking while the mare stared at the spectacle with wide eyes. With the weapon destroyed Nigel grabbed the mare’s un-armoured neck with his other hand, lifting the struggling bat-pony off the ground. He held onto its neck, staring into the mare’s pleading eyes with his red optics until the pony passed out from lack of oxygen. Nigel dropped the unconscious body to the ground, right as the twenty wraiths ran up to meet him “Secure that prisoner, retrieve all of the enemy wounded that can be saved and execute the rest” The wraiths moved to carry out his orders, one grabbing the unconscious hybrid pony whilst the others went about the messy business of field executions, shooting those who had been too gravely injured in the rocket attack, a large number of changelings flying over to assist with securing those which could be helped, after all, the ponies would most likely try to attack again, at least next time the humans and changelings would have hostages to complicate matters. Nigel glanced to were Klaus was, the scientist attempting to extinguish the tail of the still-rooted Changeling, the creature thrashing around as it tried to put out the fire that had been caused by the back-blast of the rocket tubes. Nigel turned and looked upon the fleeing enemies, some flying with the majority running. Thinking of a way conclude his interrupted speech he ran over towards an outcropping of rock, passing burnt and dismembered corpses of griffons and stood atop the rock, facing the retreating army with his arms spread wide “FEAR ME MORTALS, FOR I AM POSEIDON! LORD OF THE SEA!”
An Unusual InterrogationPale Moonlight awoke with a start, the nocturne mare thrashing around in her bonds, her legs bound with some sort of metal shackles and her wings stuck down with green goo. She stopped struggling and examined her surroundings, noticing that her armour and weapons had been removed, leaving her naked on the floor. She was in some sort of cell; the walls appeared to be changeling in origin, which made sense considering she was captured outside a changeling hive. She tried to bend her neck down, attempting to bite at the cords binding her legs, but she just couldn’t reach. “You’re not going to be able to bite through them” Moonlight looked up towards the voice; a changeling soldier was eyeing her through the bars of her cell “and why is that, changeling?” she asked while returning to her task, once again trying to reach the ties “Because the Humans said that they are made from ‘graphene poly-carbonate’ and they said that it makes them almost unbreakable” Moonlight once again paused “What’s a ‘Human’?” The changeling beamed at her smugly, obviously enjoying the fact that it knew something that the Lunar Guard didn’t “The humans are those tall bipeds you ponies keep on calling ‘Monsters’, I thought you would know, considering The Commander was the one who captured you” Moonlight shuddered at the thought of the bipedal monster, remembering those unblinking red eyes as it held her up with a single claw. The changeling saw this and grinned, revealing its two long fangs “Oh bat-pony” it began in a soft sing-song voice “guess who you’re off to meet since you’re awake” Moonlight’s eyes shot right open “Oh no…” ___________________________________________________________________________________ Chitter was currently very, very annoyed with Chatter, his fellow guard. Chatter had slightly overdone it with the bat-pony prisoner and the mare was currently flailing about fruitlessly in their magic fields as they walked through the prison towards an interrogation room. “NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!” “Shut up pony!” Chitter yelled, however this had no effect on the mare, the pony too caught up in its own mantra that it payed no attention to him. Chatter thought differently, finding the whole situation as well as Chitter’s annoyance hilarious, barely able to control the fit of laughter that he had been nursing since they dragged the mare from her cell. As they passed the multiple cells other prisoners looked out at the spectacle. Over one-hundred prisoners having been captured after the carnage, the fearsome human weaponry that had been strapped to poor Buzz proving to be a devastating device. Its use had not come without a price however, Buzz having lost half his tail before the insane human scientist had put out the fire. Chitter had not been at the main defensive line, instead he had been assigned to guard one of the many internal tunnels that dotted the hive but that didn’t stop him from hearing about the Commander’s exploits. The insane biped had strode out by himself and confronted the two Princesses of Equestria and survived, not to mention the four-thousand strong army that had been backing up the two deities. He had to admit, he really was glad he wasn’t in the mare’s place right now. The two guards reached the chosen room, placing the still screaming mare on the ground before exiting and shutting the door behind them, leaving the bat-pony alone. Moonlight stopped her screaming after five more minutes, her lungs unable to keep up with her frantic cries. She lay in the dirt, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, as she awaited her fate. A loud creak sounded from the other end of the room, Moonlight being unable to turn her head to face the noise. Footsteps approached her, and her body began to tremble in fright as they stopped, what sounded like two of the humans beside her and two at the end of the room. The sound of a stool scraping back at the other end indicated that one of the humans had sat down. “Pick her up out of the dirt Corporals, grab that stool over there” as the voice said this Moonlight felt two metal claws pick her up, Moonlight finding that she had barley any strength left with which to struggle. She was plopped down upon a smooth stool, her bound hind legs out in front of her and her forelegs pressed up against her chest. She examined her surroundings from her new upright position, noticing the two human soldiers on either side of her standing at attention, a white armoured biped examining her closely and at the end of the table sat the Human Commander, his red eyes blazing and the tiara on top of his head sparkling. The sight of the skull faced human made Moonlight’s body freeze in place. “The subject appears to be afraid, Commander” Spoke the white biped “Oh really Zarkrof,” The Commander replied sarcastically “I’m so glad that I remembered to bring a Xenobiologist along on the mission, God knows how we’d cope without you” The ‘Xenobiologist’, this ‘Zarkrof’, let out a huff, the Human Commander’s response apparently upsetting him. Moonlight knew what a biologist was, but she was unsure what the pre-fix ‘Xeno’ meant. “Continuing on” The Human Commander turned to address her “What is your name, pony?” Moonlight could not bring herself to answer, too busy staring into those horrific eyes “Perhaps you should remove your helmet Sir?” One of the humans next to her suggested “Good idea Corporal” the Commander responded before raising its hands to the sides of its head, the helmet beginning to come off. Moonlight stared at the Human’s face after it had removed its helmet, completely shocked that it wasn’t half as horrifying as she expected. Instead of baleful crimson eyes the Commander possessed a set of piercing blue irises, his eyes much smaller than a pony. He didn’t have a muzzle, instead a short outcropping of flesh seemed to serve as a nose and a separate mouth was located further down the bottom of his pinkish-white face. He had two rounded ears sticking out from the side of his head, a head which possessed a short cut mane which was a light shade of brown. Moonlight had to admit that the Monster’s face was not that… monstrous. “So, let’s try again, what is your name?” Questioned the Commander again Moonlight summoned up the will to answer “Corporal Pale Moonlight of her Majesty Princess Luna’s Lunar Guard” “Luna, you mean that really loud blue Pegasus-unicorn horse?” “She is an Alicorn, not a ‘Pegasus-Unicorn’, don’t you Humans know anything” replied Moonlight, slightly put-off about the fact that the Human had just referred to the Princess as a ‘horse’ “Eh, same difference, anyway, we sure seemed capable of defeating your pathetic excuse of an army young Miss” “Oh yeah, well that was just a quarter of what we have, the Princesses are probably heading back to organise the rest now, so how’s that make you feel?” Moonlight said with a smug look on her face ‘Ha, let’s see how confident he is now!' “Thankyou Moonlight, I’m sure that information is going to prove to be very useful to us” Moonlight’s look dropped right off her face, realising that she had just told the humans how many troops they had. “Excuse me Commander?” Moonlight turned and looked sullenly at the white human, the scientist having also removed his helmet “Yes Zarkrof?” “If you are done with the prisoner” Moonlight shivered as the scientist’s eyes traced her form “I would very much like to ask her some questions” “Go ahead Doctor” “Thank you Commander, now” Zarkrof addressed Moonlight “Miss Pale Moonlight, would you please tell me what species you are?” Moonlight shifted in the chair, unsure if she should answer any more questions, however, telling them what species she was couldn’t hurt, could it? “I’m a Nocturne mare, but everyone just calls us ‘Bat-Ponies’" “Hang on” the Commander said “You just said ‘everyone’, how come you don’t say ‘everypony’ like the other Equestrians?” “Well” began Moonlight “us Nocturnes live outside of Equestria, only a few of us live there, serving Princess Luna and that’s mainly because…” “The Equestrians tend to be quite ‘problematic’ with other species” The Commander finished for her “Yes” Moonlight felt a little bad admitting it, but she did know that Equestrians did tend to act a little… speciest. Nocturnes did not tend to suffer any abuse, mainly because it took a really stupid pony to insulte a Lunar Guard, but she had heard stories of Minotaurs, Griffons and even Zebras being treated differently by many ponies, it was only thanks to the good relations that the Princesses had fostered with the rulers of those particular nations that prevented Equestria as being seen as mostly speciest. “Moving on” spoke the Doctor “How was your species created, I mean, you appear to possess traits from both the ‘Equidae’ and ‘Chiroptera’ families” All the doctor got in response was a blank stare, prompting a sigh from the Commander “He means you look like a bat got frisky with a pony, reeeaallly frisky” The Commander supplied, raising his eyebrows as he said ‘really frisky’ Moonlight blushed at the insinuation and Zarkrof shot the Commander a glare, a glare that was ignored, the Commander far too focused on Moonlight’s wings that had just shot up straight, breaking through the green goo “Why did that just happen?” The Commander asked innocently, although Moonlight felt that he knew exactly what it meant “No-noth-nothing” Moonlight’s blush intensified, trying in vain to force her wings down, the scientist scribbling down notes on a strange pad device which was emitting light “Really Commander” the scientist commented, still proceeding to take notes regarding Moonlight’s embarrassment “you really don’t have any tact at all” “Oh, I don’t have tact?” Questioned the Commander as grabbed the glowing device from the scientist, much to Zarkrof’s chagrin “Let’s see here, diet, social structure, leadership structure- Oh, hello!” the Commander exclaimed, looking towards the scientist “Mating rituals, why Zarkrof, you dog you!” “It’s purely for science Commander!” the scientist’s blush almost matched Moonlight’s “It is a standard question required by the operating guidelines, it’s merely so we-“ “Calm your tits, Zarkrof, I’m only joking, lighten up a little” The Commander turned back to Moonlight, her wings still fully extended “Okay, let’s move this line of questioning to the rear of the list, make this a bit more comfortable for everyone” The Commander stated, causing Moonlight to sigh in relief “Fine then” Zarkrof conceded “How old are you, and at what age are your species considered adults?” “I’m Twenty-one years of age, and eighteen years of age is considered adult hood, although sixteen is considered the starting age for… your know” Moonlight really didn’t want to finish the sentence “No, I don’t know, what is the age of sixteen important for” The Commander said, leaning forward eagerly, earning another glare from the scientist “Sexual relations” Moonlight squeaked “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that” the Commander leaned forward, cupping a hand to his ear “I SAID SEXUAL RELATIONS!” Moonlight yelled, the stress of the situation getting to her “Are you alright in there Commander?” One of the Changeling Guards asked through the door “Just Peachy!” replied the Commander, turning once again to Moonlight, the mare trying to make herself as small as possible. “I think we’re done here” observed the Commander, feeling a twinge, only the smallest twinge of pity for the embarrassed mare “But Commander, I still have many questions I want to ask the subject!” Pleaded the scientist “No Zarkrof, you’ll have plenty of time to question her later, I think it’s time we all took a break, Corporals,” the humans either side of Moonlight saluted “give the prisoner time to recover from her ‘condition’, then take her back to her cell” The Commander got off the stool, opening the door behind him, before turning around to look at Moonlight, the mare currently fidgeting in her Shackles, wings still out “Get those cuffs of her when you return her, after all the entertainment she’s given me in this interrogation she deserves a little freedom” He said before walking out the door with the scientist leaving two amused humans and one incredibly embarrassed Lunar Guard behind.
Canterlot Capers Two: The Return of The NigelNigel walked out of the interrogation room, Zarkrof in tow, the Xenobiologist reviewing all of the notes he had taken during the interview. Nigel was in a good mood, the whole thing with the Nocturne mare was one of the funniest things he had seen in a while. As he and Zarkrof walked up the corridor towards the throne room multiple Changelings stopped and stared at him in awe. Nigel really didn’t get why it was such a big deal, Klaus was the one who had stolen the moment. Speaking of Klaus, the weapons engineer had been banned from using any explosive substance, especially after rumours had begun to circle around the scientists that the crazed German had been spotted with nuclear material back on the listening station. Nigel hoped that this was untrue as the last thing he needed was for Klaus to somehow manufacture a nuclear weapon while on the planet. As Nigel and Zarkrof entered the throne room a very angry Chrysalis intercepted them, homing onto the Commander like a fly to an unprotected plate of lunchmeat. “What in Tartarus were you thinking you insane lunatic?” Chrysalis was pissed “Technically” Nigel began “calling me an insane lunatic is redundant, as a lunatic is already insane, therefore your logic is wrong and your insult is void” Chrysalis was dumbfounded, her mouth flapping open and closed like a fish out of water “In regards to what I was thinking, I was debating with myself about whether to spend my up-coming holiday pay on a three mouth bender in Bondi or if I should just use it to buy a boat-load of liquor, hire some strippers and just veg out back home, I had almost made a decision but then I got interrupted by that whole ‘You assaulted my sister and invaded our city’ speech and I lost my train of thought.” Nigel looked at the Queen, Chrysalis seemed to be completely un-responsive, a changeling was currently trying to rouse her from this catatonic state by waving a hoof in front of her face. The Commander decided that now was the ideal time to break the next bit of news to her “Oh, by the way” he started, re-attaching his helmet and walking over to the weapons stockpile in the middle of the camp, grabbing large packs of explosives and attaching them to various places on his armour “Turns out the Equestrians have a larger army waiting back at their capitol, so me and some of the men are going to say a friendly hello, is that okay with you?” As he said this fifteen wraiths led by Boland emerged from other rooms, all carrying large amounts of weaponry and two had a crate with a warning symbol for fire stamped on it. All fifteen ranked up in front of the Commander, guns held at their sides awaiting their next orders. Nigel awaited an answer from the Queen; the Changeling trying to grab her attention had desperately begun to tug on her left ear, still unable to elicit any reaction “I’ll take that as a yes then, move out soldiers!” Nigel and the wraiths left the throne room, leaving a frozen Chrysalis and the changeling currently hitting her in the face alone. ________________________________________________________________________________ Canterlot- Three days after failed attack on Changeling Hive Late afternoon “How are we supposed to defend against such weapons, we have no viable counter tactics at all and our allies have deserted us!” Celestia had no answer for the panicked Guard Lieutenant, the pony in question circling around the throne room while other Guard officers of various ranks watched on, the Lieutenant saying what they all were thinking. Celestia looked out the window, all of the Griffon, Minotaur and Zebra forces were gathering their equipment and preparing to withdraw. The Minotaurs’ and Griffons’ earlier confidence had been shattered by the defeat handed to them and their respective rulers had re-called all of their troops from Equestrian soil, figuring that the Changelings and Monsters would be satisfied with a poorly defended country full of plump defenceless ponies. “I mean, I’ve heard that the Zebras were even considering bribing the enemy with one of the Islands of the Burhoofter triangle along with the one-thousand zebras and ponies living on it!” “Lieutenant calm down” Ordered Celestia forcefully, fearing that if the rumour spread fear of zebras would increase, many Equestrians already wary of the striped equines “Ranting about these problems is not going to solve anything, Princess Luna and I are already working on a sou-“ “Princess Luna!?” the Lieutenant interrupted “How can we trust her, we know for a fact that a Lunar Guard was captured and I’ll bet my right hoof that the vampony has already told the changelings everything!” The Solar Guard and the Lunar Guard where known for their bitter rivalry, insults such as ‘Vampony’ were commonly thrown around, with the Lunar Guard equally guilty. “THAT IS ENOUGH LIEUTENANT!” The Royal voice was heard throughout the castle, Celestia fixing the soldier with a harsh glare “Leave the palace and don’t return unless I directly order you to, consider yourself on unpaid leave!” Celestia’s voice lowered in volume but kept its forceful edge, the Lieutenant bowing his head and exiting the throne room. Celestia turned and looked out the window once again, the assorted armies leaving Canterlot via the main and only road. ‘This day cannot get any worse she thought’ watching as the ordered lines of soldiers left the city. Celestia was soon proved wrong when a bright flash appeared in the centre of the marching armies, accompanied by a pillar of flame and a shockwave which blew out most of the windows in the city. The throne room window, which had just been replaced shattered, a few flying peices cutting Celestia’s face. As the Guards in the room rushed to help her Celestia looked out through drips of blood as more explosions sounded, with them fires igniting throughout the city. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel giggled gleefully as he removed his finger from the button labelled ‘1’ on the control, the other wraiths that were with him hidden in the penthouse suite of the luxury hotel they had snuck into before watching the aftermath of the explosion through the broken windows. Having infiltrated the city in the early morning a day ago the humans had scaled the hotel, the tallest building in the city apart from the Castle and entered the penthouse. They had expected it to be occupied but it appeared as if the current tenant had left for a few days if the note scribbled out for the cleaning staff was anything to go by. The changelings had provided the humans with an Equestrian dictionary, one of the scientists having uploaded it into the wraiths’ shared network as a translation program for written Equestrian, enabling the humans to read the note informing the staff to leave the room alone for the next two weeks. Nigel let out another peal of laughter when he activated a second button, causing the multiple charges they had set the night before to detonate, destroying guard posts, armouries and military supply caches. The charges had been of an incendiary nature, the initial explosions followed up by raging chemical fires that grew rapidly, enveloping surrounding buildings in infernos. The first bomb had been buried in the middle of the main road leading out of the city which passed over a natural rock bridge. The main bulk of the three non-Equestrian armies had been crossing said bridge when Nigel had detonated the bomb, utterly destroying it as well as wiping out most of the remaining enemy forces. This would have the secondary effect of cutting off the city from all ground access, meaning that the Equestrians would have to fly-in supplies with Pegasi, leaving many towns across the county without adequate numbers, a key factor in the plan Nigel had been forming. Eyeing the last button on the control, this one merely had an icon of a yellow smiley face on it, Nigel turned around so that he could see the castle out the window on the other side. The other soldiers turned with him, unsure of what he was doing. “Oh, this one is going to be great” Nigel chuckled to himself “I thought we already detonated all the charges Sir?” Sergeant Boland enquired “Well, all of the ones we planned, but do you remember how I left for a walk for a couple of hours?” The Sergeant nodded in response “Let’s just say that I performed a structural stability audit of the Castle, and it was found lacking” With that Nigel pressed the final button, multiple cracks echoing around the city as a ring of Explosions encircled the tallest Spire of the castle. When Nigel had conducted his ‘audit’ he found that the largest spire served as an observatory/library and while it wasn’t a valid military target all of the items inside of it had seemed real expensive. Nigel had flogged the most fancy looking hand (hoof?) held telescope, the gold viewing device studded with gems, and was currently using it to view the destruction of the tower. With a loud echoing groan, the tower came away from the castle, the massive piece of masonry dropping to ground. As the destroyed tower came into contact with the ground the entire city shook, paintings falling off the walls in the penthouse and furniture was overturned. Nigel watched, laughing as the tower came to a rest on the ground, the once proud high-perch reduced to a pile of rubble. The area that the tower came away from was currently on fire, the explosions having ignited the inner wooden support structure. Plumes of smoke rose up into the air from the ravaged castle, joining with the ones originating from the city, the inferno continuing to spread. The majority of the area that was on fire appeared to have been a military/supply area of the city, well separated from the residential area that housed the hotel the humans were in. Nigel leaned back on the bed he was on, the four poster bed fit for a king “Well chaps, there’s only one thing left to do” at this the wraiths looked at him, before Nigel pointed towards an area in the room, two refrigerators and a bar sitting next to it “Let’s raid the minibar, after all, the poor SOB who rented this room is paying” ________________________________________________________________________________________ An hour had passed and already the soldiers had run up a tab in the thousands, selecting the most expensive liquors and wines they could find. They partied hard as the city burned, the sound of classical music filling the room. Nigel had found a record player and some records, most of them being Classical with a smattering of electronic. As he reclined on the bed, the soldiers all lounging around in the room, with Boland and three Corporals even sitting in the hot tub with their armour still on he hoped that this ‘Octavia’ pony didn’t die in the fire, as he quite enjoyed her Cello music and he would like to meet her one day. “Wow, look at this, we hit pay dirt!” Nigel looked over towards the voice; two corporals were crouching down near a cabinet at the end of the room. He removed himself from the bed, martini in hand and ambled over towards the pair. As he approached they moved apart for him, revealing their prize which they had found in a draw. Around fifty magazines of a questionable nature were piled on the floor, amongst them ‘Playcolt’, ‘Mares of the Month’, ‘Regidar’s Rude Ramblings’ and the subtle and elegant ‘Saddles and Sluts’. Nigel and the two corporals stared at the pile, none of the three making a move to return the adult reading material to where it had been found. “Lads,” Nigel began, scooping up the pile of magazines “We’ve set a city on fire, we’ve hijacked a Penthouse and we’ve already raided the Mini-bar, a line has to be drawn somewhere” Nigel looked around the room at the four soldiers in the hot tub, to the few were dancing to the music and the others that were sitting around chatting, drinks in hand “Oh, fuck it, it’s a party after all” Nigel said before throwing the pile of magazines into the air, the adult literature exposing itself as it spread itself around the room, falling down like a weird type of R+ rain. As the rest of the occupants in the room noticed the spectacle, Sergeant Boland in particular receiving a lewd centrepiece model to the face, soldiers began to pick up the Magazines, curious to what they contained. “Pony porn for everyone!” Nigel yelled, spreading his arms as if he were a god, delivering salvation upon his followers. ____________________________________________________________________________________ “My Queen, you have to come quickly!” Chrysalis groaned, lifting her head from her pillow, a frantic group of changelings standing at the entrance of her chambers. She slowly stumbled out of the bed she had spent the last few days in, her conversation with the Commander leaving her a little worse for wear. She followed her subjects out towards he entrance of the Hive, emerging into the dying sunlight, dusk fast approaching. “What is all the commotion about!?” She snapped, not at all happy about being disturbed “Look my Queen” one of the Changelings assigned to guard the entrance answered, pointing towards the horizon. Chrysalis turned and saw a large cloud of smoke rising into the sky from a mountain peak, exactly where Canterlot should have been… A bright glare was emanating from the spot, the glow lighting up the sky, an easel of red, yellow and orange waxing and waning before her eyes “Hey” asked a guard to her left, his question directed towards a fellow guard “Isn’t that where the Commander went?” Chrysalis decided that at that current time the ground seemed awfully comfy, the guards moving to catch her body as she fell over onto her side, out like a light.
A Truce By Any Other Name Would Smell As SweetThree days after second attack on Canterlot Changeling Hive The group of wraiths filed into the human area of the Hive, not saying anything at all to the passing Changelings. None of the changelings had even been game enough to ask, the massive grin that the Commander had been sporting unnerving many of them. The Commander was the only one to have removed his helmet, the headgear hanging at his side alongside a ornately decorated golden telescope. The scientists likewise had avoided asking how the mission had gone; knowing that the soldiers would not have returned if this was the case. The fifteen soldiers fanned out around the camp, beginning their post-mission routines. The Commander however had a different plan “Excuse me guard” Nigel asked a nearby Changeling soldier, the equine saluting the Commander “Could you please direct me to the nursery?” ____________________________________________________________________________ “He seems to be getting along well with the Nymphs, we did notice however that the pony does appear to be slightly depressed” the Nurse explained as she trotted alongside Nigel, the pair heading towards the Changeling nursery located in the depths of the Hive “I expected as such, considering the circumstances” Nigel replied “Well, yes, but it’s more than that I believe, the colt only began to act this way once you had left” the nurse looked towards the Human, Nigel’s face locked in an expression of concern “I really hope that he hasn’t become too attached to me, such an issue would have complications” “I’m not an expert on how ponies think, but from what you described earlier regarding his recent behaviour I would say that it’s already progressed past the point of return” the nurse halted before the nursery door, turning towards the Human “excuse me for saying this, but I’m afraid that you have no choice, either you find alternative caretakers that the child is comfortable around or you have to show some responsibility and raise the pony yourself” Nigel raised an eyebrow at the nurse’s statement; the Changeling not appearing to be the least bit concerned that she just essentially told the being that had destroyed a large part of Canterlot to grow up. He didn’t have time to muster a rebuttal, the nurse pushing open the main nursery doors. The inside of the large area was chaotic, the inside swarming with a decent amount of Nymphs, the small changelings running around with the energy that only small children possess. There was a smattering of nurses round the room, seemingly reduced to just observing the mobile chittering mass. The nurse accompanying Nigel entered the room, the Commander cautiously following, unnerved by the proximity of so many children. He scanned the room in an attempt to spot Bleak Horizon, hoping to achieve his task and leave as soon as possible. He spotted his target, the blue mane of the grey pony easily distinguishable even in the midst of black fast-moving blurs. The colt was currently sitting on the ground with five young Changelings in a circle, another changeling trotting around the outside of the circle, tapping each youngster on the head as it passed them. Nigel did not have a single clue about what they were doing; he assumed that it was some sort of child’s game. He was pleased at the fact that Horizon seemed to be interacting well with the changelings, the colt seemingly enjoying the activity. Nigel started to approach the group, keeping towards the sides of the room to try to avoid attention. This failed however, all of the young changelings in the room spotting the biped and pausing their playing, except for the group of seven at the back who were too engrossed in their game to notice his arrival. ‘Crap’ thought Nigel, freezing in place like a statue as multiple pairs of blue eyes stared at him in curiosity. He began to slowly inch forward towards the circle of children, making sure to not make any sudden movements. The Nymph circling the group noticed him and stopped his motions, the rest of the group turning to face the source of the distraction, Horizon’s face lighting up as he saw Nigel, the colt getting off the ground and racing towards him. Nigel watched the changelings warily, the formerly-energetic group all having moved together in the centre of the room, thoroughly creeping him out. They had not broken their stares since they had noticed him, all eyes fixed solely on him. Horizon reached his armoured legs, embracing one in a hug. Nigel forced himself to tear himself away from the stares of the nymphs, instead looking down at Horizon before ruffling his mane with a hand “Well, it seems like you made some friends” Nigel commented, looking back up briefly at the changelings, the group still staring at him “Although they are a tad bit terrifying” Horizon looked up at Nigel, a smile on his face “They’re really nice Nigel, but I missed you, why did you have to go away for so long?” Nigel had to think about his reply, thinking that ‘Oh, I was just blowing up half a city and watching a pony Princess sleep’ was not going to be an appropriate answer “I had to go away for work Horizon, I’m back for a day but I’ll have to leave again the day after tomorrow” The colts smile dropped, his eyes beginning to moisten as Nigel told him this ‘Oh no, please don’t do what I think you’re about to do-‘ Horizon did what Nigel feared, the colt starting to cry “I don’t want you to go again” the colt said between sobs, grasping Nigel’s leg harder. Nigel sighed “I’m going, there’s nothing I can do about it Horizon, I’m sorry” The unicorn kept on crying, Nigel’s words having not solved the situation, why was dealing with children so difficult? Nigel kneeled down on the ground, Horizon having sat down on his rump, having released his grasp on Nigel’s leg. The Commander could only think of one thing to do at the moment, having observed the technique on UIP family broadcasting. He embraced Horizon in a hug, the foal leaning forward into it, pushing his head against Nigel’s shoulder. “I’m sorry that I’ve been neglecting you Horizon, I know that you’re probably very scared and I should’ve made more of an effort with you and for failing in that I’m sorry” the foal stopped his sobbing, his aqua eyes meeting Nigel’s blue ones “I forgive you Nigel, I know that you have to work a lot” the colt gave another sniffle “you’re the only pon-, um, Thing that I know, I just wish that you were here more” “I tell you what Horizon, how about after I get back next I promise that I’ll stay for longer and that I’ll spend more time with you?” “You promise?” Horizon asked hopefully “I promise” Nigel answered, once again hugging the colt, Horizon returning the affection. Nigel had made a couple of mistakes however. The nurses had not yet fed the Nymphs that day, and Horizon and he were emitting a fair amount of love. Nigel had also dropped his guard while he was hugging Horizon, the young changelings seizing the opportunity. Sensing the love between the new creature and the pony they had been playing with for days and seeing that the two were currently hugging each other the young changelings wanted in. Nigel had barely time to utter a manly yelp of distress before the mass of nymphs moved as one and flung themselves upon him, covering him in a mass of excited chittering children. Their combined weight pinned Nigel to the ground, Horizon having been spared his fate, Nigel having thrown him clear. The colt looked on in horror as the human was enveloped in a rolling black tide of Horizon’s playmates. A few nurses rushed past him In an attempt to help the fallen Commander, Horizon losing view of Nigel as they charged in front of the colt in an attempt to halt the swarm, a single armoured arm pointing up towards the roof before it to was tackled by a changeling child, the added weight dragging it down into the mass of bodies. _______________________________________________________________________________ UIP Weapons Engineer Klaus Steiner looked up from his workspace as the Commander accompanied by the pony foal walked into the camp. The Commander’s face was covered in what appeared to be saliva, Chalmers trying to clean it off with a rag to no avail. The Commander did not look pleased as he stormed over towards his tent, grabbing his helmet from inside it before putting it on his head, making sure that it was on securely. Klaus grabbed the item he was working on and walked over towards him, the pony colt moving closer towards Chalmers as Klaus approached the unusual pair “Are you alright Commander? You appear to be quite agitated I observed” Commander Chalmers turned to face the scientist “Children, lots of tiny, terrifying children” was all the Commander provided “Yes, they can indeed be quite a handful” Klaus concurred, holding up his device towards the Commander “I do however have something that I believe you will quite enjoy” The Commander stared warily at the device in Klaus’s outstretched hands “I thought I told you that you weren’t allowed to use any more explosives” “Oh, no Commander, this is not an explosive weapon” Klaus stated proudly “Doctor Thrax and Myself have come up with quite an ingenious idea, with help from the changeling known as Transfusion as well” The Commander looked over Klaus’s shoulder, spotting the changeling talking with Thrax at a science bench “Why does that somehow concern me more?” “I know what you mean Commander, that Thrax is quite reckless with his projects” Klaus had forgotten about the whole changeling-strapped-with-rockets thing that had happened earlier. The Commander had tilted his head to the side at the scientist’s statement “Anyway…” the Commander continued “I’m going to regret this, but what does this device actually do?” Klaus beamed at him “Well Commander, I do believe that you are leaving tomorrow in order to conduct negotiations with the enemy, this device could prove immensely useful, and here’s why…” ________________________________________________________________________________ Pale Midnight was being escorted from her cell by two changelings and a human soldier, her legs un-shackled but a chain was around her neck, held by one of the changelings “So where are we going?” she asked the human “That is something you are not required to know” it replied “You’re not going to… kill me are you?” she asked fearfully as they began to ascend a ramp “… probably not” the human said after a short pause, causing the Nocturne mare’s heart to beat faster The group reached a large cavern, over forty more Equestrian prisoners all lined up, chained and guarded by two changelings each. All of the other ponies were solar guard captured during the battle, a few of them shooting the Nocturne glares as she was pushed into line. The Changelings stayed by her side while the human soldier walked towards the front of the room, standing at attention alongside more of his fellows in a line facing the prisoners. ‘Is this it’ thought Midnight ‘Are they just going to line us up and execute us just like this?’ The Nocturne shifted where she stood, casting a glance at each changeling guard beside her A door opened at the front of the area and out strode the human Commander, fully armoured with the Princess’s tiara still firmly on his helmet. The human walked over towards the group of prisoners, all of the ponies watching him warily. The biped stopped about fifteen hooves away from the front of the line “Equestrian prisoners” the Commander began, his voice loud enough to be heard by all assembled “You were all captured after your militaries’ failed attack against us, and no attempt has been made to retrieve you” the Commander paused, allowing the information to sink in. Many of the ponies had bowed their heads; knowing that this was most likely true, after all, if the Princesses could have attacked again then they would have done it already. “You do have a chance at freedom however” At this the prisoners raised their heads, all attention fixed on the Commander, the biped beginning to walk back and forth in front of the line “We are going to be conducting diplomatic negotiations in the morning with your Princesses, and if those negotiations go well then you will be released” the Commander ceased his pacing, a group of Changelings moving through the door levitating metal collars in their magical grips. Accompanying the Changelings was a biped in White armour, a long black object slung across his back and a case in one of his claws. The Changelings wielding the collars moved towards the ponies, each changeling placing a collar around a pony’s neck, the metal bands clicking shut in place. Midnight fidgeted as the cold metal was clasped around her neck, no doubt these collars were bad news. This theory was proved correct when the white armoured human pressed a button on an object he held. Red lights appeared on every single collar, each single light staying a solid red. The white human giving the Commander the device he had just activated “Thank you Steiner, are the collars properly armed?” “Yes Commander” the human named Steiner replied “I have synced the remote with your HUD, so all it should take is a simple voice command and the devices will activate” “Thank you doctor” The commander replied “I assume you have the second device ready as well?” “I do” Steiner replied “It was tested with the help of Transfusion earlier, he is still recovering but it should serve us well” “Great work, prepare to leave” Steiner nodded, moving towards the edge of the cavern, the Commander turning back towards the ponies, the majority glancing apprehensively at the collars locked around the ponies around them “I’m sure you are all curious to what the dear Doctor has just strapped you with?” A few ponies nodded, Midnight included “To put it simply, each of those collars contains a high-explosive charge, set to detonate when I command it and when they do detonate they will kill you in an extremely gory way” Some of the ponies began to panic at the revelation that they had just had bombs attached to them “If you behave you live” this managed to calm most of the panicking equines down, the prisoners having become accustomed to following the instructions of their human captors during the ponies’ captivity “If you misbehave however…” the Commander stated, leaning in towards the ponies “You all go out with a bang” ______________________________________________________________________________ The two Princesses stepped out of the carriage as it touched the dusty ground, the small town of Appleoosa seemingly deserted. Another chariot landed, the six elements of harmony exiting it, joined shortly after by twelve guards, six Solar and six Lunar. The Princesses had not brought as many as the biped allowed, reasoning that if the creatures were able to defeat an army of four-thousand then forty guards would not be of much use. “Where are they Sister?” Luna questioned, glancing around the town “I do not know Luna, what I want to know more Is what happened to the townsponies” “I assure you that the inhabitants of this town are quite safe” The Princesses, the guards and the Elements whirled around to face the Saloon, the Human Commander known as ‘Lord Poseidon’ according to the reports of the survivors of the battle at the Hive exiting through the doors to stand in front of the group, his twin claws resting on two objects strapped to his armoured hips. “Where are our Subjects?” questioned Celestia, forcing herself to remain calm. Luna however had paled slightly at the sight of Lord Poseidon “While I can’t disclose their location, no harm has come to them and that shall remain the case if you don’t try anything funny” The human looked back at the guards “I see you only brought a small group of guards, no matter, they’re not going to be of any help if the faecal matter hits the fan anyway” “Take that back Monster!” Captain Bulwark shouted as he jumped in front of the Princesses, his face contorted in anger as he levelled the spear attached to his armour at the human. The Human appeared un-phased at having a spear point only inches away from his chest “I would advise against that pony” He said as gestured towards Bulwark’s body. Bulwark glanced down, a multitude of blue dots covering his chest and legs. He looked at the biped in confusion “Those dots are targeting sights of about twenty weapons all pointing at you, anyone of which is easily capable of tearing through your armour and insides like paper, I highly suggest you back up” “Do as he says Captain” Celestia ordered, the Captain slowly lowering the spear and stepping back a few paces. “Excellent choice!” exclaimed the human “now might we begin our discussions, hmmmm?” Celestia nodded “That is why we are here, Lord Poseidon” The human seemed a bit taken aback about this, but he swiftly recovered “Sure, let’s just roll with it” he stated to the confusion of the ponies “These types of talks bore me, so I’ll get to the point. I want you to cease hostilities against us and the Changelings as well as allowing them and us to access the area between the Hive and your western border, including this town” the biped reached towards its head, a sharp beam of light emitting from it, a three-dimensional map of the area appearing on the ground, much to the amazement of the ponies, especially the purple unicorn. A large stretch of land lighted up red on the map, indicating the area that the human wanted free access in “How do we know that you will not harm our subjects if we agree to this” said Celestia, secretly surprised at the admittedly fair demands that the Human made, although her face did not show it “Simple” the Human replied “In return for this, the Changelings and us will cease attacks on Equestria and the Changelings will not feed on your citizens, we have solved their food problems” Celestia raised a brow at this, how could the humans possibly have fixed such an issue? “In fact” the biped continued “I’m even willing to sweeten the deal” as he said this a large group of ponies moved out of an alley, all of them standing in the main road, some type of collar around their necks. The human glanced at the newly arrived ponies, before returning his vision to the Princesses “Each of those ponies is wearing a remotely-detonated explosive collar, purely for insurance I assure you” the biped chuckled as he said the last part. “I’m well aware of your affinity with explosives” Stated Celestia coldly “Still touchy about the city I see” the biped replied nonchalantly “anyway, as long as things go smoothly I see no need for such measures, if they are un-detonated they will disarm in twenty-four hours by themselves, so if you continue to act civil everyone goes home alive, now, do you have an answer for me regarding our terms?” “I wish to consult with my Sister for a short while” Celestia said “Very well” the human responded, the ponies watching in shock as he removed what turned out to be a helmet, attaching the headwear to his side. The biped then removed a long stick from his armour, placing the end of it in his mouth before lighting it with a boxy object, smoke beginning to bellow forth from the brown stick. Celestia turned away from the un-expected sight; the creatures jarringly un-monstrous face not what she was expecting from such a wicked fiend. She noticed Luna had a look of surprise on her face as the blue alicorn watched the human “Luna” Celestia said, breaking her sister from her trance “What do you think of the terms he has offered?” Luna bit her lower lip “They do seem to be quite reasonable, I expected the creatures to demand more. I’m still not convinced that the Changelings would cease to feed upon our subjects however. If it is true that these ‘Humans’ have solved that problem I think we should accept it, they have already proven that they are able to inflict grievous blows on us and peace, even with an insane creature is still peace” “I think it would be ideal also” replied Celestia “We would still be able to watch them, and I have a few ideas which may work to our advantage when it comes to that. I think he is telling the truth about the Changelings, it does explain how they have become fast allies and from seeing the humans’ capabilities in warfare it is possible. While it does pain me to make a truce with those that are responsible for so many deaths it would be worth it if it brings an end to the violence. as you said before, they have proven their military might and that is only what we have seen so far, I get the feeling that they haven’t even shown us what they are truly capable of.” “It is agreed then” confirmed Luna, Celestia turning back around to face Lord Poseidon “We agree to your terms Lord Poseidon, if you release the prisoners and leave this settlement for now we will honour our truce” “Great to hear” the human said as he tossed the burning stick on the ground, grinding it beneath his boot-heel as he re-affixed his helmet “Prisoners, you may begin to move” The captive ponies began to move forward towards the princesses, their collars still active. They had made it twenty meters before a large group of Diamond dogs burst from a nearby alley wielding weapons. The largest one, a bulldog with brown mottled fur pointed at the Commander with a paw “That’s it, that’s the creature that killed Rusty!” Celesta saw the Commander tilt his head towards the leader in confusion “I don’t have the slightest idea of what you’re talking ab-“ “ATTACK!” The Human was cut off by the Bulldog’s bellowed order, the dogs surging forward towards the lone biped. All of the Equestrians watched on in horror as the blue dots returned, positioning themselves over the dogs’ knees and elbows. Multiple bangs rang out around the town, humans firing their weapons from concealed locations, the munitions blowing of limbs and severing joints. The dogs stood no chance, all of them falling down towards the ground, most of them missing multiple limbs. As this happened an object that had been buried under the sand in the middle of the town burst up, rising into the sky before detonating, filling the air with a barely-visible gas. The ponies felt the gas enter their nostrils and mouths, the substance seemingly sapping their energy, all of the Equestrians including the two alicorns dropping to their knees in the dirt. Celestia tried to raise a shied bubble around them but her magic refused to work, almost as if it had somehow been inhibited. The Diamond dogs seemed un-effected by the gas, although considering that the dogs were lying in pools of their own blood thrashing wildly around it was a small mercy. The human had begun to put the dogs out of their misery, Celestia having enough strength to raise her head, watching as the Human Leader used one of the objects he pulled from his hip to execute the dying canines, the object booming and emitting a burst of light as the dogs heads exploded. The gas however eventually triumphed completely over her, Celestia collapsing fully onto the ground, joining the other ponies. The sounds of bangs stopped, replaced by heavy footfalls advancing towards her, before halting, Celestia seeing two black metal boots just in the corner of her vision ‘I’m completely powerless’ she panicked ‘is he just going to end us like those Diamond Dogs?’ Celestia closed her eyes, coming to terms with her situation before a metal claw grasped her chin, lifting her face up until she could see the human’s glowing red eyes “I could kill you right now Celestia, and nothing could stop me” the human said, tapping his weapon against her muzzle “But I detest breaking promises” he stated, returning his weapon to his hip, before letting Celestia’s head go and standing back up “I would stay and help, but I’ve got to fulfil a promise to someone else, so I must be off." The human began to walk away, before he stopped and turned back around to face the ponies, removing his helmet as he did so. The gas seemingly had no effect on him as he walked over to Luna, crouching down in front of her. He cupped his claws and lifted her face, his eyes locking onto hers as he moved his head forward. Luna was powerless to resist as the human’s face moved closer, the Princess of the night fearing the human’s intentions. The human stopped his face a bare inch away from Luna’s, her breath halting as her heart began to beat furiously “You have pretty eyes” the human stated, before releasing Luna’s head. He once again re-attached his helmet and walked away, leaving the large number of Equestrians on the ground, the Princesses the only ones left conscious. As he walked back towards the apple orchards where the ponies of the town were being held he smiled under his helmet ‘Well,’ he thought ‘that went rather well.’
The Mystery Of The Decade“Arrrg, what is that racket?” Chrysalis lifted her head from the pillow, noise filtering into her royal chambers from above her. She had been recovering for days, the stress of the situation overwhelming her both physically and mentally. She shambled out of her bed, her hooves clacking on the hard floor as she left her chambers to investigate the noise. She reached the throne room, the room filled with numerous changelings celebrating enthusiastically although Chrysalis did not know why. She entered the Humans’ area, seemingly the heart of the party ‘Why am I not surprised’ she thought, gazing at the large mass of changelings spread around the room, all of them in intense states of enjoyment. A large crate was in the middle of the area, a large amount of pony alcohol bottles resting within and even more spread out around the room. “Heys Qu-queeny” Chrysalis looked down at the voice, a changeling drone looking up at her with his solid blue eyes, a large smile planted on his face “Has any- *Hic* anyone ever told yous that you have a fant… fantastic flank?” he slurred Chrysalis was speechless, watching on as the drone stumbled and fell onto his side, giggling like a fool. “Hey everyone, Shade actually did it, fucking hilarious!” Chrysalis recognised the voice of Commander Chalmers, the biped waving at her as she looked at him, surprise evident on her face. The Commander was sitting down, his helmet removed and a bottle clutched in his hand. Lying up against the armoured human were four Changeling females, all giggling at the expression on their queen’s face. The pony foal was curled up in the Commander’s lap, one of the changelings next to him rubbing the foal’s head as it slept. “Glad to see you decided to join the party Chrysalis, have you heard the news?” Chalmers asked, holding the bottle out to Chrysalis ‘Why not, it’s not like this could possibly get any worse’ The Queen walked over towards the biped, sitting next to him as she took hold of the bottle of cider in her magical grasp. She took a long hard swig, the cider’s effects taking hold of her almost immediately “Where did you find this?” Chrysalis questioned as she looked at the bottle “It seems quite strong, and no, what news, I assume it has something to do with all of the celebration?” “Strong?” questioned the human, reaching behind him with a hand and grabbing a bunch of empty bottles of the cider, eight in total “I drank all of these myself and while I do think that it is quite good cider it’s done absolutely nothing for me. Actually, now that you mention it the only ones that seem completely smashed are your subjects” The Queen looked around the room and the human was indeed right. While the rest of the bipeds were all standing or sitting around the room rather relaxed it was her changelings which were causing the majority of the noise. All over there were changelings passed out on the ground, up against the walls, changelings running around after their own tails and one changeling was even attempting to dance, although to Chrysalis it looked more like she was trying to figure out how to walk on one leg. Chrysalis took another swig from the bottle, hoping that the alcohol would make the pain in her head go away. “As to where we got them” Chalmers continued “I forgot the name of the hotel, but it was from the minibar in the penthouse suite, really nice place. Well, it was until we trashed it, but I left them some money so it’s all good” “Th-that’s great Nigel,” Chrysalis’s vision had started to become fuzzy “but what was- *hic* the news that you wanted to tell me before?” “Oh, that” Nigel answered, waving his hand “well, we had a good long chat with the Princess and we declared a truce, as long as we don’t attack them they’ll let us move about up on the surface, I believe that we have access to an area between ‘Manehattan’ and the south western border of the Griffon Empire. We are able to enter the city of Manehattan and the town of Appleoosa but if we do we have to stay together, changelings cannot disguise and we will be escorted around the city by guards or police forces” the Commander paused as he uncapped another bottle of cider “we are still at war with the Griffons, Minotaurs and Zebras though, so we still should be prepared” Chrysalis emptied the bottle she was holding, placing it on the floor. As she looked back towards the Commander he was currently emptying the entire bottle in one go, the four changelings next to him watching in awe. Without taking a single breath, the human finished the bottle, placing it on the top of his head, the bottle balancing perfectly in place “This stuff is like apple juice, It’s a shame we already drank all of the harder stuff, that griffon ale was quite good” The Commander picked himself off the ground, scooping the still-sleeping colt up in his arms. The four Changelings previously lying against him watched in disappointment, the human proving to be quite adept in partying “Are you sure you have to go?” One asked, batting her eyelids at him “I’m sorry Ladies but I better get the little one to bed, I also have to go over a few details of our plans so I’m afraid I have to leave your fine company, until next time” he nodded his head, the bottle falling in front of him before he caught it with a free hand, placing it on the floor nest to the seated Queen. Chrysalis looked at the retreating form of the human and sighed ‘Bed sounds good to’ with great effort she rose up and stumbled back down towards her chambers, longing for the embrace of her mattress. ___________________________________________________________________________ “Are you okay your Majesty?” Celestia awoke to the sound of a stallion’s voice, the princess raising her head to look around the room she was in. She was lying on a bed that was much smaller than she was used to, a white sheet covering her Royal body. To her left was the owner of the voice, one of the solar guards that she had brought along on the mission “Guard, what happened, is everypony okay?” Celestia hurriedly asked, bolting awake as she recalled the earilier confrontation with the Human "Everypony is fine your Majesty, there seemed to be some sort of sleeping gas that also affects magic released during the incident, so far nopony has report any other effects. The only pony still asleep is your student Twilight Sparkle but our field medic says that it shall not be long until she awakens” “What of the townsponies and the former captives, are they all alive?” Celestia replied after the guard had finished “All well Princess, the prisoners’ collars just broke apart ten minutes ago and the townsponies arrived soon after the humans left, saying that they were held at the apple orchards at the rear of the town. They have reported that they were guarded by Changelings and one human in white armour and that they were treated fairly. It seems that every pony except for the unicorns and you and Princess Luna awoke after half-an-hour. We tried to rouse you but to no effect and most of the unicorns recovered after three hours” Celestia began to get out of the bed “So it would seem that the substance the Humans used targets the magic inside the body of a pony, which would explain why I wasn’t able to raise a shield” Celestia began to walk towards the door “Where is my sister, Guard?” “She took a number of guards to remove the… corpses of the Diamond Dogs killed in the fighting, forgive me for asking Princess but what exactly happened? My mind is still a little hazy thanks to the gas; all I can remember is blue dots and bangs” Celestia stopped at the door, her back to the Guard “The Humans happened Guard, and we are incredibly lucky that they didn’t decide to do the same to us. This incident, while incredibly distressing only highlights why we should avoid confrontation with these insane creatures, I want you to dispatch messengers to Canterlot and Manehattan to deliver the news of the truce and the conditions. I also want extra guards to be posted at Manehattan; I suspect that the humans will take full advantage of the terms” “As you will it, your Majesty” the guard replied, following his Princess out of the doorway into the blood-stained town. ____________________________________________________________________________ “Pssst, Murray” Corporal Murray looked over towards the whisper, Corporal Rogers gesturing for him to enter a side room. Murray followed his fellow soldier, Rogers checking to make sure no-one was in earshot “What is it Roberts?” Murray inquired via his external speakers, Roberts obviously not wanting to risk the chance that the Commander could over hear via the radio “What happed to all of those magazines we nicked from that hotel, I’ve got a group of Changelings offering some griffon booze they found in a town for them, they said they’ve got a few jugs worth” “The Commander found them after Peters stashed them, I think he confiscated them, saying something about how he had plans for them” “Plans?” Roberts replied, confusion evident in his voice “What plan could possibly involve porn magazines except for… you know” “Jeez man I don’t know, just don’t go putting those images in my head” Murray walked out of the door, leaving a very puzzled Roberts behind. __________________________________________________________________________ “Mhhhhhmmm that was such a good sleep, I actually feel like I can deal with Chalmers and his nonsense today” Chrysalis gave a stretch as she exited her bed, her eyes still fogged from sleep. She ambled over towards her mirror, shaking her head from side-to –side to improve her vision before gazing upon her beauty- “AHHHHHHHH!” Her mirror was covered in lewd magazine pages, the entire reflective surfaced covered with page upon page of smut. Panicked into full wakefulness, Chrysalis looked around the rest of her chambers, the site that she saw causing her to collapse onto her rump in shock. Her entire Chamber, the walls, the floor and even the ceiling was plastered with photos of ponies in various seductive poses. Pictures of loose mares bearing all filled the room, everywhere the Queen looked there was more, the pages seemingly never-ending. Who could have done this? It must of taken them hours to cover the entire room, and without waking her too, although that could probably be explained by the amount she had drank the night before. As she gazed around her once regal quarters only one thing came to her mind “CHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSS!” “You’re Majesty, are you okay!?” Two Changeling drones rushed into her room, summoned by the shout of rage, skidding to a halt as they gazed upon their Queen’s Chambers “Wow” commented one, moving towards the mirror to get a closer look at a particularly questionable image “You really have quite a good taste in interior design My Queen” _____________________________________________________________________________ Three hours. It took three whole hours for a team of ten Changelings to remove every last bit of porn from her bedroom walls. Chrysalis had not responded well, storming up to where the humans where only to be informed that the Commander had gone for a brief walk. He still hadn’t returned to the hive and all of the humans claimed that they did not know where he went. The Queen had to contend with sitting in her throne waiting for his return, every changeling that passed keeping a low profile so as to not cop any wraith from their furious ruler. Chrysalis had reached her limit, the Commander having gone too far this time. She acknowledged that he was instrumental in the survival of her Hive and that without the help of the humans she would most likely be dead by know but his foolish behaviour would have to stop. As she was brooding the Throne room doors opened and the target of her anger walked in, accompanied by the pony foal. “Hello Chrissy, you look a little out of sorts, what’s the matter?” Chrysalis could not believe how the Commander could just ask that, did he have no idea how pissed off she was? “I think you know exactly what the matter is, NIGEL!” she snapped “Wow, calm down, whatever happened I’m sure we can-“ “WHATEVER HAPPENED!? WHATEVER HAPPENED!? YOU COVERED MY ENTIRE ROYAL CHAMBERS WITH PORNOGRAPHY!” “I certainly did not!” ‘Strange’ thought Chrysalis ‘he actually sounds a little insulted’ “Well if you didn’t,” her voice had lowered in volume, the sincerity of his answer and the fact that she could detect no trace of deceit from him calming her down a little “which I highly doubt, then one of your subordinates must have done it” The colt had hidden behind Nigel’s legs at her outburst, the Commander stepping towards the Throne “I assure you Chrysalis, me and my men had nothing to do with it” Chrysalis was about to retort before the Commander stopped her “I think I do know, however, who is responsible for such a prank, a prank i think was targeted at both of us…” __________________________________________________________________________________ Transfusion sighed as he once again tried to remove the glue stains from his hooves, the adhesive proved to him by Doctor Thrax preforming the task perfectly. He giggled to himself as he relived his plan, from the point of where he borrowed the stash of dirty mags from the Commander, the Commander offering them to Transfusion saying that he needed to be rid of them and that maybe Transfuion could use them for studies on pony mentality all the way to the joyful four hours he had spent meticulously covering the Queen’s chamber with the torn out pages. As he scrubbed his hooves with soapy water he chuckled as he imagined the Queen’s reaction and the following lecturing of the Commander. Everything had gone according to plan and nothing would stop- Transfusion paused his scrubbing as two large shadows appeared in the water, the changeling scholar turning around painfully slowly. Standing in the door way with a sneer on her face was Queen Chrysalis and behind her stood the Commander, a wide grin on his face “Busted” was all the human said, before a chitin covered hoof connected with Transfusions face, knocking him senseless.
Manehattan Here We ComeTransfusion slowly came to, the room he was in was pitch black, the changeling unable to see anything around him. “Hello?” he called out, his voice echoing around the darkness “is there anybody out there?” With a hum bio-lights activated, the room brightening until Transfusion could clearly see his surrounds. He was suspended from the room, his body at least a meter off the ground, his hooves dangling beneath him. Covering him was some sort of soft, pink material, Transfusion unable to see what it was as his head was held in place by the substance. Scattered around the room were what appeared to be children’s’ toys but that meant that he could only be in the… nursery. Transfusion’s eyes widened as he realised this “HELLLLLP! SOMEONE HEEEELLLLLP, ANYBODY PLEASE!” ____________________________________________________________________________ Nigel and Chrysalis watched from the upper floor of the room as the changeling scholar below cried out for assistance, Nigel ensuring that his camera was getting everything. “Permission to unleash the Agents of Suffering your Highness?” Nigel asked the Queen next to him. Chrysalis smirked as she looked upon the struggling Transfusion, a large pink love heart made out of foam surrounding the changeling’s body. “Do it Commander” she commanded, Nigel activating his suit’s external speakers. “RELEASE THE NYMPHS!” ___________________________________________________________________________ Transfusion began to tremble, the bellowed command ringing around the cavern like the peal of a bell. The trembles turned into full-blown shakes as the sound of a solid door opening behind him reached his ears, followed by a mass of chittering voices. “No no no no no no no no no no no no” he repeated to himself as he found himself swinging around to face the noise, his body rotating as the rope that suspended him was manipulated by someone above. He completed a one-eighty degree turn, coming face-to-face with a horror no being should experience. Standing in front of him was a mass of nymphs, the young changelings all looking at him with joyful expressions. Transfusion lost count at forty, the mass of children chittering excitedly to one another. In a single moment all sound cut out as every nymph halted their speech, every pair of blue eyes focused on the heart-shaped changeling hanging from the roof. With expert organisation, as if they were somehow soundlessly co-ordinating their actions the Nymphs surged forth as one, their target managing to utter one final shriek before the mass of black forms covered him completely. “NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” ______________________________________________________________________________- Chrysalis and Nigel walked out of the nursery area, the sounds of hyper-active children and girlish screams receding into the background as they ascended towards the throne room. “That was quite the punishment” chuckled Chrysalis, turning her head towards the human as they continued walking “how did you come up with such a marvellous idea?” “Only those that endure such a Hell can truly wish it upon their fellows” Nigel replied seriously, his answer accompanied by gesture he made across his chest with his hands, the movements forming a cross. “Okay then, moving on,” continued the Queen, her mirth dulling at the Commander’s somber expression “how do you plan to both ruin my image and embarrass the Equestrians next, surely you have some insane plot forming in that head of yours?” “My dear Chrissy, whatever drove you to assume that I intentionally preform actions that smear your good name?” Nigel responded, placing a hand over his heart. “You set fire to the city I tried to conquer and then gloated about it, after watching Luna sleep for hours. Everything you have done so far has made me look bad.” “Well then,” Nigel began to respond as the pair of leaders entered the human encampment, Bleak Horizon rushing over towards Nigel from his former position resting on a sleeping bag, Nigel scooping the colt up into his arms “You’re not going to like my answer.” “What a surprise” Chrysalis said as she watched Nigel throw the pony foal into the air, the Commander catching the giggling child before continuing. “I heard that the weather in Manhattan is terrific this time of year and considering that we have been given permission to explore the city I thought ‘why not’, after all it’s not as if we have anything better to do with our time. Another reason is that the boffins” Nigel inclined his head towards the group of scientists all hovering around a workbench “have manufactured some devices that will prove useful for reconnaissance while entertaining us at the same time.” Chrysalis let out a sigh “Fine, you’re going to go regardless of what I say, can you at least promise me that you and your men will refrain from causing trouble?” “… I will not burn the city down” Nigel said after a pause, the Commander heading towards the group of soldiers at the rear of the camp. “Why do I get the feeling that he’s going to do everything but” muttered Chrysalis as she turned and headed towards her throne, having given up on trying to control the erratic creature that held the fate of her Hive in his hands. ______________________________________________________________________________ “What a nice spot for a break, just in time for lunch too” Nigel sat down on a flat rock as he said this, the rest of the group picking spots of their own. Five wraiths and three changelings had opted to join the Commander on his trip to the Equestrian city. Nigel had also brought along Bleak Horizon, figuring that he needed to spend more time with the child. The colt was currently making itself comfortably between Nigel and the changeling Nestor, the two beings it seemed the most outgoing around. The three changelings Mirror, Nestor and Reflection all were wearing satchels, each changeling retrieving a vial of the chemical love to consume, the humans merely letting their suits supply their nutritional needs. Nigel rummaged around in a pack he had brought with him, retrieving a sandwich wrapped in plastic and handing it to Horizon after removing the covering, the colt enthusiastically beginning to eat the offered morsel. As he sat and observed the group Nigel noticed that certain divisions had formed. Nestor and Mirror were sitting with him and Horizon, Mirror and Nestor conversing amongst themselves while Horizon was too focused on his lunch to provide any input. Three Corporals, those soldiers being Stevens, Smith and Murray had perched themselves on top of a hill, Sergeant Boland sitting with his subordinates, all using their internal communications to speak to one-another. All four were heavily armed, each soldier carrying a rifle, a sidearm and numerous other weapons, Sergeant Boland not trusting the pony Princesses at all with up-holding the truce. The most unusual match of all was sitting under a tree away from the main group, a human and a changeling. Corporal Jacobs and Reflection were both leaning against each other, the changeling sipping from a vial as Jacobs talked, the Corporal emphasising his points with hand gestures as he chatted with the changeling. “That was really tasty Nigel, thank you.” Nigel looked down at Horizon; the colt having finished his sandwich was now lying on his side, basking in the sun’s rays. “Well, it’s nice to see that when it comes to my lettuce, tomato and cheese sandwiches someone enjoys them” Nigel replied as he used his armoured hand to scratch the colt behind the ears, the unicorn letting out a noise of approval “with the amount of them you eat I might have to take out a loan to keep you supplied” he joked, the colt raising his head to look at Nigel. “So are you going to let me stay with you?” ‘Damn, this conversation already’ thought Nigel as he prepared a response. “Well, you see Horizon, as you know I need to leave a lot because of my job and I may not come back one day” at this Horizon latched onto Nigel’s leg. “Don’t say that Nigel, you’ll always come back, Mister Boland said that you would!” Nigel raised an eyebrow under his helmet “Oh really now, just what did Boland tell you then?” Horizon looked up at Nigel, the human’s scary helmet eyes was looking right at him but he wasn’t afraid of them, he knew that Nigel's real face was nothing like his helmet. “He said that you’re one of the best soldiers in the entire UIP and that you always come home because death is too afraid of making you angry because if he did try and take you then he would probably end up with his scith” the young colt had trouble pronouncing the word ‘scythe’ “shoved up his bony bottom.” Nigel chuckled at this, he would have to have a talk to the Sergeant about planting such ideas in the impressionable youngster’s mind. “Well, he’s probably not too far off but there are other issues such as where you’ll stay when I’m not home and who would look after you. You also have to understand that if you do live with me that you would have to leave this planet, although if you do we’ll try to visit as much as possible” this answer seemed to pacify Horizon. Nigel appeared confident but he was mentally listing the many difficulties that the arrangement would create. While he was well-off financially thanks to his high wage and smart investing, money couldn’t solve everything. He would have to organise for the colt to receive education that meets the UIP standards, the pony already disadvantaged thanks to his planet’s low technology level. The colt would also be the only one of his species at any school he attended and while the UIP welcomed different species children are always the harshest of critics and Nigel couldn’t exactly pull a gun on every child that bullied Horizon. Health care as well as future employment would also prove to be formidable obstacles and Nigel dreaded to dwell upon what the colt’s teenage years would entail. “Excuse me Commander.” Nigel was pulled from his thoughts as Sergeant Boland addressed him, the Sergeant sitting down while indicating to Nigel that he wished to conduct a conversation between the two of them privately. “Horizon,” Nigel said, the colt turning back to him, the pony having observed Boland’s approach “I need to talk with Sergeant Boland for a little while, why don’t you see if Nestor and Mirror would like to talk with you? I’m sure Nestor would love to ask you some more questions.” The colt nodded at this before he picked himself up and trotted over towards the two changelings, the pony being greeted with two smiles. Nigel turned towards Boland and activated his radio “*What would you like to discuss Sergeant?*” “*It’s regarding the Corporal and the Changeling known as Reflection Commander*” Boland answered, Nigel looking over towards the pair. Reflection was currently appearing to be resting against the Corporal, Jacobs arm slung over the changelings back as Reflection rested her head on his shoulder. “*What about them Sergeant, they seem to be getting along fine*” “*That’s the problem Sir*” Boland replied “*They appear to have grown to close, if you understand what I am referring to*” Nigel once again looked at the pair, Reflection muttering something to the Corporal as she nuzzled against his armoured chest. Now that he thought about it Jacobs had spent most of his free time with the Changeling since she was rescued from the Canterlot prison, the two a common sight around the Hive the last couple of days. “*The others don’t seem to either notice it or mind but I do think that it could prove to be a problem in the future*” Boland continued as the Commander watched the pair. “*I can see your point Sergeant, such… attachment could cause a wealth of problems, especially when it is time for us to depart this world. However I believe that the Corporal is capable of making his own decisions and if it doesn’t work out then at least he will have learnt a valuable lesson from it. If he wants to fall in love with an alien then that’s his business, we’ve all been there*” at this the Sergeant tilted his head “*don’t try to pretend that you haven’t Boland, I remember that Allisian you were attempting to impress three years ago.*” “*That was different Sir, she was a high-ranking government official with close ties to their ruling party, a relationship would have yielded a substantial amount of intelligence that would have aided the UIP greatly.*” Nigel stared at the Sergeant for a brief period before coughing into his hand in an attempt to break the awkwardness. “*I really should have expected that, any way I can’t really fault him, he may end up with a girlfriend but I’m most likely going to walk away with a son*” Nigel pointed towards Horizon, the Sergeant looking at the colt as he played with Nestor, the colt giggling as the changeling attempted to tag the pony as they both ran around in circles. “*I can’t argue with that Commander, what are you going to do with the colt while we are on the topic, if you don’t mind me asking?*” “*I honestly don’t know Boland, I’ll have to think about it some more when we arrive at the city*” replied Nigel as he watched the unicorn play “*but right now I don’t have a single clue and I’m running out of options, I just hope that everything will work itself out without any tears being shed*” “*I hope so as well Sir*” replied Boland as he stood up, moving over towards his soldiers to prepare them to move out. The City was only a few more hours of walking away and they planned to reach it before nightfall. Nigel gave one final glance towards the couple under the tree, offering a brief prayer for them before he turned around to gather his equipment in preperation for the rest of the trip.
Bar Room BrawlsJust a warning that the Speech between Nigel and Horizon contains some errors like repetion of the word 'and'. This is to represent Horizon's young age. ______________________________________________________________________________- The group arrived at the city outskirts with a few hours of daylight to spare; having made good time once they had finished their lunch break. They were currently standing on the side of what Nigel assumed was the main road, the path wide and cobbled with stone. Part of the terms that Nigel had settled on with Celestia was that the group would have to remain as one while in the city and they would also have to be escorted by some of the local guards. No military forces had yet to make an appearance with only a few passing groups of ponies entering the city via the road, the travellers leaving with haste as soon as they noticed the changelings and humans. Nigel had begun to get impatient; the Commander perched upon an outcropping of rock with Horizon snoozing in his lap, the foal wrapped in a cloak of blue linen as the discovery of his presence would no doubt cause problems for the group. Nigel’s sensors picked up two objects concealed in a bush a few hundred meters down the road, the signatures matching those of Royal Guard Pegasi. He informed his troops of the observers, ordering them to act as if they had not spotted the equines while maintaining their vigilance. The changelings and humans all settled down to await the arrival of the pony forces, the changelings seizing the opportunity to grab some rest while the humans watched every approach with their rifles at the ready in case the ponies attempted anything. ________________________________________________________________________________ “What do we do Sir? They’re just sitting there doing nothing.” Corporal Wind Slash asked her officer, Sergeant Updraft. Updraft’s eyes narrowed as the Pegasus mare voiced her observation, his gazed locked on the bipedal creatures. “Is that what you think Corporal? Look a little closer at the bipeds and tell me if you notice anything.” Wind Slash peered out of the bush the two guards had concealed themselves in “They look in other directions every so often and the largest one, the leader I think” the ponies glanced at the biped in question, the black clad giant tapping its feet against the rock it was occupying “keeps on glancing at the city.” “Not quite, Corporal” Updraft replied “the normal bipeds have their movements perfectly timed, see how at least one has vision on every approach at any time. What information does that give us?” The mare looked more closely, observing the black creatures. “They are obviously soldiers of some kind although they only seem to have those strange clubs and I think a few knives. If they create any trouble a full squad should be able to take them” the Corporal replied confidently. “Guess again Corporal, those aren’t clubs they’re carrying, I was told by Lieutenant Storm that those sticks are some kind of projectile weapon that fires invisible arrows that explode.” Wind Slash gave her superior a dismissive glance. “Yeah right, ‘invisible arrows’ I’m not a rookie Sarge” she snorted. “Don’t tell me that, I’m only going off at what the LT said and I also heard from two other Sergeants that when Celestia met the bipedal leader” the Sergeant pointed a hoof at the large biped “they were attacked by a bunch of Diamond Dogs, about twenty of the mutts.” “What happened?” inquired Wind Slash, the bipeds and changelings forgotten as she looked at Updraft. “The dogs charged the lone biped Leader who was out in the open by itself and two seconds later,” the Corporal leaned in closer as her sergeant paused, “every single Diamond dog was on the ground in pools of their own blood.” The Corporal shuddered “They killed twenty Diamond Dogs in two seconds?” she asked. “Not exactly, apparently the leader walked over as if nothing had happened and he finished them off, none were spared” Sergeant Updraft replied. “By Celestia…” Wind Slash whispered as she once again looked out at the Biped Leader. “What sort of Monster can be that cruel?” ____________________________________________________________________________ “Nigel, why are we sitting outside the city instead of in it?” Horizon asked after he had awoken, rubbing his eyes with his hooves. “We have to wait for some guards to come and get us so we can go into the city Horizon.” “Oh” the colt replied, looking up at Nigel “but why do we need guards? You and Mister Boland and Mister Stevens and Mister Smith and Mister Murray are all really good at fighting.” ‘How do I explain this?’ thought Nigel as he patted the foal on the head. “Well you see Horizon; the guards aren’t going to be with us for our protection.” “They’re not?” the colt asked “Then why do we need guards?” “Well… you see Horizon, to normal ponies we look scary and mean so we’re going to have some guards so that ponies aren’t as scared of us.” Horizon thought about Nigel’s response before he let out a yawn, laying his head back down on his fore-legs as Nigel scratched the colt’s head. “I guess that makes sense,” Horizon replied “I was scared of you when I first saw you Nigel, but I now know that you’re really nice, so I’m sure all of the other ponies will like you as well.” “Thanks Horizon” Nigel responded, a smile hidden under his helmet as the foal once again drifted off to sleep. ‘Unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to work out that way’ he thought to himself as he glanced at his sensor readout, three more signatures making their way to the bush concealing the two pony guards. __________________________________________________________________________ “Sergeant Updraft! Privates Tornado, Gust and Feathers reporting to assist you as per orders from the Lieutenant!” Updraft and Wind Slash whipped around, the arrival of the new guards having gone unnoticed by the pair. With alarm Updraft stared at the Privates, the three Pegasi standing to attention in the middle of the road while they were saluting. “What are you idiots doing!? Now the bipeds know that we are here!” Updraft snarled angrily. Two of the guards flinched back, the two Stallions reeling at their chastisement. The third guard craned her neck to the side, spotting the bipedal Leader, the large creature looking right at the newcomers. “Hello!” she yelled out as she waved a golden-clad hoof in the biped’s direction, the leader responding by waving a claw back. All of the other guards looked at the mare with dumbfounded expressions. “Private, just what in Tartarus do you think you’re doing!?” Sergeant Updraft yelled, the private sheepishly lowering her hoof as she looked at the ground. “I was waving at the creature Sergeant” she replied softly. ”Why? Why would you wave at a creature like that, especially when the Corporal and I are trying to conduct critical intelligence works?” The Private did not respond, all of the guards staring at Updraft in fear. The Sergeant continued his lecture “I’m ashamed of you Private, that sort of behaviour is the reason why the Canterlot branch won’t give us the time of day, let alone acknowledge…” Sergeant Updraft trailed off as he noticed the terror-filled eyes of his subordinates, their stares not directed at him but at something behind him… “Excuse me Sir, I apologise for interrupting your little chat but we’ve been waiting here for hours, can you please hurry it up a little bit?” Updraft turned to face the electronic voice, revealing the horrifying form of the bipedal leader. The Sergeant struggled to maintain his gruff composure in the presence of the creature, the biped seemingly three times as tall as him. “I will get to you when I am ready, please return to the rest of your companions.” “Why?” questioned the biped “do you want to go back into your bush and watch us again, like you were for the last three hours?” “O-of course not!” stuttered Updraft, the pony thrown by the revelation that the biped knew of the two guards presence the entire time “It’s just for… safety reasons.” “Nice try, but I work in Government” the biped replied “that excuse is so over-used I’ve grown immune to it. Now if you’re done procrastinating it’s getting late and I’m tired, and when I get tired…” the biped reached down and picked up a hefty rock, the stone as large as Updraft’s head. “I get mad” the biped finished, crushing the rock in its armoured fist like it was nothing. The guard ponies watched as the remaining bits of stone fell to the ground, utterly pulverised by the biped. Sergeant Updraft gulped nervously as looked back up at the skull-shaped head of the biped. “I’m sure that we can find a Inn that would accept you right away, if you fetch the rest of your group we can move immediately” the Sergeant quickly spouted. “Great!” exclaimed the biped with joy evident in its voice. It reached down to its waist with a claw, withdrawing a golden Bit from a hidden compartment. It placed the coin on the top of Updraft’s muzzle, the pony Sergeant too afraid to move. The biped then stood still for a few moments, as silent as a statue. Within a minute the group of bipeds and changelings had all assembled behind their leader, the changelings watching the guards cautiously while the biped soldiers merely stood at attention, their expressionless faces revealing nothing. Updraft noted that one of the bipeds held a bundle of blue cloth, the object shifting occasionally in the creature’s arms. “Lead the way pony” the bipedal leader said, “I have lots of sight-seeing planned tomorrow so the sooner we can rest the happier I will be.” The sergeant nodded hastily as he turned and began to trot towards the city, the other four Pegasi following with speed. Nigel chuckled under his helmet as he signalled for the group to follow the ponies, the changelings and humans entering the city where they would no doubt have many marvellous adventures. ___________________________________________________________________________- “While we’re not short of rooms, due to your unique size I don’t think any of our beds will be large enough for you.” Nigel smiled down at the Innkeeper as the light-yellow mare informed him of her concerns. The Inn wasn’t too fancy, the wooden building having seen better days. It had been chosen as it was the most run-down Inn in the city, Sergeant Updraft reasoning that the owner would be more likely to house a bunch of murderous creatures and dishonest changelings. This had proven correct, the Innkeeper’s initial un-easiness had eased once Nigel had produced a hefty bag of coins, the currency having been ‘liberated’ from the Equestrians that had been held captive back at the Hive. “That’s not a concern for us, as long as our three quadrupled companions have a bed then that will be fine” Nigel replied, his helmet cradled under his right arm. The mare shifted her weight from side to side nervously at the mention of the changelings. “Are you certain they won’t feed on anypony while they’re in the city?” “I’m quite sure, we’ve managed to find another way for them to feed, you and your employees have nothing to worry about.” The mare let out a sigh of relief at Nigel’s response “that’s good to hear,” she looked up at Nigel “but what about you…?” “Humans” answered Nigel “and don’t worry about us, we have all the food we need in our suits” he tapped his chest plate with a glove as he said this. “Oh, I thought that was your skin, sorry.” the mare chuckled as she blushed a little. Nigel laughed along with her “it’s okay, almost everyone we’ve met has assumed that so no offence taken Miss…?” “Warm Hearth” Nigel extended a hand, grasping Warm Hearth’s offered hoof and shaking it, the mare staring in wonder as his armoured fingers clutched her limb. “Nigel Chalmers, pleased to make your acquaintance” “You’re much nicer then I first assumed Mister Chalmers, your appearance is quite…” “Intimidating?” Nigel provided, Warm Hearth nodding in response. “I’ll admit that the armour does make us appear quite monstrous but that is it’s intended purpose” Nigel held up his helmet, the mare gulping at the sight of the morbid headwear. Nigel began to polish one of the red eye lens with a cloth as he continued. “It’s a pre-requisite of our profession to look the way we do, much like how your guard forces all seem to have the same colour scheme." “That makes sense I suppose” Hearth replied “Though I have to admit that I much prefer gold and blue compared to black with skulls.” “Eh, can’t win them all” responded Nigel with a shrug. “Well, I already asked my daughter. Spring Clean to attend to your companions in the bar, would you like to join them?” Warm Hearth asked as she moved from the desk, the brown-maned mare heading towards the bar-room door. “That would probably be for the best, who knows how much trouble Stevens is causing at the moment,” Nigel answered as he followed the mare, various sounds of merriment emanating from the adjacent room. _____________________________________________________________________________ “So then I said ‘How da like these apples?’ and then I shot the guy in the face! Oh yeah, that made my day!” Stevens laughter went unaccompanied, the pony guards too shocked to comment while it was old news for the three other wraiths sitting at the table. Nestor and Mirror were nursing two glasses of cider at a neighbouring table while Reflection and Jacobs were sitting at the corner table by themselves, both with glasses of alcohol in hand and hoof. Sergeant Updraft had left earlier claiming that he had paperwork to finish, leaving the other four Pegasi to watch the humans and changelings. Horizon had been put to bed up in the Commander’s room, the colt falling asleep as soon as he was placed under the covers. Stevens lifted the bottle of whisky he held to his lips, taking a large swig before continuing “Well fine, no-one laugh along with me then. I might as well go and join the lovebirds over there.” Everyone in the room looked over towards the pair Stevens had pointed at, Reflection and Jacobs too caught up in each other to notice the attention they were receiving. Steven took another drink before continuing his rant. “At least Jacobs knows how to relax, you guys are all a bunch of squares. I mean, sure every female we’ve seen on this planet walks on four legs but we got to live a little you know, grab life by the balls and squeeze till they pop.” As he said this the Corporal winked at Wind Slash, the mare blushing hard as she adverted her gaze, the pony taking another sip of her cider. Sergeant Boland let out a sigh through his helmet speakers. “Corporal Stevens, while the Commander did order us to enjoy ourselves while we had the time I believe that he would be most displeased with how liberal you have been with your conduct.” Stevens snorted, finishing the bottle he held before replying. “I doubt that, I’m for one surprised that he hasn’t already tried to seduce every female that moves. That man changes the sheets more than a maid that works in a five-hundred room hotel.” Stevens reached for another bottle on the table before he suddenly found himself staring at the ceiling with a metal boot planted on his chest. “Care to repeat that Corporal, I don’t believe that everyone heard that hilarious joke.” Stevens craned his head back, his eyes meeting those of the Commander. Nigel stared down at his subordinate, Warm Hearth watching the scene with worry from her position at the Commander’s side. “What I said Sir was that, um…” Stevens said as he struggled to think of a reply that wouldn’t result in execution “that you are one of the most well-learned practitioners of the finer areas of romance.” Stevens began to sweat when he received no response from Chalmers, the Commander’s hand tapping the butt of one of his holstered pistols. The entire room, including Reflection and Jacobs who had broken out of their trance at the spectacle watched the confrontation, wary of the potential action the Commander appeared to be considering. Nigel’s frown quickly morphed into a wide grin, the Commander lifting his boot off Stevens chest. “You’re lucky that I’m in a good mood and that you chose your words very wisely Corporal, it would have been unfortunate if Miss Warm Hearth here would have ended up having to clean the contents of your skull off her barroom floor.” “Yes Sir, it won’t happen again Sir” acknowledged Stevens, the Corporal righting himself and his seat before once again reaching for the bottle of whisky. “Maybe you should cut back Stevens,” cautioned the Commander as he sat down at the table. “You don’t want to go and make a fool of yourself again do you?” “I’ll be fine” dismissed Stevens with a wave of his hand, taking another swig of whisky as he continued. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
Funky TownWind Slash sniffled as she fastened the last strap securing her armour. She placed her helmet on her head, the enchantment changing her appearance to the uniform white and blue. The mare looked into the bathroom mirror, her altered appearance failing to hide the tear trails under her eyes. She had no clue as to why she felt so emotionally torn, the human’s words cutting her deep. The night before had seemed like a dream, Wind Slash able to remember every detail as she had drank little alcohol. Corporal Stevens had seemed so confident and bold when he was speaking, Wind having found herself quickly becoming intrigued with the human’s personality. As the night had gone on the curiosity had morphed into attraction, the human acted so different to any other male Wind had met. She had eventually worked up the courage to confess her attraction to him after she had followed him to his room, Stevens proving to be quite accepting on her. Wind sniffled again as she stared at the mirror, a sad excuse for a guardmare staring back at her. Her initial assumption that Stevens also found her attractive had been shattered, his words this morning making that very clear. Was it because she was a pony and not a human? Wind knew that many ponies looked down upon inter-species couples; maybe it was the same for humans? The Corporal sighed with her eyes looking down as she left the bathroom to head out of the room door. If it was true then she would never get to experience the thrill that she had last night again. A part of her could understand where Stevens was coming from but another longed for the experience to blossom into something more. *Thunk* Wind Slash fell back onto her rump as her helmet made contact with a solid object. The mare looked up, Stevens standing in the doorway looking down at the startled mare. His face was covered in blood and his intimidating armour was covered in dirt and grime. “Wind Slash,” Stevens began, his voice strained, “I had a talk with a friend of mine and he gave me some friendly advice regarding us. Please just let me explain why I said the things I did…” _________________________________________________________________________________________________ After Nigel had explained to Warm Hearth the circumstances surrounding the shattering of her window and provided ample compensation he re-entered the dining room, sitting down at the table to resume his breakfast. Every eye in the room was focused on him, the Commander paying them no heed as he continued to eat his toast. Mister Nigel,” the awkward silence was broken by Bleak Horizon, “why did you attack Mister Stevens?” Nigel paused his breakfast to wipe the corner of his mouth with a napkin, looking down at the colt who had sat down beside him, the young pony looking up at the Commander with his eyes filled with confusion. “Mister Stevens and I had to have an adult talk Horizon,” Nigel answered, “a talk that Mister Stevens didn’t want to have. By tackling him out of a window he was forced to listen to what I had to say and thanks to that talk some problems that he was having will hopefully go away.” Horizon stared at Nigel sceptically, the grey colt narrowing his aqua eyes as he dissected the offered answer. Nigel put on his best poker face as he squared off against the child. “Okay,” the colt relented “as long as Mister Stevens is happy after his talk then I’ll let you off.” ‘I don’t think he will be,’ Nigel thought as he grinned at Horizon, the colt nuzzling the Commander’s armoured leg. The Commander continued to eat, the rest of the room following his example when it was clear that no further information would be shared. The three guard privates, Tornado, Gust and Feathers all had moved to a table away from the Commander, all three ponies watching him with nervous looks. They were new guards, all three passing training barely a month ago and they felt like they were incredibly under-qualified to deal with such creatures. A few minutes after Nigel’s explanation the sound of something descending the stairs outside of the room floated through the open door, everyone turning to look at the doorway. Stevens entered and sat down at a table, the ponies and changelings gasping at his blood-covered form while the other wraiths paid no attention, all of them secretly happy that someone had finally taught the Corporal a lesson that was long over-due. Corporal Wind Slash also arrived a moment later, the guard sitting down at the same table as Stevens with a smile on her face. “You seem rather cheerful Corporal Slash,” Nigel commented as he feigned ignorance, “did you sleep well?” Wind Slash blushed as she reached over the table to snag a piece of toast from the plate belonging to Stevens, the human voicing no objection much to the surprise of the room. “Well, me and Stevens…” she trailed off, unsure how to break the news to the others, especially her subordinates. Private Feathers however had it covered, the mare smirking as she solved the problem for the Corporal. “We all know what you two go up to; we could hear it from our rooms last night” Feathers grinned as Wind’s blush deepened, the mare attempting to hide her face behind a stack of napkins. Stevens still didn’t say anything, choosing instead to take another bite of toast. He resembled a zombie, his mind appearing to be blank as he repeated the same action robotically. “Don’t be so embarrassed Corporal, I’m fairly certain that most of the girlish squeals came from Stevens,” Nigel said, causing all of the wraiths except for Stevens to burst into laughter. Corporal Stevens at first looked like he was going to reply before he stopped and looked down dejectedly at the half-eaten piece of toast in his hand. Wind noticed this and the mare left her seat, choosing one next to the Corporal as she patted him on the armoured back with a hoof. “Don’t act so miserable Stevens, after all we’re going to spend the entire day together like you promised and we’re going to have so much fun!” Wind Slash missed how the Corporal’s frown deepened, the mare too preoccupied with nuzzling his shoulder affectionately as she giggled. Nigel shot the rest of the room a smug look before he placed his helmet on his head, the red optics coming to life as he stood up from the table. “On that note I think it’s time to hit the town,” Nigel suggested, marching towards the door with Horizon walking beside him and the rest of the group in tow. “Onwards, for the glory of the UIP!” he shouted, goose-stepping out of the Inn into the street. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ “I have come to the conclusion that the locals are not ecstatic about our presence Commander,” Boland voiced through his helmet speakers as he glanced at the various creatures staring at the group, the majority of them ponies. “I don’t care; all we have to do is remain civil. We don’t have to make friends with them Sergeant” Nigel replied, the Commander spotting an ice-cream parlour a few stalls away. He looked down at Horizon, the clot leaning against Nigel’s right leg as the foal shivered from all of the curious looks the group was receiving. “Hey Horizon,” Nigel addressed the foal, Horizon looking up at him, “would you like an ice cream?” The colt’s scared expression changed into a smile, the young pony nodding happily at the question. “Yes please! Can I have a Strawberry one Nigel?” he asked, Nigel’s helmet nodding at his question. “You can pick whatever flavour you want Horizon” the Commander answered as he headed towards the shop, the colt trotting joyfully beside him. The rest of the group consisting of the five wraiths, the three changelings and the four guards moved to a couple of benches to the left of them, all of the ponies sitting on them quickly leaving as the strange bipeds approached. Everyone sat down, awaiting the return of the Commander and the foal. “Hey,” Private Tornado asked the seated wraiths, “what’s the deal with that colt, why does he act like the Commander is his father?” None of the wraiths responded to the pony’s question, the changeling, Mirror, looking at them before she sighed and turned to the pony guard. “Bleak Horizon treats Commander Chalmers like a father because Horizon’s parents were killed by Diamond Dogs. The dogs had a bunch of ponies as slaves in a mine and the Commander killed all of the dogs before burying Horizon’s mother.” The four Pegasi all paled at the thought of what an effect such an experience would have on a child. “He didn’t kill all of the dogs,” Corporal Smith spoke up, “Corporal Watts and I got a few as well, filthy slavers.” This comment earned Smith the attention of the four ponies. “You really hate slavers that much?” questioned Private Gust, the Stallion still shaken, “I don’t like the idea either, but to go so far as to just kill them doesn’t seem right.” Smith let out a snort at the Gust’s query, “What’s not to hate about them?” he replied, his grip on his rifle tightening. “It’s one thing to kill a being, at least then they get some peace from the troubles of life. With slavery it’s nothing but prolonged torture, the consequences continuing even after the slaves are freed, if they’re freed at all that is. Just look at Horizon, that colt is only about seven years old and witnessed the violent deaths of his parents; I’m surprised that he’s even able to act like he does now, considering.” “Even when Changelings capture ponies for food,” Nestor stated, the changeling receiving unpleasant looks from the four pony guards, “the pony is sleeping though it the entire time. We used to need to do this to survive,” Nestor removed a vial from his bag as he said this, puncturing the top with a fang “now we can just use these vials. From what I understand of Diamond Dogs they only use slaves to mine for gems. At least we had a reason for what we had to do.” At his explanation the guards’ harsh looks softened, their admittedly short time spent around the changelings having convinced them to feel less hatred for the love-reliant creatures. Gust looked at the vials that Nestor and Mirror held, the changelings drinking from them as the wraiths simply stared back at any surrounding ponies stupid enough to stare hatefully at the group. Gust then looked over at Reflection, the changeling the only one not drinking from a vial. “Why don’t you need to drink stuff like they do?” Gust asked the changeling, gesturing towards Nestor and Mirror. Private Tornado stared at his colleague like he simple. “Are you serious?” Tornado asked disbelievingly. “Are you telling me that you haven’t noticed that the changeling and that strange human over there,” Tornado pointed towards Jacobs, the human clenching his fist and raising a middle-finger in return, “are constantly fawning over each other? She’s probably just feeding off him, thought why anypony would love a changeling is beyond me.” Everyone looked at Reflection, expecting the changeling to become upset with the pony’s words. Reflection however just grinned at Tornado and stood up on her hind legs on the bench, her head level with Jacob’s helmet. Without saying a word she kissed the base of the helmet before running her small red tongue up to the top with a sultry look on her face. Both Gust and Tornado’s wings extended sharply, Murray falling off the bench as he laughed at the pairs’ reaction, all of the other humans and changelings in various states of amusement. Feathers looked at her two male comrades with a disproving glare. “Males” she muttered, the two Stallions blushing hard as they tried to push their wings down with their hooves with no success. Jacobs removed his helmet to wipe the changeling saliva off it, leaving himself open to attack. Reflection, who was slightly high off the sudden increase of attention capitalised on his mistake by invading the surprised human’s mouth with her tongue. Jacobs after a few seconds of surprise responded, grabbing the back of the changeling’s head with a hand as he pulled her in deeper, much to the shock of the guards and the surrounding civilians. “What in the seven flaming circles of Hell?” Reflection and Jacobs broke apart at the sound of the Commander’s surprised voice, the pair as well as every other being at the benches rotating to face him. Standing a couple of meters away was the Commander covered in ice cream with Horizon at his side, the colt’s single cone of strawberry forgotten as the two looked upon the scene in front of them. Jacobs hastily re-attached his helmet as Reflection sat back down sheepishly as she attempted to make herself as small as possible. Nigel switched his gaze from the pair that he had caught in the act to the two guard Stallions, the ponies’ wings still straight up in the air. “I leave you alone for five minutes to get an ice cream for Horizon,” Nigel said, the crowd of civilian ponies that had all been watching the spectacle looking fearfully up at him, the Commander already having established a reputation with his earlier assault of Stevens on the street. “When I come back I find one of my subordinates making-out with his changeling lover in public surrounded by a crowd of” –Nigel scanned the crowd of onlookers, the computer systems in his helmet calculating the number of ponies- “seventy-three ponies. Judging from the condition of two of our guards you put on quite a show, entirely un-appropriate for such a public place. Do you know what I have to say about it?” The Commander directed his attention towards Jacobs and Reflection, both beings slowly shaking their heads nervously. “Carry on!” Chalmers exclaimed, much to the shock of everyone witnessing it, “it's stuff like this that makes me love my job! Well, that and the fact that I get paid a boatload of money but still, good on you!” The Commander turned to Horizon, picking up the foal while making sure the colt’s ice cream didn’t fall off the cone. “Let’s leave these guys alone Horizon, I think I saw a toy shop further down the road.” Horizon let out a cheer, the Commander humming merrily as he carried the ecstatic colt down the road. “Shouldn’t one of us be following him?” Private Feathers asked, the mare looking between the Gust and Tornado, who were still having trouble with their wings and Corporal Slash. The two stallions would be more of a burden in their current condition and Corporal Wind Slash was looking at the human she was next to with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Feathers let out a sigh as she left the group to follow the human Leader; evidently she was the only one who still was capable of doing her job. “I better get promoted after this” she mumbled to herself under her breath, following the shouts of alarm coming from up ahead. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Griffonia - Soaring Heights Castle “So it is agreed then, the Equestrians must pay for the lives of our soldiers that they wasted in their folly.” Emperor Kestrel looked across the table, various generals from both the Griffon and Minotaur Empires seated around it nodding in confirmation. “Do the Zebras still refuse to commit their troops?” The Emperor inquired to his High Commander, Commander Talon. The large griffon stood up, his form covered in metal armour as he saluted his Emperor. “The Cowards wish to not risk another war,” he said hatefully, “they fear that we will draw the ire of the daemons if we once again march on Equestrian soil.” “Preposterous!” Emperor Kestrel responded, “The monsters would never aid the Equestrians against us, such foul beasts would never work with such soft creatures. The Equestrians have proven that their military forces are incompetent. We trusted them with our soldiers and we paid for it dearly, it is time for the Equestrians to learn that they cannot expect us to just forgive them!” The surrounding creatures let out a hearty cheer as they raised cups filled with various liquids, the Griffon Emperor smiling as he joined them, already planning his post-victory celebration in his mind.
Don't Send a Pony to do a Human's JobNigel awoke suddenly, his hand reaching towards his handgun as he quickly stood up from his position against the wall. He un-holstered the gun and held it at his side as he observed the surrounding room, searching for any intruders. Bleak Horizon was sleeping soundly in the bed, a stuffed yellow dragon toy clutched in his hooves. Nigel quietly inspected the empty wardrobe and bathroom, finding nothing out of place. Even though he found nothing he kept his weapon ready, having learnt over the years to trust his instincts. Nigel tensed and pointed the pistol at the door as something knocked on it softly, the Commander only lowering his gun when the knocks repeated themselves in ISA code, only taught to ISA personnel. He carefully approached the door, unlatched it and opened it to reveal Sergeant Boland standing outside, the rifle in his hands held at the ready. “You felt it too?” Nigel asked, the Sergeant nodding as the Commander left the room, closing the door behind him as he left. “Something feels out of place,” Boland confirmed, “I don’t know what, however I believe it would be prudent to not take any chances.” Nigel checked the time displayed on his HUD, local planetary time reading as three o’clock in the morning. “Agreed, rouse the others including the changelings. My gut has never been wrong and it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.” “Should we awaken the Equestrians?” Boland inquired, glancing towards the four rooms at the opposite end of the corridor. Nigel thought about the idea before shaking his armoured head. “Not just yet, let’s avoid getting them involved at the moment. You start with the changelings and I’ll handle the Corporals, assemble downstairs in the lobby to discuss the situation.” Boland nodded, moving towards the three rooms containing the changelings while Nigel began with the neighbouring room, knocking on Corporal Stevens’s door in code. He waited and he heard no response he repeated the series of knocks, still no results showing. He pushed on the door, finding it was unlocked and Nigel poked his head into the dark room. His helmet optics picked up the slumbering form of the corporal in the bed, Nigel shaking his head in disbelief as he also noticed Corporal Wind Slash sleeping heavily beside Stevens. “He just doesn’t learn, does he?” Nigel muttered to himself. He entered the room and moved over towards the bed, poking Stevens in the naked ribs with an armoured finger. “Piss off,” Stevens murmured as he moved a hand to swat away the Commander’s finger. Nigel sighed and grabbed the corporal’s hand in his fist, the pressure he exerted prompting Stevens to jolt upright. Corporal Stevens reached towards his waist where a sidearm would be stored normally; sub-consciously attempting to pull a gun only to stop when he saw just who had attacked him. “Commander, what the hell are you doing in my r-” Stevens asked only to be interrupted, Nigel putting an armoured finger to the Corporal’s lips. “Keep it down, don’t wake the pony.” Nigel whispered, the Pegasus mare sharing the Corporal’s bed thankfully continuing to sleep despite Steven’s raised voice. At the Commander’s whisper Steven’s slowly looked beside him, his face dropping as he spied the mare lying next to him. “I’ve got to quit drinking” he murmured. “Probably a good idea,” replied Chalmers, “now kit up and meet downstairs, my Pyscho Sense is tingling.” With these hushed words the Commander departed the room to inform the other humans, Stevens sighing as he carefully got out of bed. “When isn’t it tingling?” he muttered, shooting the sleeping mare a look before tip-toeing into the bathroom where his armour was stored. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel nodded at Stevens as the Corporal entered the lobby, the soldier fully armoured and armed. Stevens had his rifle in his hands and his infernus gun locked to his side, the rest of the wraiths ignoring him, Corporals Smith, Jacobs and Murray all pre-occupied with eyeing every entrance. Stevens took up position next to Smith, the pair guarding the heavy door leading outside. “What’s going on Commander?” inquired Nestor, the changeling looking around nervously at the humans as they all trained their various weapons on possible entry points. Mirror and Reflection were sitting down with him behind the reception desk, Nigel reasoning that if anything happened then it would be the safest place. “I feel like something big is about to happen, my gut’s telling me that something’s going to go down.” Nestor looked at the Commander with curiosity in his blue eyes. “You’re going through all of this trouble because of a hunch?” the changeling questioned, Corporal Murray shooting Nestor a glance from his position by the front window. “Believe me changeling, when a soldier has a bad feeling about something it always pays to take care. You never kno-“ Murray stopped talking and every wraith in the room tensed, a siren resembling an air raid warning sounding from far away. The group all held their breath as the lone alarm was soon joined by more, glows of fires appearing from the city-outskirts. “Attack warnings,” Reflection said, the changeling peering over the reception bench, “the same kind sounded at Canterlot when we invaded.” Nigel stared out of the window with a confused look hidden under his helmet. He thought that he was the only one who wanted to set fire to pony cities? “What’s all the noise?” The humans and changelings looked back behind them, Warm Hearth and her daughter emerging from a door towards the back of the room. The two Earth ponies froze, the flames from the burning buildings casting flickering light through the window. “Something’s attacking the city,” Nigel answered. “I suggest you and your daughter take cover with our friends here” Nigel said as he gestured towards the sitting changelings. Warm Hearth looked at them nervously, before once again looking outside. Spring Clean moved without hesitation however, the grass-green mare sitting down next to Mirror. Her time in the bar serving the group had eased her fears of the changelings, after all they weren’t that scary compared to the human soldiers. Warm Hearth soon sat next to her daughter after deciding that the changelings were not the most worrying threat. “Nigel, what’s happening?” Bleak Horizon asked as he shambled into the lobby, the unicorn colt rubbing his eyes with a hoof. His yellow dragon toy was on his back, the colt letting out a yawn as he stumbled over towards Nigel. “The city is under attack Horizon,” Nigel answered as he crouched down in front of the colt, “I want you to stay here with Nestor and the others okay? I’m going to go and see who’s causing trouble.” Horizon looked towards Nestor, the changeling giving the colt a friendly wave. Horizon smiled at him sleepily, the colt ambling over towards the changeling. Horizon lay down beside the changeling, the colt showing the curious Nestor his new dragon toy that Nigel had bought him that day. Warm Hearth however looked at Nigel in worry at the mention that he was going outside into the burning city. She had grown to like the human Commander, Chalmers proving to be quite entertaining and courteous. The fact that he acted so fatherly to a colt that was not his own impressed the mare greatly, the innkeeper having received a brief explanation as to how Horizon came into Nigel’s care from the Human named Boland the previous night. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked, “I’m sure the guards will be able to stop whatever is happening.” Warm Hearth looked at Horizon, the colt slowly becoming more energetic as he talked with his changeling friend. “What about him?” she asked, turning back to look at Nigel, “Surely you’re not going to leave him here?” “I’m certainly not going to take him with me,” Nigel responded, “and as for the guards I don’t think our four have even woken up so I’m not going to place much faith in them.” Nigel walked to the door, the sound of the sirens growing in volume as he opened the Inn door. “Boland, Jacobs and Murray stay here and guard everyone, try and wake the Equestrians as well. I’ll contact you if we need backup; don’t leave this building unless we call you.” The two Corporals and Sergeant nodded, Jacobs heading upstairs to wake the Equestrians. Nigel stepped out into the street, gun at the ready. “Stevens and Smith on me, let’s find out what all the commotion is about,” Chalmers ordered, the two soldiers joining him outside. Boland shut the Inn door behind them. Nigel pointed towards the centre of the city, screams of terror accompanied by war cries sounding the loudest in that direction. “Here I was thinking we were the only ones burning down pony cities,” Nigel started as he strolled towards the city centre with Stevens and smith in tow. He activated his left wrist blade, the sword sliding out and glowing with blue energy. “I bloody hate it when people copy my ideas; time to teach someone a lesson that will really cut them deep.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Well well well, it looks like the Minotaurs decided to follow our example.” The three humans were observing a fight between five pony guards and three Minotaurs, the three large bulls easily holding off the ill-prepared Equestrians. The guards were a mix of Pegasi and Earth ponies, the flight-enabled ponies hovering in the air while the Earth ponies attacked from the ground. Pony spears either bounced off the bulls’ heavy metal armour or were merely ignored when the occasional spear did sink into flesh, the bulls seemingly feeling little pain as the ponies continued to stab away. All three bulls were armed with warhammers, the large blunt weapons only failing to hit their mark because of the guards’ agility. Stevens and Smith were in cover behind a yellow brick building, a furniture store judging from the wooden sign hanging above the door. Nigel however was not concerned with such trivial matters such as stealth, the Commander standing in the middle of the street with his hands clasped behind his back. The tide of battle soon changed however, one of the bulls landing a solid hit on an earth pony guard, the Equestrian letting out a cry as the hammer hit it on the side of its armoured torso. The guard collapsed to the ground, the pony groaning in agony as its legs twitched, the bull turning to deal with the rest of the guards. A Pegasi guard, distracted by the defeat of its comrade received a glancing blow to a wing, the bones breaking as the mare screamed. The pony dropped like a rock, hitting the ground hard as the bull that had struck her laughed. The Minotaur bent down and picked up the crying guard by the neck, hosting her up to eye level. “Stevens head right and Smith go left, I’ve got this here” Nigel ordered, raising his pistol as he watched the Minotaur grasping the struggling guard while preparing to crush the mare’s head with its hammer. “Search and destroy, leave no hostiles alive. Might as well enjoy this while we can” Nigel finished with joy, the two Corporals heading in their assigned directions. Nigel walked towards the melee, the brown-furred Minotaur holding the pony starting to swing its hammer as the three remaining guards watched helplessly while the other two bulls had paused to view the impending kill with glee. The mare stared at the approaching hammer with tear-filled eyes, her doom unable to be prevented. Chalmers smiled as he shot the brown bull in the head, the Minotaur’s skull exploding like a rotten watermelon as the super-sonic round detonated inside of its brain. The lifeless body flopped to the ground with the mare following soon afterwards. Nigel stepped forward into the light, pony and Minotaur alike staring in astonishment at the armoured biped. “You know,” Nigel began casually as he twirled his handgun around a finger, “I hate Bullies, they really milk my patience.” “Human” the largest Minotaur, a head taller than Nigel in his armour spat as if the very name of Nigel’s species was unpleasant. The Minotaur glared at the lone human, the Equestrians forgotten as it sized the new creature up. The ponies all backed away from the two bulls as the Minotaurs stepped closer to the Commander, the two injured guards whimpering as they were pulled behind some crates spilling out of a cart by their compatriots. As the staring match between the two bulls and human continued the guards all took cover, protecting their injured while nervously watching the foreign warriors. “Well, you got the name right so that’s a start,” complemented Nigel, the large Minotaur leader snorting in disgust. “I was I had never heard of such a filthy creature,” the black bull replied, “especially one that has to fight its battles from range like a-“ “-Coward?” Nigel interrupted, the bull narrowing his eyes at yet another pun. The bull raised his hammer in warning, the human’s constant up-beat mood getting on his nerves. Chalmers smirked to himself at the reaction, re-attaching his pistol to his hip. “Fine, we’ll do things your way,” Nigel conceded, putting his armoured fists up in a boxing pose as he shifted from foot-to-foot. “Come at me bro.” The bull let out an excited bellow, rushing forward and swinging its hammer in a wide arc as the other bull and Equestrians watched on. In his haste to splatter the human the bull over-swung, the human’s taunting having got to him. Nigel jumped back, narrowly avoiding the hammer before grabbing the bull’s large horns with his hands. The bull tried to strike with his hammer again however Nigel did not give him a second chance, the Commander’s armour assisting him with bringing the bull’s head down onto Nigel’s oncoming knee. With a sickening crack the human’s armoured knee shattered the bull’s nose before Nigel let go of the bull’s horns, the Minotaur bellowing as it dropped to the ground. As the bull held onto its ruined face with his hands letting out growls of pain Nigel raised his armoured boot above the Minotaur’s head, the bull facing the ground. “That’s what happens when you’re too headstrong.” Nigel brought his boot down upon the Minotaur’s head driving it towards the cobbled ground. The bull uttered a final bellow before his skull cracked like a nut, Chalmers lifting his foot only when the corpse ceased twitching. The human turned towards the last bull, the tan Minotaur open-mouthed at the fate of its leader. “Your turn” Nigel informed the shocked bull as the human stepped over the Minotaur leader’s body, his hands rubbing together in preparation for the next fight. The bull almost pissed itself, dropping its hammer as it turned and ran down a darkened street, right past the Equestrians hiding behind the crates. Nigel followed the retreating Minotaur, stopping next to the terrified guards as he drew his pistol once more and lined up the back of the fleeing bull. Nigel looked downwards as he turned his head to face the huddled ponies, his gun still held in his hand outstretched. “He may outrun me, but can he outrun bullets?” Without breaking his gaze Nigel rapidly fired three rounds, three squelches and a agonised scream confirming that he had hit the target. He lowered his gun, re-holstering it as he pulled a HE grenade from his suit. “I like my steak well done” he commented as he tossed the grenade down the street, an ear-splitting explosion following as a ball of flame lit up the darkness. The ponies all had their hooves over their ears following the sound of the explosion, Nigel checking the street to make sure the bull was dead. The absence of a body and a blood-splattered crater was good enough proof for him, the human turning back to the Equestrians. The two injured guards were whimpering but conscious, Chalmers convinced that their wounds weren’t fatal. He started to walk down the street in the same direction the bull had tried to run, hands once again clasped behind his back. “Wait!” Nigel halted and looked back towards the guards, the injured Pegasus mare having raised her head to look at him. “Thankyou” the mare said, Nigel shrugging nonchalantly. “Win-win situation, you get to live and I got to kill three mythological creatures” Nigel said as he resumed his walking. “Try not to die!” he called back, the guards thanking Celestia that human was content to leave them be, the biped disappearing into the shadows. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ‘Shlick’ Smith withdrew his bloodied knife from the Griffons neck, the human lowering the body to the floor as he cleaned his knife on the griffon’s feathers. He had followed the creature inside the plain double-story house, his sensors picking up a mass of life forms above him on the second floor. He unslung his rifle, checking to make sure the underslung shotgun was loaded before carefully making his way towards the wooden staircase, sticking close to the cream-coloured wall. The corporal ascended the stairs, rifle butt against his shoulder as he pointed the weapon in front of him. As he edged up the stairs a heavy smack followed by a cry of pain sounded from a doorway to the left on the upper floor. Light spilled out of the open doorway, shadows dancing on the far wall. Stevens paused as he reached the door, hiding to the side of the frame as laughter from at least three different voices accompanied by crying sounded throughout the building. Satisfied that everything was good-to-go Smith swung out into the doorway, his rifle pointed at the face of a very surprised griffon wearing light-chain mail. Four griffons total occupied the room, two pony mares and two foals huddled in the back left corner. A grey stallion was curled up on the floor in the middle of the circle of griffons, a gash on the left side of the pony’s face spurting out blood. The griffons all noticed Smith, the ebony-armoured human standing out amidst the bright colours of the house. The wraith took a second to scan the faces of the griffons, the Commander’s orders firm in his mind. Corporal Smith pulled the trigger of his rifle’s under-barrel shotgun, the heavy solid slug that exited having been designed to bust open heavy doors. Needless to say, the griffon’s face did not provide much resistance, the heavy projectile blowing out the back of the hybrid’s skull before passing through the opposite wall leaving a large hole the size of a pony’s head through which the night sky could be seen. As the body tumbled to the floor Smith unloaded a rifle burst into the closest living griffon, the larger creature’s heavier breastplate unable to prevent the multiple bullets from entering its chest. As the corpse fell against the wall, blood erupting from its beak and chest wounds the remaining two griffons rushed Smith while drawing swords. The first oncoming griffon received a rifle barrel to the eye, it’s screams silenced as another burst from Smith annihilated its brain. The second and last however managed to hit Smith in the arm with its short sword, the weapon failing to pierce the tough armour but the force of the blow caused Smith to drop the rifle. The griffon tackled the Corporal to the ground, the five ponies watching in fright as the griffon attempted to claw off the unknown creatures face with its talons. The creature appeared to be unfazed, steady reaching down towards a black object attached to its side. The Equestrians were afforded a perfect view of the creature grabbing the object with a claw and placing it against the Griffon’s unprotected stomach, right before multiple loud bangs filled the room as blood sprayed from multiple holes that were blasted in the griffon’s back. Smith pushed the fresh corpse off as he stood up, holstering his pistol and retrieving his rifle as the ponies huddled together, the stallion joining the mares and foals in the corner. The griffons had not seriously damaged the Corporal’s armour, the damage limited to the external surface in the form of light scratch marks. He looked over towards the ponies after he had picked up his weapon. “Are you seriously injured?” Smith asked the stallion, the grey Pegasus shaking his head slowly. Smith nodded, his orders were to eliminate any hostiles, not help any of the local populace. He walked out of the room heading towards the stairs, leaving behind four rapidly cooling bodies in the destroyed room. He paused for a second before descending the stairs to glance back into the room, the ponies refusing to move from their corner. ‘Probably for the best’ he thought, leaving the house in search of more enemies. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Fuck you, Arsehole!” Stevens yelled as he booted a minotaur in the crouch, the bull yelling in pain before Stevens inserted his wrist blade into the Minotaur’s eye socket. The energised blade easily cut through the back of the bull’s skull, the heat from the blade causing the remains of the creature’s brain to boil. This did not concern the bull, already dead as Stevens continued to kick it after it had fallen to the ground. With a final boot Corporal Stevens let the battered body be, instead searching the massive battle for another target. All around him pony guards were locked in combat with Griffons and Minotaurs, the ponies on the back foot. Bodies of injured guards littered the surrounds, a surprisingly few amount of ponies having actually died. Stevens attributed this to the fact that the Griffons and bulls tended to not finish a wounded adversary, prioritising pony guards that were still able to fight. It wasn’t just the ponies who had taken losses however, dead griffons and minotaurs also were lying in the streets, a particularly large pile where Stevens had made his entrance. He had managed to put down a fair chunk of the enemy before he was pulled into the melee, Stevens guessing that there were at least one-hundred combatants fighting it out in the city centre. The large park the battle was being fought on provided no cover, with swords, spears, hammers, axes and talons being the primary weapons used. Stevens jumped on the back of a white bull about to decapitate a fallen pony guard, the minotaur having no time to react before Stevens slashed its spine open with his blade causing the minotaur to drop the axe it was holding. He then finished the bull with a precise stab between the ribs where e its heart was located, the Minotaur shuddering before it expired. Stevens hesitantly offered the fallen Earth pony guard a hand, the guard reaching out a hoof which Steven used to pull the stallion upright. The pony gave the human a brief nod, grabbing its spear with the crook of its hoof before it re-joined the fray. Stevens stuck up his middle finger at the Stallion’s back; he was only helping these ponies because their assistance would help him achieve his objective. A mighty bellow roared out across the battlefield, Stevens turning towards the roar to spy a gigantic Minotaur sporting heavy metal armour wielding a massive spiked mace. The Minotaur must have been at least a head and chest taller to Stevens, it must seem like a giant to the small ponies. A scream sounded as a pony stallion was flung through the air towards the wraith after the huge bull smacked the pony with the mace, a spiked point piercing the pony’s armour and penetrating it’s chest. Stevens failed to doge the incoming Pegasus, the guard colliding with the Corporal’s armoured chest sending both of them to the ground. The guard was sprawled on top of Stevens, the only sign that it was still alive was the pained whimpers it uttered weakly. The human didn’t get a chance to attempt to remove the guard, an orange-feathered griffon moving to thrust a spear downwards into the pony’s back. The corporal moved to counter the blow with his gauntlet blade before the griffon’s head exploded in a mist of red, the retort of a rifle echoing throughout the park. Stevens attempted to locate the source of the shot to no avail. He resumed his attempts to extract himself from under the pony as shots continued to ring out. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel removed his rifle’s sight from the space were the griffon’s head used to be, Corporal Stevens appearing to be out of danger. Chalmers spotted his next target, a large armoured Minotaur bull bellowing out war cries while holding a bloodied mace. From his elevated position concealed on top of a restaurant overlooking the park Nigel had a perfect view of the large Bull’s throat, a squeeze of the trigger sending a bullet to its destination. The projectile entered the creature’s neck, the resulting detonation causing the bull’s head to separate from its body. “Bullseye” Chalmers chuckled, shifting his attention to other targets. His sniping had tipped the odds of the battle in favour of the Equestrians, many guards being saved by the accurate shots. The large bull must have been the leader of the attack, his death causing bellows of despair to rise from the remaining enemy which consisted of mostly Minotaurs, almost every single Griffon dead or dying. Like a dame breaking its banks the Minotaurs turned and fled, their morale shattered at the death of their leader. Nigel lowered his rifle scope, figuring that the remaining Equestrians would be able to handle the fleeing creatures. He jumped off the rooftop he was occupying with his suit enabling him to complete the jump, the Commander heading towards his subordinate who was still struggling to remove the wounded guard. Nigel could have left him but the battle was not yet over, sounds of fighting still ringing out from the city outskirts. No doubt the three humans would have a busy morning ahead of them.
Why You Should Just Walk Away“Get the fuck off of me you moron!” Stevens fumed as he fought to remove the limp guard that was sprawled upon him. The Pegasus had somehow gotten his golden chest armour locked with Stevens’s suit so the corporal was trying to separate himself from the guard. The pony would periodically let out a weak whine, the guard wheezing as blood spurted from a ragged hole gouged in the stallion’s chest in time with his breathing. Stevens stopped moving, slow clapping emanating from behind of a bush to the corporal’s right. ‘Oh no,’ Stevens thought as the Commander stepped into the light, ‘not him, not now. Why can’t Smith have been the one sniping?’ “Well, well, well. Once again Stevens you’ve managed to end up underneath a pony covered in bodily fluids. It’s a relief to me that the five years of training you went through as well as your seven years of active combat experience have moulded you into a shining example of the majesty of the UIP.” Chalmers walked up to the dead griffon he shot before, crouching down to examine the corpse as the sounds of victory cheers sounded in the distance. Obviously the battle had swung in the Equestrians’ favour thanks to the death of the enemy leader. “In my defence,” Stevens began as his Commander re-focused his attention towards him, “I only got under this pony after that fucking huge Minotaur pounded him hard enough to…” Stevens decided to stop; he was only making the situation worse. He couldn’t see Chalmers’s face due to the Commander’s helmet but he could tell that the smug bastard was probably wearing the biggest grin at Steven’s expense. “So I see the enemy appear to have been defeated.” Both Stevens and Chalmers looked towards the new voice, Smith walking towards them. The soldier nodded at his Commander, receiving one in reply before he looked down towards his fellow corporal trapped underneath the guard. “It also looks like that once again Stevens is under a pony covered in-“ “Already beat you to it,” Chalmers interrupted, Smith shrugging in reply. “Not really that much of a surprise Sir, it is Stevens after all.” Stevens raised his head off the ground at this. “Okay, hold the bloody phone!” Stevens shouted. “This whole ‘Stevens is a pony sex addict’ is really getting old, it’s stale and no longer funny. I bang one pony twice-“ “Twice?” Smith asked the Commander as Chalmers looked at him. “I found Wind Slash in his bed this morning again, I swear there’s a rule that if you wake up with the same wom- female in your bed two mornings in a row then it counts as a relationship.” “Hell no! There is no way that I will ever date that mess of a mare!” “Well you slept with her twice so she obviously has something going for her,” Chalmers responded as he poked the dead griffon’s exposed neck with a finger, “maybe you two should go set up a double-date thing with Reflection and Jacobs at a nice restaurant.” Nigel looked out at the city, some fires still burning strong. “You know, after all of the fires have been put out. Still a nice lunch or something will surely show the two of the best in each other.” Stevens’s rage grew to be so great that he found the strength inside of him to rise up from the ground to confront his tormentors. Unfortunately he still had a whimpering Pegasus guard attached to him, the pony dangling from the strap that had gotten stuck on Steven’s chest. Stevens didn’t care about this, the corporal completely ignoring Smith and heading straight towards Commander Chalmers. Nigel hid an amused smirk under his helmet as Stevens poked him in the chest, the attempted intimidation ruined by the fact that the commander was half-a-metre taller than Stevens and that every time the corporal moved forward the arse of the dangling guard smacked against Nigel’s stomach. It was so funny Nigel decided that he wasn’t even going to punish the Corporal for insubordination. “That’s it; I can take it from the guys but not from you, Commander!” Nigel decided to not mention that the Corporal also took it from a four-foot pony, twice. The Equestrian attached to Stevens coughed out some blood. “Please… please help me” the stallion wheezed weakly. “In a Fucking minute, have some patience for Fuck’s sake!” Steven yelled, the corporal clamping a hand over the pony’s mouth to quiet the guard. “You constantly call me out for every single thing I mess up while ignoring your own glaring mistakes! I mean you have the authority to order the death of solar systems and what do you do? You orchestrate a guerrilla war against a civilisation of ponies that seem to be stuck in the eleventh century! What excuse do you have for that?” Stevens finished his tirade, all sound ceasing except for the pained breathing coming from the pony dangling from Corporal Stevens. Smith found himself shifting his grip on his rifle; Stevens had crossed the line long ago. Commander Chalmers had a reputation for his temper, his violent temper that often resulted in extreme bloodshed. The two warring soldiers squared off with Stevens shaking with rage with the Commander standing barely a metre opposite him, Chalmers standing stock still. “You want an explanation as to why we continue to operate on this planet instead of calling the navy and leaving?” The Commander asked with a steady voice, Stevens nodding his helmeted head in reply. “I’ll tell you why, it is incredible, amazing fun. You can’t disagree with me on that, you yourself have killed, screwed, drank, partied, stolen a sack of apples and currently have a pony attached to your chest.” Stevens looked down into the pleading eyes of the Pegasus pony as he thought about the Commander’s response. He had to admit that the trip had been rather fun and the chance to attack multi-coloured equines was a rare one. Granted they were now seemingly working with the ponies but apparently Chalmers had a plan regarding that. He looked back towards Chalmers, his anger fading away as he focused on repairing the situation. “I’ll make a deal, Commander” Stevens offered, Chalmers gesturing for him to continue. “If you agree to start treating me with some respect I’ll be willing to… co-operate with you without constantly complaining.” Chalmers stroked his helmet thoughtfully as he considered the agreement. “Tell you what Stevens, I’ll stop the constant insults if you ask that mare you’re seeing on a date and you have to apologize for not laughing at that joke I made when we first met the changelings.” Stevens sighed; while he wished the Commander would for once take something seriously he guessed the terms weren’t too outlandish. After all, the Commander did have enough of an excuse to just execute him after the earlier insubordination. “Fine, I’ll go on a date with Wind Slash, though why it’s so important to you I will never figure out.” “Annnnnnnd…?” Commander Chalmers prompted, eliciting a sigh from Stevens. “I’m sorry for not laughing when you made that joke; I failed you, my father, the ISA and the greater UIP as a whole. May the Emperor forgive me for my grievous offence.” Chalmers shrugged at the dramatic response. “Eh, I’ll take it,” The Commander held out a fist towards Stevens. “Let’s just agree to get along at least until we leave this planet, why don’t we just forget all of this and go and try to find any stragglers to finish off to cement our new friendship.” Stevens stared at the offered fist, raising his own and meeting it with a smack of armour impacting armour. His Helmeted head focused back on Chalmers as Stevens nodded his head. “Let’s go fuck those hipster wannabes; we’re the bad guys here!” “Damn straight,” Nigel agreed, “damn mutants are stealing our thunder, time to show them just who they pissed off!” “Hate to be the drunken uncle pissing on the birthday cake,” Smith spoke up as he pointed a finger at the wounded pony hanging from Stevens, the Corporal and Nigel looking towards the injured guard. “But shouldn’t we stop that pony from dying or at the very least cut him off Stevens?” “I like it there though,” Stevens replied as he looked down, “I think it really lightens up my armour and says ‘Come at me bro, I wear your soldiers like tassels’ at the same time.” The pony let out a weak groan as his hind leg kicked, Chalmers letting out a sigh as he withdrew a combat knife from a sheath hidden in his armour. Chalmers advanced on the pony, the Stallion’s eyes widening as he turned to look at the knife wielding human. “I really sorry buddy,” the Commander lamented as he lowered the knife to the pony’s throat as the guard began to tear up, “but I’m going to have to cut you down.” As he said this Chalmers cut through the strap binding the pony to Corporal Stevens, Smith catching the guard and laying it gently on the ground. The three humans stared down at the guard as it moaned feebly, the blood spurts having slowed to a dribble. “You know Sir,” Smith said, breaking the silence, “for a second I thought you were just going to slit his throat and been done with it.” “Oh, it was definitely on the table,” Chalmers replied as the guard attempted to crawl away. The pony stopped quickly, his wound immobilising him as the Commander crouched down to examine the bloodsoaked guard. He rolled the pony onto his back and tittered as he traced the edge of the ragged puncture with a finger, the pony whimpering as it attempted to speak, however due to the damage to its right lung it only managed a few words. “T-ake me to a… a hosp-hospital, please.” “No” Nigel stated bluntly, withdrawing a needle-gun from a suit compartment, “if you are going to die in battle then it shall be by my hand, not by some copycat wanker.” Nigel inserted the tip of the needle into the pony’s thigh, injecting the contents of the medical gun into the guard’s bloodstream. “You’re a lucky pony, pack your bags and grab your munchies because you are about to go on one hell of a trip.” The pony’s breathing slowed down to a steady rasp, the Pegasus relaxing as the powerful painkiller he had been injected with went to work. The Commander observed the guard’s pupils, satisfied that the equine was well and truly out of it. He removed the golden helmet from its head, a shimmering glow surrounding its body as the pony’s coat changed from white to orange, the mane and tail gold with a white stripe. The only thing that was constant with the appearance of the guard was the blood covering his chest and the hole in his chest. The three humans stared at the space-out guard, Nigel sticking his finger into the wound and twisting it around. The pony continued to stare happily up at the sky as he mumbled to himself, Nigel continuing to poke the wound. “So,” Chalmers inquired, “which one of us is going to fix it?” He received no reply at first, both Corporals looking towards him expectantly. Nigel withdrew his finger and pointed the bloodstained digit at them. “Why me? Why do I have to do it?” “Well Commander, you do have the most medical training out of the three of us,” Smith stated, “I’m not too confident with pony anatomy and Stevens is only interested in the lower anatomy.” Stevens looked like he was going to fling out a retort but Smith continued on before he had the chance. “You already have all of the needed equipment with you and to be honest you would probably enjoy a chance to shoot a medical laser into a pony’s chest.” Unknown to the soldiers a throng of locals had slowly begun to emerge from their dwellings, the ponies retching at the site of the dead bodies surrounding the area but the three strange creatures seemingly helping a wounded guard drew some of the braver Equestrians closer. The battle for the city had appeared to be over, the invaders repelled and the fires in the background dying out. While the ponies that had ventured outside hated being in the midst of so many dead they were drawn to the three humans in the park, many of the equines watching from windows as the creatures fight alongside their guards. Seeing that the strange beings apparently were friendly to ponies and being herd animals in instinct the frightened citizens moved towards the strong protectors. The humans were too caught up in debating who should have to help the guard that the approaching crowd of skittish equines closed without notice. “Fine then, at least I get to use the laser.” With these words the Commander flicked his wrist, the small barrel of the medical laser extending as the barrel glowed red. Alongside the laser emerged a second barrel, the tube containing a sealing agent. The surrounding ponies observed with baited breath as the biggest creature moved its glowing appendage towards the guard’s wound, the Equestrians riveted to the gory sight unable to look away. Nigel was concentrating solely on his task, moving the dispensing tool of medical cement towards the wound. With his helmet optics he was able to see a smaller puncture in the Pegasus’s lung, the point where air was escaping into the pony’s chest. Nigel sprayed the inner wound with the medical solvent, the quick acting agent sealing the injury. Chalmers withdrew the tube and fired up the laser, using the precise instrument to aid in the closing of the wound as it caused the medical solvent to act like liquid stiches. Satisfied that the lung would hold, Nigel withdrew the tools and moved to the external trauma. He once again covered the hole with the closing solution before lasering the wound shut. The surrounding Equestrians all watching as the strange advanced procedure was completed with awe, their fear forgotten. Nigel shut off his laser, slightly disappointed that he would be unable to use it for longer. Lasers are cool, no matter if they’re used to heal colourful ponies. “Well, that’s taken care of,” Nigel commented as he stood up, the guard still in a daze and he wouldn’t be lucid for at least another hour. Chalmers rubbed his hands as he turned around, freezing mid stride as he saw the gathered crowd of amazed Equestrians. Both Corporals turned as they noticed the Commander’s reaction, the two other humans sharing in Chalmers’s surprise. “What. The. Holy. Fuck.” Stevens breathed as the crowd of ponies, at least fifty all gazed at the three humans in awe. The lead pony, a ash-grey mare pointed towards the Commander with a glimmer in her eyes. “That one, the big one! He just saved that guard’s life!” The crowd erupted into cheers, their fear having vanished due to the incredibly act of kindness they had witnessed. The humans stood stock still as the bubbling crowd circled the confused humans, the ponies all yelling out excited questions as a small group of mares surrounded the downed Pegasus guard attempting to comfort the oblivious stallion. “This cannot get any worse,” Nigel sighed, the corporals nodding in agreement. The flapping of wings shattered that assumption, a mass of golden-clad ponies hovering in the air as two tall mares, one the colour of pure white snow, the other the picture of a starry night touched down upon the ground. The crowd parted as the two rulers of Equestria approached the three humans, a slight bruise still visible on Celestia’s face. The two Princesses halted in front of the humans, Celestia glancing at the fallen guard before raising an eyebrow at Nigel. The Commander gave a shrug before answering the non-verbal question, his armour covered in the combined blood of griffon, Minotaur and pony. “I swear, I didn’t set this city on fire. If I had nothing would be left.”
Just Some Friends I Brought With MeCelestia maintained an even expression as she stared at the blood-soaked human, the human’s statement not what she was after. She knew that the attack had been conducted by the Minotaurs and Griffons, her guards had informed her of the sudden assault as well as the unexpected help from the aliens. A wounded Pegasus mare had even claimed that the human commander himself had saved her life, killing a Minotaur warrior just as he was about to kill the guard. Her claims had been verified by the rest of the guard’s squad and now it seemed that the violent creatures had even saved a guard from death with medical intervention. A few guards from the group Celestia had brought with her prepared to move the zoned-out stallion to a medical area as the rest of the newly arrived troops focused on corralling the mass of civilians who were all looking at the Princesses with awe. “Why did you help my ponies?” Celestia questioned the human leader, “your actions towards Equestria have only been violent up until now, why help us when you could have joined the Griffons and Minotaurs?” The Commander appeared to scoff at this, the two other humans with him clutching their deadly projectile weapons with the barrels pointed to the ground. “Well, for starters this attack on the city interrupted my sleep. Not cool. Secondly I’m sorry to say this but your ponies aren’t exactly avatars of war. They lack tactics, weaponry, resolve and from what I have observed experience,” The Commander pointed towards a griffon corpse, both Princesses and the surrounding ponies wincing as they realised that most of the griffon’s head was missing. “These guys are much more fun to kill; at least they have a chance.” Celestia grudging accepted that he was probably right in regards to the Royal Guards lack of experience and ability. They were well trained but such widespread conflict had not been seen in Equestria for centuries. She was about to attempt to defend her guards, the armoured stallions and mares glaring at the human for his highlighting of their flaws before a group of battered Pegasi guards landed heavily in-between the two opposing groups. “Princess!” a bloodstained Lieutenant spoke as she shook off the effects of her rough landing, her left foreleg bent at a wrong angle, “Griffons and Minotaurs have attacked Fillydelphia and Baltimare, both cities have fallen and are being used as staging points for the enemy! Already they appear to be preparing to march directly to Canterlot!” Celestia bit her lip, turning to look towards Luna to find that she also appeared to not like their chances. The guard who had delivered the news had spoken loudly, the surrounding civilians breaking out into panic as they overheard. Many of them turned and ran to hide in their houses, only a few staying behind as they looked to their Princesses for guidance. Celestia grimaced inside as a particularly unpleasant thought rose up, the Princess preparing herself for the scathing reply that would most likely follow. “Commander,” Celestia stated as she addressed the human leader, Luna glancing at her curiously. The human leader made a motion with a hand, Celestia assuming it was a gesture for her to continue. “As you have just been made aware, our situation is dire and considering your obvious ability for warfa-“ “Not going to happen,” the Commander dismissed, turning on his heels and walking away from Celestia. The two soldiers accompanying him pivoted and made to follow him, the humans heading back towards the outer edge of the city. Celestia had to think fast to secure the support of the lethal aliens. “I’ll pay you!” she shouted out after them to no effect, “anything, please!” The humans stopped, whether it was because of the terms she offered or the desperation in her voice at the thought of what her subjects would suffer under the rule of the invading races Celestia didn’t know. The Commander walked back towards her, his metal claw resting on the grip of one of his smaller projectile weapons. He didn’t say anything at first, glancing between Celestia and Luna as he appeared to think. “Anything?” the human questioned as he stared at Luna, Celestia giving her sister an apologetic look before replying. “…Yes,” Celestia hesitantly answered, lowering her head at what the bipeds would demand. “Fine then, I want a night with Princess Luna and a fifty-five square kilometre area of land. This land will belong to the UIP and any unauthorized access will be dealt with severely.” Both Celestia’s and Luna’s guards moved to attack the humans for their bold demands however they were quickly halted by Celestia flinging out a wing, the two accompanying human soldiers had already raised their weapons to their shoulders while the Commander himself seemed unfazed. Celestia muttered a brief apology to her mother for putting Luna through this but the safety of her ponies came first. “I accept your terms,” she answered as Luna’s eyes widened, “if you assist us in repelling this invasion then I will give you what you ask.” “Sister!” Luna protested as Guards for both Princesses looked at Celestia in shock, “thou can’t agree to have that… thing occupy thine bed!” Luna’s surprised caused her to slip back into her old vocal patterns. “Damn…” the Commander commented, “that accent is even more of a turn on.” Luna blanched at the human’s input, Celestia moving and putting a wing over her sister as she looked into Luna’s eyes. “I’m sorry Luna; I see no other chance of us defeating this catastrophe. The Elements will not work on these enemies and as loyal as our guards are the Minotaurs and Griffons have overwhelming numbers,” Celestia explained as she hugged her sister. In truth Nigel didn’t really care that much about having a night with the Lunar Princess; the two alicorns’ reactions only proved that his idea to ask for it was a good choice. By focusing on his unusual request the fact that he had just secured a large area for a local UIP base of operations went by without complaint. In truth twenty Kilometres would have sufficed but they could always just build some more missile silos or something. He watched on as Luna returned her sister’s hug, the Midnight ruler sighing as she pulled away, looking at Nigel with a defeated expression. “If that is what it takes to keep our subjects safe then I …submit. Keep in mind that I am not looking forward to such… activities,” she huffed, Nigel giving a shrug. “As the old proverb says ‘you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink,’ a little more relevant in this situation I believe.” Chalmers didn’t notice the shocked looks on the faces of all the surrounding ponies, unaware that he had just implied that the Night Princess was a prostitute. He continued on, detaching a rectangular device from his suit. “While our forces are currently small, we have a wonderful surprise just waiting to have its fun.” As the Commander appeared to enter information somehow onto the strange device Luna and Celestia exchanged glances at the human’s mention of a ‘surprise’. “What do you mean by surprise?” Luna hesitantly asked, the human seemingly finishing his task before pressing a button causing loud beep to sound from the device. He re-attached it to his suit as he looked at the gathered ponies, his morbid helmet maintaining its constant grin. “Let’s just say that there’s more than one kind of shipping that’s going to happen in the future.” ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Admiral Montgomery Biggles was perched in his command chair overlooking the bridge of his Reginald Class Command and Control Ship, hundreds of deck crew monitoring sensor outputs and navigation systems in the bridge of the gigantic vessel. He blew a strand of coal-black hair out of his brown eyes, inspecting his deep-blue uniform for any impurities. Shining a golden medal with a handkerchief the Admiral tapped his booted feet against his chair. He had been ordered by a higher-up in UIP Naval Command to assume command of a small fleet comprising of two Subjugator-Class Planetary Assault Cruisers, one Hiendrecker-Class Supply and Support ship, one Lancelot-Class Heavy Cruiser and four Guardian-Class Escort Destroyers. All he had been told was that he was to remain in his current position and await a signal from an un-named Internal Security Agency Commander. Once a signal was received Montgomery was to follow the orders of the ISA officer until the mission was complete. The wait was the worst part; so far they had spent a few weeks sitting in deep space completely idle. There were currently four border conflicts in the nearest galaxy and the Admiral was itching for some action, a feeling he knew was shared by the Captains of his accompanying fleet. This wasn’t even considering the couple of million UIP Military troops carried by the assorted ships, the soldiers often uncomfortable on-board space-borne transports due to the fact that they often were unable to do anything during naval engagements. He was interrupted in his grooming activities by the arrival of a bridge officer, the mid-level staffer escorted by two marines armoured in fully-enclosed standard issue grey armour. The officer snapped off a salute to his Admiral before making his report. “Admiral Biggles sir,” the officer began, “we have received an encrypted subspace transmission originating from Universe Three-Seven-Five-Three. Details in the message are confirmed to be from the ISA exploratory team and they have requested military assistance.” The Admiral perked up; finally there was something to do. “What information did we receive on the status of the situation?” Montgomery questioned, the Bridge officer glancing down at an information tablet he held. “Planet is termed as pre-industrial, terran-type suitable for future operations. ISA team has encountered a friendly civilisation that have been successfully infiltrated and made reliant on UIP assistance. ISA head agent reports that friendly civilisation was previously at war with a second civilisation but was defeated. Multiple skirmishes between ISA elements and the second nation supported by multiple other civilisations occurred until the signing of a truce. After peace was negotiated the second nation was attacked by elements of their former allies and has requested assistance from the UIP. SPECTOR agent on ground has negotiated military assistance in return for a fifty-five kilometre area of land and…” the Bridge officer hesitated as he made to read the final condition. “And what?” questioned the Admiral. “The report merely states ‘One night in the bed of a Princess’, sir.” Admiral Montgomery sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his gloved hand. Such errant behaviour was common for ISA agents, periods of solitary operations tended to foster un-professional mannerisms. No one was really game enough to act on it however, you don’t want to get on the bad side of the people who know everything about you and maintain entire battalions of assassins at the same time. “Our orders are clear, officer,” Montgomery concluded as he looked back up, “that Spector agent is now in control of the fleet. Plot a course to the target destination and inform the Captains of the situation. Prepare the troops for combat and preform pre-operational checks of all planetary assault weaponry. That is all.” Montgomery reclined back in his chair as holographic displays lit up around him, detailing positions of the numerous ships in the fleet and their statuses. He spent a few minutes reviewing the information regarding the eminent conflict before the Hiendrecker-Class signalled that its subspace tunnel generator was fully primed and ready for operation. The Admiral took a few moments to confirm that all ships were in their designated formations before giving the order for activation. Seen through the displays on the inside of the bridge that mimicked windows the aft section of the Hiendrecker light up with a glow, a swirling vortex that was a subspace tunnel appearing in front of the fleet. The fleet advanced as one through the portal, the light of stars disappearing as the fleet descended into the lightless maw of the tunnel. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Nigel stepped out of the carriage with Bleak Horizon into the courtyard of Canterlot Castle, the Equestrians having provided transport to their Capitol. There were four of the Pegasi-drawn wagons, enough to carry all of the humans and changelings that had been occupying Manehattan. The group’s four Equestrian guards had stayed behind to assist in the defence of the city, the ponies having awoken an hour after Nigel, Stevens and Smith had left. Nigel observed as his five soldiers and the three changelings exited from their transports alongside various Equestrian guards, the entire group having been retrieved from the inn before leaving the city for Canterlot. Chalmers had already radioed the rest of the ISA agents back at the changeling hive to tell them what was happening. The humans were all receiving hateful glares while the changelings copped looks of disgust from the surrounding guards on the landing square. Chalmers wasn’t worried, the Equestrians needed the UIP’s help and they knew it. Celestia touched down next to the landed carriages, Luna following close behind. Princess Celestia walked towards Chalmers, giving the colt standing next to the human Commander a sympathetic look. One of the guards assigned to watch the humans while they were in Manehattan explained the circumstances to her regarding the child’s attachment to the violent alien. Some of her guards had suggested forcibly removing the colt from his chosen foster parent, Celestia instantly rejecting such suggestions as the results would not be good at all. “This is where our defence effort shall be co-ordinated from,” Celestia informed the humans as she gestured with a wing towards the palace, “I must insist that you and your changelings to remain on the ground floor at all times, temporary quarters will be provided until the invasion has been defeated and once that occurs you are no longer welcome in this city.” The sight of the humans at the location of their first hostilities against her ponies re-kindled some anger in Celestia; however the Princess knew that if she wanted her ponies to have a chance at freedom then she would have to tolerate the creatures and their changeling allies. “Doesn’t bother me,” the Commander replied as he gazed out over the area of the city that still showed signs of fire damage, “I’ve spent enough time in here already, let’s just beat the crap out of these Griffons and Minotaurs and then after we are given what is owed we will never return to your capitol again.” Celestia nodded her head, the human seemed to not be overly concerned about the hostility he and his soldiers were receiving and the sooner the invasion was over the better it would be for both parties. The Commander pointed towards the city wall, a mass of golden forms covering the white stone structure. “How many forces do you have defending the city? Have you enacted a draft and how many law-enforcement are available to supplement your military forces?” “We have six-thousand and fifty-seven Royal Guard, they act as the local police force and no civilians have been willing to join a defence militia,” Celestia responded, Chalmers whirling around in surprise. “Not one civilian ready to fight for their city?” the Commander questioned, “If a UIP planet was under attack all the mustering areas would be packed. Do these ponies know just what is happening?” “Most of the occupants of this city are of the upper-class,” Celestia answered hesitantly, “they are fully confident that the Royal guard will be able to hold off the i-“ “No offense Princess, but I doubt the Royal Guard could hold off a senile grandmother let alone two races that are much more physically suited for combat,” the Commander interrupted earning him even more hate-filled glares from the surrounding ponies. “If those nobles aren’t willing to defend their city then they can be the first ones used for catapult ammunition when we run out of stones.” The human turned back around and re-scanned the walls, “Speaking of catapults where are they? I assumed that even a nation of your tech level would possess at least some defensive artillery.” Celestia winced at this; the truth was that Equestria had never any need for such weapons since the first founding days. “We have no such weapons Commander, the Royal Guard is all that we have.” The Human was silent for a few moments, Celestia unable to tell what he was doing under his helmet. “Looks like we have to do everything,” she heard him mumble, the biped giving one last look towards the defensive preparations before he turned to address his troops and the changelings. “Sergeant Boland, send one man to each primary section in order to oversee the defences. Orders are to shoot any Griffon and Minotaur on sight,” the two Princesses watched as one human gave his Commander a quick nod before pointing to each remaining human, the four soldiers nodding one by one as they split off, each one heading to a section of the wall. Celestia assumed that the humans had a form of internal communication, something that would explain just how they were able to co-ordinate their earlier attacks so effectively. “As for you two,” the Commander stated as addressed Luna and Celestia, “I suggest we retire to your command room, judging from the state of your military I’m going to assume a janitorial closet?” “We have a ‘Command Room’ human,” Luna imputed, “it is one of the finest war-rooms in all of the land!” The Commander snorted in response, gesturing for the Princesses to lead the way. The two rulers shared a look before they trotted of in the direction of the castle. “Then let’s see this ‘finest war-room’, Boland and changelings with me,” the Commander ordered. The humans and changelings started to move towards the castle but were halted by a guard squad, the equine sergeant holding out a hoof. “No changelings are permitted in the castle,” the Stallion demanded, Nigel rolling his eyes at the guard’s actions. “Who do you think is more of a threat, a few changelings or the guys who set fire to your city?” The guard turned red, Celestia however took notice of the confrontation and stepped in. “Let them through, right know they are the lesser of two evils.” At their ruler’s words the guards grudgingly parted to allow the group access to the castle, Nigel reaching out to pat the Sergeant on the head as he walked past. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Montgomery Biggles vision was re-filled with stars as the fleet exited the subspace tunnel near the target planet. Two orbiting bodies, a moon and a miniature sun slowly circled the terran world as the fleet prepared to enter planetary orbit. The Admiral glanced to his left, a screen reading out information that the ship’s sensors were processing. Details regarding the planet’s atmosphere, mineral deposits, water levels and approximate age filled the screen, the planet appearing to only be around twenty-thousand years old. The Admiral deduced that according to the young age, the reported sapient life forms and the small sun seemingly made for the planet that the world had been artificially created or terraformed by a class-D civilisation or higher. From what the ISA report told him he suspected that the original makers either died out or abandoned the planet, future investigations would be needed once the more pressing matters had been attended to. Two clusters of UIP locator beacons appeared on a holographic map of the planet’s surface, one set located underground in the midst of a mountain surrounded by desert while the other, smaller set was currently in the middle of a local city. Of particular interest were the signals numbering six, a more ornate dot that directed a Commander-rank agent inside the castle, accompanied by a normal signal with the rest scattered around the walls of the settlement. Considering that the ISA commander was located in a fortress in the middle of a city which appeared to be preparing for an assault Biggles concluded that a position over that particular area would be ideal. Rapidly tapping a keypad on his chair’s armrest, the Admiral ordered his subordinates to move the fleet into positions over the city, staying above the atmosphere. He also ordered that all ground troops prepare for combat and while he doubted even half would be needed it never hurt to make sure. Receiving a reply from the bridge crew stating that the orders would be carried out immediately the Admiral sat back in his chair, the ship underneath him moving towards its allocated spot as manovering thrusters activated. __________________________________________________________________________________________ “So the only land access is the bridge, you rebuilt it fast,” Nigel remarked as he surveyed a crudely drawn map of the city, his finger resting on the bridge which they themselves had destroyed earlier. “It was not easy,” Celestia stated calmly, the Alicorn attempting to tolerate the human who had formerly introduced himself as ‘Internal Security Agency SPECTOR Agent Commander Nigel M Chalmers’ before promptly picking apart every single tactical decision that Celestia and Luna had made. Complaints about troop positions, lack of defensive measures, no long-term supply warehouses and Canterlot not possessing any ‘Scorched Earth’ devices. Celestia had still not figured out what ‘Scorched Earth’ meant, the Commander not stopping to tell her. “The matter of the bridge is of little concern, while it would be easy to just blow it up again to prevent ground-based access I instead think we should turn it into a killing field instead. What sort of anti-personnel weapons do you possess?” Celestia was very concerned about this ‘killing field’ idea, for some reason her mind conjured up an image of pony eating flowers all swaying in the wind. Seeing that the Commander was awaiting an answer Celestia braced for ridicule. “We have crossbows and some unicorns have been trained in combat magic,” she answered, the human commander not moving. “Is that all?” he asked after a pause, both Celestia and Luna slowly nodding their heads at the query. The human looked back down at the map and sighed deeply. “Well then, killing field is out. I suggest you start to gather any explosives that are contained within the city so we can blow the bridge and deny any ground forces an easy access point.” “Why do you not do it?” Luna asked, the night alicorn glaring at the Commander, “You humans have already proven that explosions are something that you enjoy.” At this the human shrugged. “I would be happy to destroy your bridge again, however we lack the needed amount of explosives and there is no way in Hell I’m going to ask Klaus to make some more.” At the mention of this ‘Klaus’ the two Princesses exchanged confused looks. “Who is this ‘Klaus’?” Celestia inquired, Luna also awaiting the human’s answer. The Commander went back to the map, scanning the north section of the walls as he replied. “Remember the changeling with the explosive rockets strapped to it?” Both Princesses shuddered at the memory of that day; the toll taken by the strange weapon had been high. “That was made by Klaus.” “We shall prepare to destroy the bridge,” Luna quickly conceded as she exited the war-room, her guards racing after her as the princess rushed away. Celestia swallowed a lump in her throat; any mind which could possibly conceive of such an insane device should not be let near any major population centres. The human Commander seemed to share this sentiment, glancing briefly at the retreating Princess while nodding his head. “Great, hopefully enough is found in time to facilitate the destruction, how long until the enemy arrives?” The Commander asked as Celestia stared down at the map on the table. “According to scouts the Griffons and Minotaurs have a combined force of numbers over ten-thousand heading right for us; they will arrive in three days. They have left small garrisons in Fillydelphia and Baltimare, their numbers are unknown.” Celestia paused, Chalmers observing that the Princess was trying to hold back a sob. “They have also reported that the Griffons are beginning to transport ponies back to Griffonia for undetermined purposes. Considering that pony meat used to be a delicacy to Griffons and they also used to use slave labour-“ “Say no more,” the Commander interrupted, his fist clenching at the mention of slavery, “elimination of the Griffons will be the second priority.” Celestia was stunned at the human’s change of mood, where there was once snarky, sarcastic remarks there was now just red-hot rage. Slavery must really be a hot button for the humans. Celestia appreciated the Commander’s concern, however ‘Elimination of the Griffons’ sounded like Genocide. “Commander Chalmers, while I am thankful for your concern I don’t think wiping out the entire Griffon race is something that I can support, maybe we could just try and free my ponies from them?” “You’re too soft Celestia,” Chalmers shot back, “you let them get away with it and they’ll do it again. However, since you for some reason care so much for the welfare of the nation that attacked your people I suppose merely killing most of their military and razing half of their country will suffice.” The Commander waved a hand as he said this, returning his attention back to the map. “From what I can see the most obvious points of attack will be from the bridge and the side of the mountain range, however with the Griffons ability to fly every point is a potential access point. What is the status on this bubble shield you claim you used earlier?” “Former-Captain Shining Armour is currently on a honeymoon with his wife in Saddle-Arabia. We have attempted to contact him but have received no response. He was the only unicorn capable of making a city-wide shield, no other unicorn has been trained as of yet so we will be unable to construct the shield in time.” “Wonderful,” responded Chalmers sarcastically, “let’s just hope that your Guards can shoot straight at the very least. Every griffon that gets into the city mu-“ “Princess!” Chalmers was interrupted as a unicorn guard entered the room, “Griffons and Minotaurs have been spotted to the west of the city!” Celestia narrowed her eyes at the news. “How did they bypass the bridge?” she questioned the guard, “Griffons are understandable but how did the Minotaurs cross?” “The Minotaurs appeared to have been suspended below two Griffons each on a harness, they appear to be gathering their forces before attacking!” the Guard panted out, Celestia glancing worriedly towards the Commander. Chalmers merely stood up straight, pulled what he had called a ‘sidearm’ out of its holster and walked towards the exit. As he passed the guard he patted the unicorn on the back, the pony shuddering at the touch of the human. “Let them come,” Chalmers remarked as he left the room, Celestia moving to follow him. “It just means that there are more of them for me to kill.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Princess Celestia looked out over the western wall from the throne room balcony, a throng of guards all bracing upon that wall as they faced the approaching forces. A lone black-armoured human could be seen on the wall as well, all of the guards giving the creature a wide berth. Commander Chalmers, who was standing next to Celestia with Sergeant Boland behind him would periodically issue commands through his ‘Com System’ to the soldier on the wall. The enemy forces had assembled a sizable force and had begun to move towards the wall, seemingly not adopting any tactic apart from just charging. Considering that they outnumbered the ponies almost two-to-one and each Griffon and Minotaur was worth at least two Royal Guard it would most likely work. Chalmers wasn’t convinced that this was their only assault though; he doubted that even such primitive creatures would rely solely on overwhelming numbers. He was proven correct; a chorus of shouts from the northern cliff face sounding as he and Celestia turned to face the direction of the alarm. A small force of about three-hundred Griffons shot over an un-defended section of wall, scattering over the city as Royal Guard Pegasi attempted to intercept them. Nigel shook his head at the sight, he had advised the ponies that every section should be watched but upon seeing the main force many guards had rushed to defend that area, leaving the remaining either severely undermanned or unguarded completely. Griffon soldiers descended into the city, fires breaking out in multiple buildings as what appeared to be incendiary flasks where hurled through windows and doors. As Celestia rushed off into the castle to try to organise an effort to extinguish the blazes Nigel remained upon the balcony, an appreciative smile under his helmet. The griffons appeared to be smart enough to pull off a distraction and then used it to start fires in the city, forcing the defenders to split their focus between the attacking army and the infernos. He had underestimated them; maybe there was some enjoyment to be had. Nigel was just about to leave the balcony to assist in the fight when he paused, a communication link appearing on his HUD. It seemed like UIP re-enforcements had arrived, his display showing that a small fleet was located right above his location. He grinned, opening up the link as an image of a stern grey-moustached man filled his display. “Admiral Biggles, so good to see that you’re able to join us…” ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Corporal Tenichi did a final check of his Foxhound, all of the walker’s systems showing that it was armed and ready for combat. The seven-metre tall bipedal combat machine was secured safely inside the drop pod, Tenichi able to see the dull grey metal through the computer display that mimicked a windshield. Foxhounds were not the best looking walkers, not much more than two armoured legs attached to a boxy-armoured body that vaguely resembled a human with two weapon-filled arms. Tenichi wasn’t too worried about the looks of his walker however, its ability to ignore most weapons fire made up for its appearance. His weapon systems were already primed, a tri-barrelled Gatling laser mounted on his right with a rapid-fire grenade launcher on the other. The walker also possessed an under-slung flamer mounted beneath its torso to deal with any infantry that attempted to assault it from below. The short briefing his team had received stated that according to ISA agents on the ground the enemy forces lacked combat vehicles; hence the primary anti-personnel load-out. Tenichi still couldn’t believe that he was about to drop into combat against creatures that were apparently Griffons and Minotaurs, the mythological creatures waging a war against colourful ponies no less. He had pushed these thoughts aside however, a chance for combat was a chance for combat and to pass it up because the enemy was ‘too silly’ would be a bad idea. A light flashed on his command console, Tenichi leaning back in his control chair as he slipped his armoured hands into the control inputs, allowing him to move the suit as if it was his own body. The warning indicated that they were about to commence the drop, the nine other members of his squad signalling that they were all ready to deploy. Also accompanying the walkers would be a large number of UIP infantry, the ground troops aiming for the city itself while the Foxhounds were to engage the main enemy force. The Commanders had expressed that collateral damage was to be minimised, the troops dropping into the city were to focus on eliminating invading forces that had infiltrated the settlement. Tenichi felt nothing as his pod shot out from the Planetary Assault cruiser and pierced the atmosphere, the advanced systems in the pod cancelling out the effects of the rapid descent. A readout showing the time until impact counted down, the pod having descended so fast that mere seconds where left. Tenichi smiled under his helmet as he imagined what he must look like to the creatures below him, a meteor from the heavens crashing down to deliver judgment. With a crunch the pod impacted upon the ground, Tenichi able to feel the shudder of the landing even through his Foxhound. Sunlight filtered through as the panel of the pod in front of the walker shot away, the metal piece flinging off into the air. Corporal Tenichi offered a quick prayer for the souls of those who he was about to take, before he moved his walker forward out of the drop pod, the tri-barrelled weapon in his left arm already spinning as the Foxhound strode into the midst of the surprised enemy forces.
Chaos and CoffeePrivate Lexwing stared in shock at the metal giant that emerged from the building-sized egg. He had been advancing with his platoon towards the pony capitol when the egg had fallen from the sky, along with nine others that had slammed down amongst the joint Griffon and Minotaur forces. The young Griffon gripped his spear nervously as the other griffons in his squad all stood with disbelief, watching the large tan creature finish moving out of its container. The giant was the colour of burnt gold; much like his own feathers. Three deep blue stripes on its shoulders the only other colour adorning it that really stood out, perhaps unit markings of some sort? A white icon of a fist crushing a sphere that looked like a planet was on its right breast, an un-decipherable group of what Lexwing assumed was words next to the number ’05’ both in white below the icon. The beast looked vaguely human-shaped from what he could gather; the officers had passed around drawings and descriptions. It had two boxy, bipedal legs that were as tall as four griffons stacked on top of each-other, a bulky torso, no head and what looked like two arms mounted in large shoulders covered with armour. One of the arms had what looked like a large black barrel with a boxy shape attached to the bottom of it, the other, more concerning limb had an object with three ‘barrels’ all connected together in the vague shape of a triangle. The reason why that arm provoked such anxiety in Lexwing was that the tri-barrelled object was glowing a crimson red at the tip and was starting to spin. Oh, and it was also pointed directly at his platoon as well. Lexwing dived to the ground as a barrage of red beams shot-out of the spinning object at a terrifying rate, landing behind him as screams filled his ears. He started to hyper-ventilate as his Sergeant fell to the ground beside him, the large griffon’s left-talon side completely sheared off with the remainder of the corpse slowly being consumed by fire. Lexwing could feel the heat of the giant’s weapon wash over his armoured back as it strafed the shrieking forces behind him. The Private began to crawl forward towards the giant, the biped monster seemingly focused on the bulk of the army as Lexwing made hast leaving his doomed comrades behind. He briefly had time to note the other identical giants that had emerged from their own eggs scattered down the line, all nine mimicking the one Lexwing was approaching before the other tube that the closest one had mounted in its left arm boomed, a massive explosion behind him flinging Lexwing into the air. The private collided with the grassy ground heavily; the air knocked from his lungs as his back stung like it was fire. He franticly felt behind him with a talon expecting to find ravaged flesh and gaping wounds however all he could feel was a few small pieces of shrapnel. He pulled them out, three jagged bits of blood-stained metal that seemed to be from an armour piece. His injuries proving to not be as life-threatening as he feared he observed his surroundings, his ears still ringing from the explosion that had propelled him to his current spot. With alarm he noted that he was almost next to the giant, the creature still pouring death into soldiers far away. Lexwing found that he still had his spear in his grip, the memories of his slain squad members re-kindling his courage. He managed to stand, his spear outstretched as he valiantly willed his tired wings to flap, the griffon soldier taking fight. He sped towards the giant, the creature still not having noticed him as the private rocketed onwards with spear ready to strike. Lexwing knew that he may die, but he swore that his sacrifice would not be worthless as he closed in on the unsuspecting beast. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Tenichi glanced down at the status readout at the bottom of his display, the AI controlled under mounted flame-turret enveloping a solitary approaching target in fiery death. The corporal hadn’t even noticed the lone enemy, the walker-operator re-focusing on his current targets as the flames died down leaving only ashes behind. He fired off another burst of lasers as he moved his foxhound forward, the beams eliminating another group of hostiles. His fellow walker pilots did the same, the chatter over his communications system informing him that no friendly losses had been suffered; the mythological creatures had been caught un-aware and ill-equipped to fight mechanical vehicles of war. Already the attack on the native city was faltering, Tenichi glancing up as more drop pods thundered down into the city to disgorged standard infantry. A large group of Minotaurs appeared to be retreating, Tenichi swivelling his walker’s torso to allow his grenade launcher a clear angle. With a thump a high-explosive grenade left the weapon, detonating amidst the group of armoured bulls turning them into flying bits of flesh and gore. A few of the enemies had made it to the city walls, Tenichi able to see a few griffons fly up to attack the defenders while the minotaurs utilised grappling hooks to haul themselves up. An order came over his communication relay to not fire on any targets close to the city walls to prevent damaging the native infrastructure. Tenichi acknowledged, turning his weapons upon the next soon-to-be-dead creatures as his foxhound strode ever-onward, pulping bodies and crude weapons beneath its artificial feet. The defenders on the city walls were in for a desperate fight, the Minotaurs and Griffons either had to break through to the inner city or return to combat the walkers sowing death and confusion with no chance of victory. The corporal had confidence in his fellow soldiers within the city, ready to turn his weapons on any retreating foes when the invaders where inevitably repulsed. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Three on the left, twenty metres down.” Private Alexandra Rosenster peeked around the corner of the stone house, highlighting the three griffon soldiers standing amongst the wooden store carts to the rest of her squad behind her. The ten soldiers were all stacked up against the side of the white-walled building, the light of fire dancing across their light-tan coloured armour from the many buildings burning in the city. All ten were able to ignore the smoke filling the air due to their enclosed suits and full-face helmets, re-breathers filtering out the harmful fog while their helmet optics enabled them to see through the haze. “Free to engage,” Sergeant Harper ordered, two other privates crouching down next to Alex as all three lined up their own targets. The sights of their laser pulse rifles were linked to their helmet systems, each soldier able to see which enemy the others were targeting. Alex had her crosshair dead on the form of a griffon wearing an iron breastplate, the hybrid covering its mouth with a red cloth held in its claw to ward off the smoke much like its two companions. With a light squeeze of the trigger Alex shot a three-round burst of laser projectiles into the side of the griffon, it along with the other two enemies shot by her comrades falling to the ground with gurgled cries as the un-seen blue pulses tore through their bodies. “Targets neutralized,” Alex radioed, the three privates who had fired keeping their sights trained on the fallen bodies. “Move up,” the Sergeant ordered, the rest of the squad moving out of the cover as they dashed into the street with weapons raised on their shoulders. Alex and her two fellow shooters waited until the rest of the team had left the wall before bringing up the rear, every trooper scanning alleyways and doorways with their weapons primed. Even if their enemies seemed technologically inferior it couldn’t hurt to be on guard. Alex moved towards the centre of the street where the griffon bodies lay, the market carts surrounding them presumably hastily abandoned when the local inhabitants fled the invading forces. A furniture store to the left down the street crackled with flames, burning heat warming the air as Alex approached the griffon she had shot. She trained her rifle on the fallen soldier as the griffon twitched, its chest still moving up and down as the three holes in the side of its torso let out wisps of smoke. The rest of her squad began to investigate the surrounding buildings in pairs three at a time, checking them for hostiles as the remaining four stayed in the middle of the street. Alexandra poked the griffon in the forehead with the tip of her rifle barrel, the weapon coloured the same as her armour. The griffon opened its eyes and hacked up a smoke-filled lungful of air, it’s green eyes staring into the dull grey visor of Alex’s helmet as it glared at her hatefully. “This one’s still alive,” Alex radioed, the Sergeant glancing over to the griffon as Alex pinned its chest with an armoured boot. “Command ordered no prisoners and it’s not worth wasting medical supplies on it. Kill it.” The griffon’s eyes widened as Alex placed her rifle barrel against its head in response to the Sergeant’s order. The hybrid tried to speak but before it could form any words Alex switched her rifle to single-fire and pulled the trigger, the creature’s skull exploding in a burst of light as the pulse laser penetrated the griffon’s skull and frying its brain. Alex quickly swung her rifle towards a cart two metres away as a gasp followed by hacking coughs sounded out, the other soldiers in the street also training their weapons on the sound. The wooden cart was shaded by a red-and-white covering, the watermelons lying within un-touched amongst the chaos of the city at war. Alex noticed Sergeant Harper point his plasma rifle at the un-remarkable cart as he signalled for her to peek underneath. The private knelt down, making sure to keep her rifle at eye-level as she stared under the cart as her squad mates surrounded it. Staring back at her were three sets of eyes, two hazelnut brown with the other a solid pink. The eyes belonged to a group of three ponies, the native inhabitants huddled together under the cart as they stared in fear at the human soldier. Alex counted two adults and one pink-eyed child, a foal she believed was the correct term for the young creature. All three sets of eyes alternated from staring at her to glancing at the smoking remains of the griffon that they had just witness Alex execute. “Come out from under the cart slowly,” Sergeant Harper ordered out loud, having witnessed what dwelt beneath the object through the Private’s Helmet camera, “make no sudden movements and you will not be harmed.” The soldiers had been told that due to previous engagements against the ponies by the ISA agents some of the ponies may act with hostility to any human, the Sergeant deciding to play safe and make sure the three ponies posed no threat. All of the soldiers kept their weapons ready as the ponies complied with the command, the three nervously crawling out from under the cart under the watchful gazes of the alien warriors. As they emerged Alexandra observed that the trio were all normal ponies as opposed to Pegasi or Unicorns, the private seeing that there was a mare, a stallion and a foal if the brief descriptions about the equine race they had received prior to dropping were accurate. One thing that was confirmed as truth was that ponies came in a multitude of colours, the stallion grey with a light-blue mane, the mare chocolate-brown with a tan mane and the foal was a light lime with a two-tone yellow mane. The stallion and mare appeared to have burns on their upper bodies, the wounds scattered along their backs while the foal, a filly from the looks of its muzzle and build was un-scathed. All three had lowered themselves to the ground in front of the human troopers, legs tucked under them as they glanced around fearfully. “What are you doing out here civilians?” Sergeant Harper questioned firmly, the soldiers having lowered their weapons but ensuring that they could be raised in a mere moment. The ponies looked at the sergeant with visible terror, the foal shaking with horror as it tried to avoid looking at the dead glassy eyes of a griffon soldier lying right next to it. “W-e we-were at the ma-market and we were t-told by the guards to head back home but some gr-griffons landed in the street so we hid under the cart,” the stallion answered as he shuffled closer to the mare and foal, the soldiers letting the pony proceed. One of the other privates grabbed the body of the dead griffon that was lying next to the foal and dragged it away, the ponies relaxing slightly as it became evident that they were not going to meet the same fate as the griffons. “They threw something into the furniture store but it must have not worked like they wanted because it didn’t do anything. They threw more in when it suddenly caught fire and began to burn; some embers or bits of wood got under here and burnt me and Cinnamon a little.” The stallion looked at the brown mare’s back as he said this, the smell of burnt hair still strong as he grabbed one of her hooves with his. He looked up at the human who had addressed him, an expression of concern on his face. “What’s going to happen to us?” the pony questioned, still unsure of the strange creatures motives. “My orders do not involve staying and looking after a few civilians,” the soldier replied sternly, “you either stay here, go home or come with us and do exactly what I tell you.” The ponies all paled at the human’s limited options. “But what if more griffons come?” The stallion asked fearfully, the Sergeant waving over a trooper with a red cross on a white circle painted onto his shoulder armour. “Not my problem, I’d prefer you to make your own way back but unfortunately I’ve been ordered to attempt to preserve civilian life so I’d recommend you stick with us in case any more griffons ambush you on the way back.” The stallion mulled over his options before nodding at the soldier’s suggestion, after all these creatures seemed capable of dealing with any threatening griffons. The ponies watched as the biped pointed towards the human that had found them under the cart, the sight of the soldier refreshing the equines’ memories of the prior field execution of the downed griffon. “Rosenster, you’re on babysitter duty. Try to keep them in line.” The allocated soldier turned its faceless head towards the ponies, the three equines shuddering as the reflective face of the killer gazed at them. “Yes sir,” the soldier spoke, evidently a female judging from its voice. The stallion tore his vision away from the intimidating trooper as the human summoned by the apparent leader set down a case and began to pull out strange equipment that to the ponies looked like medical supplies. The creature, evidently a medic as marked by the red cross picked up a bottle-like object with a foreign head. Cinnamon hissed as the human sprayed some of the solution on the burns that dotted her back. The medic followed this up by placing dressings over the wounds; by this time the anaesthetic incorporated into the anti-septic spray had kicked in numbing the pain. With the mare taken care of the medic moved onto the stallion, repeating the procedure as the filly watched on while being hugged by her mother. As the medic worked the six troopers who had been investigating the surrounding buildings reported that nothing had been found, the Sergeant quickly explaining the situation. Alex watched the ponies as they stood up together, he rifle held across her chest. They looked at her with fear, obviously not used to the violence of warfare. She snorted under her helmet as she disengaged her rifle’s energy cell and replaced it with a fresh one. The old cell was placed in a slot on her armour near her waist, the batteries within her armour charging it back up to full. Since she had only fired three shots it would be done in a few minutes but it never hurt to have a full clip of ammo. The squad began to move out, their target the next street in the area. Fifty ten-man squads had dropped like theirs and each had an area of the city to clear, their orders to slowly go from one street to the next clearing out any enemy remnants. The last soldier bringing up the rear, Alex turned to the family of equines observing warily as the soldiers moved down the street with their weapons armed. “Let’s go,” Alex ordered, the three ponies flinching at her voice, “do exactly what I tell you to and try to stay behind me.” The soldier moved to follow her comrades, glancing behind to see that the equines were following her as ordered, abet hesitantly. She focused back in front of her, scanning windows and rooftops with her rifle’s sights. They still had five streets they had to clear; with the addition of the civilians it would now push them behind schedule. Well, they might be able to finish in time as long as nothing else went wrong, judging by the limited resistance that the griffons were putting up Alex doubted that any more problems would arise. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Keep fucking stabbing them you pathetic excuses for soldiers!” Stevens yelled abuse at the ponies fighting with him on the wall, the section that had received the brunt of the enemy attack swarming with griffons and minotaurs preferring to face pony defenders over laser-toting mechs. The pony guards had been awestruck at the sight of the falling drop-pods that had revealed the UIP Army Foxhounds within once landed, the equines gob-smacked at the sheer devastation that the walkers had unleashed. Stevens had neglected to inform them that Foxhounds were considered light walkers primarily used for riot suppression and scouting. The awe had soon changed to desperation however when the enemy had started to scale the walls, a tide of hybrids hurrying to escape the mechs fighting the ponies tooth and nail as the walls teemed with melees and battle cries. Griffons and Pegasi duelled in the air, Minotaurs engaged entire groups of guards and Stevens just tried to kill everything he could see. His rifle had been lost when a minotaur had bashed the drained weapon out of the Corporal’s hands with a metal mace, the bull receiving two bullets into the skull courtesy of Steven’s sidearm shortly after. He had switched to using his hand-gun and left-arm-mounted energy blade, deciding against using his infernus pistol was a bad idea. Granted using a one-handed flamethrower to burn things would be satisfying but it would also immolate ponies as well, Steven having been told to not kill any more of the equines. He still didn’t care much for the Equestrians; he thought that the changelings were much better puppet-allies anyway. Stevens side-stepped a downward axe stroke from a rage-filled bull, the ISA soldier dashing forward and impaling the creature through the chest with his blade before the hybrid could attack again. The minotaur bellowed as a splash of blood propelled out of its mouth to land on Steven’s armoured body. With a grunt Stevens pushed the bull’s torso with a boot and pulled his sword free, the minotaur tumbling over the side of the wall to crash down with a sickening crack. Stevens turned to his next target, a group of three lightly armoured minotaurs trading blows with six pony guards. A battered unicorn in golden armour was lying limp to the side, Stevens unable to see whether it was still breathing or not. Its life however was of no concern to the Corporal; his time was better spent ensuring that the invasion was repelled as soon as possible. Stepping over a discarded war-hammer he snuck around the rear of the three bulls while they were preoccupied by the spear-wielding Equestrians. The ponies had scored multiple small wounds, however rall of the hybrids’ vital areas were shield by iron armour. As one of the bulls over-swung his club, forcing two ponies to dive out of the way onto the floor his fellows moved to finish the displaced guards, one bull hefting a greatsword while the other raised a well-worn axe. Stevens made his move, darting towards the middle bull that was armed with the club as the human’s hand reached out. The Corporal grasped the bull by the neck gap in its iron breastplate, the surprised bull letting out a choke as Stevens yanked back while his energy-blade sliced through the creature’s neck aided by the momentum of the charge. The head came off, a shower of arterial gore pumping into the air like a morbid water fountain, the heat of the energy-blade not quite strong enough to completely cauterize the wound. The two surviving bulls turned in shock as their comrade’s lifeblood rained down; the sprawled equestrians granted a second chance at life as the human entered the equation. The axe armed bull recovered quicker than his seemingly younger companion, a brutal horizontal swing aimed at Steven’s neck. The Wraith dropped down on the stone top of the wall as he lost his grip on his empty pistol, the grey handgun clattering on the stone surface. In order to attempt to prevent the bull from slicing him in half Stevens felt around and grabbed the nearest thing he could and flung it at the axe-toting hybrid, the minotaur about to strike again as two of the ponies tried to stab it with their weapons only enraging it further. The noggin of the recently be-headed bull flew straight and true, the gore-drenched severed neck impacting against the attacking Minotaur’s face with a squelch. The bull bellowed, not helping his situation as in addition to his eyes become blinded with the blood of his friend the coppery liquid also got in his mouth causing him to hack and wheeze. Stevens kindly rectified this for the spluttering bull, darting up and sliding his blade through the creature’s neck to emerge out the other side accompanied by a wash of vital fluid. A solid thump sounded and a sharp pain flair of pain burnt down Steven’s back as the last bull brought its greatsword down upon the human’s armoured back. Thankfully the inexperienced minotaur had aimed for the back of the human instead of the neck, the Corporal’s armour holding and stopping the sword from penetrating, however it only blunted some of the force of the blow as Steven was driven to the ground. The Wraith rolled onto his back and raised his blade in time to halt a second blow, the minotaur’s eyes filled with rage and pain, Stevens noticing that three of the ponies had their spears stuck in various areas of the hybrid’s body. A forth guard was sprawled on its back, the earth pony still clutching the broken shaft with a spear tip attached in his hooves, the other half of the weapon still attached to the stallion’s armour. As the minotaur began to drive the sword downwards towards Steven’s, the creatures raw strength causing the motors in the Corporal’s armour to squeal in protest the human’s right hand brushed the butt of his holstered hand-held flamer attached to his side. Seeing that the Equestrians were making no headway with stopping the bull and he himself was unable to force its weapon away he pulled it out. ‘Fuck it’ he thought as he pointed the grey-barrel of the weapon towards the bull, the threat going unnoticed due to the minotaur’s focus on beheading him. “Hey, grass-munching lard-ass,” Stevens insulted, the hybrid’s eyes fixating on his helmeted-face while the ponies also glanced at the human. “Guess how I like my steak?” The bull appeared both puzzled and even more pissed off, a snort of air rushing out of his nostrils. The ponies glanced at each other confused at the human’s words, however the stallion on the ground noticed the readied weapon the human held, a small flame at the end igniting causing the guard’s eyes to widen. “Well done,” Stevens remarked as he depressed the trigger of his flame pistol. A scorching inferno expelled from the end of the pistol and enveloped the top half of the bull, the creature dropping its sword as it wailed in agony as his brown fur caught alight. Stevens noticed the downed Royal Guard drive his broken spear into the right leg of the bull, unbalancing the creature as it flailed about in an attempt to extinguish the flames ravaging it’s body. Stevens unleased a brutal kick that connected with the hybrid’s groin plate, denting the armour and toppling the dying minotaur onto its back. The creature still thrashed, one Royal Guard mare sloppily ending the hybrid’s suffering with her spear. The pony dropped her weapon sickened as she alternated glances at the burnt body still crackling with flames and at the blood coating her own spearhead. The other guards were all attempting to stop the smell of charred meat from entering their noses. Stevens got up and retrieved his handgun, holstering his flamer at his side as he stood back up. The dim of battle had died down in the surrounding area, all combatants extremely startled by the large burst of flame that had bellowed into the sky. Even Pegasi and Griffons had halted their aerial duels to stare at the source of the blistering heat. Stevens walked towards the next group of enemies, the two minotaurs and three ponies starting at the biped in shock with their weapons locked with each other. The human reached the mare that had finished off the minotaur, the guard currently staring at the corpse as she sat on her rump frozen. He nudged her flank with a gore-coated boot, smearing a small amount of blood onto the mare’s mark of a broken sword. The armoured equine looked up at him wordlessly, her large blue eyes glistening with tears as she silently cried for the dead creature she had killed. “You’ll get used to it,” Stevens said without his normal sarcastic tone, his voice flat and lifeless. The mare watched on as the human raised his glowing blade towards one of the on-looking minotaur, calling out the creature in a challenge. “Your turn bull-bitch!" He yelled with vigour, leaping forward into brutal combat once more as the fighting for the wall returned to its prior intensity. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ “Lots of red fluid all spurting from slices, Killing you creatures is one of my vices, Cutting you up just to hear your death screams, These are a few of my favourite things” As he finished singing his song Chalmers pulled his knife from the griffon’s corpse, the long-dead bird-lion dropping limply to land in the pool of its own blood that had grown cold over the ten minutes that the Commander had spent with the body. A well-timed sword stab that the griffon had executed during an ambush had broken one of Chalmers’s helmet optics, a large scratch obscuring most of his vision in his right eye. This inconvenience had been the reason for the overzealous reaction, Chalmers displaying his hatred for the griffon in song and violence. Leaving the mutilated body where it lay on the roof of the large hotel that the humans had stayed in before Chalmers stood up and observed his surroundings. Over at the wall section where the main enemy force was located he spotted a five-second burst of flame extend into the sky, Chalmers re-calling that Stevens had been assigned to that section. He shook his head and looked over to the left within the city’s market district, the sounds of sustained pulse rifle fire accompanied by battle-shrieks making themselves known over the general dim of a city locked in war. Most of the flames and battles had seemed to die down, large scale battles in the city limits soon over thanks to the overwhelming firepower of the human drop troops. Smatterings of Pegasi, bat-ponies and griffons still fought in the skies, Nigel able to see a pair facing off below him above a double-story townhouse. The bat-pony stallion seemed to be holding his own, parrying his griffon opponent’s sword with his own hoof-mounted blade. Occasionally the griffon would try to claw the guard, the bat-pony already bearing some bleeding gashes where talons had found their mark. Chalmers watched the combat with interest, the bat-pony proving to be surprisingly skilled as he countered every blow received from his physically superior opponent. Eventually however the blood loss seemed to get to the winged night pony, the guard’s attacks becoming more sluggish. The Griffon capitalised on his foe’s weakness, lunging forward with a stab that the guard only barely managed to ward off. Nigel walked over to the edge of the building and stuck a pose with his fists placed against his hips. It was time to man up and be a hero. A bat hero. “Nananananananana Bat-Chalmers!” With the heroic announcement Nigel leapt off of the hotel roof with his arms spread wide, heading straight towards the duelling pair. Both had paused their attacks to glance up at the source of the strange shout, a large black human descending rapidly. The Lunar guard was too slow to even have a chance of avoiding the falling monster; however the human wasn’t aiming for the night guard. The griffon let out a strangled squawk as Chalmers tackled it mid-air, the hybrid caught off guard by the surprise aerial ambush. The pair left the shocked night guard behind as they plummeted towards the rapidly approaching wooden roof of the house below, the Griffon screaming as it tried to break free to no avail while Chalmers stared at the hard surface they were heading to. ‘Did not think this one through’ Nigel thought as he braced for impact. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Octavia attempted to keep the griffon approaching her at bay with her Cello bow, the warrior laughing as he chopped the bow in half with his sword. She had been so caught up in practicing her newest compilation that she hadn’t even noticed that the city was under attack. With her normally disruptive roommate away in Baltimare the musician had seized the opportunity to cram in as much practice as possible while the house remained a ‘wubs’ free zone. To say that the sudden storming of her practice room by an armed and armoured griffon came as a surprise was an understatement. The griffon making his intensions to harm her clear with expletive-laced threats of violence Octavia had responded to the best of her ability, hoping that the local guard would arrive in time before she met her end at the talons of the griffon warrior. The griffon, upon seeing the pony’s last line of defence shatter let out a peal of laughter. “Nice try pony,” he taunted as he stepped forward, Octavia finding herself backed into the wooden wall of the room, “but nothing can beat a griffon warrior!” Octavia glared at the griffon as it rose up on its hind legs, wings flapping to maintain balance as it moved to strike her with the sword. The famous cello player did not flinch as certain death loomed, the ash-grey mare standing her ground defiantly as she awaited the end. The griffon started to bring his weapon down but halted as a loud crash sounded from above, both he and Octavia glancing towards the roof. “What was th-“ The griffon was cut off as the ceiling above him collapsed, a loud crack ringing out as shards of wood rained down upon him followed by a bundle of feathers and black limbs. Octavia dived out of the way against the wall to avoid the debris, the mare raising a hoof to her muzzle as she was racked by cough caused by the aftermath of the collapse. As the dust cleared she looked towards the massive pile of mess in the middle of her practice room, thankfully her cello was safe on the other side and she was unharmed. “That… that could have gone better,” a male voice spoke from the centre of the ruined room, Octavia’s heartbeat increasing as a large black shape rose from the rubble. The figure, a biped that Octavia recognised as a ‘human’ from descriptions of the beings that had attacked Equestria seemed to crack his neck as he rolled it around, placing his claws on his back as he pushed forward with a pop. He turned and looked at the mare, his face scarred with a large sash across his right red eye but the wound didn’t appear to bother the creature. The human seemed to pause as he looked at her, slowly looking back towards the pile to spot the two griffon bodies. “Well,” he began as he looked back at her, “looks like Bat-Chalmers arrived just in time.” Octavia was quite shocked that this ‘Bat-Chalmers’ had just crashed through the roof of her house and shrugged it off like nothing, Octavia able to see the night sky through the holes in her ceilings so he must have fallen from a great height. She glanced at the bodies of the two griffons and felt vomit threaten to expel itself, the mare raising a hoof and forcing it back down. “Thank you, whoever you are,” she acknowledged. The being may have been an enemy of the state but he had just saved her life so Octavia figured that it was the least she could do. “I am the Night,” the human proclaimed, his claws balling up as he placed them on his hips and stuck out his chest. Upon seeing the confused look upon her face he abandoned the strange pose, crouched down and held out a black claw towards her. “Not really, we all can dream. My real name is Chalmers, Nigel M Chalmers,” Octavia stared at the offered claw, hesitantly extending her left hoof in reply. She shivered as a strange sensation tingled down her spine as the cool hard digits clasped her hoof in greeting, the human giving it a few shakes before releasing her hoof and standing back upright, his head almost touching the ceiling. “Octavia Philharmonica,” she returned, staring at the strange creature as it seemed to freeze at the mention of her name. “Is there something wrong?” she questioned, the biped shaking his head. “Octavia, as in the masterful classical musician Octavia?” The human responded causing a light smile to appear on Octavia’s face at the praise. “Indeed, that is me,” she replied, the human pulling two objects from his belt. One appeared to be some kind of writing tool while other was too alien to identify, the large L shaped object quite intimidating to look at. “Sorry to bother you, but could I trouble you for an autograph?” questioned the creature as he held out the writing implement out and exposing one side of the larger object to her. Octavia shrugged internally, one autograph couldn’t hurt. She used her mouth to scrawl her signature upon the black item, the tool she used imparting a silver ink upon the black metal of the object. The human retrieved his writing device from her and placed it back into his belt, re-attaching the unknown object to his hip. “Thank you Miss Philharmonica, I’m a big fan of your work and find your pieces to be quite moving.” He finished his statement with a flourish of his claw, Octavia slightly taken-aback at the display of gallantry from such a un-expected source. “I should be thanking you,” she answered, “I wouldn’t have been able to continue with my work if it wasn’t for your… unusual entry.” She looked at the holes in the roof as she said this, the biped also looking towards the sky before angling his head back down towards her. “People always tell me that I know how to make an entrance, pleasure to be of service m’lady.” Following up this was a bow, the biped returning to his original posture before speaking again. “I know this may be sudden, but we should get a coffee sometime. I’d love to discuss the finer points of the musical arts with such a talented aural sculptor such as yourself.” Octavia was about to politely say reject the suggestion but stopped herself. While yes, the human was no doubt dangerous and a bit frightening in appearance he did seem very learned and quite the Gentlecolt as well. A coffee was not really a big ask and it had been ages since she talked to anyone apart from her fellow orchestral players and Vinyl so Octavia deciding to take the plunge. “That sounds delightful,” she answered as she glanced at the griffon corpses on the floor again, the sight causing her to gag once more. Chalmers upon seeing this moved to the bodies and picked once up in each claw, dragging them by the leg towards the door. Octavia listened as the front door was un-latched and the sound of two thumps originated from outside the house. She winced, although she knew that the griffons probably deserved more respect however having them out of the house already was making her churning stomach settle down. She jumped as a loud bang rang out from outside, the sound jarring her with its volume. Footfalls were heard and Nigel re-entered the room, the object she had signed held in one of his claws. Octavia noted that a small waft of smoke was drifting up from the end, the human turning his head to the main door as the sounds of talons on cobbled-stone became audible, the claw-steps passing the house before stopping near where the two thumps she had heard just before sounded from. “Well, I’d love to stay and chat but there is a war going on,” Nigel commented as he turned to leave. “I bid you farewell and I look forward to that coffee, I’ll contact you after this whole ‘invasion of your country’ is over.” “Goodbye,” Octavia farewelled as the human nodded and left, the sound of the front door closing behind him signalling his exit from the building. Octavia smiled despite the circumstances, she was sure that the arranged coffee meeting would no doubt be nice and rel- “I am Nigel M Chalmers! The Magical Element of Death!” The human’s shouted proclamation was accompanied by more of the loud bangs, these ones in rapid succession as griffon war cries met the human’s own. Octavia quickly shut the door to her practice room, barricading it with as much furniture and objects as the muffled sounds of battle occurred just outside of her home. Well, at least the upcoming coffee meeting after the war would prove to be interesting at the very least.
Two Spooks and A Priest Walk Into a Theological Debate... Two Spooks and A Priest Walk Into a Theological Debate... Nigel laughed joyfully as he cut down the group of griffons he had surprised, the twelve creatures too occupied with investigating the two bodies Nigel had removed from the house to notice the arrival of the human before it was too late. Four had died as projectiles entered them before detonating, tearing off limbs and rending chunks out of their bodies. Of the other eight two charged Nigel with swords at the ready while the rest turned and fled into the air. The first charging griffon, clothed in metal chainmail learnt the lesson of wearing a helmet when a bullet from Nigel’s pistol entered his skull and blew the back of his head out. His comrade faltered at the sight and Chalmers capitalised on this, his un-occupied hand formed into a claw as the armoured limb punched through light leather armour halting the shocked griffon in his tracks. Not missing a beat the Commander turned his pistol on the fleeing group off griffons, cutting down all but one as he shot them in the back with no mercy. As the bodies fell out of the air Chalmers re-focused on the griffon whose chest was currently serving as a hand-warmer. “Sorry bud,” Chalmers quipped with absolutely no remorse as the griffon’s mouth opened and closed in shock as he stared at the hand, “but I’m completely heartless towards slavers.” Nigel clenched his fist, crushing flesh and the hybrid’s heart with the strength of his armour. A torrent of blood erupted from the creature’s beak as his eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent scream before falling limb. The Commander shook his hand and discarded the corpse upon the ground, pausing to crouch next to the boy as he wiped and cleaned his hand on the griffon’s leather vest. Standing back up he continued down the street filled with houses leaving a pile of bodies behind him. Popping out his sidearm’s energy clip he placed it into a slot on his waist for recharging as he slammed in a fresh magazine. “Working nine to five, what a way to make a living,” Nigel sang to himself as he strolled down the middle of the street doing a little three-sixty spin, “killing all of these fools, really keeps me grinning.” Most of the houses on this street seemed untouched, multiple eyes staring out at the dancing biped with terror. A griffon at the far end of the street was trying to force his way into a small house, the frantic movement behind the windows evidence that it was already occupied. The griffon panicked as Chalmers drew closer, the hybrid desperately increasing his assault on the sturdy wooden door of the white house. Nigel waited until the griffon turned around to attempt to observe how much closer he had gotten, already having raised his handgun towards the creature. He smirked as the creature’s eyes widened before the human’s gun roared and the door was given a new paint job, cranial-style. Loud booms in the sky drew his attention, three pods much larger than any already on the ground screaming down towards the ground. The ground rumbled a little as the metal boxes impacted outside the city walls throwing up a cloud of dust and debris. Nigel stood in the middle of the street staring at the direction of the impacts, his killing spree forgotten as he mulled over which tools of destruction could have joined the fun. The answer came as a long, wailing siren that sounded like the air-raid warnings from the old terra wars rang out, the first soon joined by two more in a chorus of woe and despair. Chalmers grinned under his helmet, recognising the siren and the machine that produced it. ‘Well, lots of people are about to have their day become much, much worse.’ Stevens rose up from behind the battlements on the wall, the massive upturning of dust and dirt dying down as the tremors subsided. Out in the fields three new objects had appeared, tall oblong pods with a tapered tip at the top having slammed down from the skies. Each pod was about four times as large as the ones that had delivered the Foxhounds, the massive drop containers groaning as their front walls lowered to the ground as steam bellowed out concealing what lay within. If the arrival of the Foxhounds and Stevens’s flamethrower had surprised the numerous combatants then it was nothing compared to the sheer awe that the impressive structures invoked. Ponies, griffons and minotaurs alike ceased fighting as the front ramps crashed down the ground with booms. Stevens was standing with a group of fifteen battered pony guards that he had organised into a roving kill-team, before the new arrivals they had been swiftly defeating all opposing forces by a combination of overwhelming numbers and co-ordination as provided by Stevens. “What… what are they?” a young unicorn guardmare with a bleeding gash above her right eye questioned Stevens. The wraith didn’t answer at first, three towering forms emerging from the steam covering the pods. The ground shook slightly as a large five-toed claw dug into the earth in front of the lead pod, the foot itself the size of a small house. This was followed by a second as a large tan walker made its presence known, the machine six times the height of the Foxhounds that were roving ahead around the wall. It was far bulkier than the scout mechs, a large armoured torso mounted on two heavily-armoured bipedal legs that were themselves twice tall as a Foxhound. The legs were jointed the same as the knees of a human, a ‘head’ stylised in the shape of a leering skull with its mouth open in a scream with two eyes that shone with baleful light. The walkers’ torsos looked far more human-like than their smaller counterparts, multiple weapons ports and arrays squeezed in amongst armour plates covered with white writing and scenes of war. Each machine had two bulky arms laden with weapons attached to armoured shoulders with golden plating covering the armour. Camouflage was not really a concern to the designers of the battle machines; intimidation factor was considered much more of a boon. The three advanced out of their pods and stood still for a second before the lower jaws of their skull heads lowered even further. All across the city and surrounding area thousands shuddered in terror as three mournful wails originated from the skulls, an aural omen promising misery and torment as the mechs sang their song while raising their weapons towards any enemies still moving in the fields. “Those there are Fellreavers, pony,” Stevens stated as his unit of guards broke their gazes to look at the human. “Evidently some general up with the fleet decided that this battle was taking too long.” “What do you mean?” an Earth pony stallion questioned as he shifted his armoured helmet. The mechs answered this question for Stevens, large cannons mounted in the right arms glowing an eerie blue before discharging at multiple groups of enemy soldiers. Thunderous blasts echoed out as superheated plasma vaporised entire platoons along with large chunks of land, the heat of the weapons able to be felt from the walls. The initial glows of the impacts were too bright to look at without eye protection, blinding some of the griffons and minotaurs that were close to the impacts. The fighters atop the walls took a few moments for their vision to clear and when it did everyone was horrified at what remained in place of the targeted warriors. Nothing. Great craters of what seemed to be glass were all that was left, the heat of the plasma scorching all traces of the enemy soldiers away into nothingness. The wails still emitting from the skulls stopped, replaced by electronic soulless laughter that chilled the souls of all that heard it as the metal beasts started to unleash their smaller weapons upon isolated enemy forces, rockets launched from racks mounted in chests exploding amidst troops while rapid-fire laser turrets unleashed a storm of energy bolts upon lone soldiers. This show of force had the intended effect, with cries of despair the griffons and minotaurs still left alive on the walls tried to flee. The griffons shed armour and weapons to take to the skies, some being brought down by pulse-laser weapon fire from within the city while the majority of the flyers escaped into the horizon with their lives. The minotaurs were not so lucky, their only options being a wall of pony weapons or murderous metal giants. As such they died in droves, a few surrendering while some chose to attempt to flee past the mechs. The defenders upon the walls let them go, detaining the ones that has given up while moving to attend to the many dead and wounded. Stevens and his team, the guards’ hatred of him forgotten during the battle watched as the Foxhounds, moving extremely fast for something that large intercepted the minotaurs that had fled across the field. A few accurate bursts of laser weaponry from the scouts wiped out the majority and convinced the remaining survivors to surrender immediately, the minotaurs throwing down their weapons as the Foxhounds watched them with barrels spinning. “Kneel on the ground and place your hands upon your heads!” a voice boomed from a speaker attached to one of the ‘hounds, “any attempts to move or escape will result in execution!” The hybrids complied with haste, roughly forty following the commands of the Foxhound squad leader. Seeing that the situation was under control the group of guards dispersed as the sounds of battle faded away leaving the melancholy atmosphere of the after-battle cries of the wounded. Stevens didn’t stop to help the Equestrians attend to their own; the battle for the city still wasn’t over as proved by the sounds of energy rifle discharges in the distance. The corporal checked his weapons, having found his rifle just before the Fellreavers had landed. That the rifle was still in working condition despite the hit it had received was testament to the quality of the weapon. He had three energy magazines fully charged and his sidearms were all in working order. His arm-blade was bloody but still in working order and ready for more use. Satisfied that none of the tools were going to blow up mid-operation the wraith moved off by himself towards the closest sounds of fighting, ready to add more notches to his kill-count. Lucky Sweep huddled with his wife Cinnamon and their daughter Pepper behind an overturned market cart as the human soldiers fought against griffons barely three metres in front of them, the bipeds firing their deadly weapons whenever the large group of griffons attempted to charge them. The soldier guarding them, ‘Rosenster’ as the human had been addressed by her sergeant would duck up from her position beside the three ponies and fire off bursts of blue energy occasionally. Three times the soldier had removed a rectangular part of her weapon that was near the grip and place it onto a free slot on her armour before grabbing an identical box and inserting it back into the weapon. Lucky Sweep assumed that the boxes, coloured the same tan as the weapon, served as a some source of power. After leaving their original hiding place the group of three had followed the human troops as the bipeds cleared street after street, brutally and swiftly putting down any griffons that had the misfortune to be found. At one point the group had happened across a second ten-human squad, all of the soldiers garbled in the exact same armour and sporting the same weapons. The two squads had paused at a crossroads for a few moments, nodded at each other and then went their separate ways. Lucky Sweep had lost sight of the second squad as they had rounded a corner, the female soldier escorting them rushing the ponies along when they had lagged behind. The humans had entered many houses; Lucky noticing that many of the dwellings had been occupied with nervous ponies glancing out of windows after the troops had left. When questioned, Rosenster had told him that ‘our orders are to eliminate all griffons, not stay in houses and guard ponies.’ Sweep had decided that reminding the soldier about the fact that she was currently guarding them was not a good idea; Rosenster didn’t appear to like them much already. Lucky peeked through a small gap in the cart, his view of the street obscured partially by one of the soldiers firing their weapon from behind some debris. What he could see however was chilling, a few dead griffons lying on the cobbled road after they had been caught out in the open after a horrifying sound had filled the air a few minutes earlier. Sweep and his family had also frozen at the wail before the griffons had been spotted and the three had been pulled behind the cart by a few soldiers. The humans hadn’t reacted at all to the demoralising dirge, seizing the opportunity to kill a fair amount of griffons before the remainder had sheltered behind walls and rubble. These griffons had crossbows and had been trading shots with the humans ever since, the humans not moving up as multiple alleyways dotted the street that held the threat of ambushes. Sweep jerked back from his peephole as a crossbow bolt impacted a bare inch from his head, Rosenster noticing before aiming her weapon at something behind Lucky. He turned and saw that some griffons had appeared in the windows of a double-story house, possibly the creatures had been hiding until the right time to ambush. Why they had tried to shoot him over the humans he couldn’t work out. The three ponies crouched down even lower as the human moved in front of them and crouched down on one knee, shielding them with her own body. The three Equestrians watched as the solder calmly took three crossbow bolts to the chest, each projectile ricocheting off as they impacted against her evidently strong armour. Rosenster aimed at the window where the bolts had come from, the griffons ducking out of sight to presumably reload their weapons. The Equestrians watched as one of the soldier’s fingers moved to a second trigger further towards the barrel of her weapon, the trigger attached to a grey rectangular object under the weapon’s main barrel. Rosenster depressed the trigger and a loud thump sounded from another barrel sticking out from the object. The faint sound of whistling could be heard before the window sheltering the griffons was blown out with a burst of flame and noise, taking most of the upper-wall with it. Sweep’s ears flattened at the noise as white stone and bits of griffon fell down to the street, Cinnamon and Pepper hiding their eyes behind hooves as they covered their heads and lay on the ground. Sweep found himself unable to look away as four of the humans broke their cover to race over to the house with crossbow bolts harrowing them. The front soldiers raised their weapons and also activated the underslung attachments as what Sweep assumed to be some form of projectiles crashed through the bottom windows before detonating with a loud bang and a bright white flash. These ones seemed to not be explosive in nature, the four humans rushing into the house. A short staccato of human weaponry firing sounded before Sweep saw the four soldiers take positions behind what was left of the upper floor, the humans using the secured elevated position to further harass the griffon troops. It looked as if the battle was at a stalemate; while the humans possessed superior equipment the griffons had the advantage of numbers as well as numerous ambush positions. This changed however when a great gout of flame originating from an alleyway consumed a three-griffon fire-team that where hiding behind a house corner. As they shrieked and burnt another griffon violently flew screeching through the air from an alleyway on the right side, opposite to the origin of the flames. Sweep winced as the flailing griffon impacted against a house with a crunch, evidently whatever had attacked him had surprised him enough that the creature was unable to halt his fall. The griffon lines were thrown into disarray as a large black-armoured human advanced from the alley firing away with a one-handed weapon that tore great rents in every griffon it hit. The most disturbing thing was the singing audible the din of battle and the crack of the new human’s weapon. “Dun Dun Dun, another one bites the dust! Dun Dun Dun, another one bites the dust! And another one gone and another one gone, another one bites the dust!” The first voiced was joined by a second as another black human, this one a smaller than the first. It walked out of the alley from which the flame had come from as it fired away with a weapon that was like the ones carried by the tan soldiers, except it caused similar wounds as the first humans one handed weapon. “Hey, gonna get you too! Another one bites the dust!” the second black human sang with the first, both of them swiftly annihilating any griffons they could see. With a wave of his hand the human sergeant moved out of cover and advanced down the street accompanied with the remaining four tan soldiers, Rosenster remaining behind the cart with the Equestrians. All of the griffons were quickly killed, caught in both flanks with a tide of firepower from the front hammering into them as they tried to run. The few that made it into the air were shot down soon after, bangs ringing out as human troops entered houses and cleared them of any hostiles. The sounds of violence soon died down, the four troops that had been firing from the house passing by the cart as one gestured towards Rosenster. “Let’s go, move it,” she barked at the Equestrians, Lucky pulling Cinnamon and Pepper up as the five troops waited. The ponies were then herded through the street covered with blood and corpses towards the rest of the human troops as well as the two black humans. As they closed in Sweep could make out what the two new humans were saying, the smaller one currently talking to the larger one who was a full head and shoulders taller than the rest. “… so I said to the bull, ‘well done,’ then burnt that Fucker to a crisp.” “Well, I knew as soon as I saw the flames that once again you’d gone and done something. How’d the Golden Cans hold up on the walls?” the three ponies stopped and sat down behind a wall of tan troops, noticing that their escorts had halted. The smaller biped shrugged at his counterpart’s question. “Okay I guess, to be honest most of them just seem really green. Well, that and the fact that their spears do jack shit. Give them some experience and some better weapons and they could perform fairly well. How about you, anything interesting happen?” Sweep wondered why these two were speaking aloud; the other humans seemed to be able to talk between each other silently. “Well, I killed some guys, a Griffon scratched my armour,” Sweep was able to see a large gash across a glowing red eye that was part of the human’s helmet as the soldier showed it off to his conversation buddy as well as the other humans. “So I gutted him, I jumped off a building, saved one of those bat-ponies from a griffon, landed in a house with said griffon and crushed another griffon just before it was going to kill a mare. Then I proposed a coffee meeting, received an affirmative, walked outside and then killed more griffons. All-in-all a very productive working day in the fine service of the UIP.” The human finished his explanation, the other black biped giving a little clap while the tan troops lined up and saluted when the taller human turned his attention to them. “Sergeant Hostenburg reporting sir,” the leader of the ten human squad greeted, “Our mission objectives have been completed with the neutralization of the treat in this street. Thank you for the assist.” “Not a problem Sergeant, I had some free time on my hands and the Corporal here obviously did as well.” The corporal nodded in confirmation, the sergeant gestured back towards the ponies all sitting down in the street. “We also picked up some stragglers, I thought about just leaving them in the first house we cleared but with their wounds I thought it would be best if they were accompanied by medical personnel at all times.” The tall human looked at the Sergeant for a moment without replying, Sweep wondering if the Sergeant had done something wrong by protecting them. “Sergeant Hostenburg,” the black human began evenly after his pause, “to my understanding your orders were to secure the city and drive out any enemy forces. Did your orders include dragging along three natives through a combat zone potentially risking the lives of your soldiers merely because you didn’t wish to leave them behind without medical attention?” “Yes Commander,” the Sergeant replied without hesitation as he stood ramrod straight under the barrage of questions. The Commander once again let silence hang in the air, Sweep wondering just how badly the Sergeant had messed up in the eyes of his superior officer. “Very good judgement Trooper,” the Commander finally responded, “expect a commendation for going above the call of duty. I assume that you are now heading back to the castle?” “That is the muster point sir,” the prideful sergeant answered with a nod, “are you heading the same way?” “I am, mind if Stevens and I here tag along with your colourful group?” “Of course not,” the Sergeant replied as he turned and started to move towards the castle in the distance, the two black humans joining him at the front of the column of troops as the humans moved with their leaders. The three ponies got up and followed, Lucky Sweep, Cinnamon and Pepper at the back accompanied by two humans. One of them was the female who had been with them the entire time, Rosenster, while the other was not known. Sweep tried to keep his mind off the fact that he was walking along a street soaked in death, the stallion looking up at the unknown human as he walked along. “So,” he started, Lucky being rewarded with a nod of acknowledgement from the human soldier. “Are those two black humans your leaders?” The second soldier seemed to pause at this, appearing as to judge whether he could be overheard by the group in front of them. “No they’re not,” the trooper, a male, answered, “They’re ISA.” This was not very helpful to Sweep although the name did sound menacing. “Spooks,” Rosenster quietly explained, “spies and black ops. The guys who do all of the really nasty stuff.” This confused the ponies who were all listening. The fact that Rosenster had spoken something besides short, forceful orders was one thing; the reasoning that the ‘ISA’ humans were worse was another. “Isn’t all killing bad?” Pepper softly asked much to the surprise of the two adult Equestrians. Rosenster let out a small, humourless chuckle at the child’s question as her comrade turned his head towards her. “Yes, yes it is kid. Those spooks are complete psychopaths with no morals though.” “Alex…” the male soldier warned quietly, “watch what you say.” “Come on Mohammad, you know they probably wouldn’t mind being known as that. They sang a song as they killed for Emperor’s sake, that isn’t normal.” “That still doesn’t mean that you have free reign to insult them,” the soldier named ‘Mohammad’ scolded before looking at the Equestrians, “Alex does have a point thought despite her words, whatever you do, do not piss an ISA agent off. I’ve shared a few battlefields with them and that display back there was tame to what they usually do.” The trooper looked forwards as they continued to walk along. “At least these ones don’t seem to be psionics.” Like that the issue was dropped. The humans didn’t elaborate and the ponies did not push for any more information. Sweep shut up and focused on keeping his hooves out of any blood spatters as he absorbed what he had just learnt. If these human troops that he had seen efficiently kill at least three times their number in griffons were nervous around the ‘ISA’ humans then just how bad where the black-armoured bipeds? “Stay inside until the guards tell you otherwise.” Celestia received grateful nods from the throng of ponies, the hundreds crammed into the castle courtyards as they awaited the news telling them that it was okay to leave. At first the majority of the ponies, the nobility, had been complaining about the changelings and humans sheltering with them. Three of the shape shifters were at the far end of the court yard guarded by a very intimidating biped armoured in black. Celestia herself had immediately taken control of the situation, working with her guard commanders to move all of the civilians into the safety of the castle walls. The selflessness of the nobles had come to light, the upper class whining about having to stay and sit on grass like commoners. A few nobles, either extremely brave or extremely stupid had even sought to confront the tan-coloured humans that had arrived in their falling metal boxes outside of the walls, the forty soldiers all reacted with restraint as the nobles threw various insults at them. Celestia had become worried when she had spotted a few humans tightening their grips on their weapons, the Princess herself barraged with countless questions from worried ponies. All of the nobility had ceased harassing the humans however when tremors had been felt, three gigantic sky-boxes landing outside the city. The mournful wails that followed had thrown the courtyard into complete silence, massive giants able to be seen moving outside the city as bright flashes and booms accompanied them. Celestia was incredibly glad that she had made peace with the humans. The thing that worried her however was the absence of her sister, where was Luna during this attack? Luna walked down the street clad in her old silver armour, eleven of her faithful night guard by her side as they flew and trotted from house to house. Luna’s armoured hooves were coated in a thin layer of gore, the night princess having slain two invading griffons while her guard had claimed eight more. Something had already gotten to most of the griffons first however, the twelve Equestrians having come across piles of bodies all with holes blasted in them. Some of the holes appeared to have been caused by great heat while others were so large and ragged that it was impossible to tell what manner of weapon could have caused them. The second type of wound did remind Luna of the Diamond dog massacre at Appleoosa, the Princess still able to recall the moment when twenty dogs were cut down in a second. Her night guard had all performed well, every one of the nocturnes working together to overcome their foes. The few civilians that the group had come across had whispered hurried thanks and bows before scurrying back into houses to hide. The gore that she sported probably wasn’t helping Luna’s image in the eyes of her subjects. A chorus of griffon shrieks pierced the air as a group of the invaders rushed out of a side alley into the side of the surprised night guards. Luna whirled to her left to face the oncoming foes, rearing up and bringing her hooves down upon the head of an on-coming griffon with a crunch. The warrior went down and her tally rose by one, her guards also meeting the foe with the clash of hoof blade on griffon sword. As Luna moved to assist her soldiers she noticed the desperate ferocity that the griffons launched themselves with. What were they running from? Luna was answered as a bunch of humans surged out of the alley that the griffons had ambushed from, the tan bipeds led by of the black humans encountered previously. Luna recognized the larger one as Commander Chalmers, the Commander raising a hand as the tan troops behind him raised their weapons at the melee in progress. “They’re too close,” the human shouted as the griffons that were un-engaged turned towards him in fear. “Fix bayonets and stab the shit out of them!” The tan soldiers’ weapons all glowed blue as long blades of energy extended from below the weapons, transforming the projectile weapons into spears. “Pip Pip Tally Ho!” With the strange cry from Chalmers the humans surged forward into the melee with their weapons extended. Griffons were caught between Nocturne and human, either dying when stabbed by the night guards or when sizzling blue incorporeal blades cut through even plate armour to cut and burn vital areas within. The Commander was just near Luna, the biped crushing a griffon’s skull against the cobbled ground with an armoured hand. “So Princess,” he began as he stood up from the corpse, “how’s your day been so far?” He upholstered his sidearm and with two shots blasted a griffon off a downed night guard just as the hybrid was about to finish off the wounded pony. To say Luna was pressed for an answer was an understatement. “My city is under attack! How do you think it’s been!?” She yelled back with clarity, dodging a griffon sword thrust before Chalmers blew the griffon’s head clean off. “Great!” Chalmers answered as the allied forces pressed forward, the majority of the griffons dead. “Although I must say I myself am looking forward to the end of this little war you’ve got going on, when it’s too easy all the fun gets sucked out of it.” The human then turned his weapon on a griffon soldier attempting to fly above the fight, four shots ringing out as the griffon’s wings were shredded, the hybrid screeching as it plummeted like a stone and crashed into a large display window of a fabric store. “Okay,” Chalmers conceded as the last griffon soldier was killed by a bayonet trust to its throat, “there’s still some fun to be had.” Luna didn’t grace the mad soldier with a reply, the princess instead surveying the recent battle zone. Thankfully none of her guards were dead; many were wounded however with a few lying on the ground. Their comrades attended to them alongside a few of the humans, the biped who had killed the last griffon heading towards the most critical injured while opening a case that sported the same red cross symbol as the human’s shoulder pads. From the alleyway emerged three ponies accompanied by another of the human soldiers, the stallion, mare and foal all trying to avoid looking at the griffon corpses they passed. As they approached they looked up at Luna with awe, the three bowing awkwardly before her. “Rise, this is not the time for such formality,” Luna commanded, the three returning upright before the soldier escorting them ushered them out of the street and under a nearby café sun-shade. Commander Chalmers walked up beside her as the two watched their respective troops pick up or assist the guards too wounded to move under their own power. “Well, that’s dealt with,” the Commander commented cheerily. Luna was surprised that the biped was able to remain so chipper in the midst of combat. “It was, thank you for… assisting us against the invaders,” Luna hated thanking the creature for his help, the Commander must have not noticed the hesitant words as he waved a hand in dismissal. “No problem, gave the troops something to do after all,” he gestured to the castle behind them, the top of the outer wall just visible from their position. “You heading back to the palace now? From what I’m hearing that group was one of the last griffons in the city.” Luna was a little confused at first but then recalled that the humans had some form of internal communication. “If there is no more left to fight then yes, that shall be our destination.” Luna glanced at the three equestrians sitting down at the café watching as the night guards and humans worked on preparing to move the injured, all hostility that may have existed between the guards and bipeds evaporating during the combat. “Those three civilians are…?” “Not mine,” Chalmers answered as he too looked at the three, “they were with the Sergeant before I arrived. I think they got caught out during the attack and were unable to take proper shelter. Two of them got burnt so the sergeant decided to keep them within the vicinity of a trained medical professional." As if cued the human medic, finished with providing aid to the injured guards and ensuring that they weren’t going to bled out approached the three ponies and appeared to converse with them. Evidently everything was satisfactory as he gave a nod to the watching leaders as two more humans joined Luna and Chalmers. One of them was the second black-armoured soldier with his glowing arm blade still extended while the third possessed tan armour, blood covering his slightly larger two-handed weapon as the human re-sheathed a vicious looking combat knife into a slot on his armour. “Commander,” the normal human soldier addressed, “everything is ready to go, we can depart for the muster point as soon as you command.” Chalmers turned towards Luna, the other black clad soldier moving to his Commander’s side. “Ready to leave Princess?” Chalmers inquired. Luna faced the human soldier who had given the news, the biped strangely saluting her and his commander. “Yes, let us leave this place and return to the castle so we may plan our next actions.” Luna noticed that some of the human soldiers had dragged the griffon bodies off of the street into the alley, pilling the corpses up in the darkness. While it may have been seen as disrespectful Luna guessed that they were only clearing the streets in order to make the post battle clean-up easier, Luna receiving a nod of affirmation from the tan human. “Very well ma’am, Commander,” the soldier stated to both respectfully as he walked into the midst of his soldiers and the night guards. Chalmers held a hand out towards Luna as he turned towards the castle. “Shall we depart, my lady? Surely you are looking forward to the end of this war as much as I am, no?” Luna snorted with half-annoyance half-amusement at the Commander’s words; while the end of the war would be welcome she was certain that the human was looking forward to it for reasons different to hers. Celestia trotted over towards her sister as Luna and a group of humans including the Commander entered through the castle gates. Celestia was shocked at the amount of blood on Luna, however thankfully it didn’t appear to be the alicorn’s. Three ponies with the humans stopped and spoke to one of the tan bipeds, Celestia noticing the soldier give a very hesitant hoof/hand shake with the grey stallion before the three moved off to find a space in the grounds. Celestia waited until she was out of sight of her subjects before rushing forwards and embracing her sister with her wings. “Luna, I was so worried about you,” Celestia said as the smaller alicorn looked towards the human troops watching them. “I went forth to protect our subjects, I am quite capable by myself Sister,” Luna felt the need to appear to be strong and protective in front of the humans, it seemed that they respected strength and strength alone. Celestia however didn’t pick up on her sister’s attempt to remain stoic. “I know, but you will always be my little sister and I should be the one protecting you,” Luna blushed as Celestia said this, a badly stifled snigger followed by a thump sounding from the humans’ direction. The two alicorns broke the embrace and looked towards the sound, the smaller black human picking himself of the ground as he rubbed the back of his helmet. Chalmers was standing with his hand raised in the air, evidently having smacked his subordinate with the back of his hand. “The Hell was that for?” the stuck soldier complained as the tan troops stood at attention with their weapons pointed at the ground. Celestia noted that all of the humans were covered in large quantities of blood; their assault must have been very successful. “For acting like a child, let them have their moment.” Commander Chalmers moved past the alicorns heading towards the group of changelings and another of the black soldiers. As soon as he left Celestia swore that the soldier the commander had hit muttered ‘Like you can criticise’ before storming off in the opposite direction. The tan soldiers appeared to silently converse with each other if the head movements were anything to go by before they too departed, heading towards the castle walls as a group. As soon as all the humans had left Celestia looked at her sister curiously, “What were they like?” Luna frowned as she recalled her brief experience with the humans. “The yellow armoured ones seem to be their standard military, from what I observed they are highly trained and efficient, they kill with purpose and do not seem to have strong emotional attachment to the act.” Luna shuddered a little, “Commander Chalmers and his soldiers however are a different matter.” Celestia also furrowed her brows. “They were that bad? I know that they seem to enjoy their jobs a little too much-“ “It was more than that,” Luna interrupted, “The Commander and the soldier with him fought with the ease of drawing breath, I swear that Commander Chalmers was attempting to woo me while he was in the middle of killing a griffon. It’s as if he has no compassion at all.” The night princess’s frown lessened, her look becoming one of confusion rather than distaste. “They did stop to help my injured guards however,” Luna continued as Celestia raised a questioning eyebrow, “and they did bring back three of our citizens. How can such callous creatures also almost appear to be as good as our subjects at the same time?” Both Alicorns looked back into the main courtyard, more human soldiers filing through the gate escorting more Equestrians in various states of wear. Medics adorned with red cross symbols moved throughout the population administrating aid to wounded while normal troopers appeared to converse with groups of Solar guards that entered the castle with them. Lastly the sisters looked towards the direction that the Commander had departed in, just in time to see a grey unicorn foal rush towards the human commander, Chalmers crouching down and giving the young unicorn a hug. The three changelings also crowded around the returned commander, two seemingly pleased that the human as alive while the third appeared to be worried about something. “I don’t know how Luna,” Celestia answered as the two began to walk towards the centre of the city in preparation to address their subjects. “I just don’t know.” “Calm down Horizon,” Nigel chuckled as the unicorn attempted to wrap his forelegs around Nigel’s chest, not even making it half-way due to the human’s armoured bulk. The foal let go and noticed that some blood smears had gotten on his grey coat, his smile fading a little. Nigel acted quickly and withdrew a white cloth from his armour, cleaning the colt off as the three changelings sat down and watched. Boland stood by impassive, his rifle held across his chest as he stared out at the Equestrians watching the reunion. Chalmers noticed this as continued to clean the unicorn. “You had some trouble from the Equestrians?” Nigel inquired, Nestor clearing his throat as the changeling prepared to speak. “From what I gathered the nobility took offense to sharing their space with us and a human,” the changeling responded with a trace of hurt in his voice, “a few of them even informed us and Sergeant Boland as the why we are apparently ‘not even fit to walk upon the ground that they do’ and how we are nothing but ‘cockroaches’ while Sergeant Boland was labelled a ‘repulsive monster that belongs in foals’ nightmares’.” “To be fair,” Boland spoke up as he glared down a noble, the unicorn stallion breaking his gaze and vacating the area, “it appears as if the nobles have been treating even their fellow equines the same. One even ordered a mother and her child off a bench so he could set down upon it.” Chalmers scoffed at this information as he shoved the now-bloody cloth inside his armour, Horizon now free of blood. “And to think that they call us monsters!” this earned a look from Boland, Nigel missing it as he instead focused scratching Horizon behind the ears. “Indeed, sir.” Boland replied with his voice as neutral as always. Horizon’s dark blue tail swished as the scratching continued, Reflection alternating her attention from the Commander to the castle gates. Chalmers noticed her apprehension and took a guess as to what was concerning the changeling. “Relax, Jacobs is fine. In fact his signal shows that he’s just about to turn up… now.” As Nigel said this a battered group of guards, around fifty of the equines, entered the palace alongside the mentioned corporal. The group must have seen heavy fighting, a large amount of the ponies limping or carried in on stretchers. There were even eight stretchers covered with white sheets, even the nobility ceasing their complaints as the procession passed. The guards all headed towards an area of the courtyard that served as the barracks, many waving or offering thanks to Jacobs as he split from them and headed towards his Commander and comrades. A black blur shot out as Reflection made a bee-line for the corporal, the changeling throwing herself into the soldier’s arms as Equestrians watched on in confusion. “You’re alright!” the changeling gushed as she clung to Jacobs, the young soldier chuckling as he lifted her up into his arms in a reverse piggy back. A noble unicorn mare scrunched her nose up in disgust at the sight, scoffing at the two’s display of affection. Jacobs raised his middle finger at the lady, the unicorn not getting the gesture. “It means ‘Fuck You’, you bigoted inbred,” the normally civil soldier explained with not a trace of malice in his voice much to the shock of the targeted noble and the amusement of multiple pony guards and humans in earshot. As he walked away Reflection stuck her tongue out at the speechless pony from her spot looking back over the human’s shoulder. Chalmers chuckled at the exchange, feeling no need to discipline his subordinate as the uppity noble got what was coming to her. He stopped his laughter and whistled as he saw the state of Jacob’s armour however, the tough metal bent and dented in multiple places. The soldier’s helm was untouched; his chest however had a large crater in the middle where the protection had buckled inward. “Yeah,” Jacobs spoke as he rubbed Reflection’s head, “those minotaurs can hit pretty hard. It’s a good thing that their weapons don’t have power-fields otherwise it wouldn’t just be my armour messed up.” “Much fighting in your area?” the Commander inquired as Jacobs leaned back against the stone wall with Reflection still out in front of him. “A far amount, unluckily the guards assigned to my wall seemed to be the newest recruits. I assume that whatever clowns are leading this nation’s military thought that keeping all the veterans in the thick of the fighting while leaving teenagers to watch everything else was a good idea.” “You call the ones I got stuck with veterans?” heads turned to the voice as Stevens ambled over to the group, “I saw one go into shock after she finished one of those rejects off, not even going to start about how their crap spears did jack shit. If those were the vets then the rookies must have been terrible.” “They weren’t too bad once they started listening to me and doing what I told them too,” Jacobs defended, “They may have been young but at least they could recognise just who had the most experience. I didn’t see a single officer out on the walls at all.” Chalmers smiled under his helmet as Jacobs explained what happened. In his early twenties the soldier was the youngest member of the wraiths on this mission, Nigel having heard that he had been fast-tracked up to the ISA squad due to his intelligence and promising future in command. The fact that he had managed to hold a defensive position aided only by a frankly poorly experienced local force that used to be enemies was testament to his ability. Chalmers gestured to the mass of nobles strutting around the courtyard with their noses in the air as they passed human trooper or Equestrian ‘commoner’ alike. “All the officers are probably hiding in here or defending their own mansions while their city burns,” one noble in particular drew attention, the unicorn beginning to berate a family of four that had appeared to block his path. “The funny thing is,” Nigel continued, “they seem to be the only ones who seem to think we deserve equality with their working class.” Everyone except Horizon chuckled, the foal not quite following what exactly was so funny. The laughter doubled when Nigel picked up a small stone and nailed the Unicorn in the flank with the thrown projectile, the stallion crying out in surprise before he and the lectured family looked in the group of changelings and humans direction. Nigel waved politely at the noble, only infuriating the upper-class snob further as the stallion stormed over leaving the equine family behind, all of them, a stallion, mare and two foals of indeterminate gender flashing looks of thanks towards the Commander. “This should be golden,” Nigel murmured to his companions as the fuming noble fixed him with an irate glare. “You there, monster!” the unicorn spat drawing the attention of many onlookers, “Is it not enough that you and your kind stink up this city with your noxious presence!? You also have the nerve to bring those parasites,” the noble pointed a hoof at the two changelings sitting next to the commander, “into our midst with nary a care! No, you then also attack me, Lord Gilded Thimble, most influential tailor in Equestria with a dirty rock! What do you have to say for yourself foul beast!?” Nigel remained still for a second, the noble awaiting a reply. The human turned his head and noticed the dejected looks that Mirror and Nestor had, obviously the unicorn’s remarks had hit them hard. Horizon moved over to the two and attempted to comfort them before Chalmers stood up, the Commander could handle insult directed at him but if the unicorn wanted to go too far then two can play at that game. The noble lost his confidence the second Nigel stood up, the human’s already impressive height made even more intimidating by the patches of blood covering his black armour. “What do I have to say for myself?” Chalmers began in a neutral voice, “Well, for starters I’ve spent the last twelve hours or so killing a lot of things so I’ll make my rebuttal short, precise and easy for an imbecile such as yourself to understand. I’ll start with some basics,” Nigel pointed down at a bloodstain coating his right fist, the armoured digits clenching as the noble’s eyes widened. “This is the hand which I used to crush a Griffon soldier’s heart while it was still inside his chest, I could still feel it beat until it finally popped.” Chalmers continued, gesturing to a stain on his armoured boot. “This here is a stain from when a crushed the skull of another soldier underfoot, he was still breathing after I shot him in the back and I didn’t want to waste anymore ammo.” A final gesture was towards the gash on his helmet, the red eye emitting some sparks where the sword thrust had done some damage. “This is the scar I got from when a griffon stabbed me in the eye, needless to say I lived, he didn’t.” By now the noble was trembling on the spot, the claims even more horrific with the biped’s flat, expressionless delivery. The Commander leaned down until his skull helm was right before the unicorn’s face, the stallion trying to take a step back only to find that his body refused to move out of pure terror. “Forget all of that however,” the human stated as he pointed towards the city limits, the unicorn able to see the upper bodies of the metal gants which still unleased the occasional rocket barrage or flash of plasma energy. “What makes me really, really dangerous to piss off is the fact that as the current highest ranking officer of the UIP I have overall command of every, single, asset. Be it the troops on the ground,” Nigel gestured towards a squad of UIP infantry watching the confrontation, the unicorn gulping as he noticed the soldiers were also covered in gore, “the machines capable of destroying entire armies outside the city to the starships hanging above your planet in the sky above.” Chalmers leaned in closer still, his helmet almost touching the unicorn’s face as he whispered to the paralysed stallion. “I could order the complete destruction of your entire planet and every living thing on it, go ahead, insult my comrades and friends, test my sanity if you dare.” Nigel stood back up right as the noble’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. The pony remained like this for a while, the noble trembling before Chalmers suddenly stomped his foot on the ground with a loud thump. The noble, startled back into reality at the sound bolted, galloping away from the humans and towards the gate. The Commander turned back and faced the group as the guards at the gate tackled the unicorn to prevent him from leaving the city as he screamed like a frightened school child. Everyone who had witnessed the tirade, wraiths, UIP infantry, changelings and equestrians stared at Chalmers in shock and silence. The quiet was broken by solitary clapping, Stevens leaning against the wall as the soldier applauded his commander. “I can see why they took you off diplomatic missions,” Stevens stated before the Princesses approached the group, a black figure almost as tall as Chalmers accompanying them. The human’s armour was far from the plain protection that the wraiths and Chalmers wore, his armour adorned with alcoves containing numerous crafted relics and trinkets much like one would expect to find in a church. Lines of script covered the black plates, the ink a blood red that flowed like red fluid. The figures helmet was elongated vertically, a cylinder atop a blocky helm possessing a grey metal voice grill and two optical sensors, the colour matching the crimson script covering the figure’s armour. The human held a large open book in his left hand, the ornate leather-bound tome attached to his armour with silver chains. In his right he clutched a large mace shaped like a fist crackling with sickly green energy, looking at the weapon for more than an instant caused searing pain to shoot into the heads of the viewers. Attached to the human’s back was a large ebony tube, the barrel stylised like a leering skull opening its jaw with a trigger shaped like a skeletal hand in the middle. A hose connected this device to a backpack the figure sported, the pack looking like a small chapel decorated with angelic figures giving supplication to the sky. All in all it was a very intimidating image that inspired awe and dread in equal amounts. Celestia paused as the three reached the Commander, Luna staying the furthest away from the new biped. “Commander Chalmers,” Celestia hesitantly started, “we found Mister-“ “That’s High-Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber to you, Unenlightened,” the male figure interrupted with a growl. Chalmers shook his head as Stevens and Boland stepped beside their commander as they faced down the newcomer. “Great, if this wasn’t confusing enough then let’s just through religion into the mix,” Chalmers muttered loudly before looking at the High-Confessor, “so Dietrich, what exactly is a Mortisum priest doing down planeside? Shouldn’t you be worshiping a grave or something?” The Priest ignored the Commander’s failure to use his title and the disrespect, the Confessor waving his book at the Equestrians that were all gazing at him in fear. “Why, bringing enlightenment to these poor people of course! They have yet to hear the word of the Lord and it is my duty to ensure that their souls are guided to the afterlife safely and un-molested!” The priest raised his book and arms to the sky as he through his head back. “And the Lord did say that his servants should work to spread his guidance throughout existence!” Dietrich shouted with a powerful voice, “Thus it is with every breath that I share his teachings with all to better their lives and eternal souls!” Chalmers rubbed his helmeted face with a hand as the enthusiastic priest spouted his rhetoric, Celestia and Luna staring at the preaching human in befuddlement. “Okay Confessor, that’s enough,” Chalmers ordered after taking a calming breath, the priest fixing his red optics on Nigel. “High-Confessor! I didn’t spend four years on the battlefield issuing last rites to be addressed as a lowly Confessor!” the priest scoffed after he said this. “Trust an ISA agent to not be able to tell the difference between members of the clergy.” Nigel looked like he was about to retort, however Celestia saw her chance to intervene. “Aren’t you both humans in the same empire?” the sun princess inquired, Detric snorting at her question. “We are, however it doesn’t change the fact that the majority of the military, the ISA in particular, don’t properly adhere to the battlefield guidelines outlined in the Holy Book!” The High-Confessor explained as he waved the thick tome under Celestia’s nose, the Princess catching glimpses of incredibly detailed scenes of death and battle accompanied by flowing text in shimmering silver ink. “He means we don’t try to force enemies to repent their sins against the empire before we kill them,” Chalmers clarified for the two confused alicorns, “the Ministry of Enlightenment also don’t like the fact that we use projectile weapons to kill on the battlefield.” The priest de-activated his mace and attached it to his waist as he pointed an armoured finger at Chalmers. “Everyone, even our enemies deserve the chance at redemption! To deny them that is the height of cruelty and you should be ashamed! As for your use of projectiles to kill that is also wrong! The Lord’s teachings state that only through close-combat or cleansing flame can the vilest Heretics be saved from eternal torment!” “Look, a prepubescent boy all by himself!” Stevens yelled out suddenly as he pointed behind the priest, the High-Confessor glaring at the wraith unaffected by the attempted distraction. “That is the wrong priesthood stereotype and merely by associating me with that foul action you have committed a sin. Besides, our members are not required to take a vow of celibacy so such debatched methods are not needed.” Nestor scrunched his face up at the word, the changeling incredible interested in meeting one of these ‘Mortisum’ priests that Nigel had told him about. “Celibacy?” the changeling asked, Chalmers cutting off the priest before Dietrich could answer. “The Emperor must have decided that they were insane enough so he gave them that one reprieve,” Chalmers and the priest locked gazes, “I doubt the Lord Himself could stomach what would happen if the only things they could play with were flamethrowers and thems-“ “Commander,” Boland stepped in, gesturing down to Horizon watching the argument with wide eyes. Nigel stopped and bent down, picking the colt up in his arms as the priest hummed with interest. “Now this is interesting,” Dietrich commented as Horizon stared at him, the colt’s time spent with humans lessening his fear of the Confessor. “Why does this equine treat you like a patriarch Spector?” Horizon gulped at the imposing human’s question, the colt while not knowing the strange word ‘patriarch’ guessed the meaning of the inquiry. “Nigel’s been looking after me,” the unicorn answered hesitantly. Dietrich’s posture softened as he considered the implications of the young being’s statement. Celestia, Luna and the changelings appeared sorrowful at the reminder of why the foal was in Chalmers’s care. “What happened to your original guardians?” the priest inquired without the fire that had been prevalent in his previous speeches. Horizon trembled a little before Nigel hugged him a little tighter, giving the colt the courage to explain the circumstances. “They died,” the unicorn stated softly and simply, the priest pausing as the colt lowered his head. A metal hand reached out and rubbed Horizon’s head, the unicorn lifting his head to see the helmet of the priest staring at him. With a hiss the front face plate lowered, revealing Dietrich’s face. A surprisingly young-looking brown face with dark-brown eyes gazed sympathetically at the young pony. “I’m sorry to hear that, young one,” the priest responded before his helmet re-sealed and obscured his face once more. The High-Confessor turned and headed back from where the princesses and he had come from. “I must leave you I’m afraid, I have some praying to do,” Dietrich farewelled, Luna staring at the retreating human with worry. “Is it okay to just let such a… unique individual wander around unattended?” Chalmers waved a dismissive hand as he replied. “It’s fine, he actually seems to be one of the less fanatical members of the church so it should be fine.” Nigel moved towards the castle with Horizon in his arms, aiming to head towards the Equestrian war room, Celestia, Luna, the three wraiths and the changelings following him. “Less fanatical?” Celestia asked. The interesting priest certainly seemed very devoted and outspoken to her. Chalmers scoffed as the group entered through the main doors of the castle. “He’s focused more on converting your subjects rather than burning them while shouting ‘Heresy!’ Trust me, that’s considered restrained for Mortisum priests.” No more was said on the topic, all parties happy to drop the issue there as they were escorted by guards down towards the war room in the depths of the castle. “So the counter-assault was a resounding success, the casualty rates on our side were extremely low and the enemy force has been scattered.” The holographic form of UIP General Mahubi Prasad pointed towards the display shining down upon the large stone table, numerous human and Equestrian officers observing the large holographic map of the city as well as the two Princesses. Chalmers was at the back of the room in the shadows, Horizon still carried by the human under the agreement that the colt would remain absolutely quiet. “Extremely low?” Celestia responded with disbelief. “Forty-three of my guards are dead and hundreds more are wounded, at least twenty-nine civilians have been found dead and many more are missing! How is that extremely low!?” Celestia was visibly upset with the General’s statement, the deaths of more of her subjects playing havoc with the normally stoic Princess’s emotion. The holo form of the General raised a brown eyebrow as he folded his green uniformed arms in front of him. “How many do you think would have died if we hadn’t taken the actions we did?” General Prasad countered, “The main attack on the walls was halted and if it weren’t for your senior officers’ disobedience of the recommended defensive positions then the enemy would not have made it into the city at all. You should be glad that your troops proved to be slightly more adept then their commanders.” Equestrian officers glanced at each other, the officers who had ordered the repositioning of the troops without the Princesses’ authorization had already received sever demotions and as such were no longer permitted in the war room. Celestia had denied the Human General’s offer to shoot them for her. “I can understand that you are upset about the deaths of your subjects,” Prasad continued as Celestia and Luna looked up at the projection, “however your mourning must wait, while your soil is still occupied and your people enslaved are agreement still stands. The quicker we finish this the sooner I can go back to the Ishvalin front.” Celestia’s look hardened; while the humans were cold their reasoning was sound. These standard Military forces also appeared to be far more sane then Commander Chalmers and his men. “You’re right,” she conceded as Luna splayed a wing over her back, “the safety of our citizens that are alive should be the highest priority. I dread to think of what they are suffering in enslavement-“ “Enslavement!? Heresy!” All turned to the voice that had yelled out the declaration, Dietrich Von Schreiber waving his book in the air as the alcoves on his armour lit up with baleful crimson light. General Prasad sighed as the priest stood in the room waving his arms about. “Who let the priest inside?” he questioned, a nervous unicorn lieutenant raising a hoof in the air. “He threatened to send my soul to a place called ‘Hell’ if I didn’t sir,” the guard confessed, the priest moving towards him and patting the startled guard on the back with a hand. “Luckily for you your compliance with my holy mission has redeemed all sin you garnered from attempting to block my righteous path!” A second holographic projection appeared from a device on the table that was creating such images. A middle-aged human clad in a navy-blue dress uniform adorned with medals brushed back his short black hair as he shot an impatient look at the General. “Admiral Biggles,” Prasad greeted, “to what do we owe the pleasure?” “My bomber crews have been waiting to strike for hours now,” the Admiral complained, “What is taking you so long? The plan has already been mostly completed so why the delay?” The General gestured towards the priest who was currently petting the rather relaxed looking unicorn guard, the Stallion currently receiving a very soothing ear scratch. As he laid eyes on the High-Confessor the Admiral’s eyes widened in understanding, the human sighing as he along with the rest of the room observed the priest’s rather unusual actions. “At least he’s down there and not up on my bridge shouting scripture constantly like he was for the past three weeks. Almost made me want to join the first drop troops on the ground when we got here,” Luna moved up to face the Admiral with a frown on her face. “So it was you how unleashed this demon on us!” Luna accused, her opinion that the priest was a demon would have held more water if the human was currently not rubbing the unicorn lieutenant’s unarmoured belly as the guard groaned in contentment on the ground. Montgomery rolled his eyes at the claim, the corners of his mouth curling up into a grin as he plotted his next move. “I assume that you would be the Princess who made a certain arrangement with Commander Chalmers then?” Luna quickly blushed and retreated to the back of the room, Chalmers coughing awkwardly as everyone looked at him. Fortunately for him Celestia pulled the attention off him and back to the task on hand. “Yes, well the details of the deal are not important right now, what is important is how we are going to free the two cities captured as well as the towns in the path from there to here.” Prasad nodded in agreement. “Good idea, our plan is quite simple really,” he began as more icons lit up on the holo map which zoomed out to show the area containing the two captured cities. The city of Manehattan was lit up in red, fighting still going on in the city as the garrison beat back the griffon and minotaur invaders. “Your forces are holding your city of ‘Manehattan’ currently, however they will not be able to hold much longer with the constant flow of hostile re-enforcements coming in from the other cities. Firstly we need to re-establish supply and troop lines with them and cut off the enemy from their main supply lines. Orbital strikes and asset delivery are not advised due to the high risk of massive collateral damage, therefore an armoured spearhead is tasked with punching through the enemy lines.” Icons of strange objects appeared on the map, looking to the Equestrians as some kind of sleek tortoises with long barrels emerging from their head. As they watched the objects approach a red circle surrounding Manehattan that represented the enemy ground and naval blockade. The objects crashed through the line and entered the city. “Following this assault mechanized infantry supported by your guards and air support from the fleet,” the General nodded at Celestia as more symbols appeared on the map each in the shape of triangles, “break through the gap and set up a perimeter through which we can funnel more soldiers and supplies through. This will also consist of naval assets being dropped into the sea here,” Manehattan was a harbour city and the sea just outside it was highlighted. “The ships will provide naval fire support while also destroying enemy supply shipping and other hostile water targets.” The map zoomed out once more, the cities of Fillydelphia and Baltimare glowing. “I will be leading the assault on the city of Fillydelphia on the ground, Commander Chalmers will be in charge of the liberation action against forces in Baltimare,” Chalmers once again found himself as the centre of attention, a cough from Prasad returning focus to himself. “Forces will consist of a standard mix accompanied by equestrian forces,” the General paused for a second, “the status of any local forces in the two cities are unknown but are resumed KIA, it is a known fact that civilians are being shipped back to one of the invading countries as slave labour and nutritional needs.” Ponies shuddered at the reminder of some griffons desire to taste pony flesh, the predators used to routinely capture and farm ponies for meat in the early days of civilisation. That had stopped after the tribal unification that saw Equestrian created, however it appeared that some griffons had seized the opportunity to re-kindle old dining habits. The humans were also disgusted; the consumption of sapient creatures was a capital offence in the empire unless it was needed in extreme survival circumstances. The High Confessor jumped up from his position crouched on the floor petting the guard, the religious fanatic raising a hand. “I insist that I be allowed to accompany one of the assaults, surely the occupants of these cities will need much comfort in the word of the Lord!” The General and Admiral seemed to mull this over, both about to decline. Prasad however grinned as he thought of an answer. “What a great idea High-Confessor, I’m sure Commander Chalmers will be relieved to have the support of a favoured servant of the Lord in his force.” Chalmers was thankful that his helmet hid his scowl at the suggestion, the Admiral however picked up on the Commander’s displeasure. “Now now Commander, the ISA and Church have to get over their differences some time so it might as well start with you two.” With that the General and Admiral signed off, officers from both races filing out of the room. The Princesses also disappeared, discussing the plans with their officers as they left the room. Eventually it was just Nigel and Horizon left, the colt true to his word not saying a thing during the meeting. Chalmers sighed as he ruffled the unicorn’s mane. “Thanks for behaving Bleak; I’ve got to go back out okay so I’ll leave you with Nestor and Jacobs this time.” Jacobs had been ruled out as a soldier on the upcoming missions, his armour damaged and unable to be repaired in time so he had been swapped with Boland. “That’s okay,” Horizon answered as shifted in the Commander’s grip and looked up at Chalmers. “Just come back okay?” Nigel scratched the unicorn behind the ears as he walked out of the war room. “Of course I will,” he re-assured, “when I do I promise I’ll take you someplace fun to make up for having to leave again so soon okay?” He received a smile and nod from the ash foal, his helmet audio indicating an incoming signal. “Chalmers, go ahead,” Nigel answered as the voice of General Prasad became audible over the communication system. “Commander, my apologies for sticking you with Dietrich, you’re probably the only officer I can trust to not shoot him after an hour. Thank the Lord and Emperor that not all are as unusual as he is.” “Yes to that,” Chalmers responded, “General, you must have another reason for calling.” A light chuckle was heard, the general replying back with joy in his voice. “Come down to the main assembly zone outside the city, I have a gift for you…” Nigel walked outside the city gates and was met with an impressive sight. Grey boxy transporters of all shapes and sizes moved from the heavens to the ground, depositing entire battalions of troops, supplies, eight-wheeled armoured personal carriers, main battle tanks of both the tracked and hover variety as well as numerous other support vehicles and mechs. Most of the machines were coloured the standard tan colouration of the UIP army, a few however sported custom squadron camouflage or the grey paintjob of UIP navy marines. A thumping sound overhead heralded the fly-over of three Viper gunships, the large rotor and jet combination helicopters looking much like the old soviet Hinds used back in the early days of Terra. The appearance of design had been kept as everyone agreed that Hinds looked awesome even if they were obsolete machines, thusly the Mil Mi-24 had found new life as it was pretty much rebuilt with the latest technologies. The helicopter had served the UIP with the highest possible levels of success. Crowds of ponies flocked to observe the massive landing, the equines astonished at the many different tools of war as well as the sheer number of human forces. The General had declined telling the Equestrian officers that this wasn’t even half the troop capacity of a Planetary Assault Cruiser. Royal guard, both Solar and Lunar were organized into ranks ready to follow the main human advance, the ponies feeling very small next to machines such as the one-hundred ton tracked Legionary MBT, the tank sporting a main railgun backed up by an un-manned gatling laser mounted on the top turret with missile pods on either side of the turret shaped much like the old Leopard tanks of old Terra. Chalmers strolled past lines of troops who stopped and saluted the Intelligence Commander, Nigel making an effort to return everyone. He approached a large mobile command crawler, the massive machine as tall as a ten story building with a length that was ten battle tanks long. Considering that each tank possessed the length equal to the height of a Foxhound it was a large vehicle. As Chalmers moved to the rear of the machine he spotted a mass of soldiers and technicians, the mechanics identified by their bright yellow armoured suits. A medium sized mech, ten meters tall was supported by a frame with numerous weapons and devices attached to it, Nigel moving towards the machine. “Ah, you’ve arrived Commander!” General Prasad approached Chalmers with his arms spread wide. The senior officer had shed his dress uniform and adopted slightly more ornate armour that matched his troops, his colour green and not tan however. A helmet with a standard grey optical visor strip was attached to his waist with the bottom of the helmet made to look like an old gas mask. “Prasad,” Nigel started as he stared at the tan mech with longing, “please say what I think you’re going to say.” The General smirked as he handed Chalmers a set of oversized fluffy dice. “You have the power to commandeer it anyway, take it with my blessing,” the General beamed. Chalmers looked at the white dice in his hands and then back to the mech, blue stripes painted across its shoulders while a single blue line was placed in the centre of the bulky chest. The mech looked sleek and humanoid, a head filled with sensors sitting atop a bulky T shaped torso that was wide at the top and bottom that was all supported on a set of legs joined with an extra set of knees, a four-toes pronged claw serving as each foot. A ‘Rapier’ model, packed with all sorts of toys and gizmos,” Prasad stated as he swept an arm towards it, “What are you waiting for, hop in and give it a try.” Chalmers sat within the cockpit of the Rapier, the control chair quite comfortable as he griped the mech’s controls with his hands. They were only for the unimportant secondary systems; everything else had been linked to the neural connection of his suit giving him unrivalled control. He checked his weapons, laser and plasma cannons located on his left arm, a massive energy-covered lance in his right while his shoulders sported missile pods and rocket tubes. Also located around the mech were numerous secondary weapon systems such as grenade racks and flamethrowers. He went over his comms system, checked that the artificial windshield display in front of him was calibrated and lastly ensured that his fuzzy dice were tied in tight to the roof. Satisfied that he was ready to go he moved his walker forward out of its cradle, the mech gliding smoothly with grace that was unnatural its size. He was about to move to his allocated team when a two-hundred ton ‘Judicator’ Command tank rolled up. The turret hatch of the double-barrelled beast opened and the form of the General popped out, the officer tiny compared to his metal chariot. “Good luck Commander,” he radioed over the comms system as he waved at Nigel, “don’t ding it or you won’t get the deposit back.” With those final words the General moved his hand forward, the tank moving off to join the armoured spearhead tasked to break the land blockade. Nigel shook his head and moved to join his team, a force of Vipers, Foxhounds, Legionary tanks, Armadillo APCs and some self-propelled artillery vehicles. A few hundred Royal guards of both types were loaded upon tracked transport vehicles along with UIP army troops, the equines visibly anxious around the alien machines. Nigel did notice that some of the army troops were conversing with the equines which appeared to calm the pony soldiers down, something that pleased Chalmers. Fumbling around he found the button he was looking for, his audio linked to the comms of his team as well as the external speakers mounted on his mech. “Good afternoon Ladies, Gentleman and Gentlecolts I believe, this is your Commander speaking,” he had gained the attention of every single soldier as well as anyone else in earshot. “Today we will be departing to good ol’ Baltimare town; ETA is two hours so I suggest you plump up your pillows.” This earned him some chuckles from both human and pony alike, the equine soldiers forgetting most of the anxiousness that they had. “Weather is clear with some clouds and a high chance of death to invading slavers, most likely evolving into full blown hostile routs later on in the night. You’re in-transport entertainment will consist of the…” Nigel checked the mech’s media player, why a combat mech had a media player he did not know but it worked for him. “It will consist of much musical offerings of the great twenty and twenty-first century bands ‘Iron Maiden’ and a personal favourite ‘Sabaton’, may their music get your blood pumping and ready for war.” A mighty metal guitar riff sounded out from the external speakers causing a cheer to rise from the human troops while the Royal guards listened in amazement to the alien but strangely invigorating music as the track ‘Back in Control’ blared out, Nigel moving his Rapier forward as the force followed him with Vipers zooming overhead to scout out the area. Chalmers relaxed in his seat as all three teams moved out to their respective cities. ‘I’ve got a mech, some tunes, an army and a pair of fuzzy dice,’ Nigel thought as he smiled happily. ‘Who needs an afterlife in paradise when you’ve got this?’ Author's Note Well, a large chapter this one is. For those who wish for a better idea of the music that the Commander played refer to this: Back in Control Also a new character is introduced, how will the Priest handle the burden of combat? Or rather, how will the combat handle him? Needless to say, lots of stuff will blow up in the next chapter, hope you enjoyed this one however.
We're All a Little InsaneThe sea outside Manehattan harbour was calm, the waters clear and the wind was almost non-existent. The sound of the waves and seagulls was soon joined by another, less natural noise that approached an area of sea far away from the city. With the roar of engines a flock of five UIP orbital transporters descended un-noticed onto the patch of ocean, the boxy craft slowing down to a hover through the use of the four large thrusters mounted on the sides, two at the front and two on the back. The heat from the engines belonging to the navy-blue craft caused huge updrafts of steam where they sat over the water, the white clouds hiding most of the crafts from view. With a droning hum all five transporters opened their lower doors, the sounds of magnetic clamps releasing followed by five splashes as large objects were dropped into the sea. Seconds after this was completed the transports began to pull back up into the sky, their bay doors closing as they departed into the upper atmosphere. The steam from the engines blew away in the wind that had picked up, the concealing fog lifting to reveal five menacing dark-grey ships floating firmly in the water. The UIP naval battle group consisted of a Buccaneer-class Destroyer, two Hydra-class unmanned Frigates, one Dugong-class missile cruiser and finally the largest ship out of them all, the Nelson-class heavy cruiser that was serving as the command ship for the group. Senior-Captain Edward Teach stroked his black beard as he observed the departing transporters from his command chair, the bridge around him bustling with activity as his grey-clad crew organized and checked sensor, communications and weapon systems. The large windows that dominated the room were in fact display screens, much like the ‘windows’ on the starships hanging in orbit. Why the military forces of old surrounded ships with armour plates yet put windows made from glass around the bridge Teach still couldn’t work out. Through the front window, the large screen four metres tall, Teach could see the triple-barrelled Plasma turret on the foredeck swivel one the spot and raise its barrels to the sky as the weapons operators tested its functions. To his left he spotted the silo doors of the Dugong open and close while the surface-to-air missile turrets mounted on the back and front pivoted in their mounts. The Dugong was two thirds the size if his own ship, followed by the Buccaneer which was five metres shorter than the missile cruiser. The Hydras were the smallest vessels, the artificial intelligence controlled scouts a third of the size of the Nelson. Teach reviewed his mission brief, his orders to seize or destroy any shipping in the harbour and the surrounding area to prevent enemy re-enforcements and supplies from reaching the city that could just be seen on the horizon. Two fleets exactly the same as his were each assigned to the other two native cities which they were tasked with assisting, Teach not caring about the wider political reasons. He had his orders and he was going to carry them out despite the reported resistance that they would be facing. Wooden ships weren’t much of a match against heavy plasma batteries, railguns, laser cannons, torpedoes and all manner of missiles and rockets that were scattered around the fleet. Still, a chance for combat was a chance for combat; it wasn’t often that sea-going vessels saw action when they were stationed aboard Planetary Assault Cruisers. Most of the work tended to be done before they were deployed. It didn’t help that only a small number of planets actually had large oceans that warranted such measures. Teach was broken out of his thoughts by a message appearing on his command screen that was mounted on the left side of his chair, the captain briefly glancing at the contents, indicating that the fleet was ready to commence operation, before brushing a stray hair off his light-blue uniform and pushing an icon on the touch screen. His microphone that was mounted on his ear piece synced with the fleet’s communication systems, Teach immediately being greeted with the chatter of ship communication staff and the two captains under his command. “Attention all ships,” Teach commanded with a slight accent that on Terra would be referred to as British, “move to your indicated co-ordinates, your orders are to destroy any shipping highlighted and if necessary assist local ground forces once we secure the harbour. Full speed ahead.” At his order the fleet moved forward as one, the two Hydra frigates roving ahead of the larger ships to utilise their extended sensor suites to pinpoint potential targets. The fusion-powered turbines allowed the smaller ships to reach speeds in excess of fifty knots. The larger ships, powered by antimatter reactors due to the increased power demands of their larger weaponry, followed behind averaging forty knots. As the frigates approached the city, the buildings now clear in sight, a multitude of enemy contacts were detected in and surrounding the harbour. Most of the ships were roughly the same size as the Hydras, when Teach looked at the detailed scans he saw that they were incredibly similar to the ships used on Terra in the late Seventeenth century. Instead of cannons which he had expected he saw that they still mounted ballista and catapults, granted some of them were quite impressive in size but he was certain that primitive iron bolts and rocks would do little against hardened metal plating. Tapping orders into his command console he ordered the hydras to pull back to the main fleet, the AIs controlling the vessels responding and obeying without question. While he was confident that the two scout ships alone could probably destroy the entire enemy fleet he wasn’t going to deny his subordinates a chance to actually put their years of training to use. His eyes rested on the picture of the largest enemy vessel, a wooden battleship almost the size of the Dugong which was adorned with multiple large ballista and catapults. The weapons were currently firing into the city, Teach able to see the crumbled remains of buildings and fires that had obviously been the result of the pounding from the enemy ships. The battleship was decorated with extravagant carvings and statues of creatures which he had been informed were called ‘Griffons’, one of the hostile factions that he was tasked with destroying. The decorations and size of the vessel combined with the detailed sails sporting artistic images of regal looking griffons led the Senior-Captain to believe that it was the ship belonging to the enemy admiral, no doubt someone of high importance. Teach decided to do what any UIP commander would do if faced with such a conclusion. He was going to blow that ship up first. Smiling a little to himself, Teach touched the icon representing the enemy battleship and typed in his desired commands, his orders relayed to the missile cruiser traveling alongside his own ship. The majority of the crew on the bridge spared a glance out the port window as a lone white missile streaked up into the sky from one of the silos on the aft of the Dugong. The projectile quickly shot out of sight; however Teach could still track its progress on his display as it headed towards the space above the targeted ship. His communication channel was quiet save for the reports of the weapon officers on the Dugong in charge of the fired weapon, the officers calling out the ETA to impact. Teach also noted that a small number of the enemy vessels were approaching them from the harbour, the human ships having sailed well into visual range. The Senior-Captain paid them little mind, the Hydras had already moved forward to meet them with their twin duel-barrelled railgun turrets and rocket batteries armed and ready. Instead Teach observed as the cruise missile angled down towards the oblivious battleship, the human holding up his white-gloved right hand to the ceiling as his mouth curled into a small smile. “Three, two,” he counted down as the missile descended down towards its target. “One.” He clenched his raised hand into a fist as the missile struck the battleship in the middle, the wooden vessel becoming completely consumed in the white hot explosion as the plasma-warhead of the cruise missile detonated, the huge dome of bright blue explosion lighting up the harbour as the water around the impact area vaporised into steam from the extreme heat. The glow died out after a few moments, absolutely nothing left of the once-grand flagship. The bridge crew reacted as expected; aside from small glances towards the explosion they continued to monitor their stations and input information, just another day in the office really. “Engaging targets,” reported the monotone voices of the two Hydras over the communication net, Teach switching his attention to the forward display of the bridge. He was just in time to catch the sight of a medium-sized brig split into multiple parts as explosive railgun rounds from the left hydra tore it asunder, the heavy wooden hull no defence against the hypersonic projectiles. Shapes that appeared to by Griffons flying up from the wreckage attempted to get clear of the battlezone, however the rapid-fire quad-barrelled anti-air railgun turret on the aft deck of the hydra that had destroyed the brig opened up with precision, griffon bodies exploding in the air as the storm of metal projectiles tore them to shreds. The weapon was not meant for shooting down small flying organics however, isolated groups of griffons fleeing at full speed towards the burning city in the face of the devastation. The second and third brigs that had been traveling with their fellow to intercept the human fleet both tried to turn and head back towards the harbour where the rest of the griffon ships, numbering thirty-three now, were all moving to put up a defence and prevent the alien fleet from accessing the city. All of the ships were smart enough to spread out; evidently the explosive death of their flagship highlighted the danger of grouping up. The two retreating brigs had a strong wind propelling them forward, the ships desperately trying to outrun the second hydra that was chasing them down. Their efforts were vain however, sail power was no match for the twin fusion driven turbines that provided the hydra with nimble speed. The AI ship strangely decided against picking the two off from long range, the frigate powering forward to place itself in between the wooden brigs. Iron bolts were launched from the two griffon ships from their deck mounted ballista to little effect, even the ones coated in tar and set alight failed to have any lasting impact on the agile hydra. The large stones thrown from the heavy catapults located in the middle of the brigs inflicted slightly more damage, the rocks slightly denting the armoured plates of the scout ship. The hydra continued despite the attempts to halt it, time seeming to slow down as its four railguns turned towards the port brig while the boxy rocket launcher turret sitting in the middle of the ship right in front of the command tower aimed at the starboard vessel. The pair of twin-linked railgun turrets opened fire; the unfortunate port brig received four railgun slugs directly to the area below the water line in less than a second, the explosive heads in the shells not arming due to the close proximity. This didn’t matter that much, with four massive holes punched in the brig’s starboard side as well as the large exit wounds in the bottom of the ship water flooded in. Griffon crew abandoned the ship, ignored by the hydra as the brig immediately listed to the side. The starboard brig however was far less fortunate than its comrade. With high-pitched squeals the rocket turret peppered the brig with a volley of short-ranged, armour piercing munitions. A flare of flame erupted from the back of the grey launcher as the turret it was mounted in swept across the entire enemy ship’s length. The swarm of rockets all penetrated the hull of the stricken vessel before their warheads activated, small explosions sending timber and splinters flying into the air while crew were either incinerated or torn apart by the explosive weapons. The hull of the ship ruptured, more than half of the vessel gone once the rocket volley had subsided and the screaming of the weapon had died out. The second brig quickly sank, no survivors flying up from the wreckage as the ship was consumed by the hungry seas. Teach paused to wonder just why the hydra’s computer had decided that closing with the two brigs instead of destroying them from maximum range was the best course of action. Sometimes he wondered just how much emotion the apparently ‘dumb’ AIs could feel, he knew that self-aware AIs were only common in the more secretive UIP departments but still the hydra had seemed to almost gain… enjoyment from the explosive destruction of the ship it just neutralised. Teach shrugged to himself as he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, it still had been more restrained than what some UIP commanders were rumoured to do. The main enemy fleet was now in range of the larger ships main guns, the fore-deck turret of his own ship targeting a fat supply vessel sitting behind a wall of numerous sloops and larger frigates as they faced the oncoming human fleet with their ballista pointing at the harbour entrance. As the triple-barrelled turret pointed its weapons up into the air with the tips of the barrels glowing with an ever-increasing blue light Teach sat back into his chair and raised the cup of tea that had been sitting beside him to his lips. ‘Now to sit back and enjoy the show,’ he thought as the plasma turret discharged its weapons along with the heavy railguns mounted on the destroyer and the anti-ship missiles that skimmed along above the ocean that had been launched from the missile cruiser. General Mahubi Prasad observed the armoured assault from the comfort of his command room in the large Judicator command tank. He was sharing his space with one other, an Equestrian Lieutenant by the name of Quick Strike. The Pegasus mare was the Equestrian leader for this assault; apparently none of the higher ranking pony officers were willing to actually fight at the front. Quick Strike had been chosen when her commanding officer had sent her in his place to kindly ‘give her the opportunity to taste what higher command is like’. To be honest Prasad didn’t mind, he intended to be doing most of the commanding anyway and he’d rather have an junior officer rather than one of the Equestrian Nobility blathering in his ear. He actually didn’t mind the equines that much, sure they were military virgins with an irritating upper-class and they lacked any sense of proper modern military doctrine but apparently they had been at peace for hundreds of years, that was something that the human General could respect. The Equestrian’s peace achievement was not helpful at this current time however; even now the Lieutenant was shaking in her armour at the prospect of combat. “Nervous?” Prasad inquired as he shifted in his seat while going over sensor data regarding the enemy forces. He knew that the question was rhetorical however he hoped that some conversation would calm his equine counterpart down. “A little sir,” the Lieutenant answered shakily, however Prasad noticed that she seemed a little bit relieved at his efforts to talk to her. “Are you sure that we’re safe in here?” the mare continued as she subconsciously tried to flex her wings in the limited space, Prasad guessing that most of the flight-capable equines would not likely be fond of enclosed spaces. “This machine has enough armour plating on it to build a house, we’re perfectly fine,” Prasad reassured, “and don’t call me sir, for starters you’re not under my command and secondly in this operation we are equals as the commanding officers. Just call me General.” Quick Strike nodded at his terms, the Equestrian letting out a breath as she tried to relax. There was silence for some time; the rumble of the tank surrounding them was accompanied by the occasional clinking of Strike’s golden armour. The mare still had her helmet on despite suggestions by the General that taking it off would give her more room to move around, the guard citing that it was required for uniform purposes. Prasad silently questioned why she was so concerned about uniform regulations when she was the depths of a command tank with no-one else from her army to see her but he didn’t voice this, the Lieutenant seemed to find comfort in adhering to the protocol set by her nation so Prasad let it go. Prasad’s display screen was constantly filling with new information, the large holographic touch-display taking up most of the space in the room. Reports were coming in from the scout Foxhounds regarding the enemy positions, Prasad activating the communication system inside the room so that Quick Strike could also hear the reports. “-tiple infantry forces dug in around the perimeter at section two-seven-three-B, I can see earthworks and bunkers facing out with at least five primitive projectile emplacements scattered around the area, can you copy Mastiff-Lead?” A young male voice questioned with detached professionalism. “Copy Mastiff-Two,” an older male voice responded, “emplacements marked and noted. Mastiff-Five and Four do you also have eyes on emplacements?” “Affirmative Mastiff-Lead,” a female voice responded to the lead Foxhound’s query, “four emplacements containing bolt-throwers confirmed, wait-“ Quick Strike jolted back in her seat as a loud clanging rang out over the communication channel. A second later the retort of a laser-cannon firing followed by a distant explosion sounded. There was silence for two seconds before the female Foxhound pilot spoke again. “Correction Mastiff-Lead, there was five emplacements but now it’s back to four, forces should be advised that hostiles are utilising optical camouflage near wooded areas.” “Mastiff-Lead confirms, all forces pull back to the designated positions. What are your orders Command-One?” Prasad activated his headset, Command-One was the designation given to him while Quick Strike was Command-Two. “All units await for incoming air support,” Prasad ordered as he entered in the emplacement positions to the data network, relaying their locations to the wing of naval strike craft assigned to his attack. “Once aerial munitions have been delivered all armoured units push forward and break through the cordon. Infantry and mechanised follow behind to secure the road and corridor, artillery and support move up to assist in the securing of the area and Foxhounds move to positions as per graph seven-A to protect the flanks.” The Commander received affirmatives from all the unit leaders, the assault slowly approaching the enemy line as they waited for the strike craft to arrive. Prasad checked his display, the airstrikes would hit in fifty seconds. He quickly turned to The mare sitting to the left of him. “Fifty-seconds to the airstrike, anything you want to say to your troops?” Each of the transports, whether it was the wide tracked crawlers or the APC’s at the front with the tanks were all fitted with communication speakers in their holds. Quick Strike nodded quickly, Prasad hastily activating the mare’s headset that was awkwardly sitting on her head; the human-intended device had been loaned to her so that she could give her troops orders. “Royal Guards of Equestria,” Quick Strike started, all around the army forces Equestrians looked up at speakers located in APCs and Transports as the voice of their Lieutenant. “As you just heard we are about to commence our assault, you all know what will happen in we fail,” Prasad doubted that they would, the airstrike was now only thirty second away. “You also know that we are assisted by humans, I want you all to put aside any past grievances until we finish our mission,” Quick Strike continued, now only twenty seconds left until the strike. “Remember what you are fighting for, I wish you all luck and valour in the upcoming battle. That is all.” Prasad’s display showed the six dots that represented the ‘Starfire’ strike fighters approaching rapidly just above five-hundred feet. The human gave the Equestrian beside him thumbs up at her speech as the roar of fighter engines increased in volume. The sonic booms of the super-sonic craft flying overhead were drowned out by the detonations of the plasma-warhead toting ground-attack missiles that had been launched before the fighters’ arrival. Prasad observed his display, white flashes of energy on every reported emplacement representing the volatile payloads of the missiles eradicating all traces of the defences from the face of the planet. Prasad waited while Quick Strike examined the tactical map with awe, the General waiting until the glow of the warheads faded from the screen. “Command-One to all forces, commence the attack. Weapons free.” The two officers could hardly feel the tank they were in commence movement, the behemoth advancing forward on its four treads in the middle of the spearhead. Five Legionary MBTs were at the fore-front of the assault, the tip of the spear. The Foxhounds strode along the flanks while the rest of the twenty-five tanks surrounded the numerous support vehicles, transports, APCs and artillery units. Prasad had neglected using the artillery in this attack; he was planning to use it in the main attack on the city itself. The General tapped a few holographic icons in front of him, the tactical map moving to a smaller projector by his right side while the main display changed to a view of the surrounding area as viewed from the turret. The Equestrian swivelled around in surprise as she noticed that every single wall of the room they were in had changed as if they had nothing between them and the outside air. As she looked behind, Quick Strike could see the human tanks behind their own, out to the sides she could see the tall ‘mechs’ in the distance and as she looked back towards the front she could see the twin barrels of the tank’s turret below her. The Pegasus felt like she was standing on the top of the tank turret itself. “This is amazing!” she exclaimed, the soldier’s fear giving way to excitement as she observed the view. “You get used to it,” Prasad commented as he went over his command data, “I remember this one time when I was sitting in my tank all safe and sound. I hear a boom and look up just in time to have the sight of an incoming shell fill my vision. Luckily it didn’t pierce the armour but still it was a nerve-wracking experience.” This curbed some of the Equestrian’s excitement, the Pegasus returning to her seat to look out the front of the tank. She jumped a little as one of the tanks in front of them fired its railgun, the munition creating a small boom as it left the barrel of the tank. Out in the distance on a hill Quick Strike saw an explosion bloom into life, the first soon joined by four more as the rest of the tanks in the lead fired their weapons. She glanced towards the human general, Prasad not paying attention to the display instead he was focusing on the small map that was at his side. Quick Strike jolted a little as the view surrounding her changed, the turret on top of the tank rotating to aim at a field burning with small spot fires. It was a little confusing for the pony, she knew that in reality she was sitting in a room in the very middle of the tank’s main body but her mind kept on thinking that she was on the turret. A large crater was carved in the earth; Quick Strike guessing that it must have originated from the ‘air strike’ that Prasad had been talking about. The forms of Minotaurs could be seen fleeing back towards the city, a few of the braver ones charging at the approaching vehicles with large axes and hammers. Strike quickly looked towards the tanks in the lead, none of the machines aiming at the rapidly approaching minotaurs. Strike was just about to point this out to Prasad before she remembered that even though the beast she was riding in was a command tank it still possessed weapons, the mare noticing that the two grey barrels were aiming at the group of approaching enemies. The ends of the weapons suddenly seemed to widen to double their original width, the barrels themselves pulling back into the turret halfway. “Why are they doing that?” Strike questioned, Prasad guessing what the pony was talking about. “Adjustable-bore laser cannons, by shortening the barrels and increasing the width you end up with a shorter range but the shots contain more energy. When they hit they cover a much wider area then a longer ranged, more accurate shot.” The General’s explanation was punctuated by the two weapons discharging with a strange electronic ‘blam’ sound. Two bright blue bolts left the barrels to impact amidst the charging forces, a bright flash kicking up dust and debris into the air. Quick Strike felt sick in her gut as she looked at the aftermath of the explosion, almost all of the minotaurs were gone and replaced with a steaming crater of blackened earth. The tanks ahead of them all rotated their turrets towards the hundred or so soldiers fleeing back to the city, the bulls jumping over abandoned barricades and defensive walls in their haste to escape the pursing human war-machines. Quick Strike looked around and realised that the retreating troops seemed to be the only enemies left alive. The pegasus was turning towards Prasad to comment on how quickly they had broken through the cordon when she caught sight of red beams flickering out from the guns mounted on the top of the tanks’ turrets. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw minotaurs fall to the ground under the hail of beams. “They’re retreating! Why are you still shooting!?” the mare shouted at Prasad. The General looked away from his map as he faced the confused pony. “Where are they running to?” he asked, Quick looking towards the front display while trying to avoid looking at the massacre in front of her. “Towards the city,” she answered, the General nodding at her before returning to his plans. “Exactly, towards the city that they are trying to take over, the city where right now your comrades are fighting for their lives and the lives of the citizens in the city. We kill them now and it makes everything easier, letting them leave the field of battle only gives them time to regroup or re-enforce forces inside the city already. It’s not pretty or honourable but it is efficient.” Quick Strike thought about the General’s explanation, while it sickened her to shoot fleeing enemies in the back she could also understand his reasoning. Maybe these humans weren’t evil, maybe they just did things in the quickest and most efficient way possible. The mare shook her head at these thoughts, the ill-feeling in her stomach strengthening. She just tried to justify slaughter, she must be a really bad pony to even think that murder like could be excused. She tried to block the scene out of her mind; however the nightmare kept playing over and over in her head. It became too much when she began to insert sounds to the images, her imagination conjuring up death cries and pleas for the killing to stop. She began to heave, the images too much to handle for the in-experienced officer. Prasad noticed his counterpart’s distress, the general quickly handing her a boxy container marked ‘waste disposal’ attached to a tube leading into the floor. The mare grabbed it and vomited into it as soon as it was received, the armoured column halting in the middle of the devastation in preparation to deploy the troops. Prasad waited for the mare to finish, the pony breathing deeply as she tried to catch her breath. Obviously the Equestrian wasn’t too comfortable with his methods, unfortunate but as long as it didn’t affect her ability to command her own troops he could work with it. Turning around Prasad opened the hatch in the roof leading up towards the turret, the General preferring to oversee the unloading of the infantry with his own eyes. He looked back at the pegasus, the mare shakily getting up to follow him as he climbed up the ladder through the hatch. Hopefully getting her out into the open air would do her some good. They were a long way from the completion of their mission and they couldn’t afford to have any slipups. “Right then, everyone listen up!” Chalmers spoke into his communication system, his voice transmitting to every single soldier under his command whether they were human or pony. Unlike the other assaults he had no Equestrian officer to share duel command, meaning that he was in charge of pony troops as well as the UIP forces. They had stopped just out of sight of the city; all of the enemies were in the city itself so they had so far gone un-detected. “Here’s that plan of attack. Vipers, you move out first, deploy your assault teams on rooftops and engage any positions that may hinder an infantry assault. After that provide support to ground forces as you see fit. You may depart now.” Chalmers received affirmatives from the three gunship pilots, the combination-helicopters flying towards the city with a menacing thumping. Each Gunship was carrying twelve UIP Army Commandos, the soldiers tasked with harassing the enemy with sniper fire and heavy weapons from the rooftops as the rest of the force advanced on the ground. “I along with the Foxhounds will move into the city first to soften up resistance, Legionaries will escort the troop carriers and APCs to the city edge and then provide support from outside the city. Carriers will offload their troops and infantry you will advance into the city alongside APCs. Artillery-Captain Ludwig, you have some different orders.” “Yes Commander?” responded an older male voice as the artillery leader replied to his Commander. “Set up positions on the hill just outside the city at sector D-twenty-one-twelve. Your orders are to target any threats outside of the city, the risk of collateral damage if you fire into the city is too great. The rest of the support section will accompany you as well, apart from Cloud-trimmers Three and Four who will advance into the city to provide air cover.” “Understood sir,” Captain Ludwig acknowledged, Nigel’s command map showing that the majority of the force’s support vehicles headed to the allocated hill. The exception was two of the ‘Cloud-trimmers’, the ‘Icarus’ type anti-air tanks moving up behind the ten Legionary tanks that Nigel had been allocated. The squat, flat-topped tan machines were surrounded by light armour plates with a large hexagonal turret on the top. Each of the anti-air machines had two rapid-fire railguns on each side of the turret, looking much like quad-cannons from earlier Terran warfare. In addition to this each Icarus had a boxy SAM located on the top of the turret, four surface-to-air missiles in each launcher. Satisfied that everything was in order, Nigel checked his weapons systems one last time before glancing towards his tactical map. Five Foxhounds, Echo One through to Five, formed up beside him each with different weapon load-outs. “All forces move out according to your orders, Echo with me.” With those words Chalmers moved forwards, the five Foxhounds with him striding alongside him as they closed on the city with the rest of the force following the mechs. Trusting his unit officers to be able to handle themselves Nigel switched to a communication channel reserved for important tactical information only, vastly decreasing the number of voices sharing information and statuses. It was the most relaxed he had been for a long time. ‘Now that I think relaxation,’ Nigel thought as the city grew closer, ‘what ever happened to that annoying priest?’ “You are now blessed loyal servant of the Lord and Empire, go forth into battle and bring victory.” High-Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber removed his armoured hand from the commando’s helmet, the soldier standing back up from where she had been kneeling. The trooper retrieved her dark-grey gauss rifle from where she had placed it on the floor prior to receiving the blessing, the gun matching her heavy grey armour. She was taller than Dietrich in the large armour suit, the protective battle-plate much thicker and plentiful compared to standard UIP infantry armour. “Thank you, Father,” the soldier acknowledged as her thin eye visor stared into his, the crimson band a stark contrast to her dull armour. The bottom parts of the helmets that the troopers were sporting had two outcroppings on the side of the chin area, making the helms appear like twentieth century gas-masks with a single optical band instead of large eye visors. The female soldier sat back down in her seat with her eleven other squad members, Dietrich already having blessed them before. The only exception was the purple armoured bat-pony watching the proceedings with interest, the stallion having been assigned to the team to serve as a guide and liaison between any on the local forces if they had managed to survive. Each of the three Viper loads of special-forces had one Equestrian with them for the same purpose, all of them from the Lunar Guard as they were considered more suitable for the task. In reality none of the pegasi had been willing to board the human gunships, the ponies seeing them as metal boxes that flew unnaturally. Dietrich approached the pony who was sitting down with his back against the wall leading to the front of the craft, the stallion constantly flicking his wing-mounted blades out and back in. “Would you like me to bless your weapons?” Dietrich inquired, the stallion giving the priest a wary gaze. “No thank you, that won’t be needed,” the pony replied, Dietrich sighing in his helmet. He had been told by the Admiral to not try to convert the Equestrians for now, the priest had only agreed due to the condition that once the conflict was over he could preach as much as he could. “If that is what you wish,” the High-Confessor conceded, leaving the equine to his own company. He walked back to the exit ramp of the gunship, passing soldiers checking sniper-rifles, assault rifles and assorted heavy equipment. A slight shuddering could be felt, the gunship firing its nose cannon at a target down in the city. Dietrich spotted a row of Aerial-Infantry-Deployment-Systems on a rack next to the ramp, the High-Confessor getting an idea of how to find more converts without breaking the Admiral’s deal. The thirteen soldiers sharing the hold with him watched on as he picked a pack off the rack and attached it to his suit’s back, the magnetic clamps securing the sleek grey device firmly on. “High-Confessor, what are you doing?” asked the commando squad leader, the man putting his rifle down on his lap as its cleaning was forgotten. Dietrich did not answer him straight away; instead he ensured that the device on his back was interfaced properly with his suit and that all of his things were secured safely on his person in preparation for his plan. “Simple,” Dietrich replied, “I’m going to do my heavenly duty.” With that he slammed his hand down on the hatch release button, the rear ramp of the gunship lowering quickly allowing air to rush into the hold. The commando captain started to stand up to halt Dietrich but the priest had already jumped out of the gunship into the city below. The soldiers all stared in surprise at the open ramp, ignoring the pilots of the Viper who were asking just which moron opened the ramp early. The hatch began to close; clanging shut which cut off the rushing wind. “Should we go after him?” the bat-pony asked, the captain turning his head to face the pony as he sat back down in his seat and picked up his rifle to resume cleaning it. “No, we have our mission and it does not include chasing down rogue priests.” The soldiers all resumed the pre-battle activities that they had been doing before the High-Confessor’s sudden exit. “Besides,” the Captain continued, “I’ve heard that in order to achieve the rank of High-Confessor priests have to serve four years in active warzones, I’m sure that the good Father will be fine.” Bronze Shield huddled behind the makeshift barricade with the remaining members of the city garrison as they listened to the griffons forces outside in the street throw out insults and threats. The fifteen ponies, five unicorns, six pegasi and four earth ponies all were wounded in one way or another, ranging from simple cuts to the pegasi corporal slumped in the corner against an earth pony private, his left wing almost completely torn off. The unicorn lieutenant looked down to his side and counted six crossbow bolts, all the remaining ammunition he had. The other unicorns under his command had run out long before, expending their bolts to keep the griffons from gaining entry to the small tea shop that they were holed up in. The five griffon bodies piled in the doorway stuck full of bolts were the owners of most of the expended ammunition. No effort had been made to retrieve any; the griffons’ own archers had maintained a constant vigil on the doorway. Bronze was thankful that they had managed to block off the two large store windows with tables and chairs before the keen-eyed archers had arrived. “Sounds like they’re going to make a move soon,” Storm Front, a sergeant and second highest soldier, observed. Bronze turned his head to focus on the pegasi mare pressed up against the side of the doorway. Her golden armour was stained with blood, both hers from numerous talon and spear wounds and that of griffons who had met their end at the Sergeant’s fore-leg mounted blade. “They figured out any other threats yet?” Bronze asked from behind the shop counter, the mare swivelling an ear towards the outside street before shaking her head. “No, just the same ‘we’re going to kill you’, ‘we’re going to eat you’, and of course ‘you’ll have a fun time as slaves, ponies’ that they’ve been shouting for hours. All of the intelligent griffons must be in every other part of the city except this one.” “There’s such a thing as an intelligent Griffon?” one of the other unicorns joked, weary chuckles coming from guards scattered throughout the store. Bronze didn’t laugh, while he encouraged the small morale boost he knew that it was only a matter of time till they were over-whelmed. They had already been incredibly luckily to not have seen a minotaur yet, one of those could probably wade in and kill them all easily. A part of him knew that his troops were also fully aware of their dire situation, all of the soldiers having lost hope of rescue. He still wondered if there were any other holdouts like this one in the city, the garrison of two-hundred was one of that largest in the country. He doubted it, the attack had come in fast and caught them unaware. The garrison Commander had been one of the first killed and messengers had just barely managed to escape the city before the combined forces of minotaurs and griffons took complete control. The worst part had been the civilians; the occupying forces had rounded them up and shipped them off to who-knows-where while the guards cowered in their makeshift hideout. They had been tempted to rush out and attempt to free them but they wouldn’t have achieved anything anyway, the odds were just so against them that there had been no chance. Bronze could still hear the pleas of ponies as they were placed in chains, some of the garrison had even been capture and hauled off. Why they were taking captives Bronze didn’t know, all he knew was that with the griffon’s history he hoped that it was for simple labour, not some of the other uses that live ponies could be utilized for. “Get ready,” Storm warned form the doorway as guards hid behind upturned tables with spears and swords pointed towards the door, “sounds like they’re coming in again!” The guard’s warning was validated by the sound of griffon war shrieks rising in volume and proximity. The clatter of metal armour and weapons grew ever closer, Bronze leaning out with his crossbow pointed at the door in his blue magic field. This attack seemed like the one that would finally crush the little resistance that they had mounted. All the ponies braced to receive the charge, the heavily wounded pegasus already having been dragged behind cover by his earth pony caretaker. The ponies all flattened their ears at another, far more intimidating noise however. A steady roar grew louder and louder, the griffon shrieks dying out as the noise increased. “What is it Storm?” Bronze asked, the mare risking glance out of the doorway into the sky. He became concerned when the mare did not pull her head back in immediately, also of note was how not a single crossbow bolt had been fired at her. “I… I honestly don’t know sir,” the mare stammered, still looking outside, “I think it’s a… black minotaur flying on fire.” Bronze did a double take, had the mare snapped under pressure? “Oh my Celestia…” an earth pony stallion breathed as he peered through a gap in the right store window. Bronze left the counter and moved up, his crossbow still held at the ready as the rest of the guards except for the earth pony guarding the immobile pegasus followed him to the door and windows. Bronze looked outside as the roaring reached a crescendo, the unicorn sticking his head out next to Storm’s, his eye’s widening as he looked at the source of the roar. Just like the pegasus had described, what looked like a black minotaur was descending from the sky on a tongue of flame that was spewing from somewhere behind it. The creature’s armour, or at least what Bronze assumed was armour, was decorated like a religious temple with alcoves, decorative red lines of what looked like text written in blood and a large book attached by silver chains to the waist of the figure. A weapon that seemed to be a kind of a green glowing mace was attached to the other side of the creature’s waist on the right, Bronze turning away from the mace as a sudden pain flared up in his head. A long tube was at the back of the being, the creature’s head possessing two glowing-red eyes and a grey-grille where a mouth should be. As the Equestrians observed the strange sight the griffons in the street numbering over fifty strong all backed away from the centre of the cobbled road, the flame dying out as the ebony figure touched down. “Greetings heretics!” A electronic voice originated from the biped, one hand opening the book while the other gripped the shaft of the infernal mace. “I am High-Confessor Dietrich Von Schreiber and come bearing glorious news; I have journeyed here for the purpose of saving your souls from eternal suffering! Rejoice! Rejoice for the opportunity that you have been blessed with!” the figure unclipped his mace through some method and help it into the sky, griffon and pony alike shielding their eyes from the weapon. “You have two choices, either repent your sins of slavery now and vow to never stray from the righteous path or choose divine salvation by my hand!” The griffons all looked extremely confused, the soldiers all looking towards each other for some kind of guidance. “That’s a human you idiots!” Bronze glanced up to spot a griffon officer, if his ornate light-plate armour was an indication, flying down into the square with two more soldiers beside him. A earth pony beside Bronze gasped, so this was one of the humans that had been quickly demonized by the Canterlot guard forces. “Kill it, kill it now!” the officer barked as he pointed a claw towards the human. Spurred into action at their officer’s order, the closest griffons charged towards the biped with various weapons raised and war cries on their lips. The human, who Bronze assumed was some kind of religious figure, seemed to not be threatened in the slightest. “Prepare yourself to enter paradise!” the human chanted as a flurry of crossbow bolts were fired at him, the metal projectiles bouncing off the metal plate as a faint blue sheen briefly flashed when the bolts hit. The five griffons moving forward towards the creature hesitated at this, the human however surged forward with his mace raised. “And thus it is written that those slain by a holy hand shall forever achieve eternal peace!” As the human chanted he swung his mace at an oncoming griffon, the hybrid raising a round metal shield to block the blow. The human’s weapon didn’t bounce off the shield or even smash it aside, no, it fully melted the projection as it passed through to smash into the griffon. The Equestrians and surrounding griffons winced as the mace vaporised a large chunk of the griffon’s yellow-feathered chest, a terrifying wail ringing out as the human’s weapon exited out the other side taking most of the warrior’s ribcage with it. “Hallelujah!” the human shouted joyfully as the dead griffon hit the ground with a smack, “Yet another redeemed soul welcomed into the embrace of eternal bliss!” None of the combatants moved, the human’s brutal attack coupled with his disturbing rhetoric really off put everyone watching. The biped didn’t stop however, his steps almost seeming to flow as he advanced on the next griffon. “Kill him!” once again the griffon officer repeated his order, this time however there was a hint of desperation in his tone, “he can’t fight us all at once!” Most of the griffons surged forth in a swarm as the human dispatched another of their number with a blow to the head. Looking at the approaching heretics Dietrich realised that he was most likely going to be overwhelmed, his armour was strong but even that would not save him from the sheer numbers. His neural link sending a command to his suit, Dietrich activated the system intended for just such circumstances. As griffons surrounded him, their weapons and talons putting more and more strain on his energy shield protecting his armour Schreiber felt numerous needles pierce his skin near his spine, a potent mix of stimulants, narcotics and secret holy chemical mixes flooded his bloodstream. Time slowed for the High-Confessor, the griffons hitting him with hammers, swords and maces of their own slowing down to a crawl as his heart pounded faster and faster. His pupils widened to extremely large sizes and his vision was replaced with a sea of colours and shapes that vaguely resembled the heretics assaulting him as bright red blobs. He noticed fifteen other shapes, these ones coloured green which showed that they were not heretics but neither were they faithful. His conversion of them could wait however, the priest had his mission and time started to flow normally once again as the dim of battle was replaced with an angelic chorus in Dietrich’s ears. With his chemically enhanced strength he wrestled his mace from the heretic holding onto the weapon’s blessed shaft and with a wide swing tore through bodies and armour, the wails of the dying turning into holy hymns as the red blobs turned blue and soared to the heavens leaving their earthly bodies behind. The Equestrians watched in equal parts awe and terror as the entire front wave of griffons facing the biped were thrown back into the air, some of the more unfortunate actually hit by the head of the green mace instead of by the bodies of their comrades. Bronze tried to comprehend how the human possessed such strength as another group of griffons were annihilated by a second sweep. “There are no breaks on the salvation train!” the human cackled with an insane voice, far from the practiced preaching that he had been spouting before. “Embrace it my brothers and sisters! Embrace the freedom of death as I deliver unto you the ultimate kindness!” With almost fevered joy the human left the griffons attacking him from the back to pounce upon those griffons on the ground who had not been killed, the human bringing his mace down upon their heads as they struggled to get up. The griffons who had continued to attack him, around twenty left alive, began to waver as Dietrich turned his attention to them. As the priest swept through their numbers with a deadly grace he continued his rants. “Yes! More will be saved! I bring you mercy and compassion children! Give yourself unto the Lord and in return be granted serenity for eternity!” The human shoved his mace into one of the griffon archer’s face, the weapon sliding through the back of the head with ease as steam issued forth from around the shattered skull. This sight broke the griffons, the warriors wisely giving up their attack to flee into the air while the priest held out his still-opened book towards them as he jumped in the air. “No! You are not yet cleaned of sin! Return so that I may help you!” An angry squawk drew the attention of the High-Confessor, the human turning to face the griffon officer who had stayed at the back of the battle. Fleeing into the skies were the two soldiers who had been escorting him, the officer moving to follow them away from the insane biped. He made it into the air, quickly ascending as Dietrich chased after him. The human was too late; the officer was just above mace range as he headed away from the ‘saviour’. Dietrich in his drug fuelled frenzy let his tome dangle by his side as he dropped it to remove the morbid black tube from its housing on his back. The Royal Guard watched from the store as the human held his mace in one hand with the tube in the other, his claw wrapped around some form of trigger. A bright yellow glow appeared at the end of the skull-headed tube as the priest aimed it towards the griffon officer getting further and further away. “I grant you fire now so that you are spared from the eternal flame pits of Hell!” With a hiss-whoof a scorching pillar of flame expelled from the barrel of the tube, the inferno chasing the officer as he tried to escape. His efforts were in vain, the very tip of the fire caught the lower half of his body. He shrieked in agony as he plummeted back down to earth to crash into the middle of the cobbled road fifty metres away from where Dietrich was standing. His broken wing ignored, the griffon desperately tried to beat out the flames ravaging his hind legs as the priest slowly walked towards him. The hybrid shrieked in torment and fear as the flames began to spread higher and hire, more flesh and fur blackening as Dietrich halted ten metres away from him and aimed his flamethrower down at the wailing officer. “And with holy intent I burn away your heresy and grant you absolution.” As he stated these words his weapon spewed forth another extended burst of flame, the fires utterly engulfing the griffon as the officer’s dries were drowned out by the crackling of the conflagration. After holding the trigger down for four seconds Dietrich released it, the billowing flames ceasing as soon as they began. There nothing left of the officer apart from a pile of black ash sitting in a pool of molten metal, the white hot fires having reduced him to almost nothing. The guards had seen it all from the store, the soldiers completely shocked at the devastation that the High-Confessor had wreaked. Bronze stared at the human, his heartbeat quickening as the biped turned and seemed to stare right at him. The unicorn ducked back around the side of the door, pulling Storm back with him as the rest of the guards retreated from their peepholes in the hopes that the human would not notice them. It was in vain however, the damage had already been done and the guards all sheltered behind cover, Bronze and Storm taking up positions behind the counter. Bronze raised his crossbow to point at the door, he knew that it would most likely prove a fruitless gesture considering what the human had weathered from the griffons but they had come too far to be saved from the griffons only to be wiped out by the creature that had un-knowingly rescued them. His soldiers all followed his example, spears and swords aiming towards the door as the heavy footfalls grew louder and louder. The ponies all held their breaths as they awaited the human’s entrance, they knew that this fight was going to be the hardest that they had faced so far. After five seconds of silence save for nervous breathing from his troops Bronze leaned forward as Storm looked over the top of the counter at the door. “Where is h-“ Storm’s question was cut off as the right store window smashed in, the furniture blocking it thrown aside as the human ploughed through it effortlessly. “I have come to bring you salvation!” the human declared as he stood in the remains of the shattered barricade while guards scrambled back from him with their weapons forgotten. Bronze fired a bolt in one last attempt to stop the human, the metal projectile merely bouncing of the blue energy barrier that flared up at the impact. The unicorn gulped as the biped raised his fire-creating tube towards him, the tip glowing with intense heat which distorted the air around it. He was just barely aware of the Storm sighing in resignation beside him as the human started to depress the trigger. Dietrich was just about to grant reprieve through cleansing flame once again before his vision wavered, the blurs and blobs dissolving back to his normal vision again. The priest halted his trigger finger as the mind-altering cocktail of drugs he had dosed himself with wore off, each dose only enough for five minutes to prevent fatal side-effects to the user. Images of un-initiated souls faded away to reveal terrified equine guards, far from the heretics that Dietrich had believed them to be. The priest shook his head to clear any after effects of the drugs, the human lowering his flamethrower away from the two specific ponies that he had been aiming at. “My apologies,” Dietrich stated, causing the two equines in front of him to look at him in fearful confusion, “I was not myself for a while there, please forgive me form any distress that I have caused.” The priest re-attached his weapon to his back, spreading his palms out as he rotated around the entire room to show the guards that he wasn’t going to hurt them. One of the ponies that he had been about to burn stood up shakily on his hooves, the unicorn stallion glanced around at the other equines before facing Dietrich. “Why are you here? You humans are supposed to be our enemy.” the stallion asked, a pegasus mare glaring at Dietrich from behind the shop counter. “Don’t you know?” Dietrich replied as he brushed some dust off his armour, “your Princesses have employed the assistance of the Empire I serve; as we speak a combined force including your fellow soldiers are assaulting this city.” The guards all were incredibly relieved to hear this news; re-enforcements had arrived after days of waiting. “Oh, thank Celestia!” an earth pony praised as he stood up from behind the table he was sheltering behind. Dietrich opened his book and looked at the unicorn he had been speaking to, the pony seeming to be the one in charge. “Indeed, would you like me to bless you before we leave this place for safer ground?” Bronze smiled nervously at the human, given what he had seen he was unsure as to what form this ‘blessing’ would take. He realised that the human did have a valid point about moving and most of his troops needed professional medical care. “No thank you, I think it would be best if we moved straight away,” the priest stared at him for a few moments, Bronze beginning to wonder if the human was going to go crazy again. “They are your troops,” the human responded while putting his book away, “if you wish to go out un-blessed then that is your choice.” Dietrich walked to the broken window and peered outside. “It seems clear outside, moving now would be a good choice before they have the chance to organise a counter-attack.” Bronze nodded at the statement before looking towards the table sheltering Maple Field and the wounded pegasus she was guarding, Steady Hail. “Fields, get Hail up on his hooves and moving.” The mare tried to wake the pegasus however no response was received and as she sat the pony up everyone could see the bloody wing stump wrapped in bandages, the white cloth thoroughly soaked with blood. Maple Fields franticly pressed her ear to her comrade’s chest, the mare relaxing as she detected a heartbeat. “He’s alive,” she informed, “He won’t be moving anytime soon however, we’ll have to carry him.” Two of the other earth ponies moved over to help, however Dietrich stopped them as he walked over to the injured guard. “Allow me to carry your fellow, he will be much less of a burden to me and will leave you with more troops able to fight off any attacks.” Storm Front moved to block the human from accessing the wounded stallion, her wings spread put to the sides in a gesture for him to halt. “No,” she denied as she glared at the High-Confessor, “I don’t trust you with one of us, from what I’ve heard from other guards and seen today you humans are monsters so no, I won’t let you carry him.” The Priest and pegasus Sergeant stared off, Storm gazing at Dietrich defiantly while the priest’s expression was hidden under his helmet. Bronze walked over in-between the pair, the unicorn deciding to step in before Storm provoked the biped any further. “Storm, he does have a point,” the Sergeant gave him a surprised look, “now before you say anything he’s right. If he carries Hail then that frees up three of us, there are still griffons everywhere in the city so we need all the advantages we can get.” “But what if it’s a trick to get us to lower our guard!?” Storm shot back as she waved a hoof towards Dietrich. “He could have easily killed us before,” Bronze reminded, Storm’s defiance deflating at the mention of how close Dietrich had come to killing them. The mare’s wings returned to her sides as she hesitantly stepped aside to allow the human access to the maimed guard. “Fine,” she huffed before shooting Dietrich with a final glare, “but if you betray us I’ll kill you myself human, do you understand?” Dietrich doubted that even the pegasus herself believed her threat, never the less he attempted to waylay her concerns as he bent down to pick the wounded equine off the ground. “I swear on my faith that I only tell the truth regarding my motivations,” the High-Confessor assured as he placed the pegasus he was carrying across his shoulders, his armour making the weight of the armoured equine easily manageable. “Your comrade shall be treated like one of my own.” The priest gestured towards the door, the weary Equestrians cautiously starting to move out of the shop. Dietrich Von Schreiber took a moment to shift the pony he was carrying to a more comfortable position for the equine as he followed the Equestrians outside into the corpse-filled street, the eyes of Storm and the earth pony soldier who had been guarding the pegasus fixed on him the entire time. “Mecha-Chalmers used Plasma Cannon!” Nigel shouted out gleefully over his mech’s speakers as he shot a group of minotaurs and griffons with his mech’s plasma cannon, the blue bolt of energy engulfing the unfortunate soldiers with superheated energy. A blackened crater in the road was left in their place, the weapon designed to engage armoured vehicles grossly overpowered for infantry engagement. “A critical hit, it’s super effective!” he laughed. As the barrel of the recently-used cannon cooled Chalmers checked his tactical map, the holographic display showing in all of the forces in the city. His escort of Foxhounds had all gone a different route, the scout mechs able to nimbly traverse the streets engaging any targets they saw. The tanks had all secured the outskirts and the artillery had been bombarding any enemy forces approaching the city with energy shells. All of the infantry had been unloaded apart from a few squads of mechanised loaded into APCs, the mechanised soldiers tasked to push into the city to secure strategic points such as suspected enemy supply dumps and possible locations that any Equestrian garrison forces were still occupying. The three Vipers had all reported successful deployments of commandos; the only irregularity was something about a ‘flying priest’ that Chalmers dismissed as a communication error. Already the infantry had made impressive gains, the combined harassment from the mechs upon the enemy forces and the support from the gunships had allowed them to push deep into the city. Chalmers guessed that it wouldn’t be long until it was back under Equestrian control; so far no casualties had been sustained by UIP troops or the Equestrian guards thanks to careful advances and surprisingly seamless communication between human and equine officers. Nigel was thankful that he had received a bunch of guards bright enough to save their differences until after the battle. Satisfied that everything was going according to plan Chalmers moved forward down the main city road, his mech crushing benches and lamp posts as it walked by. Nigel was taller than most of the buildings apart from a few high-rise hotels and apartment blocks, this city of Baltimare was not the metropolis that Manehattan was but it still was a decent size compared to other equine cities. Nigel held his lance out in front of his mech while he kept his ranged-weapon arm at the ready. He had so far refrained from using any rockets or missiles, not much point apart from entertainment from saving city if he blew it up in the process. A large amount of life-forms appeared on his scanners, all of them centred in a space that was marked as a community park. The proximity to the docks lead Nigel to believe that they were likely to be captured Equestrians waiting for transport; no doubt they would be guarded by large amounts of griffons and minotaurs. He checked the location off all of the units he had, none of the Vipers were free, the Foxhounds were engaging forces to his east and all of the other forces would not make it in time for his planned attack. ‘Hold on,’ Nigel thought as he peered closer at the tactical map showing the rooftop of nearby high-rise close to him and the park, ‘that may just be exactly what I need.’ Green Chime shifted in her spot on the grass, her chains clinking as she stretched her legs. The grass-green unicorn and the rest of the hundreds of ponies part of her ‘group’ were all huddled in the park surrounded by multiple griffons and minotaurs always yelling at them to ‘be quiet’ and ‘don’t move’. The mare sighed, she had quickly gotten over the shock of being taken from her tea store in the centre of the city and bound in chains after seeing how the invading beings treated ponies who refused to follow orders. She did not want to be beaten to near unconsciousness only to be thrown on the ground and left there until the time came to be loaded onto a ship. Where ponies were being taken had been made know through the griffon’s jeers about slavery, the griffon territories was the destination of large cargo ships carrying the already taken Equestrians. The minotaurs seemed to not be interested in taking slaves, they were more concerned with wealth. After the first lot of ponies had been punished for trying to fight back everypony else just either sobbed or followed every instruction to the letter to avoid having their coats decorated with black and blue bruises. Green Chime had been waiting for days for her fate to arrive, the griffons having kept her and many others in the city as the amount of ponies they were taking was too much for the ships they had brought with them. She flicked her brown short-cut mane, she was happy for them to take their time before taking her away. A new fleet had arrived in the morning, Chime able to see their masts from where she had been lying. The griffons had gotten them up and had begun to move ponies to the docks when loud explosions had boomed out from the city outskirts. The griffons and minotaurs had hurried the prisoners back to the park as some really fast objects had flown overhead leaving more booms in their wake. Under threat of death they had all been told to stay put, every pony chained to one in front and one behind as they all kept still in the park. As the minutes passed the hybrids guarding them had grown more and more nervous as the faint sounds of more explosions and other strange noises grew louder as time passed. More and more soldiers had arrived from the docks to head into the city, however none came back. Her ears picked up along with the rest of the ponies in the park as more sounds of fighting, this time in the harbour itself, reached them. Their guards all looked towards the sounds with concern as some griffons took to the skies to get a better look. As Green Chime turned her head back around she caught a flash of tan behind a large hotel, a strange object almost as tall as the building it was next to peeking out from the side. It had two large metal legs, a large torso and a strange head with lots of red lights. It was all tan and seemed to be covered in a huge amount of metal. One arm held a massive grey spear and the other was hidden behind the hotel. Chime tried to figure out what it wanted but the thing didn’t give her a chance as it ran out towards the park at a speed that seemed incredibly fast for something that big. The thing’s footfalls immediately drew the attention of the guards, the griffons and minotaurs all scrambling for cover in alarm as the towering metal beast raised its left arm fitted with all kinds of black tubes towards a makeshift guard tower sheltering ten griffons and five minotaurs that the invaders had built to keep an eye in their prisoners. The Equestrians all flattened their ears down as a scream emitted from the largest barrel, a blue bolt that was so bright it hurt to look at rocketing out of the tube towards the guard tower. A massive explosion and a wave of heat was created when the bolt hit, completely destroying the wooden tower and all inside. The beast then turned its tubes upon guards outside the area holding the prisoners, lots of smaller red bolts tearing up the ground and guards as they landed amongst them. A few of the smarter soldiers ran amongst the captives, hoping that the bipedal war machine would not be willing enough to fire on the prisoners. Chime squealed in surprise and shock as a burly minotaur lifted her up with a blue-grey arm around her neck in front of his chest. Chime tried to fight back with her bound hooves as the minotaur unhooked her collar chain attaching her to the other ponies like his fellows were with their prisoners but with her legs still shackled it didn’t even bother him. She quickly gave up even trying these ineffective moments when a large axe was held against her throat. “Shut up and don’t move!” the minotaur holding her growled as his grip got tighter, Chime finding it difficult to breath as she tried to suck in as much air as she could through the hold. It looked like several other griffons and minotaurs had the same ideas, each one grabbing a hostage as the giant rotated towards them. Chime heard a male grunt of pain then a loud slap to her right, she found the minotaur holding her turning to face the source of the sound allowing Chime to see a white unicorn with a neon two-tone mane receive a second slap from the griffon holding her hostage as the solider grimaced in pain and anger, red hoof marks on the griffon’s underside. “Knock it off, they’re of no use dead!” the minotaur holding Chime ordered, the griffon ceasing his slaps of the unicorn. Chime noticed that the unicorn seemed dazed by the assault, her red eyes unfocused and a small trail of blood leaking from her mouth. “Attention Griffon and Minotaur forces!” a male voice boomed out, everyone focusing their attention on the giant. “Release your hostages and surrender, failure to do so will result in your execution!” all of the hostage carrying hybrids started to back away to the road leading towards the docks. “No, you listen here!” a griffon officer carrying a pegasus stallion in his talons yelled back as he hovered off the ground, “You obviously want these ponies alive, if you try to stop us we will kill them!” to emphasise his point the officer raised his sword towards the stallion’s neck. “And just where do you think you’ve got to go?” the metal giant boomed back as the hostage-holders continued to move backwards, the seven holding ponies joined by thirty others who were the sole-survivors of the creature’s attack. “Here’s how it’s going to work!” the officer called back, “we are going to the docks, we are going to board a ship and we’ll leave with these hostages! You shoot and they die, you follow us and they die! I heard that you’re working with the Princesses and they would not let you kill their ponies!” The griffon sounded smug as he yelled the last part. His smug smile dropped however when instead of a calm reply that he had been receiving from the giant so far he was answered with chuckling laughter. “Oh, you think I care about what the Princesses think? That’s pretty funny right there. You are correct however in saying that I do not wish to kill any Equestrians, more of a personal choice really.” The hybrids continued to move back, their backs towards the road surrounded by houses and stalls. “I also don’t need to kill them to kill you.” “Is that so Beast?” the officer responded as they continued to move backwards, “and just how will you do that? We hold all the cards in this situation.” The laughter from the giant rang out again at the officer’s reply. “You may hold all the cards,” the giant answered, “but you went and dropped the soap, breaking the first rule of prison and leaving your rear exposed.” Multiple hisses of air followed by wet squelches from behind followed immediately after the statement, Chime finding herself covered in moisture as the Minotaur’s grip around her relaxed and she found herself falling to the ground. Chime landed heavily on her side as more hisses and screams filled the air along with the Giant’s booming laughter. She winced as her body gained a few bruises and for some reason her mouth tasted all coppery. She jolted as a large blue thing in metal thumped down right in front of her, the mare at first unable to figure out what it was. Her eyes widened as she saw spurts of red fluid spew out from the top, the pony realising what was in front of her. It was the body of the bull that had been holding her, minus most of his head. Chime almost threw up, the pony gagging as she tried to backpedal away from the corpse. The chains binding her legs hampered her, she was only able to put a few hooves between her and the body before she gave up and turned her head away. This proved to be a mistake; she had turned towards the direction that the hissing sounds were coming from just in time to see three griffons and a minotaur have large holes torn in their bodies as they tried to run down an alley away from the street. As the bodies dropped eleven beings could be seen advancing towards the carnage, one bat-pony Lunar Guard galloping next to ten, grey-metal bipedal creatures the sizes of minotaurs with objects grasped in their claws pointing towards her. With hisses the objects seemed to spit something out, Chime realising that they were not aiming at her but at a lone griffon who was the last creature in the street remaining. The unlucky hybrid had no time to even scream before he danced backwards as holes were blasted in his chest and head. The bipeds kept on firing for a few seconds, the griffon unrecognizable due to the amount of flesh that had been blasted off him. The hissing sounds stopped and the ravaged body fell to the street with a wet splat. “There’s a few down here!” the bat-pony yelled as the mare stopped and pointed towards another alleyway with a purple metal-clad hoof. Two more grey bipeds sprinted up as the original ten continued forwards to where all the hostages lay, the new bipeds holding larger objects than their counterparts. They skidded to a halt at the mouth of the alleyway as multiple sets of heavy footsteps grew fainter, the two bipeds bracing themselves as they pointed their weapons into the alley. Rapid ripping that sounded like the tearing of paper boomed out as the weapons seemed to kick in the bipeds grasp, lots of tiny bangs and screams echoing out from further into the alley. The grey creatures continued to spray the alley with death for five seconds before a single griffon soared into the sky in a desperate attempt to escape. The bipeds raised their weapons and opened fire again without hesitating, the griffon simply disappearing into a red mist under the hail of fire from the two loud weapons. Suddenly there was silence in the street save for the occasional whimper or sob. Chime watched as the grey bipeds and Lunar Guard moved amongst the bodies, weapons pointed towards the ground. Sporadic sounds of their weapons discharging followed by wet splats signalled the deaths of any hybrid survivors, the grey creatures going about the task with methodical precision. Chime watched the proceedings with horror before metal hooves grabbed hold of her. She whimpered as the bat-pony mare pulled her away from the minotaur body beside her, the guard dragging her to the side of a house. The night guard sat her up so that her back was against the cream-coloured wall, the mare looking at her in concern. “Are you hurt?” the guard asked, Chime managing to shake her head. Chime looked over to where she had been laying, the grey creatures helping up the other hostages who had all survived. “Don’t look over there, look at me instead,” the guard advised as she moved Chime’s head away from the scene with a hoof. As the mare pulled her hoof away Chime saw fresh blood coating the purple metal. “Am I bleeding!?” Chime asked desperately, the bat-pony shaking her head as she turned around and with a foreleg waved over one of the bipeds before she faced Chime again. “No I don’t think so; it doesn’t look like your blood now that I’m a little closer. We’ll get a medic to look at you just in case however.” The guard must have noticed the terrified look that Chime gave the approaching biped, the mare placing a comforting hoof upon her chained forelegs. “Calm down, the humans won’t hurt you.” Chime briefly though about how she had heard the name ‘human’ somewhere before but couldn’t place it, she soon forgot about trying to remember however when the creature arrived and crouched down in front of her as it opened a case that it was carrying. “Righto then, let’s have a look at you young lass,” the creature stated in a male voice with a strange accent. Chime didn’t speak as the biped withdrew a dark-grey cloth from his grey metal case, the night guard patting her on the back in an attempt to comfort her. “Please close your pretty brown eyes for me,” Chime complied, shuddering as she felt the slightly damp cloth on her face. She sat there with her eyes clenched shut as the human wiped her entire face. “So, I’ve already met Corporal Sweet Dreams beside you, how’s about you go ahead and tell me your name then?” The human continued, Green Chime swallowing a lump in her throat. “Green… Green Chime,” she stammered as the cloth was briefly pulled away, only to be replaced with a fresh one. “That’s a pretty name you’ve got there, it’s a shame that this had to happen to you,” the strangely friendly-sounding human commented, Chime unable to believe that a being that had just killed numerous creatures was acting so nice towards her. It was incredibly confusing. Chime only nodded as the human finished cleaning her face, the biped removing the cloth. “You can open your eyes now.” Chime did as instructed and was met with a grey faceless head with a single red line where eyes should be. “Okay now,” the human continued as he moved a metal claw up to her left cheek, “tell me if this hurts.” The human’s talons pressed down on her cheek firm but gently, the digits not sharp like Chime had been expecting. The cool metal traced her face, roving up to her forehead before lowering to her torso. The night guard kept patting her on the back as the human’s claw made it to her left die and ran over the spot where she had landed when the minotaur had dropped her. “Ow! It hurts right there,” Chime reported, the human using his talons to feel the flesh around the area on the side of her stomach. “Just a bruise, apart from that and a few other minor ones you seem to have escaped un-scathed.” The biped packed up his case, having not needed to use any of the strange devices and objects that Chime could see inside. He stood up as gave her a pat on the head as he picked his case off the ground, “good luck to you.” With that he jogged off, heading to the park where Chime could see even more bipeds, these ones tan, and Royal Guard rushing from the surrounding areas accompanied by strange metal machines that moved around on eight wheels. “Dreams!” a female voice yelled out from the street, Chime spotting a grey human holding up something that shined in the sun. The human threw the item and it was caught by the bat-pony with a leathery wing, revealing it to be a set of large keys. Chime was about to suggest that they use her magic to levitate the keys, levitation the only spell that most unicorns including herself knew but the Lunar Guard proved the dexterity of her wings as she used the limb to unlock the chains that bound Chime’s legs together. “Thanks,” Chime said as she shakily stood up with the guard’s assistance. “Come on,” Sweet Dreams replied as she started to walk towards the park and the rest of the forces, “all civilians are going to be evacuated out of the city for the time being and taken to Canterlot.” Green Chime hesitated, the mare gazing at the humans and the large giant in particular. The giant was currently silent, however Chime could see it sweeping its weapons over the buildings to the sides. “Uh, can I just stay here?” Chime asked softly, Dreams looking at her with a questioning look. “Are you afraid of the humans?” the guard asked, Chime hesitating at the query. “A little,” she responded as she stared at a group of ten tan humans kick down the door of a house before rushing in, “but while they scare me a little now after speaking to one when I look at them I just feel…” “Confused that they don’t seem evil?” Dreams finished for her, Chime nodding her head as the night guard sighed. “Have you heard of the name ‘human’ before?” “I have,” Chime answered, “but I don’t remember where from.” “I’ll tell you where,” Dreams responded as the two sat down, “you’ve heard the name ‘human’ before because we were at war with them barely a week ago.” “What!?” Chime exclaimed, “I didn’t hear anything about a war!” “The Princesses didn’t announce it to the public, but you remember the Canterlot Castle attack and the fire a few days later?” Chime nodded her head. “The ones caused by changelings that had been hiding in the city?” She replied, remembering reading a newspaper saying that the changelings responsible had been imprisoned. “Kind of, those are the incidents but it was humans, not changelings that caused them. In fact,” the guard pointed with a hoof towards the giant, “the leader of the group that were at war with us is in that machine right there.” “How do you know?” Chime asked nervously, what Dreams had just told her coupled with the laughter and jokes that the giant had made before did not raise her opinion of the humans. In response to her question the bat-pony smiled a little bit. “The commandos,” Dreams nodded at a grey human ordering a group of tan ones around, “told me when we were in the back of the Viper,” the guard noticed the look of confusion that Chime had. “One of their flying machines,” she explained, “they were rather detached to me at first; instead focusing on their pre-battle checks but after a time we started to talk. They were actually pretty friendly towards me; they told me a few things. Most of it was about the humans that attacked us, the Internal Security Agency. Apparently they’re some kind of intelligence agents or something like that, I didn’t get much else. All I know is that the ISA is considered scary even by other human military.” “Why?” Chime questioned. “Simple, they said that it was because the ISA knows everything about you and that most of their operatives are a little unhinged.” Chime shivered at the reminder. “I got the unhinged part,” both mares looked towards the giant machine, below it ponies were being loaded into the wheeled machines as guards and humans oversaw the proceedings. “Well, if you keep to yourself they’ll leave you alone for the most part,” the bat-pony informed as she got up. “Most of the humans I’ve talked to don’t even seem to hate us like I used to think, they’re just soldiers following orders. In fact it’s almost like they don’t even think that we’re worth the time to fight, something I don’t mind.” Dream turned towards Chime who was still sitting on the ground, “come on, as soon as you get to Canterlot you’ll be safe.” Chime left the ground and followed the guard, the mare sparing one final glance to the tall giant before sighing and focusing on the ground at her hooves as she trotted along. She didn’t know what to think of the humans anymore. “Colonel Straken, we have the latest reports from the front!” UIP Army Colonel Tabitha Straken turned towards the junior officer leading the team manning the tactical communications of the makeshift command centre that had been set up on the ground floor of the native equine castle. Her piercing blue eyes, pitch-black hair and angular features excluded a hostile aura as she observed the room once again, the Colonel liking to run a tidy war-room. All of the UIP army officers were clothed in olive-green dress uniforms with armour vests, a few other UIP officers from other departments with uniforms ranging from black uniforms of the special divisions to the fully-armoured suits of the Shock-trooper commanders. They were occupying what used to be a conference room, the room the largest space apart from the throne room. The two Equestrian Princesses and numerous members of their command staff watched on from around the room as she waved a white-gloved hand at the young man who had addressed her. “Carry on Lieutenant,” Straken ordered with a cold, commanding voice that had seen through many a successful battle co-ordination. “Force Manehattan reports nighty-percent of target city under complete control with total naval domination. Casualties are minimal with no deaths and forty-five Equestrian guards and five UIP personnel heavily wounded but stable. The Equestrian guard forces already in the city have sustained twenty-three recorded deaths with one-hundred-and-seven wounded. Enemy casualties are in the five-hundreds.” Straken turned towards the Princesses as the white one, Celestia, let a few tears fall as her sister comforted her. The Colonel scoffed under her breath, unnoticed by the rulers but a few of the pony officers heard it and glared at her. Straken didn’t care, she was not known for her compassion and in her opinion the Princesses were far too soft to be rulers. The UIP’s methods tended to be brutal but efficient, if the Princesses were unwilling to sacrifice the lives of their troops for their citizens’ safety then they should just let the UIP handle everything, a suggestion of hers that had been politely rejected by the rulers multiple times, the Alicorns citing that the sight of the guards would give the citizens hope. In Straken’s opinion all the in-experienced equine troops did was provide the Griffons and Minotaurs with soldiers unprotected by power-armour to slaughter. She did grudgingly grant the equine soldiers she had spoken to that they were willing to fight for their people at the risk of their own safety, it was just that they were outmatched by the more physically superior hybrids that came with brute strength or sharp claws before even picking up a weapon. “Colonel?” Straken realised that the Communications Officer was staring at her, she must have zoned out. “Continue,” she ordered, the blond officer not skipping a beat as he obeyed the command. “Commander Chalmers reports that the city of Baltimare is under complete control, no friendly forces have suffered any casualties apart from the local garrison which appears to have fifteen-percent dead, fifty-five percent missing in action and thirty-percent wounded. It seems as if most of the guard was captured and transported to Griffon territories, the few remaining survivors were holed up in makeshift defensive points. The Commander reports that search-and-destroy operations have commenced to root out any remaining hostiles as well as warning that hostiles attempted to use hostages.” “Interesting…” Straken responded as she went over the information. Hostages would complicate matters, there was no doubt in her mind that the Princesses would prefer to have their subjects enslaved then killed. Straken would normally order her forces to engage the slaver filth anyway despite collateral damage but for some reason unknown to her the Admiral and Commander Chalmers had stressed that Equestrian casualties were to be minimised. Tabitha herself thought that conquering these equines would save a lot of time compared to trying to remain diplomatic. “Urgent communication from Fillydelphia.” a Communications Technician reported in a steady voice. “Put it on screen,” Straken responded, the large holographic projector sitting against the wall coming to life as the back wall of the room lit up with an image of a city skyline. The view shifted, everyone in the room watching as the camera, appearing to be mounted in a soldier’s helmet, glanced down at the roof of a tall building before panning to show a group of grey-armoured commandos set up with long rifles looking over the side of the building. “Come in Command,” a heavy female voice spoke over the communications net. “This is Colonel Straken,” Tabitha responded, “report trooper.” “Confirmed Command,” the female soldier continued as she lay down on the grey metal roof, “we seem to have had a rather worrying development occur.” The soldier looked through the scope of a set-up rifle, the video feed switching to show the scene through the magnifying sights. Down below in a clear area that looked like the city centre was a mass of Equestrians and a horde of hybrid soldiers. What was concerning was that a large amount of enemy soldiers were separating a large number of the ponies and corralling them into a fenced area made from scavenged metal poles and girders. Aiming at all the fenced ponies were multiple griffons wielding crossbows, a single ballista that had been missed by the pre-battle airstrikes also pointing at the prisoners with a heavy iron bolt loaded. “Murphy strikes again,” was all Straken said, the Coronel going over what to do in her head. Glancing at a tactical map on another wall showing the three cities she saw that there appeared to only be a small number of UIP infantry in the immediate area, along with the commando unit providing the video feed. She didn’t have many options unfortunately, the commandos could attempt to neutralize the enemies before any hostages were killed but with the large amount of enemy troops it was unlikely. It was the only choice remotely possible of saving the lives of the equines she was tasked to protect. “Princess Celestia,” the alicorn broke her gaze from the holo-screen to stare at Straken, the Princess shaken at the sights she had seen. “It seems that our only option is for the commandos to engage the hostile forces. There is a high chance that some of your subjects will di-“ “No!” Celestia yelled, shocking her sister and military officers as she advanced on Straken, “I will not have any more of my ponies die!” Straken stared down the distraught Princess; the Colonel had tackled more intimidating enemies in her life-time. She could understand the ruler’s distress but giving the Hybrids what they wanted was not an option in her eyes. “If we do nothing then they will be carted off to slavery, a fate worse than death,” the Colonel calmly retorted, “some of your subjects have already died and more will die, this is war.” Celestia maintained her stare before dropping her head to the ground, the Princess far from her normal, regale image. Princess Luna moved to her sister and threw a blue wing over her back, as Celestia mumbled out a reply. “Do what you have to do.” Straken turned back to the screen, the commando leader not having said a word during the conversation. Just as she was about to order the commencement of the operation a polite cough from behind drew her attention. She turned, the Equestrians and other UIP officers also looking towards the source of the cough. A UIP officer clothed in a undecorated black uniform stepped out from the corner of the room where he had been lurking unnoticed, the elderly man’s steel-grey hair and large moustache contrasting with his piercing green eyes. The only hint of his identity was the small silver badge pinned to his chest, a human brain cortex surrounded by words in a foreign script. Straken for the first time during the operation felt a twinge of fear, recognizing the figure as an officer with the infamous UIP Psionic Warfare Unit. The menacing officer bowed politely before Celestia, the Princess looking at the new arrival with unease. Could the Alicorn detect something about the officer that she couldn’t? “I may have a solution to our little hostage problem,” the officer’s voice caused shivers to run down Straken’s spine, the Colonel not wincing like everyone else in the room, instead she glared at the PWU officer as he merely smiled at her. He made her feel uncomfortable and out of control and she hated him for it. “What do you mean?” Celestia inquired with a twinge of hope, the old man smiling is response. “Those are your orders Epsilon; fulfil the parameters at all costs.” “Affirmative,” a high-class, refined voice that would not be out-of-place in a royal courtroom replied. James Roberson, Agent Epsilon as he was known by the PWU, closed the communication link as he checked the energy clip on his silenced gauss pistol. The weapon’s colour matched his thin black armour, the only burst of colour coming from the dull blue armour plates covering his groin and chest. His helmet was just a coal-black faceplate, the same screen technology that was used with the windows of starships allowing him to view the outside world as if he was wearing nothing at all. Holding his gun out in front of him with gloveless brown-skinned hands, James moved out of the storage closet filled with cleaning supplies into the apartment building that he had been occupying for a day, having infiltrated the city long before the attack plans had even been made. He had been awaiting orders from his handler, his patience finally being rewarded with an assignment. He stalked through the hallways of the building with his gun at his side, the sounds of war in the distance. James wasn’t concerned with the fighting, he had a specific reason for being here and that reason had just come up. He checked his HUD, his destination the city centre twenty minutes of walking away. This would be too long however, so James exited the apartments and stood in the front gardens of the building. One second his was standing still, then is a flash of faint blue light he disappeared from sight. He rematerialized right behind a wooden fence, the sounds of distressed equines and numerous squawks and bellows becoming audible as his teleportation completed. He peered at the top of a nearby hotel, his HUD picking up the signals of twelve UIP commandos and one bat-pony guard watching the activity in the city square. He doubted that they had been informed of his presence, he doubted that even Admiral Montgomery himself knew that the fleet was harbouring a Pysops Assassin. James checked that his gun and combat knives were all accounted for, a neural command causing his ‘Silence’ suit’s clocking to activate causing the soldier to turn completely invisible. Hidden from sight Robertson left the cover of the fence, the soldier quickly strolling towards a group of griffons and minotaurs that wore armour of command officers. He passed chained equines on the ground, both civilians and captured guards from the city’s garrison lying down on the cobbled area. They must have been awaiting transport; however the UIP naval forces deployed into the sea had effectively blockaded the port and destroyed a large amount of hostile shipping. He ignored the distressed ponies, his target, the largest minotaur officer with a black coat was ordering his troops while he stood next to the makeshift hostage area. Multiple soldiers armed with crossbows aimed at the ponies held inside, the large ballista also pointed at the thirty incredibly upset equines inside. As James approached, his foot-falls silent and his form invisible the minotaur commander’s speech was audible. “… and if the filth advance we announce the demands, the Princesses’ would never risk harming their ‘little ponies’ so they’ll have no choice but retreat.” “But Stonewall,” a griffon dressed in ornate plate armour gilded with gold responded as his claw tapped the hilt of a sword with a gem-studded hilt, “what of the humans?” The minotaur snorted, the three griffon guards and the griffon officer stepping back while the two normal minotaur soldiers held their ground by their commander’s side. “The humans have been reduced to Celestia’s playthings!” the minotaur scoffed. “They will not kill any ponies for fear of incurring their pony overlord’s ire, as pathetic as it maybe!” James smirked under his helmet as he stood beside the bull, what he was about to do reminded him of an old squad mate back in his days as an ISA soldier. “Oh really?” he asked, the solder stepping around the creatures as they whirled around to look at where his voice had been. “What manner of trickery… High Peaks!” the bull faced the griffon officer, “How did you do that!?” The griffon’s reply was cut off by James once more, the soldier having moved to the other side of the confused minotaur officer. “Listen well, Bull,” he spoke, once again dodging the creatures as they tried to spot him. “What the…” a minotaur soldier breathed as they all stared at the empty patch of air. James had once again made his way behind the creatures. “My name is Epsilon,” the cloaked soldier informed, slipping in-between the guards as they spun around once more. He leaned right next to the minotaur leader’s right ear and withdrew one of his knives, the ten-inch dark-grey blade remaining sheathed thanks to specific construction materials. “And I be killing.” With these words he jammed the knife into the bull’s left eye socket and into the brain as the creature jerked his head back at the sound of James’s voice in his ear. The spray of blood interrupted his cloak field for a brief instant, the air shimmering as the red fluid gushed out from the ravaged wound. Robertson shut the stealth off completely, he had gained the attention of every single creature in the square. All part of the plan. As he form became clear and the dead minotaur slumped to the ground the griffon officer yelled out loudly in surprise. “Human!” the griffon pulled his sword from its scabbard and pointed it at James, the shocked guards doing the same. A faint blue glow surrounded James’s armour, not one of the creatures noticing it in their alarm. “Ten points for Captain Obvious,” James remarked dryly, High Crest searching the surrounding area most likely searching for any more humans. The griffon found none, looking towards the human armed with a simple knife he stared at him confused. “Only one of you? You must be mad!” “There only needs to be one of me,” James remarked confidently, the griffon officer actually looking like he agreed for a second before glancing down towards the dead bull’s body. “You’ll pay for what you have done,” the griffon spat as he gestured towards the hostage prison, “surrender or we’ll kill a hostage, then we’ll kill you.” “Get stuck in mud and die of exposure,” was the human’s response, his posh voice only infuriating the officer more. The griffon grinned maliciously as he clicked a talon and pointed at a griffon archer before facing the human once more. “Kill one of the hostages!” The officer smirked as he waited for the sound of a firing crossbow, however after five seconds with no pony death scream he frowned and looked back towards the nominated soldier. The griffon was frozen, his claw almost pulling the trigger as the crossbow was aimed at a terrified brown earth pony stallion closest to the fence. There was visible sweat on the griffon’s body, the officer glaring at the soldier. “Shoot him you Featherbrain!” “I can’t General!” the soldier wailed, “I want to but I can’t move!” Soft laughter came from the human, everyone turning to look at the biped who was now glowing a noticeable blue from crisscrossing electric blue lines that had appeared which covered his entire suit. “Oh, excuse me,” James apologised with a wave, “I just thought that you pathetic excuses for soldiers would have managed to kill a single unarmed hostage without failing.” “Shut up! I’ll show you!’ with his screech the General made a series of signals with a talon, every crossbow armed griffon and minotaur raising their weapons towards the hostages. The ballista as well was pointed towards the ponies as the officer once again waited for them to fire. Nothing happened. Turning around, the griffon saw that these troops as well were unable to move, the ones crewing the ballista also trying to fire the weapon t no effect. The officer shot the blue-tinged biped a glare as he leapt forward with his sword pointed at the laughing human’s head. “I’ll kill you myself… what!?” The officer had halted a bare inch from ramming his gleaming sword into James’s face, the human giving him a slow clap as every griffon and minotaur in the square found themselves paralysed. James started a slow clap that built into full blown applause, the Griffon General’s eyes widened as far as they could as he stared at his unresponsive body. “Oh no, you most certainly will not,” James informed, “my death is not in the mission parameters, we’ll have to postpone my demise if that’s the same with you.” The griffon’s eyes looked at the human with fear. “What’s going on!?” “It’s simple,” James replied as he began to pace back and forward in-between the multiple frozen guards. “Using my special talents and training I’ve invaded your minds so to speak, preventing you from killing anything. Well, any Equestrians that is.” One of the griffon guards frozen beside the General suddenly lunged forward and buried his spear into the neck of a minotaur guard, the only movement from the bull was his mouth moving as he gurgled on his own blood. The griffon who had attacked was paralysed once more, the soldier hyperventilating as he stared into the eyes of his comrade who he had just murdered. His pain at having no control over his actions was lifted shortly after, a light puff of air from James’s raised pistol sending a metal slug into his brain which freed him from the torment of the psychic control. As the body fell, pulling the slain bull’s corpse to the ground with it James turned his attention back to the griffon general who, if he had not been under paralysing psionic, would have voided his bowels then and there. “Well, I’d love to chat some more but I have a timetable to keep so I have to finish this,” General High Crest found himself falling to his knees, the griffon kneeling before the human as his sword was moved towards his exposed neck while his head tilted back. “What manner of demon are you?” the General stammered as his own talon shakily pressed the blade of his sword to the feathers on his neck. James placed his gun back into his holster as he patted the General on the head. “I’m just a soldier,” he replied stepping back as, with a slice, the General drew his own sword against his throat, the body falling to the cobbled ground. James glanced up to the hotel housing the bat-pony and the commandos, the soldiers having been instructed to not interfere. “Kill the rest,” James ordered over the communication system, high speed gauss rounds cutting down helpless hybrids where they stood. Making sure that he maintained the mental control, James checked his suit’s status, the psionic-enhancer systems all green and running well-under safe levels. If it wasn’t for the armour his abilities would not be nearly as powerful. It wasn’t long before almost all of the hostiles had been eliminated, the equestrians watching all staying still on the ground in pure terror as dead bodies hit the floor. Just before the last creature fell a shadow moved over the city centre as his communication system burst into life with rapid reports and chatter. James looked up, pausing for a few seconds before looking back down towards the pistol at his hip. ‘I might need a bigger gun…’ Chalmers was relaxing in his mech listening to Bach as he reclined in his seat, waiting for the forces below him to finish loading up the final batch of Equestrians into the transports. He probably should be paying attention to the surrounding area but everything had been cleared so nothing could go wrong, he might as well take a well-deserved break. His calm enjoyment of classical music was interrupted as rapid radio chatter erupted for his comms system. Chalmers had just enough time to register the word ‘Dragons’ before a gigantic force slammed into his mech, Nigel being thrown around in his chair as the mech fell to the ground with a crunch. The walker had landed on its back facing up, thankfully it had not crushed anything or anyone underneath it when it had toppled over. Chalmers shook his head, a loud roaring accompanied by the sounds of numerous weapons fire filling his cockpit with noise. His view screens were still working, glancing out he could see a massive blue dragon perched on top of a high-rise building as lasers and APC cannon shells peppered the beast’s hide causing it a large amount of pain. Chalmers noticed that it was opening its mouth and aiming at the APCs full of Equestrians as well as the pony and human troops next to them. Remembering that dragons could apparently breathe fire Nigel decided that he would have to act quickly. “Hold your fire, this bitch is mine!” Chalmers called out over the speakers, the UIP forces immediately ceasing their attacks. “Hey, wannabe Godzilla!” Nigel taunted, gaining the focus of the dragon, “I’m going to smack you silly for touching my ride!” With those words Nigel used his energy lance as an aid while he made his mech stand up, racks of boosters firing on the back legs and torso to assist him to his feet. The Dragon glared at him as the mech stood tall once more. Chalmers raised the tip of his lance towards the beast; the mech’s other arm by its side. “I’ve got a lance, some tunes,” as Nigel said this he put on a musical piece titled 'The British Grenadiers' over the speakers, “and I’m all ready to kick your scaly arse!” Both fighters squared off as British marching music played, the APCs and troops using the distraction to evacuate the area. “Is that what you think human?” The dragon, a male, spoke, “the griffons promised me and my children all of the gems that we can find once they take over Equestria, your death is needed for that to happen so prepare yourself for destruction.” “Very well, just call me Saint George,” Nigel stated as he pushed his mech forwards the dragon lifting off to charge at him with its mouth open wide. A rush of flames enveloped the mech, and while they would give normal troops and maybe APCs trouble the mech was designed to operate on a vast array of planets including volcanic-strewn wastes so the heat shielding held firm. The inferno did however block Nigel’s view, the Commander thrusting his lance out in front of him in the hopes of impaling the dragon. He was rewarded with a screech of pain, however when the flames cleared he saw that dragon un-harmed save for a large gash down his side, the wound not life-threatening. “Want to try that again?” Chalmers mocked, the dragon’s yellow eyes narrowing in rage as he charged towards the mech. With the clash of claw on metal the dragon rammed the mech once more, however this time Nigel was ready for the attack and he braced with the help of the thrusters at the back which activated to keep the mech upright. Nigel strained against the controls as he fought against the dragon, the two were locked in a grapple for a few moments before Chalmers noticed that his mech’s left arm, the one with the ranged weapons, was left free. Smiling, he placed the barrels of the arm right against the dragon’s underbelly; the beast smirking as he slowly forced the mech back towards a high-rise. Just as he was about to slam Chalmers against the building Nigel spoke up. “Well, it’s been a good fight,” Nigel stated to the confusion of the dragon, “but I’m afraid that I believe that you just don’t have the stomach for it.” Right after he said this he fired all of his guns at once, laser bolts, beams and plasma shots all tearing into the dragon’s soft hide as the beast roared in agony. It reared up with its wings as it tried to fly away, in doing so placing its chest right in the path of a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher. “Goodnight, sweet prince,” Nigel farewelled as he fired a huge anti-tank rocket right into the dragon’s left shoulder, the explosive detonating and tearing off larges chunks of flesh as well as peppering a wing with shrapnel. The dragon let out an ear-splitting wail as it plummeted to the ground, smashing down in a heap atop of a water fountain. It moaned pitifully as dark crimson blood pumped out of his many wounds, Nigel placing on of the mech’s clawed feet upon the fallen creature’s neck as the music reached a crescendo. “People never learn, tangle with me and you’ll lose your head.” Chalmers pressed the mech’s foot down, a sharp claw slicing through the dragon’s neck and severing is head from its body in a spray of gore. Chalmers moved his lance down and with some careful manovering it was raised back up, the dragon’s head firmly stuck on the point. ‘Well, I just liberated a pony city while driving a mech, killed a dragon and mounted its head upon a pike,’ Chalmers thought to himself. ‘It’s days like these that really make me love my job.’ Author's Note Well, that chapter was a bit of work but it's released finally. We find that the UIP is a mixed bag of people, some sane, others not so sane. Can anyone tell just who this 'James Robertson' might be, who does he seem to act like? Readers who have read the latest chapter of Nigel M Chalmers, Emperor should be able to get this one. Also, his taunting while cloaked is a very silly reference that I doubt people will get, if you do then you need to aquire a better taste in skyrim machinima. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter, I do intend to go back over the entire fic and edit it obsessivly once it's done, some of those earlier chapters need some polish.
A Friendship Renewed A Friendship Renewed “Kill it! Kill it now!” Captain Edward Teach yelled his order as the large brown dragon landed on the top of one of the Hydra’s, the beast roaring as railgun rounds pelted its body. The lizard sank its claws into the metal of the AI frigate’s control tower, the metal buckling under the sheer strength of the enraged creature. Sighing to himself as Teach watched the dragon rip the tower off to throw it into the ocean, the Captain tapped an order into his command console as the crippled Hydra’s guns went silent. The dragon paused as a bright light grew in the bowels of the stricken vessel, the beast flapping its wings to take off but it was far too late. With a large boom, a blindingly bright explosion radiated out from the Hydra as it self-destructed, the dragon screeching in agony as it was caught by the fireball and shards of metal. The glow died down, what little remained of the Hydra sinking to the bottom of the sea while the dragon wearily flapped its wings as it stared in a mad rage at Teach’s command ship. The glow of fires burning on the remains of the griffon fleet surrounding the combatants illuminated the dragon’s brown hide, the gems shimmering as the creature started a desperate dive to target the bridge of the command ship. It never made it, two surface-to-air missiles rocketing out from one of the launchers on the cruiser to the left to home in on the approaching dragon. With its wings already damaged by the shrapnel from the destroyed Hydra, the dragon was unable to evade the projectiles meaning that the missiles hit it in the right side. The warheads detonated, tearing most of the dragon’s flesh off its side as it roared in agony, flapped three more times and then careened into the ocean two-hundred metres from the command ship. Teach stared at the dragon as it weakly tried to stay afloat, his eyes moving towards the spot where the beast had destroyed his frigate. The captain narrowed his eyes, tapping some commands into his console the microphone hanging off his left ear activated. He wanted to finish this the old fashioned way. “Captain Teach to navigation,” he spoke into the microphone as he stared out of the bridge windows. “Increase speed to flank speed, ram the lizard.” Teach sat back and smirked as he received an ‘aye aye’ and felt the ship underneath him move forward. Nothing destroys one of his ships and gets away with it. The dragon barely had time to lift its head before the large metal bow of the command ship struck it just between the right shoulder and the neck. Powered by its powerful turbines the ship cut through the dragon’s body with ease, staining the bow red with blood as the dragon let out a final screech before expiring. Captain Teach sighed happily as what remained of the creature sank into the sea, its death had really lifted his mood after the loss of a ship. He turned his attention to the city and from the looks of the mass of creatures flying towards him as they fled it seemed as if the assault had been a success. Once again orders where issues, the four ships sitting in the harbour amidst the destroyed enemy fleet as they aimed their numerous anti-air armaments towards the sky in preparation for the duck hunt. General Prasad stood next to Lieutenant Quick Strike amidst the throng of Equestrian and UIP troops helping civilians into a central area in the city square. The pegasus had gotten over her squeamishness when they had entered the city after having exchanged the tank for an APC. Seeing the effects of urban fighting from front lines had been a terrifying experience for her but after encountering the first group of the local garrison and having them explain what the griffons and minotaurs had done her resolve had strengthened. She hadn’t fought herself, Prasad preferring to keep her by his side which was something Quick Strike was secretly thankful for. Minotaurs and griffons were scary and fierce combatants who had numerous advantages over ponies. The pegasus had been kept busy however with Prasad explaining to her about certain tactics that the enemy seemed to favoured and how to counter them. Quick Strike had proved to absorb it surprisingly quickly, her cutie mark of a sword slashing through a cloud possibly meaning more than first assumed. Strike hadn’t had as much luck with trying to explain the concept of cutie marks to the General with the human not seeming to get it at all. He had asked just how pony names were so accurate and matched the marks with Quick Strike informing him that it was magic. The human had seemed to pause at this, Strike unable to see his expression due to his helmet. She wondered what humans looked like under the armour as every one of them she had met all wore some sort of concealing head wear. Quick Strike was snapped out of her reminiscing as another crowd of civilians walked past her, the ponies all shooting the General beside her fearful looks as they were ushered past by Solar guard. The humans were still an enigma to most ponies including the guards working with them and the fact that the siege of the city had been crushed effectively with minimal friendly casualties only added to their intimidating reputation. Quick Strike could still remember when the APC they were in was attacking the enemy, the thunder of the ‘gauss cannon’ it was armed with still stuck in her mind. What had they gone through to have to rely on such extreme ways of war? The humans all seemed to treat this like a chore rather than a war. General Prasad certainly seemed to not care about the creatures that they were killing by the dozen, Strike unsettled at this as the human General had treated her with nothing but respect and kindness. A small part of her thought that if the humans had turned out to be the malicious and evil demons that they had been described as before they had begun to help then the aliens would make a little more sense. “Lieutenant,” Prasad started as he held a hand to the side of his helmet. Quick Strike glanced up at him with a questioning look. A loud boom from the harbour followed by a flash of light drew the attention of everyone, pony and human. Quick Strike shuddered as a dragon roared in pain in the direction of the noise, pegasi and dragons had never gotten along. “Why is there dragons, did your commanders not feel the need to tell us that the griffons and minotaurs are working with them?” Quick Strike ignored the sounds of more roars and focused on the General. “They don’t, dragons tend to be only out for themselves or their family groups so I don’t know why this one helped the griffons.” Prasad lifted his hand once again, Quick Strike not privy to what Prasad had described as their ‘Secure channels.’ Her borrowed headset only let her issue orders to a few selected Equestrian officers. The humans didn’t trust them that much. “It seems like this wasn’t the only one,” the General informed her. “Troops in Baltimare report that a dragon was sighted and destroyed while Fillydelphia…” Quick Strike nudged Prasad with an armoured hoof when the human didn’t continue. She had figured out that bipeds didn’t seem to be too comfortable with physical contact as ponies were but she wanted to find out what was happening. Prasad removed his hand from his helmet and glanced down at Quick Strike before walking off towards a group of Equestrian and human soldiers setting up a makeshift command post. “Wait, what happened to the Dragon?” Quick Strike asked as she hurriedly moved to Prasad’s side. The General didn’t look down at her as he waved a human officer over. “A psionic happened,” was all the General said which wasn’t any help to Quick Strike at all. She had to wonder however what could rattle the General so much even after all the horrors of war that they had witnessed in the last few hours. James sat down on the bench as his suit continued to inject him with painkillers, nanomachines and life-preserving drugs. Equines and UIP troopers were all around the area escorting civilians out of the city while a group of APCs dragged the body of the fallen dragon off the main road. Maybe mentally ripping the creature’s own ribcage out of her chest was a little over the top. He cursed silently to himself as he felt his muscles burn and his heart rate finally start to slow down from a rapid thumping. He was still only relatively new to this whole psionic thing so his body’s limit for the strain caused by overusing his abilities was still pretty low. His tendency to overdo things had stuck with him after he had left the employ of the ISA, Ripping bones out of a flying dragon the size of a transport lander is far more difficult than freezing a bunch of soldiers. Luckily none of the civilians had been crushed by the falling body although a few unlucky ones had been drenched in the blood that had rained from the sky when the dragon’s chest had burst open. Considering what had almost happened with the Griffons and Minotaurs, James could live with it. Both UIP troops and Equestrians had been avoiding him as he rested, no-one wanted to disturb the agent as he let his suit repair his battered body. Luckily his organs hadn’t shut down this time, knowing that you were clinically dead but still fighting as your suit took over vital functions was not a good feeling. James had heard stories of some PWU agents relying solely on their suits for all body functions as their insides had all but withered away or been replaced with artificial organs. Thankfully the painkillers had kicked in and everything had died down to a numb throb. As ponies were loaded into transports heading back to the capitol city the allied forces started to set up a staging ground for the invasion over the sea. James lost himself in his own thoughts as he spread his arms over the back of the small bench while he relaxed. He had only drifted off for five minutes before a set of hooves approached him from behind and he felt a young presence brimming with curiosity and fear. “I know you’re there,” he casually informed causing the pony behind him to tense up and its fear to increase. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.” The equine hoofsteps resumed as the pony made a wide-circle around to the front of the bench. A sapphire-coloured pony child stood in front of him and stared at him with wide yellow eyes. It was what the locals called an ‘Earth’ pony and James guessed his age to be in the early teens. The colt judging from the muzzle brushed his brown mane back shifted from hoof-to-hoof. “Are you the human that killed the dragon?” the colt asked as James chuckled. Out of all the ponies and soldiers around him only a colt had come up to talk to him. “I am,” James answered warmly. “I’m sorry you had to see that, I got a little carried away.” The colt nodded and took a second to squint at James’s armoured forehead as he stepped a little closer. “How?” he inquired. “You don’t have a horn so how could you do magic?” James chuckled again as the colt sat down on his rump. “Now why should I tell you that if I don’t even know your name? I’m James Roberson.” The pony in front of him seemed hesitant to answer but relented. “Full Harvest,” the colt muttered. “My parents are a little obsessed with the farm.” James shrugged, he’d heard worse names. “At least they didn’t call you something stupid like ‘Orthodox’,” the human replied. Harvest brightened as the human didn’t have a go at his name. “So can you tell me how you do magic now?” he asked excitedly. James in response waggled a finger in the air. “It’s not magic, I’m a psionic.” Seeing the confusion on the pony’s face James decided to elaborate. “What that means is that instead of using a horn like unicorns do psionics use their minds. Only a small amount of people develop the capacity for the abilities and there’s nothing magical about it. All it involves are special parts of the brain developing and a lot of psionics go unnoticed unless they either discover their abilities or are tested positive in tests.” James had kept the explanation dumbed down which meant leaving out the discussion of cells, neural development and genetic changes. Harvest seemed satisfied however with his face locked in thought as James reached up and removed his blank-faced helmet. The pony leaned forward a little to get a better look at the human’s brown face as the helmet was placed on the bench beside James. He didn’t find a muzzle but a small nose, small brown eyes, a smooth bald head and a mouth curved in a warm smile. Harvest was a little disappointed; he was expecting rows of eyes and multiple fang-filled mouths. “You said something about a farm,” James asked. “Why are you in the city then, are you here for a holiday?” Harvest nodded, both of the conversing beings not noticing the frantic grass-green earth pony mare begin to gallop towards Harvest from the crowd in the distance. “Our farm’s a day’s walk away,” Harvest informed. “We come in for a few days every month to sell things in the market and buy stuff we can’t make. Mom and sis came with me while Dad and my older brother stayed back on the farm. Have you ever been on a farm or have you-“ “Full Harvest!” A female yell called out as the two turned to the left and spotted a mare running towards them. The green mare’s blond hair fluttered behind her as she galloped towards the colt sitting down. Harvest was pulled to his hooves as the mare reached him and grabbed him around the barrel. “Harvest what are you doing!?” she quizzed the colt as she glanced nervously at the human sitting on a bench. “I told you to stay away from any humans,” she whispered but was still overheard by James. “But Mom, James is really nice,” Harvest defended. “He said he’s a ‘psionic’ and he’s the human that defeated the dragon!” The mare glanced at the dead corpse of the dragon that was now being pushed towards the sea by a group of the humans’ strange war machines. Knowing that didn’t exactly ease her fears. “No Harvest, we’re being taken to Canterlot so we have to go now.” She turned to the human and tried to force a smile but failed, “Please forgive my son for bothering you, I promise it won’t happen again.” James waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, I enjoyed out little chat. He was no trouble at all.” The mare didn’t seem convinced and she quickly pulled Harvest away to re-join with the main crowd. James smiled as the colt gave him a wave goodbye and returned the gesture. He could understand the mother’s uneasiness and considering that even veteran UIP Army soldiers tried to avoid him her fear didn’t bother him too much. A small smile was still on his face as James stood up and re-attached his helmet. He stretched and popped his limbs before walking off towards an alleyway away from everyone else. His job here was done so he begun to head back towards his handler as per his orders. Harvest had watched James leave the bench from in-between the crowd of ponies heading towards a group of human machines on tracks as royal guards and human soldiers directed them forwards. His mother was pulling him with her with a hoof wrapped around his as they moved with the crowd. Harvest’s eyes widened as one second James was walking towards an alley and then in the next second the human disappeared with a blue flash. A nudge from his mother drew his attention to the front of him where he found a large metal ramp leading into the belly of a large metal beast. As his hooves clacked on the metal he wondered if James was also going to Canterlot, the colt and his mother being squeezed onto a hard bench in between a throng of ponies all stored in the metal hold. Three royal guard were the last to enter the machine before the ramp closed behind them, Harvest’s mother hugging him close as with a rumble the transport holding them began to move, heading towards Canterlot as outside the body of the slain dragon was claimed by the sea. Bronze Shield, Storm Front and their thirteen troops were all resting on beds within the temporary medical centre that had been built in the market located in the outskirts of Baltimare. Human and Equestrian medics moved between the hundreds of beds commandeered from houses and stores, the ponies on them all in various states of wear. The injuries ranged from concussions to missing limbs, surgeons attending to the most serious of cases while tents and shade-cloths were erected to shield the beds from the sun. Bronze and Storm had been immediately tended to after the priest had escorted them back, the group having run into more griffons along the way. Bronze had earned a few more cuts from a griffon warrior but after some magic from a unicorn medic his wounds had been sealed and bandaged. Storm Front had one foreleg almost covered in bandages from when a griffon had bit her during the escape, a large wound having been torn in her flesh from the sharp beak in addition to her other cuts and scraps. Out of their soldiers Bronze Shield and Storm were the only ones awake, the rest having taken the opportunity for sleep as soon as they were able. Bronze was still wary around the strange bipeds, his time with the priest not helping his fear. Dietrich had left as soon as he had given Hail over to the medics after stating that many needed his services elsewhere. Bronze hadn’t had time to offer a hesitant thanks before the black-armoured figure had disappeared into the mass of equine and human soldiers. “Well,” Storm muttered from her bed next to his, Bronze glancing over as the pegasus shifted her wings. “At least we made it out of that tea shop.” Bronze couldn’t help but smile at that. The mare was right, they had come so close to death and yet had survived. He couldn’t be prouder of the guards that had been under his command. A slight rumbling from outside accompanied by a surge of humans and fellow guards rushing past their tent flap caused the two to glance at each other with concern. Bronze winced a little as he got off the bed, his joints aching from the past few days as Storm made to follow. “Storm,” Bronze sighed as the pegasus flapped down to stand on three legs. “You shouldn’t be going anywhere with that leg.” Storm looked down towards her bandaged leg as she held it off the ground. “I’ll be fine,” she stated as she hobbled towards the tent opening. Bronze rolled his eyes and followed, the two equine guards exiting out into the warm sunlight. All around them on the cobbled ground stood equestrian guards and human soldiers all gazing to the right of the market. When Storm and Bronze looked towards the source of the commotion their eyes widened. Standing taller than almost all of the high-rise buildings around it was a large bipedal beast with four smaller ones around it. The large machine had large gouges in the metal around its main body, an arm riddled with weapon barrels covered in a layer of dries gore. The other held a large lance, however it was the severed dragon’s head impaled on the tip that was the source of most of the whispers and attention of the crowd. “Soldiers of the UIP and Equestrian guards,” a male voice boomed out from the large machine. “I have just received a report from our commanders that no hostiles are left alive in the city. The city is back under friendly control.” A massive cheer went up from the Equestrians in the area, some of the humans joining in while others merely stood and watched for their leader to go on. “There are still things to be done before we can celebrate however.” The cheers died out, the reminder that they still had duties to do calmed most of the soldiers. “First off we need to attend to the wounded; I know many of you Equestrians are standing here battered and your drive to continue working is commendable. However, infection is one of the biggest killers on the battlefield so anyone with a wound is to see a medic, no exceptions. Secondly we have the task of setting up a staging point. This war isn’t over yet and your fellows are still held within the Griffon lands. The Brass back in Canterlot are finishing up the plans right now so I predict that we’ll have a day before we move out again. Some of you will stay behind of course and you will unfortunately be in charge of the clean-up.” Bronze winced at this. He couldn’t pick which was worse out of fighting or burying all of the bodies left over. While any dead Equestrians would be no doubt transported back to Canterlot the griffons and minotaurs were still an unknown. A whirring sound drew Bronze’s focus back to the huge walker, the lance lowering to set the dragon’s head on the ground. The massive head came off with a wet plop as the machine drew its weapon back. “One last thing,” the human leader announced. “Before we all return to our respective duties I have one thing left to say. I want to stress that we are close to ending this; there is a light at the end of the tunnel. After this war is over our respective nations will return to a state of strained relations due to prior incidences.” Bronze noticed that many guards and humans exchanged looks at this. He had heard of the ‘incidences’, everypony in the guard had and could understand why things would end up this way. It mattered not if the soldiers didn’t despise each other, the leaders of both Equestria and the UIP had come to an agreement. “I am proud that all of you, pony and human, have managed to not let these differences sway you in your tasks.” The human commander continued. “All I ask is that you continue to work together when we take the fight to the griffon and minotaurs. Now everyone get some rest, patrol schedules will be passed around shortly.” The Commander paused as the machine he was in tilted downwards. “Oh, and someone have that head transported back to Canterlot, I desire for it to be mounted on my wall.” A silence descended over the area at the strange request. Soon however a team of human soldiers moved towards the head with a large tracked transport, orders were orders. The crowd dispersed as groups of ponies and humans moved away, Storm and Bronze heading back to their tent. It seemed like they would need to grab all of the sleep they could get, both wishing to be included in the attacks against the two rival nations. James walked straight into the command room in Canterlot, no need for stealth as his presence had already been revealed. Army officers and soldiers gave him a wide berth as he walked into the buzzing room, only the Equestrians not veering away with unease. He spotted his handler standing next to a female army Colonel and the two Equestrian rulers. James approached them as Barry, his handler, clapped his hands together as the ponies and Colonel shifted uncomfortably. “Good work Epsilon,” Barry congratulated. “It seems like your training has been paying off. The dragon was a bit much however; I noticed that you needed a pause after it.” James focused on the holo-map on the wall behind the group showing the country of the Minotaurs. “Once ISA always ISA,” James retorted dryly. Barry smirked, the cold officer almost laughing at the phrase which was very true. “Indeed,” he gestured back towards the Colonel and the two Princesses. “Colonel Straken and the Princesses here have just finished forming our next steps in regards to the counter-attack. I’ll let the Colonel continue the briefing as this is her forte after all.” Barry stepped back, the Army Colonel wrinkling her nose before looking at James’s blank faceplate. “You’ll be heading to the city of Baltimare and placed under the command of the officer in charge,” stated Straken in a harsh tone with no trace of friendliness. “You will attack the port city of Salt Peaks at night after missile strikes. According to recon flyovers the majority of Equestrians are still held there in large warehouses on the docks. The Griffons appear to be starting to distribute them around to surrounding towns and cities so we’ve had to move up our schedule.” James furrowed his eyes under his helmet. “You mentioned a bombardment,” he recalled as Straken nodded. “Wouldn’t that result in possible death of Equestrian civilians?” Straken was about to answer when the white-coated Princess stepped forward, Celestia if James remembered correctly. “Colonel Straken and the Admiral have assured us that the contents of the weapons you are using before the attack are non-lethal.” James noticed that the Princess had long tear streaks under her eyes; evidently the loss of some of her soldiers was hitting her hard. James reached out to her mind, finding it smothered in sorrow and fear. Celestia’s eyes widened as she felt a warm feeling envelop her, the human ‘psionic’ staring right at her as she felt some of her emotions stabilise. She sniffed a final time, with the intervention Celestia’s mind cleared a little and she was able to think more clearly. Throughout this exchange the others watched the two and waited until James broke his gaze to look back towards the Colonel. Celestia gave him a brief nod in thanks before Straken cleared her throat. “Yes, well as the Princess said, we will be using a knockout gas deployed from canisters to cover the city in an attempt to maximise target neutralisation and contain civilian panic. The members of the initial assault will be exclusively UIP due to a lack of gas masks for equine forces. The Equestrian guard will be tasked with securing the city after the gas has been dispersed and co-ordinating with other UIP forces to transport civilians back to Equestria. While the primary invasion force lands after the city is secured a task squad led by the ISA will infiltrate the Griffon capitol to submit our demands to the King.” “And if he refuses to surrender?” James inquired. “Then he and the entire Royal family dies,” Straken replied with no compassion. “This will throw the country into turmoil and weaken resistance to a full occupation. After all Equestrians and our forces are withdrawn the fleet will target the area and reduce the griffons to slag. If they refuse to surrender then they will pay the full price for their choice of slavery.” James nodded, while the Princesses obviously found the threat of genocide abhorrent judging from their horrified faces, it was a standard method of the UIP to eliminate populations that used nation-wide slavery. It was harsh but it certainly got the point across. The griffons were actually fairly lucky in that the UIP commanders were willing to let them surrender and as a result live. “When do we attack?” James asked. “Tonight,” Barry spoke up with a nod from Straken. “It doesn’t give our forces much time to prepare but a hard and fast strike will be the most effective way of breaking the will of our opponents.” “What of the Minotaurs?” Princess Luna spoke up, Celestia sharing her sister’s curiosity. “They have not taken any of our subjects but they will surely help the griffons repel an invasion so what is to be their punishment?” Colonel Straken smiled a cruel smile that radiated malice. “I was just about to get to them. We are about to make contact with their Emperor and start negotiations. I think you’ll find that they will cease to be a concern of ours.” Steel Legion, Emperor of the Minotaur Lands, sat on his throne and drummed his brown-furred fingers on the throne as he read the latest report from the battlelines. A frown was firm on his face as he read about the forces that they had lost in the expulsion of the joint Griffon-Minotaur forces from Equestrian soil. It appeared as if Celestia had struck a bargain with the very foes that had beset her own country. He snorted as he glanced over the numbers of troops lost, Steel having ordered his surviving generals of the attack to withdraw to the ring of stone forts surrounding the Empire. He was going to have to clean out some of his incompetent military commanders, the Empire having never suffered a blow like this in recorded history. Even his best General had fallen prey to insidious magics of the humans with reports that no-one was able to fire a shot before the majority force was executed with only a few escaping to bring him news of the failure. His throne room which was hewn from the tan stone of their rocky homeland buzzed with activity as guards and advisors moved around in a hurry. Steel had ordered that all war-related activity happened around him as he wanted to stay constantly updated. Maps of the known world were pinned on walls and spread over tables as positions of Equestrian and human forces were marked as information from scouts filtered in. The enemy were moving troops towards the coast cites from what they could see, most likely in preparation for an invasion across the sea. Steel wasn’t worried, he was confident that the forts his grandfather ordered built would hold even against the powerful human weaponry. What little magic the Minotaurs possessed was useful in construction and fortification. Natural magic and enchanting resulted in strong stone; metal weapons and armour while also helping fields grow. Food wouldn’t be an issue and with a strong grasp on healing magic the mages could keep the country running under a siege for years. It was a pity that few minotaurs were born with magical abilities otherwise Steel would have ordered them to fight against the Equestrians. As it was the few hundred that existed had been kept back and protected like precious metals. Finishing reading through the report Steel huffed and threw the scroll down to the floor as he closed his yellow eyes and breathed deeply. Armoured hooves approached his throne, a minotaur nervously clearing his throat as Steel snorted in annoyance. “What is it?” the Emperor asked as he opened his eyes to stare at the yellow-coated bull who was armoured in iron plate. The guard straightened and gripped his drawn axe tighter. “Emperor sir, a diplomat from the humans has arrived and is requesting an audience.” Steel sat up in his throne. The humans had the nerve to send a diplomat after what they had done? “Bring the human in soldier!” Steel ordered. The guard hesitated however and glanced back towards the open throne room doors where the sounds of frantic activity came from. “The diplomat… is not a human Emperor,” he informed to Steel’s confusion. “It seems to be a living thing in the shape of a giant dragonfly.” The Minotaur emperor leaned forward intrigued. Now this was interesting. “Bring it in,” Steel ordered. “I wish to see this for myself.” The guard nodded and disappeared through the throne room doors as the officers and nobles stopped and glanced towards the doorways. The marching of many hooves accompanied by the clanking of metallic limbs on stone approached and it wasn’t long before thirty guards surrounding the diplomat walked into the throne room eliciting gasps of shock from all watching. Steel examined the strange form of the creature that had entered, six dark-grey metal legs propelling it forward as two solid wings on its back shifted. Steel couldn’t figure out how it could possibly fly with such weight and he stared right back into the six red eyes mounted on a downwards-triangular head. The… thing was brought forward and was halted six metres from his throne. “What do you want creature?” Steel inquired, his guards tensing as a burst of static emitted from the metal insect. “This ‘creature’ is merely a drone,” a female voiced lectured from the machine. “It is an automated construct that has been sent to deliver our terms for your surrender.” Steel burst out into laughter at this. “My surrender?” he questioned with a chuckle. “Why would I surrender to something that doesn’t even show her face to me when delivering this ludicrous demand? Our defences are strengthened and you’ll find that minotaurs will fight to the last for their land so bring the full might of your forces, they will break upon our walls!” Troops and nobles applauded their ruler and bellowed in agreement. Steel stood up and stared down at the machine as mocking laughter rang out from whatever allowed it to produce sounds. “Ah, such a heroic speech Emperor,” the human controlling the device replied. “The thing is we do not need to throw our forces at you and I am fully willing to demonstrate to you just how we will destroy your primitive nation.” Steel returned the laughter and stepped towards the insect machine. “What empty threats spoken by a feeble-hearted female! You hide behind proxies threatening the greatest peoples in the world. Unlike the changelings we will not let ourselves become pawns in your schemes. Celestia and Luna may be blind to it but I will not allow the Minotaurs to be manipulated by trickery!” Another chuckle from the machine was the response Steel got. “Very well then, eliminate the first target.” Steel was about to asked just what the human meant by that when the sky flashed blue and a mighty earthquake shook the ground. Steel managed to keep his hoofing as chunks of masonry rained down around the occupants of the throne room. The Emperor looked out a window looking out to the left of his castle towards the ring of forts in the distance. A giant blue doom was consuming a large area before it exploded with a large boom. A second tremor shook the ground as trees surrounding the area were blasted into the air by a wave of out-rushing air. Steel blinked his eyes as the glow died down. Instead of two of the forts there was nothing left but a massive crater torn in the earth. Dirt and stone began to rain from the sky as they returned to earth, the area inside and around the crater blackened by intense heat. Spot fires started to grow into blazes as steam wafted up from the devastated area. The Emperor turned to face the ‘drone’ with his former bravado gone. “For your information the next ten targets are your remaining forts,” the human informed. “The next thirty-seven after that are your towns, villages and cities and the one after that is your own castle. That was one shot from a single space-to-ground adjustable bore bombardment antimatter-energy cannon. That cannon is capable of one shot every five seconds. A single planetary-assault cruiser carries forty of those cannons on its underside. We have two of those ships orbiting above your country right now. You can’t touch them and they could turn your entire country to nothing in a minute. After that any Minotaur would be hunted down and slaughtered by regular forces leaving the so called ‘greatest people’ a stain upon the history books. Surrender now or your race dies, I will have no qualms with ordering such an action.” Steel glanced out the window again and then back to the soldiers and nobles in the room with him. “I’m done playing nice with you,” the human continued with annoyance clear in her tone. “Hurry up and pick so I can actually go off and contribute to a war that actually means something.” The Emperor didn’t know what shook him more, the fact that two of his strongest forts had just been wiped out in a second or the human’s willingness to wipe out his race. His soldiers and advisors looked to him awaiting an answer as the drone stayed still. Steel sighed as he stared back out at the crater in the distance and imagined what that would be like if it had hit a major city and not just some forts. It seemed like his hands were tied. “What are your terms?” he asked bitterly without turning to face the drone. All around minotaurs breathed in relieved. While they didn’t want to surrender they did recognise what fighting on would do. The majority of them were thankful that their ruler had the courage to blemish his own honour and pride for the sake of his people. “You cease hostilities against Equestria and us while also ceasing your support of the griffon nations. You will not expand your borders towards Equestria and the UIP will have all rights to your airspace.” Steel waited for more terms but was surprised when the human didn’t say anymore such as demanding land or wealth. “Is that all?” he inquired. “Yes, you can even keep the spoils your forces have plundered. Now choose.” Steel really needed more time to think about this. Nods from his closest advisors and generals however swayed him. “Fine then,” he relented. “We’ll stop our attacks and I’ll send a diplomat to Canterlot to sign a peace treaty. I hope you monsters are happy.” “No need to be so sour about it,” the human answered. “If it’s any consolation I couldn’t care less if you lived or died. It’s purely business. We’ll be watching so I suggest you honour you agreements least you wish to see some of the more sinister weapons we have for destroying civilisations. Good day to you.” With the human’s final words the question of how the drone could fly was answered. The two wings extended to the sides and racks of thrusters on each on activated. With yellow glows in the engines the drone lifted off the ground as minotaurs backed away. The six legs dangled in the air as the machine left through a window, the glass having broken with the prior earthquakes. Steel watched it depart with a scowl. One day he’d have his revenge and his soldier’s sacrifices would be worth something. Until then he’d have to play along, Steel returning to his throne in preparation to organise the rebuilding of his country. The Minotaurs were out of this fight, the Emperor wondering whether the griffons would receive the same offer as he had. “Piece of cake,” Straken commented to the two Equestrian Princesses as she moved away from the drone-control console manned by a group of technicians. Celestia and Luna were still staring at the projection against the wall showing the massive crater that had been torn in the ground. “Was that,” Luna began before swallowing a lump in her throat. “Was that really needed?” The two Princesses couldn’t expel the moment when the weapon had hit the area, a blue bolt impacting the earth before a large blue dome consumed the area in fire. Straken picked up a water bottle and took a swig of the cool liquid. “It worked and we now have one less enemy to contend with. You should be thankful that this petty war just leaped forward in regards to the conclusion. If all goes well the Griffons will be begging for mercy in a few days. Then you will be rid of us and you can go back to your simple lives.” For one of the first times since the war began Celestia felt anger swell up at the Colonel’s dismissive tone. “I have to bury hundreds of my ponies after this ‘petty war’ and comfort all of the families that they leave behind,” Celestia snarled out. Colonel Straken turned around and fixed the Princess with a cold gaze while officers, both Equestrian and human, stopped to observe the confrontation. “Our lives will never be what you call ‘simple’ again.” Straken said nothing for a while, an uneasy silence descending over the room. “In my time spent as a Colonel I’ve buried thousands of my own troops lost in wars that make this on look timid in comparison.” Straken stated this with no emotion as she continued to stare at Celestia while Luna glanced between the two. “When I turned eighteen standard years of age I spent four years on the frontlines in the general infantry, as do all able-bodied UIP citizens. I fought in more wars during that time then years that I had been alive. After I left the general infantry I joined the special forces and dropped into some of the most hostile warzones imaginable.” Straken paused, Celestia’s glare having dropped as she realised why the human seemed so dulled to her ponies’ suffering. “A soldier’s duty is to fight and die for their people,” Straken continued. “Your soldiers have done that and although they pale in comparison to our forces even I admit that they have performed their duty adequately. I know that my esteemed colleagues in the ISA also killed subjects of yours.” Sarcasm dripped from the Colonel’s voice when she praised the ISA, Celestia and Luna catching a brief sneer at the mention of the intelligence agents. “When you do remember the lives taken by both the ISA attacks and this war ask yourself this: how many would have been lost if the Griffons and Minotaurs won?” With a final glare Straken broke the gaze and walked off, leaving Celestia to mull over the words. Luna reached out a wing to place it over her sister’s back but it was brushed off. Luna noticed that Celestia had a slight, weary smile on her face. “Sister,” Luna addressed, Celestia glancing up with tired, bloodshot eyes gained through days of stress. “Maybe it would be best if you took some rest. I am used to staying up for long periods of time so I am able to look after things. Our subjects look to you and from the sound of it this war will soon be done.” Luna gave Celestia a quick nuzzle. “They will need you to comfort them afterwards and act like the mother they see you as. You need all of the rest you can get.” Celestia sighed, she knew Luna was right. The days after would be a trial in themselves. “Okay Luna,” Celestia relented with another nuzzle. “If you need anything do not hesitate to wake me. I don’t think Colonel Straken will go easy on you.” Luna grinned, the first genuine display of happiness that she had displayed since the war began. “She’ll find me a tough opponent, I will not bow easily.” Celestia gave her a parting nod before leaving out of the door escorted by four solar guards. Luna looked to her own guards, two nocturnes all she had brought with the rest of her small force spread out with the human special units. Luna felt a twinge of pride knowing that it was her guards who the humans had requested accompany their best forces. The nocturnes had a hard time fitting in with Equestrians and hopefully this would help their reputation with the day guard. With a flick of her wing she signalled them over, the mare and stallion saluting as human officers shot the bat-ponies passing glances. With her soldiers by her side Luna moved back over to Straken, the Colonel busy going over a holo-map with an assortment of other humans in green uniforms. Luna was only given brief looks from the humans as she joined the circle, her presence no longer abnormal after the days spent in the room with them but there was still a lack of trust. Luna examined the map as the humans returned to their conversations. A part of her was slightly invigorated by being in a hub of military command; she had always been more aggressive than Celestia. Hopefully she would no longer be needed in this room in a week’s time, she felt guilty in the fact that she found it a nice change to siting alone in the night court. James walked away from the transport VTOL and into the bustle of a city full of troops preparing to embark over the sea to Griffonia. As he walked to the city square the air buzzed with Viper gunships and the roar of heavier orbital transports with their four side-thrusters. Equestrian soldiers and UIP infantry lined up in rows as aircraft touched down in preparation to load them up. The PSU agent strode through the activity, searching for a member of the UIP command. While he didn’t mind the equines he still didn’t trust them enough to ask them anything and to be honest he doubted that they would know. Spying an army lieutenant preparing platoons of soldiers for transport James moved towards him. The officer saw him approach and immediately halted his activity. “I am required to report to the commanding officer,” James asked as regular troops paused to watch their lieutenant and the PSU agent converse. “Do you know their whereabouts? I can’t seem to locate them on my scanner.” The Lieutenant pointed towards a large mech having multiple gashes repaired by a team of engineers. “He won’t show up, he’s ISA.” The woman’s answer was gruff and abrupt, the soldier obviously wanting to spend as little time with the PSU agent as possible. James actually smiled a little at this, an ISA agent was probably one of the only ones here who would even give him the time of day without soiling himself. “That explains that, what is his name then Lieutenant?” As a PSU agent James outranked the soldier and bringing it up would no doubt make any further inquiries go much smoother. It worked, the Lieutenant pausing before answering. “It’s ISA Commander Ni-“ “Is that who I think it is!?” James and the Lieutenant turned and looked at a soldier wearing heavy black armour as he pointed at them. James grinned and waved at Chalmers; his day just got a whole lot better. The ISA agent almost bounded over towards them as James stepped away from the Lieutenant. Chalmers skipped a salute or handshake and just straight-out embraced James as soon as he reached him. Equestrian soldiers watching looked towards UIP soldiers for an explanation but the humans were just as confused. “When the hell did you get here you bastard!? It’s been so much fun!” James chuckled at Nigel’s enthusiasm; it was rare for any of the old unit to meet at work these days. They still met up for birthdays and the like but the four members of their old ISA Mortus squad were kept busy in their respective careers. “I arrived with the fleet,” James informed. “I was stationed in Fillydelphia to deal with a small hostage crisis and a dragon.” Nigel let go and stood next to James, his heavy armour giving him an extra head of height over the tall black man. “You had those too huh? Did you rip the dragon’s head off with your wizard skills?” James rolled his eyes under his helmet. Nigel still insisted on calling him a wizard, a given thing ever since James had been recruited by the PSU. “I did not,” James answered. “I did the stupid thing and decided to rip its ribs out of its chest. Seems like I can’t get away from those bad habits I picked up from you.” Chalmers placed a hand over his right breast and tilted his head. “Bad habits?” he acted with mock hurt. “I’d hardly call showing some creative flair a bad habit. What’s the point of doing a job if you don’t enjoy it?” James shook his head before his attention was directed to the damaged mech by Nigel. “See that?” the ISA agent continued. “The army gave me that and I used it to kill a dragon of my own.” James took a closer look at the damaged war-machine, the gashes did look a lot like claw marks. “Really, how did you manage it?” “Simple,” Chalmers replied. “He got the drop on me but I recovered, he tried to melt me but his flames did jack-shite and then I nicked him in the wing with the energy lance. The moron tried to rip me apart so I blew his guts open and then cut off his head.” Nigel looked towards his mech again. “Then all I did was pop his head on the lance and bring it back here. They’ve already sent it back to Canterlot; I want that bitch mounted on my wall.” James burst into full out laughter. “Never change Nigel, never change,” he ordered as he patted his friend on the back. “Anything else happen?” “I’ve got a son now,” Nigel bluntly informed. James took a moment to process the information. “Wait… what?” the PSU agent asked as he stared at Chalmers. A good father was one thing that he could never see his friend being. He knew Nigel could be a good guy but the thought of a kid raised by him actually scared James. There was also another question to be asked. “How?” “He’s a pony colt. Bunch of slavers killed his parents and then I killed the slavers. Somewhere along the line he started to see me as a replacement and it just developed from there. The kid’s good though, he’s only something like eight or nine but the trauma got to him pretty bad. He’s doing better now though so things are looking up.” James kept on staring during the explanation as more transports arrived and touched down on the outskirts of the city. “I’m sorry,” he replied with another head shake. “I just can’t see you as a father, you lack responsibility.” Chalmers huffed in return at the snub. “I am very responsible, for example…” Chalmers paused to turn to a large gathering of army officers in olive-green armour surrounding a holo-map. Nigel cupped his hands to his helmet’s speaker, more out of habit then practicality. “Oi! Major!” A single officer seemed to sigh and broke off from the group. He looked the same as all the other officers; his icon on the two agents’ HUDs however displayed his rank. “No Commander, I cannot get your walker fixed any faster by yelling at the engineers again.” The Major informed. “Forget that,” Nigel ordered. “There is a change of plans. The PSU agent and I will go in by ourselves in the first wave. We require a crewed gunship and you’re now in command as you are the highest army officer here.” Chalmers turned back to James. “See? I was responsible in making sure that the chain of command was respected and I appointed the next highest officer as the leader before I go out to mess stuff up. Isn’t that right Major?” “Indeed sir,” the army officer responded, glad that the ISA commander was thinking ahead for once. “The attack is due to begin in an hour,” all three glanced up at the sky as the sun started to dip behind the horizon. “I’ll have your gunship ready in a few minutes.” “Very good Major Jenkins,” Chalmers congratulated before giving the officer a parting salute. The major returned it to both agents before rushing off to follow his orders. Nigel nodded his head and grasped James’s left hand in a shake. “Just like old times,” James commented, any qualms about responsibility out the window with the prospect of going into battle with his buddy again. “Just like old times,” Nigel agreed as a gunship flew down and lowered its rear access ramp while it hovered above them. “Let’s go crack some skulls like we used to while we have the chance.” “Target conditions are clear, winds are ideal for maximum weapon dispersal.” The information was transmitted over the comms system of the ‘Diplomat’ strategic bomber while the large aircraft soared through the upper atmosphere of the planet. The twenty crewmembers sat within the large cockpit, weapons officers preparing the bomber’s payload while pilots and navigation officers attended to their own tasks. Each of the crew was in the grey-blue armoured flight-suits of the UIP Navy, fully enclosed helmets containing full life-support systems. The outside of the aircraft was a flat triangular wedge, the steel-blue machine propelled along by racks of small thrusters located along the back. It was sleek, deadly and was almost invisible to modern sensors, not that such invisibility would be needed against griffons. “Confirmed,” the Chief Weapons Officer replied to one of his subordinates. “All lights are green. Estimated time of arrival?” One of the four pilots at the front of the cockpit glanced down at a readout to his left. “We are within the target corridor, awaiting confirmation from High Command.” The Communications Officer, sitting on the right of the cockpit opposite the weapons officers gave a thumbs up. “Confirmation received. Attack forces are in position. Command gives authentication for launch.” “Roger,” the CWO responded. The weapons had already been assigned their targets and all he had to do was push a single icon on his screen. As the icon turned from green to red after his activation. Outside, two of the cruise-missile bays of the bomber opened, four large missiles dropping from the craft like bombs. They fell to within two-thousand feet of the ground before their engines activated, the weapons heading straight to the Griffon lands. The bay doors of the bomber had already closed and it had vanished higher into the atmosphere, its job already done. The four fat weapons continued to their targets in under a minute, their large engines propelling them at six-times the speed of sound. They passed over a mass of aircraft heading towards the Griffon country and split up, all heading to different areas. One of them descended upon a large port town, the glow of its engine causing many griffons to look up and see it as a shooting star. The missile was far more malicious however, pointing downwards braking thrusters fired and slowed it down to just under Mach one. A small sonic boom roused the populace already sleeping in the early hours of the night, griffon soldiers guarding warehouses full of Equestrian prisoners gripping their spears tighter. Grey panels on the side of the missile shot away from the main body, forty silver canisters launching out of the sides of the missile. As the main missile exploded harmlessly in the sky the canisters plummeted towards the port city below. Five-hundred feet above the ground and the silver contained broke open and released their contents upon the unprepared city. An odourless, almost colourless gas that looked like harmless mist quickly covered the port city and surrounding area. As the town was blanketed in fog griffons outside breathed in the mist, convulsed and then dropped to the ground paralysed. Griffons in the skies fell down to impact with crunches, many dying in the falls or soon after due to injuries. Houses and buildings with open windows or chimneys also were soon host to the gas, the occupants collapsing like their fellows outside. As Griffons either fell victim to the gas or sought shelter indoors a number of human aerial gunships and transports arrived and began to disgorge troops to take the city. A long night of violence and bloodshed was approaching, the sharp crack of a gauss rifle signalling the first invasion of Griffon soil in hundreds of years. “Shut the Fuck up!” Sky High yelled at the hundreds of pony slaves chained up in the warehouse. Surrounded by Griffon soldiers with cloth tied around their beaks in an effort to protect against the gas, the Equestrians were lying on the dirt ground and whimpering as explosions and human weapon retorts echoed outside. Nervous Griffon soldiers had boarded up windows and doors and were posted all around the area. Some guarded the ponies on the ground while others kept an eye on things from catwalks suspended above the main area. This warehouse was one of the newer ones constructed by Emperor Kestrel, a wooden structure re-enforced with metal that was used to store goods for sea trade. Currently it was one of the few being used to store Equestrians captured. The Griffon forces had only managed to transport roughly a thousand ponies back to their homeland, three hundred already sent to the capitol of Soaring Heights as gifts to nobility and the Emperor himself. This newest warehouse stored two-hundred slaves, the most out of all of the buildings on the docks. Fifty-three Griffon guards had made it inside before the gas had hit, a few of the ponies already passed out from the small amount that has entered through windows before they were boarded up. Sky High pressed his ear against the door as a heavy dragging sound approached. Griffons pressed themselves against walls as human flying machines flew overhead. The ponies had gone quiet save for the occasional sob from a child, the equines just as afraid as the sounds of fighting as the griffons were. Suddenly, rapid knocks on the door caused Sky High to jerk back and grasp his sword tighter, griffons around him holding their breaths as the knocking stopped. “Hello?” A male voice called out from the outside. “UIP postal service, we have a parcel to deliver.” Sky High was almost offended, did they expect him to open the door with that obvious trick? Evidently his co-operation was not required as the door burst inward, with a large weight throwing Sky to the ground. Soldiers panicked and pressed their mouth coverings on tighter as gas bellowed in through the broken doorway, while the ponies had no such protection. Two bipeds, both in black fully-enclosed armour stepped in through the door and stood in front of Sky, who was still trapped under the thrown object. “I’m sorry sirs,” the largest biped apologised as he pointed down at the thing on top of Sky, the trapped griffon’s eyes widening as he realised that the object pinning him was the shattered body of another griffon guard. “He didn’t have a fragile sticker on him so he broke during transit, these things happen.” Sky felt gas seep in past his white handkerchief, his eyes fluttering as the large human stood over him and withdrew a one-handed weapon from his waist. “Here at UIP Post however we pride ourselves on our fine customer service, so I’ve brought another package as a compromise.” With a loud bang Sky High’s life ended, the retort of the weapon increasing the panic in the warehouse as more ponies and griffons began to succumb to the gas. “The package was death,” Nigel informed as Griffons scrambled for their weapons. James walked up beside him and shook his head. “Really?” he commented as Griffons began to re-organise. “You still use that boring line?” Chalmers took a second to shoot a griffon preparing to fire a crossbow as he looked at the PSU agent beside him. “Well what do you recommend then, since you’re so knowledgeable about comedy?” Nigel huffed as James shrugged. “I don’t really know. What about ‘that’s what happens when you don’t use enough stamps’?” Chalmers lowered his gun a little as another crossbow bolt from above pinged off his armour. “Damn it that one’s good,” he replied after a pause. Shaking his head he faced the griffon troops still standing, eleven on the left and ten on the right. “You want left or right?” he asked James casually as he pulled out his second hand gun. The psionic sized up the enemy troops as bolts embedded in the wood around him, the psionic deflecting them away from him. Nigel just stood there and let his armour shield him from the ineffective projectiles. “I’ll take the right; you’ll get pissy if I kill more than you.” Chalmers snorted and was about to retort but before he could utter a single word James’s armour glowed a light blue. The psionic flicked his wrist and one of the griffons was flung back into the wall, the soldier’s body pulping as his iron armour crumpled. Before the others could react James quickly teleported towards them and re-appeared next to a startled soldier holding a longsword. Slashing the griffon’s unprotected throat open with a knife, the PSU agent then outstretched a hand to the remaining eight soldiers on his side. With a chorus of cracks he used his powers to snap their necks, all of his griffons dead within ten seconds. Chalmers rolled his eyes under his helmet as he raised he two handguns at his eleven griffons. The hybrids stared at the human who had just killed their comrades and then back at Chalmers. Deciding that the human blocking the only exit was a better target than the one that could kill them without using a weapon the soldiers attempted to bum rush Nigel. To reach him however they had to travel twenty metres through a carpet of unconscious equines, something that would prove their undoing. None took flight, instead using their wings to hold their mouth coverings on while they tried to dash forward in three legs as one talon was used to hold their weapons. “So easy it’s getting boring now,” Nigel lamented out loud as he allowed the griffons to reach within ten metres of him. Just as they surged forward in a final attempt to escape he opened fire, bullets designed to pierce power-armour cutting through the soldiers and detonating in explosions of blood and feathers while James watched admits his own pile of corpses. It was over in seconds, the griffons stood no chance with the combination of the deadly projectiles and the blinding gas. Their bodies thumped down next to and atop the knocked-out ponies on the floor. As the last one died Nigel sighed and put away his guns, James walking up to pat him on the shoulder. “Come on, there’s plenty more in the city,” he re-assured while Nigel still sulked. “It’s not fair,” Chalmers complained as the two walked to the door. “Why do you get Jedi powers? I’m a higher rank than you.” As they walked outside into the gas-filled city James pointed towards a large-scale battle happening over at the next warehouse. “You don’t need them, you getting psionic powers would probably lead to the death of all the universes in existence somehow.” Two squads of standard UIP infantry gave the two agents passing glances before entering the warehouse James and Nigel had just vacated. The two friends strolled down the war-torn street as weapons fire from the warehouse behind them signalled the execution of the griffons still alive. “I doubt it,” Chalmers retorted before shrugging. “You are right about nothing changing it however. How about with the next batch we only kill them in hand to… talon?” James nodded, cricking his neck as they casually approached the loud battle only a hundred metres ahead. “No complaints here,” the PSU agent answered. “Let’s just get this over with so we can go beat the crap out of their Emperor as soon as possible.” “Oh how I’ve missed this,” Nigel commented as the two friends dove into the fight, griffon death-cries soon drowning out the other sounds of battle.
All Things Must End“So the changelings are-“ “Ruled by a queen called Chrysalis.” Nigel paused his explaining their new allies to James as his armoured fist broke the beak of a griffon soldier. “She’s pretty nice. Gets a little cranky sometimes but she isn’t all high and mighty so that’s points in her favour.” A snap signalled the end of the griffon’s life, Nigel dusting his hands as the body slumped to the ground. “Do you think she’ll be willing to give up some of her power?” James inquired, standing up from the body of another griffon, this one’s face an unrecognisable mess. “Yep,” came the answer, Nigel glancing over to a squad of UIP soldiers as energy rifles peppered a darkened alleyway with death. “They’re grateful for the help we’ve given them, and there were already talks of them joining willingly. I’m sure if we give her a title, a good pay, a leadership position and manage to get the upper brass to treat her with some respect then we should be golden.” The two, seeing that the regular army had things covered here, moved on in search of more entertainment. “You’re going through a lot of effort to get them assimilated,” James commented as he kicked a stray pebble. “Add to that the colt as well; I hope you haven’t gone soft in my absence.” Chalmers laughed a dry laugh, his helmet speakers giving it a harsh electronic edge. “No need to worry about that,” Nigel reassured as a group of soldiers kicked in the door of a house behind them. “Bleak Horizon’s a good kid, he does wonders for my mood. I’ve always wanted a son or daughter, might as well take one in.” James and Nigel shared an awkward silence at the reminder of exactly why natural conception was impossible for them, all ISA agents giving up that privilege for their artificial genetics. “So back to the changelings,” James continued, keen to switch to a better topic. “I just don’t mind them,” Chalmers informed while the pair turned a corner to head into the town centre. “Think of the scientific benefits we could learn. They can change form and feed off emotions, imagine if we could replicate that? Hordes of agents feeding off nothing but fear and desperation, able to be anyone and everywhere,” Nigel envisioned while sweeping an arm out in front of him. “Nigel,” James started with a shake of his head. “Promise me you’ll never go and work Research and Development.” “Elijah’s already got that covered,” Nigel joked, James chuckling at the reminder of the sadistic, bookish scientist that had once been part of their squad. “What’s the nerd up to these days anyway? The records are shut to me and I haven’t seen him since his last birthday.” “Hell if I know,” James stepped over a dead griffon guard as he replied. “It’s apparently out in very far away location though.” The psionic leant over to Nigel, his voice lowering more out of unease than the desire for the conversation to be private. “I heard rumours that a whole congregation of priests were loaned to R and D, that’s all I know.” “You’ve got to stop believing in that,” Nigel scoffed as they approached the town square, the clear area buzzing with activity as bulky aerial transports and gunships kept their engines running while they were landed. “There’s no such thing as demons or pacts.” “Yet they managed to create necrotech from those ruins all those years ago,” James reminded as a group of soldiers split around them and headed in the direction that Nigel and James had come from. “That certain group is the same one that he’s leading.” “Don’t remind me of them,” Chalmers requested with a shudder. “That stuff should have stayed buried and forgotten.” James hummed in agreement, the pair finding a wooden bench which they sat down upon, the wood creaking under their combined weight. The two watched as UIP soldiers loaded unconscious Equestrians into transports, the equines knocked out by the gas that was still heavy in the air. It was probably a good thing that the gas was lasting so long, the Equestrians would likely have been much more resistant about getting into the boxy craft without it. “Where’s the changeling queen now?” James wondered as he leaned back. “I’d like to meet the royal that didn’t manage to piss you off somehow. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.” Chalmers smirked under his helmet, his fingers tapping against each other. “Oh, the sergeant of the wraith squad I commandeered was a little put out that I left him behind in the pony capitol to play diplomat between any Equestrian nobility and our changeling friends. So I took the time to organise transporting Chrysalis to Canterlot so she can meet some officers, as well as the princesses that she seems to hate. That should give him something to do.” “You’re truly evil, you know that?” James commented with a sideways glance. The psionic turned back to the front before rolling his shoulders. “Please tell me that you’re going to get the helmet recordings later.” “Oh yes, I plan to get the recordings from the entire time.” Nigel answered merrily. “Let’s just hope that everyone reacts as expected and we get an entertaining show.” Chrysalis gritted her teeth as she tried to use her magic to undo the straps securing her to the seat. The humans had requested her presence at Canterlot as some of their military officers wished to meet her. While she appreciated the provided transport, the large four-engine aircraft was a little much in her opinion. Traveling fast was all good, but nothing should travel at four times the speed of sound like the humans had claimed it did. “Allow me, Your Highness.” Chrysalis held back a huff as one of the human bodyguards assigned to her undid the seatbelt’s release effortlessly with an armoured hand. The two soldiers were sitting either side of her, Chrysalis’s four changeling guards already out of their seats and out of the door. “Ma’am,” the same bodyguard addressed as he stood up, the human holding out a hand towards her. “I’m fine, thank you,” she replied as she left the seat. Chrysalis glanced at the other human in the transport, this one a female of their species. The ‘woman’ as she had been told was doing a last check of her weapon. The gun was short and compact, a matte black with gold trimming. They had informed her that it was called a ‘gauss carbine’, a light glow coming from the blue stripe along its rectangular body. Her two human guards had been the ones that had brought her the news of the request, the humans’ golden armour with red trim far more ornate than the ISA agents or their standard forces. With two red ‘eyes’ instead of visors, their large, decorated helmets were a mix between a work of art and an item made for war. Apparently from the UIP Diplomatic Corps, they had informed her that their duty was to keep her safe at all times during the visit. Chrysalis was thankful for it, she’d much rather have the humans by her side than face Celestia and Luna alone. As she stepped off the metal floor of the aerial transport and onto the grass of the castle courtyard, the clanking of metal drew her attention. A squad of ten royal guards, solar guard in their golden armour, were facing her with a mix of blank looks and glares. Chrysalis stood tall and grinned back, the Equestrian’s spears unthreatening when two armoured and armed humans were protecting her. Her changeling guards seemed a lot less sure of themselves, having only their chitin armour, magic and horns. “Queen Chrysalis,” the lead solar guard addressed evenly, a large blue plume in the unicorn’s helmet. “I have instructions to take you to the command area. Your changelings will have to stay in a designated area above ground however, the Princesses were reluctant to even let you step hoof in our city again.” Chrysalis glared at the guard, the other Equestrians shifting on the spot while their spear-tips glinted in the moonlight. “It’s fine, Your Majesty,” the female human said to her, the soldier having seen that Chrysalis was about to reply angrily. “They will be with the changelings that the ISA agents brought with them. The castle is also swarming with our own troops,” Chrysalis looked around as the female tilted her head towards a squad of UIP troopers. Now that it was pointed out, Chrysalis noticed identical squads all around the area. “Fine then,” she relented while refacing the Equestrian guards. “Now if you are done I wish to get going, I have important people to meet.” Chrysalis noticed some of the more unruly guards muttering insults under their breath. “Oh, and your Princesses as well.” “Say that again!” a guard snarled as the stallion broke ranks to move towards Chrysalis. Chrysalis remained calm and maintained a sneer at the pony as her human and changeling guards stepped out in front. “Private!” the guard leader yelled out, furious. “Get back in line!” “She insulted the Princesses!” “I did not,” Chrysalis answered with mock hurt. “I never said a mean word towards them.” Everyone knew what she had been implying, but the guard sergeant was aware that any actions against the Queen would not end well. “Private, let it go.” The angry stallion continued to glare at Chrysalis, the pegasus remembering that he had a spear ready to go. His eyes drifted to two golden humans flanking the changeling queen, the bipeds’ hands on their weapons. He knew that he would be unlikely to make it to Chrysalis before they stopped him, and even his own sergeant was supporting her. Grumbling, the private returned to his unit and received a glare from his sergeant. Chrysalis gave him a final grin of triumph before the squad of Equestrians headed to the castle entrance, one of the human guards looking down at her as the group of changelings and humans followed the ponies. “That was not needed,” the female human informed. “I recommend that you attempt to hold back any previous distaste for the Equestrians. Baiting them will not help your image with the officers.” “It may not have been needed,” Chrysalis replied with a smile. “It was satisfying though, the royal guard are so easy to rile up.” The human didn’t reply, the soldier straightening as the group approached the main castle doors. Chrysalis saw another ten solar guards and a squad of normal human soldiers standing outside the heavy wooden doors. The Queen smirked as she noticed the humans were standing on the left and the ponies on the right, evidently the divide between her new allies and Equestrians was quite pronounced. “Sergeant Harper.” Chrysalis tilted her head as her male human guard greeted the other UIP troops, the ten, tan-armoured humans saluting. She was quite interested in the humans’ names, she had heard so many strange combinations during the ISA agents’ stay in her hive. “They’re expecting you sir,” one of the normal troops said. Harper nodded before turning to the Equestrians, the solar guard exchanging glares with the changelings. “Are we allowed to enter?” “Yes,” a pony grumbled out, the unicorn mare breaking off her glare at Chrysalis to answer Harper. “You’ll find the other changelings to the left of the entrance hall, only humans and the changeling queen are allowed in the war room.” The Equestrian lieutenant had an expression of distaste at the mention of Chrysalis’s title. “Thank you so much,” Chrysalis replied with a sickly sweet tone. She grinned at Harper, the human shaking his head at her. The standard UIP troops found her attitude hilarious, Chrysalis catching a few of them chucking within their helmets. The solar guard were not as amused, the lieutenant scowling at her as the changelings in the back snickered. “Just go in,” the pony growled. “The Princess’s time is precious.” Harper gave Chrysalis a warning nod as their group moved into the castle. Chrysalis decided to ignore it. “I’m sure it is, otherwise they wouldn’t be spending it on me.” “Why you-“ the furious guard was cut off as the main doors closed behind them, the sound of electronic-tinged laughter mixing in with the pony’s muffled yelling. “Just how long did you spend with the ISA, if I may ask?” Chrysalis looked to the woman, going back over the last few weeks in her mind. “Too long,” she answered, eliciting a brief chuckle from Harper before the solider steered them down a corridor on the left. They passed guards and UIP soldiers, getting reactions ranging from glares to salutes. Chrysalis knew she shouldn’t be enjoying it, but she was. Walking in Canterlot castle and having the Equestrians unable to do anything about it was oh so satisfying. Her grin remained and she had a spring in her step as the group entered a room that seemed set aside as a servant’s break room. Sitting around a plain table were three changelings, a human ISA trooper and a pony colt who Chrysalis recognised as Bleak Horizon. The foal that Chalmers adopted was the second to notice the new arrivals after the ISA agent. “Hi Queen Chrysalis!” Horizon greeted as he waved a hoof at her from his cushion. Chrysalis found herself wearing a warm smile; the pony had finally gotten her name and title correct. “Hello Horizon.” The three changelings all had left their seats and were bowing before her, the lone ISA agent lifting his head up from a pony book before giving her a nod. “Your Highness.” Chrysalis nodded back at the human that she now knew was Sergeant Boland, the agent the most stable that she had met. “Soldiers,” Boland greeted to her two human guards, the ISA agent evidently higher ranked as the two guards saluted him. “Rise subjects,” Chrysalis ordered, the three changelings standing back up. “I have to meet some human military officers and the Equestrian Princesses, they have said that changelings are to stay in this area so they’ll have to stay with you.” “It’s so stupid,” a female drone spoke up, before quickly bowing before Chrysalis. “I mean it’s so stupid Your Majesty.” Chrysalis grinned at the drone’s behaviour before waving a hoof. “No need for such actions drone,” Chrysalis reassured. “I don’t know if it’s the influence of Commander Chalmers but you can drop the formality. Tonight has just been so great.” Chrysalis looked down at the drone. “What is your name subject?” “Mirror, Your Highness,” the drone answered with a confused look. “Excuse me for asking, but why didn’t you just use the Hive-mind to find out?” “I’m getting a little sick of using it all the time,” Chrysalis answered as she gestured to her changeling soldiers. “I don’t have time for more questions, I have my duties to attend. Soldiers, wait here until I come back.” The six changelings that had arrived with Chrysalis found seats in the room, the other three changelings returning to their seats. Chrysalis looked towards Sergeant Boland, the ISA agent still reading his book. “Will you be joining us Sergeant?” “No Ma’am,” Boland answered as he turned a page. “You’ll find that you will receive a warmer reception if I’m not there with you. Also, the Commander has got me looking after Horizon for him.” “Me as well,” one of the original three changelings spoke up. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at him, the drone quickly bowing while the pony colt moved towards him. “Sorry my Queen, I forgot that you wish for us to state our names. I am Nestor.” “Ah, I remember you,” Chrysalis remembered fondly. “You were the drone that tried to steal that book from the scholars last year.” Nestor flushed green, the changeling earing looks from all of the others in the room. “Uh… yes, that was me.” The drone looked down as Horizon sat down next to him. “Excuse me, Your Highness,” Harper spoke up. “As entertaining as this is, we really must be going.” Chrysalis nodded her head gave her nine subjects a smile. “I know. Thank you all, I have to go now but I know that you’ll keep out of trouble. I’ve been told that Sergeant Boland will deal with any Equestrians so please behave yourselves.” Chrysalis received a chorus of affirmatives in reply, the six soldiers getting comfortable in their seats as they prepared for the wait. She allowed herself a small smile as she witnessed Nestor rub the colt’s head, the foal not shying away from the changeling at all. A throat clear from the female human next to her broke her out of her thoughts, Chrysalis rolling her eyes as she looked up at the bodyguard. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.” With a final wave that was returned, Chrysalis and her two guards left the room, heading down the same corridor they had arrived from. “What is your name anyway?” “Corporal Raah.” Chrysalis nodded as the female human informed her of her name and rank. “That’s different to what I’ve heard so far, even for human names.” The Corporal shrugged, the trio approaching a guarded staircase. “I’ve got Indian ancestry, my parents were born on the Core Worlds so they wanted to keep tradition strong.” No more was said on the matter, Chrysalis a little irked that the humans tended to explain things while assuming that she had the faintest idea of what things like the ‘Core Worlds’ were. Chrysalis decided that she’d find out more later, the staircase that was their destination only a few metres way. The changeling mentally prepared herself to be judged by a lot of humans as the Solar Guard guarding the staircase glared at her. She wanted to give a good impression to the bipeds, Chrysalis knowing that they were capable of elevating her people to greater heights than anyone else on the planet. While her hooves clacked on cold stone steps, Chrysalis smirked once more at the thought of redeeming herself of the embarrassment that Celestia and Luna had caused her and her people. ‘Let’s see how the Equestrians act when the Changelings are exploring the stars above them, while they are stuck on the ground and unable to rival it. Then we’ll see just who is the better ruler.’ “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am.” Chrysalis smiled at the male UIP Army Colonel, the man shaking her hoof with a white-gloved hand. The tanned soldier let her limb go and returned to his subordinates, brushing his blonde hair with his hand. She had been pleasantly surprised with the reactions and greetings she had received, all of the human officers had been very welcoming. Chrysalis tried to find a human she hadn’t met yet, her two guards by her side the entire time. She caught a flash of deep blue, her eyes narrowing as she spotted Princess Luna standing near a human female. Deciding that it was as good a time as any to confront one of the princesses, Chrysalis moved towards the two as they were looking over a large table that was lit up with lights. Equestrian guards and humans watched her while she walked, the humans having been very curious about her and her race overall. Chrysalis had been surprised that most of them had no idea what a changeling looked like, despite having been told of the relationship that they were seeking between the two races. With the only three changelings that were in Canterlot confined to the small room on the ground level, Chrysalis was the first one they encountered. From the looks of things she was doing well, all of them leaving with smiles after conversing with her. “Watch out for this one,” Corporal Raah muttered to her as the solider nodded her head to the back of the human female officer while the three approached. “That’s Colonel Straken, she’s cold so if she doesn’t seem to like you then don’t worry. She’s like that to everyone.” Chrysalis gave a nod in understanding before they reached the table, Sergeant Harper standing up straight before clearing his throat. “Colonel, presenting Her Royal Highness Queen Chrysalis.” Chrysalis maintained her smile as the Colonel and Princess Luna turned around. Straken’s cold blue eyes ran over Chrysalis, the human sizing up the new arrival. Princess Luna instead frowned, although Chrysalis suspected that it was less to do about her presence and more about the things that Luna and the Colonel were discussing before. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Colonel,” Chrysalis started while extending a hoof towards Straken. The human stared at the hole-riddled limb before meeting it with her gloved-hand. Chrysalis struggled to keep her smile as the Colonel gripped her hoof with a fierce grip, the human’s sharp features set in a detached expression. “I’ve heard only good things about you,” Straken answered with a slight nod. “Granted, all of it’s from the ISA so I’m unsure how much of it is true. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, just don’t mess up my command room.” Straken let go, Chrysalis breathing out in relief as the pressure on her leg was removed. “You mean my command room,” Luna interrupted with a light tone. Straken shot the Princess an unamused glare while Luna directed her attention to Chrysalis. “I do not think I’ve met you myself,” Luna added while extending her own hoof. “I however have heard very different opinions to those that the Colonel has.” It was now that Chrysalis noticed the eight bat-ponies lurking at the far end of the table, the night guards maintaining a watchful gaze on her. “My history with Equestria is well known,” Chrysalis replied with a hint of bitterness in her tone. Hesitantly, she extended her hoof again and it met the Princess’s silver shoe. “Indeed it is,” Straken commented as the two rulers broke the hoof-greeting. “Our research and intelligence departments are very eager to learn about your people’s abilities.” Chrysalis nodded, she wasn’t stupid. She knew that the main reason the UIP was even willing to give her the time of day was because they wanted to use the changelings to their own advantage, something that Chrysalis was okay with. After all, if helping them learn more about changelings was the price that she would have to pay to secure her people’s future then she was ready to pay it. “We are willing to allow that,” Chrysalis replied carefully while Luna watched to two with interest. “Commander Chalmers already mentioned the possibility of us joining the UIP.” Straken seemed to brighten at the news, Chrysalis noticing a slight smile on the Colonel’s face. “So you are thinking about joining then?” Straken asked with some of the coldness leaving her voice. “Possibly,” Chrysalis answered, relaxing a little as the Colonel’s tone became friendlier. “You can understand that as a ruler giving up that privilege and passing control of your people over to aliens is not something you do lightly.” “You won’t have to worry,” Straken reassured as Luna furrowed her eyes on the sidelines. “As the former leader you’ll still get a huge say in civilian matters and some military ones. All the other races that have joined us in the past have flourished as a result. From the sounds of it, you changelings managed to make friends with a few ISA agents which is a difficult thing to do.” Straken glanced around, Chrysalis assuming that the officer was looking out for any ISA agents. “I also heard that one of them has gotten really friendly with one of your subjects.” Chrysalis knew exactly who the officer was referring two, the Queen remembering that the drone named ‘Reflection’ was one of the three that had been in Canterlot before the main human force had arrived. Chrysalis had met Corporal Jacobs, and he had seemed to be a nice male. Her impression of him as well as Reflection’s injury in the service of her hive had been the main reasons that Chrysalis had allowed Reflection to keep on seeing the human. Chrysalis had already acknowledged that if the changeling race joined the UIP then she would have to sacrifice most of the control she exerted over her subjects, things like allocating mating rights and social statuses. She was confident that it was a decent trade. After all, if one human was able to love a changeling willingly then who was to say that others wouldn’t be the same? With the safety and advantages that they offered, Chrysalis was certain that such strict control over her subjects while part of the UIP would not be needed. She was actually looking forward to a chance to not have to worry about all of her people dying from lack of food or vengeful enemies. “You’re not thinking of joining them, surely?” Chrysalis was broken out of her daydreams of a nice, relaxing bath and instead had to face Luna, Colonel Straken already eyeballing the Princess with a warning glare. Luna looked at Chrysalis with a pleading look, the alicorn ignoring Straken as she extended a feathery wing towards Chrysalis. “I am,” Chrysalis answered without malice. “It’s getting more and more temping by the minute.” She didn’t actually mind Luna from what she had seen so far, the night Princess having been absent abroad during the invasion due to an issue in the bat-pony homeland. The fact that she had yet to receive even a glare from a lunar guard also skewed her opinion of Luna for the better. “Chrysalis, please,” Luna replied, Chrysalis glancing to her left shoulder as a blue wing was rested upon it. “I know that changelings are not loved by ponies, but we can work those problems out. You don’t need to force your people into service of the humans and a lifetime of war. With your help, I can try and get changelings living with ponies in peace in a year. Think of how your subjects will change if you accept the UIP’s offer.” “I already have thought about how they’ll change,” Chrysalis informed softly. “While your willingness to forgive me and help us means a lot, it’s too late.” Chrysalis looked up at Luna, the surrounding humans remaining quiet as the two rulers conversed. “If they hadn’t arrived when they did, my people would have starved to death. Now they offer my changelings the opportunity to live amongst the stars, spread across multiple universes. They offer us a place where we’ll be accepted fully, part of an empire that is larger than I thought was possible.” Chrysalis bowed her head, glancing at her hooves before facing Luna again. “What ruler would I be if I withheld that opportunity from them? I know that they’ll face death and will be forced to serve the UIP, but all the humans here already do that.” Luna looked around as Chrysalis swept a hoof in front of her. “Even the humans that are disliked by those around us have made friends with my people. We’re not that different from them, they understand us and what we’ve done. Something your ponies never will.” Luna withdrew her wing while shaking her head sadly, Chrysalis shifting on her hooves uncomfortably. “I know you’ve faced the same thing.” Luna winced at Chrysalis’s words before looking at the Queen with hope. “They forgave me though,” the Princess replied. “If they forgave me then they can forgive you. You just have to wait for a while and-“ “The humans offer me acceptance now,” Chrysalis restated. “Thank you for trying, but I’ve made my decision.” Chrysalis looked at Straken, the human having been absorbing the conversation with an analytical gaze. “The changelings ruled by me will join the UIP.” Straken nodded, Luna continuing to shake her head as she turned away. “It is your choice,” the Princess said sadly as she walked back to the table. “I fear for what you’re people will go through. I will miss the opportunity to get to know your people better.” Chrysalis felt a foreign feeling, one of guilt. Princess Luna seemed genuinely accepting of her, the alicorn’s concern also unexpected. Chrysalis didn’t know what to say to change things however, she had already made her choice and despite Luna’s points she was sure that the course she was taking was the right one. Sighing under her breath, Chrysalis moved beside Straken as the Colonel retuned to the table, Chrysalis seeing that it was one of the ‘holo’ devices that Commander Chalmers had told her about. On the table there was a map representing the griffon coastline, a mass of blue dots with lines of text surrounding the largest costal town light up with blue. All the other cities and towns were covered with a red tinge. Chrysalis guessed that it meant that the invasion of the Griffon Empire had been a success, a guess that was confirmed by Straken. “All enemy resistance in the landing point has been destroyed, we have the town.” The Colonel scanned the table, a few officers from different areas of the UIP military gathering around as Straken’s fingers danced over a touchscreen. The view zoomed in to just the town itself, icons in the shapes of infantry, aerial transports and numerous other vehicles all in and around the settlement. A mass of transports were heading back to Equestria, Straken glancing at Luna before pointing a finger at them. “There, Princess, the majority of your citizens are on their way back to your country. There are no reported casualties.” The Equestrian Princess brightened, the alicorn watching intently as the transports made their way across the sea at an impressive pace. Chrysalis was more focused on the town, the changeling marvelling at the detail that the map provided. She could see buildings, streets, roads and everything else, the Queen gazing at the blue icons with interest. She wondered what it would be like to be a part of it, everything she had seen the humans use was so alien and different. As Straken and the other UIP officers focused on reports and lists, Chrysalis noticed an icon break away from the town and head to the north, where the Griffon capitol was if she remembered correctly. “Excuse me, Colonel,” Chrysalis began as she pointed a hoof at the icon in the shape of a human viper gunship. “Is that craft meant to be heading to the Griffon capitol by itself?” Straken leaned in, her eyes narrowing as she noticed what Chrysalis was talking about. “Communicator,” Straken ordered, one of her subordinates handing her a boxy device. “Patch me in to that gunship; I want to personally find out why the pilots are violating orders.” “Yes Ma’am,” one of the officers at a row of computers stated emotionlessly. “You have a channel.” “Viper three-seven-one,” Straken commenced after a throat clear, Chrysalis noticing the numbers next to the icon matched what Straken had said. “Why are you departing towards the second point without authorization? Turn back immediately.” “I uh… can’t do that Ma’am,” a male voice replied over the communicator, the surrounding people able to overhear. “This is Colonel Straken, and I order you to turn around. Now.” “Believe me Colonel, I’d love to,” the pilot answered with an apologetic tone. “I’m afraid that the passenger who ordered me to fly to the capitol outranks you. Sorry Colonel.” “Outranked?” Straken muttered dangerously, the closest officers backing away from the Colonel. “Which officer ordered you to fly to a heavily defended capitol with complete disregard to the battle plan?” Chrysalis, Luna and the surrounding officers all heard an audible gulp over the communications, the pilot evidently stuck between a rock and a hard place. “It was an ISA commander, Ma’am. He’s got a psionic with him and they are going to, quote, ‘Mess up a fuck-ton of griffons.’ They’ve ordered me to fly to the griffon castle and deliver them into it. Trust me Colonel, I would much rather follow your plan, but my hands are tied.” “Chalmers,” Straken muttered like the name was trouble incarnate. Chrysalis, having spent a lot of time with the Commander, could relate with the irritated Colonel. “Understood,” Straken continued after a deep breath. “Follow your orders, I’ll scramble re-enforcements immediately. Stay alive, Pilot.” “I’ll try Colonel,” the pilot replied over the radio. There was a brief pause, a loud burst of metal music starting before the man continued speaking. “Please hurry with the re-enforcements, the Commander is talking about ‘making an entrance, ISA style’.” Straken winced, Chrysalis noticing that all the other humans also seemed to shudder at the mention of Chalmers’s words. “Over and out.” Straken burst into action as soon as the communication cut off, the Colonel barking orders to her subordinates as the Command room became swamped in activity. Chrysalis decided that she’d spent enough time making an appearance, the Queen weaving through human and pony officers as they hurried around the room. Her two guards followed her to the exit, Chrysalis giving a final glance towards a yelling Straken before slipping out of the room with her escort in tow. Compared to all of this chaos, spending the remainder of her stay in a small break room with nine of her subjects, a pony foal and three humans seemed like a holiday already. Emperor Kestrel nervously tapped his yellow talon against his armrest, the Griffon glancing out of one of the windows nervously. His throne room was almost silent, save for the occasional whimper of an equestrian slave. Twenty of the ponies had been gifted to him directly as personal slaves, all of them beautiful young mares which were grouped to the side of the room in chains. Kestrel had at first been delighted with the gifts from his Generals, granted he could have just taken them but the gesture had lifted his spirits and he wasn’t going to complain about receiving twenty of the finest mares. His wife, Empress Swiftcrest, had thought differently. Kestrel had spent hours reassuring her that the slaves would be used for cleaning and general household duties only, his wife not as excited as he was regarding the presence of the mares. Her threats to pluck out every single one of his greying feathers were far more intimidating than any space-faring bipeds. Kestrel returned his attention to the main doors, the four armoured guards stepping to the sides and gripping their spears tighter as the heavy double doors opened. An army messenger escorted by a further five guards entered, the young messenger wearing a simple chainmail uniform over his rust-coloured feathers. “It’s been confirmed,” the young griffon spoke as she bowed before her Emperor. “The town of Saltside has fallen to the human forces. The same mist that is blocking off the roads is confirmed to also be in the town. It appears that the humans are immune to the mist and are using the town as a staging point.” Kestrel rubbed his face with a talon at the bad news, the griffon regretting ever encountering the malicious creatures that had now invaded his country. “What is their strength?” He inquired, the messenger wincing as she shuffled on the spot. “At least two-hundred troops, roughly thirty of their bladed flying machines and numerous other machines which we haven’t encountered before. All of them seemed to be armed and as I was leaving there were reports of Equestrian troops being off-loaded outside of the mist on the beach from human ships. What are your orders?” Kestrel breathed out as he leaned back in his seat, the messenger glancing towards the huddle of slaves. “We can sit here and wait for their attack, something which I doubt will end well for us. There is still no word from the Minotaurs so we can assume that we’re on our own. Alternatively, we can attempt to attack their landing point and hope to drive them away. That’s probably our best chance.” Kestrel looked down at the messenger, the griffon moving her view back to him. “What do you think?” “I’m just a messenger,” she stammered out, surprised at the Emperor’s request for her input. “I know,” Kestrel replied with another glance outside his window, the night sky deceptively calm. “I find that the opinions of my subjects have helped my decisions in the past.” The messenger glanced down at the stone floor before returning her Emperor’s gaze. “Attacking them at their landing point,” she confirmed. “Hopefully the mist will stop them from seeing us coming. The troops hide, and when the humans start to move out of the mist we ambush them. We’ve been able to fight them in melee, it’s just difficult to crack open the armour they can apparently hit like a Minotaur.” Kestrel nodded with a weary smile on his face while he waved a wing towards the main doors. “That is what I was thinking, please fetch General Talon and bring him here as quickly as possible.” The messenger nodded with determination and turned towards the doors, the four door guards moving to open them. “Wait,” one of the soldiers that the messenger had brought interrupted as he tilted his head. “Does anyone else hear that?” Kestrel, the messenger and the rest of the guards all strained their ears, a faint thumping sound growing closer and louder. Kestrel noticed the messenger’s eyes widen, the Emperor jolting back as the messenger dived to the ground. “Human flying machine!” she cried out, the guards all ducking as a roaring sound boomed into life. The throne room was pelted with stone fragments as something demolished a large part of the wall. Three guards closest to the wall were killed by blocks of stone crushing heads and bodies, the pony slaves relatively untouched by debris thanks to their position at the far wall. It still didn’t stop them from screaming in fright though. Kestrel spat out dust and sat up straight in his chair. His body ached where small stones had struck him and the messenger was groaning with one wing trapped under a jagged block of dark-grey stone. The Emperor looked towards his ruined wall, a large metal beast hovering in the air with two glowing boxes at its sides pointing downwards. He got a brief look at an angular, black metal surface with a deadly-looking assortment of barrels mounted under it before the machine turned around. The surviving guards got their bearings just as a ramp attached to the flying machine lowered, Kestrel pressing himself back into his chair as a black-armoured biped skilfully jumped into the throne room, the human pulling off a roll before standing up perfectly. A strange, violent-sounding music was playing from the inside of the machine, a second biped jumping after his fellow. This second human was also armoured in black, his armour much more bulky and in his hand was one of the humans’ deadly projectile weapons. Unlike his companion though, the second human did not pull off a perfect landing. Instead of rolling and standing on his feet, this human completely missed the hole in the wall and plummeted down the outside of the castle. The first human rushed over to the wall and bent down, Kestrel able to see that a single armoured claw was gripping onto the edge of the wall. A blue glow lit up around the first human, the biped pulling his companion up and onto the floor. “I meant to do that!” The second human proclaimed as he stood up, his fellow shaking his head. “I had you all fooled; now you’re unbalanced and open for attack!” Kestrel was confused, evidently his guards were as well as they all stared at the humans with shock as the flying machine closed its ramp and left the way it had come. “A flawless plan you said, Nigel,” the first human muttered, Kestrel able to easily hear what they were saying now that the flying machine was gone. “James, not now,” the second human, who Kestrel assumed was named ‘Nigel’, replied back before facing the griffon guards staring at him. “Gents,” the biped switched his view to the captive ponies that were all frozen in terror. “Ladies.” “Get them!” Kestrel ordered to his six remaining guards. The soldiers all snapped out of their dazes at the Emperor’s order, the soldiers darting forward with spears in their talons. Kestrel’s ears rang as a sound like parchment tearing ripped through the air, the second human having raised its short, stubby weapon towards the main group of guards. Four of the griffons were ripped apart, the human holding down the trigger of his weapon for a full ten seconds. Gore flew everywhere, the guards cut apart under the hail of super-sonic projectiles that exited the weapon. Holes were torn in the opposite wall, some appearing a mere beak-length from the Equestrian slaves. Kestrel removed his talons from his ears and looked up as the human’s weapon fell silent, the remaining two guards having dived for cover. The Emperor started to breath rapidly, his eyes searching for an escape route. The four guards had been torn apart, the once strong soldiers nothing more than twitching, hole-riddled corpses lying in pools of their own blood. “Oh yes,” the human known as Nigel groaned he removed a rectangle from his weapon’s grip before replacing it with one he had taken from his suit. “I have the hardest erection right now.” “Speaking of erections,” the first human known as James added as he looked straight at Kestrel. “I think we’ve found the prick that we’ve been looking for.” Kestrel tried to scramble out of his chair, but found that his body was frozen. The blue glow had returned to the first biped’s armour, James staying still while Nigel approached the terrified Emperor. “Keep an eye out for any guests James,” Nigel commented, Kestrel’s heart-rate quickening as the biped approached. “Oh, and watch those three griffons as well, still haven’t decided if we should kill them or not.” “Don’t take too long,” James answered, the human glancing at the main doors as well as the inured messenger and the two guards who were flat on the floor with. “I doubt having a wall blown into their castle is going to increase our reputation with the locals.” Nigel waved off his companion’s concerns, the human changeling course and walking over to the Equestrians. "You, ponies,” Nigel addressed while nudging one sobbing mare in the flank. “Get up.” Kestrel watched on as the Equestrians shakily got to their hooves, the ponies all shaking as they tried to avoid looking at the corpses next to them. Nigel tilted his head, Kestrel getting the impression that the human was holding an invisible conversation. “You can’t do this!” Kestrel demanded, managing to get his mouth to work despite the force that was paralysing him. “We do what we want,” Nigel replied, the human finishing his conversation. He walked over to Kestrel and lifted the terrified Emperor up, before sitting down on the golden throne and placing the frozen griffon ruler on his lap. “Let me tell you a story,” Nigel continued, the two guards and the messenger staying stock still to avoid death. “A long time ago, some humans came to a planet searching for something they had lost. The leader of these humans, a charming, handsome, witty, intelligent-“ “Nigel,” James interrupted. “The leader was a great guy,” Nigel continued as if nothing had happened, one of his hands patting Kestrel on the head. “Anyway, this leader made contact with a race of bug-equines, and after getting to know them offered to help them get food in exchange for assistance. A friendship blossomed between the two races, finding that despite their physical differences they had much in common. That all changed when the Equine nation attacked.” Nigel paused and cleared his throat, a thumping on the throne room doors starting up before they gained a slight blue tinge. Kestrel also noticed that the hole that the humans had entered from was also blocked off by a blue barrier of light. “So these equines had a past beef with the bug-horses, and captured a group of scouts,” Nigel continued. “The humans, as friends of the bug-horses, rescued them and as a result the equines declared war on them as they were frightened of their coolness. Thing is, the equines evidently thought that the humans were far too awesome to take on alone, so they used a weak tactic and got a bunch of guys to help them gang up on them.” Nigel flicked Kestrel’s beak. “Guess who one of those guys is?” “Me?” Kestrel tried, hoping that co-operation would save his life. He was rewarded with a nod, the human giving him another head rub. “That’s right, one of those idiots with a death wish is you. Now, what do we do about it, hmmm? Your Minotaur friends have already surrendered but we are a little ticked off that you’re a slaver.” “No, I’ll do whatever you want!” Kestrel pleaded, the human having started to tap the barrel of his weapon against his head. “Oh, there’s no question that we will get what we want.” “Nigel,” James broke in, a mass of noise growing greater. Nigel and Kestrel looked out of the hole in the wall, a mass of gunships and transports closing on the castle fast. “We’re running out of time,” Nigel calmly informed. “I’ll tell you what, surrender now and return every single Equestrian alive and unharmed and I’ll let you and your family live. Hell, we’ll even let you keep your country and title. What do you say?” Kestrel shivered, the only movement he was capable of. He knew that if he didn’t agree then the humans would carry out their threat, the Emperor wondering what sort of circumstances would breed creatures so evil. “Okay, okay!” Kestrel agreed desperately. “I’ll sign the peace treaty and release all of the slaves!” “Good boy,” Nigel complemented, Kestrel finding himself shoved to the floor. The Emperor found the control over him lifted, however he elected to remain on the floor while Nigel remained in his throne. The Equestrians at the back remained sullen despite the news, huddling against the wall as James walked over to peer out the hole in the wall. The sound of the gunships and transports grew louder, Nigel giving a nod to James and glancing at the two griffon guards on the floor. “You two,” Nigel stated, the two griffon soldiers having not moved from their spots. “Go and tell the rest of your military about your Emperor’s decision. I doubt you’d want to be the cause of your entire race being wiped out?” Both griffons scrambled to their claws, the soldiers bolting out of the main doors as James swung them open with his psionics. Chalmers chuckled at their haste, leaning back in the throne as he started to prod the frightened Emperor with his boot. “Ah,” he said out loud as he put his arms behind his head. “I love my job.” “So it’s over then.” Celestia and Luna were standing side by side, both Princesses watching as the Griffon Emperor signed the peace agreement down in the sunny courtyard. The area was swarming with soldiers, both human and Equestrian. Queen Chrysalis was standing next to the group of ISA agents, Commander Chalmers having returned the previous night after picking up the rest of his troops from the changeling hive. Celestia and Chrysalis hadn’t spoken, Celestia far too preoccupied with the prospect of sealing the peace deal. All of the UIP troops had already withdrawn from the Griffon lands and every Equestrian city apart from Canterlot, the majority returning to the troopships above in orbit. Celestia had declined the humans’ offer to help Equestria rebuild, the Princess never wanting to see another human again. The forces they had here were a precaution against any griffon attack, the majority of the Royal Guard occupied with helping rebuild the shattered country. “It does seem to be over, Sister,” Luna agreed, the Griffon Emperor finishing signing his name before shooting the two alicorns a glare. Celestia winced inside, a blank expression on her face as she realised that relations with the Minotaurs and Griffons would never be healed. “There,” Emperor Kestrel spat as he placed the quill down. “I hope that we never need to speak again. I have no respect for those who consort with demons to win their battles.” A harsh clacking sound drew the attention of everyone, Commander Chalmers having cocked one of his hand guns. The Emperor paled and turned around, leaving as quickly as he could towards his personal chariot. Royal Guard followed him, more for his sake than anyone else. “I believe that’s our signal.” Celestia and Luna turned around to face Chalmers, the only human remaining as transports flew down to pick up the changelings, humans and Bleak Horizon. Celestia maintained her blank expression while Luna grimaced, the Princesses knowing what was about to come. “You have your land,” Celestia stated. “As per our agreement you are also permitted access to Appleoosa and supervised visits to Manehattan.” Celestia paused as the last of the human troops passed her, the Royal Guard maintaining watch over the bipeds. “This also applies to the changelings. I hear that Chrysalis accepted your Empire’s offer.” “She did,” Chalmers confirmed with a nod. “As of now the changelings are a part of the UIP. You will never have to worry about attacks from them again.” Celestia’s eyes narrowed slightly, Luna shifting on her hooves as she sensed her sister’s attitude change. “It’s not changelings that I worry about,” Celestia stated icily. Chalmers took the hint, the human raising his hands and backing away towards a final transport. “Understandable. You stay out of our business and we’ll keep out of yours. Know that we will be willing to open negotiations if you ever desire something more than an uneasy peace.” Chalmers turned and began to walk away, before remembering something. “Oh, and Luna?” he called out, Luna wincing and gritting her teeth. “Yes?” “I’ll pick you up at eight, your time.” Celestia’s frown deepened, Luna noticing and placing a wing over Celestia’s back to try and stop her making a rash decision. Chalmers was thankfully civil for once, the human not saying a thing and leaving. Celestia continued to watch him until the transport he was in disappeared into the sky. “Let it rest Sister,” Luna comforted as she stepped closer to Celestia. “We knew what we would pay when we agreed to his terms. We must focus on the present; our subjects need us now more than ever. The humans and changelings have left and hopefully will not return, we need to focus on our ponies.” “You’re right,” Celestia conceded a she returned Luna’s gesture with her own wing. Luna nodded and led Celestia back towards the castle, the guards not interrupting the two royals. “Luna?” Luna stopped as Celestia raised her head. “Yes Sister?” “Did I do the right thing when I asked for their help? So many have died-” “We still have our nation and our ponies are free.” Luna did not want Celestia wallowing in guilt. “The humans did what they chose to do, as did the Griffons and Minotaurs. I lost members of my personal guard, to both the humans and our former allies.” Celestia looked up and caught Luna sniffling, Luna always having had a close relationship with all of her guards. “How can you forgive them?” Celestia asked, the humans having committed greater crimes than anyone else ever had in her time. Luna sighed, for once feeling like the big sister. “You forgave me,” she reminded. “They aren’t like us, Sister. They are true aliens. How is your student going?” The mention of Twilight brought a smile to Celestia’s face. “Twilight Sparkle is still in Ponyville, after the first battle with the humans she and her friends were shaken up. They were able to recover together, and they are still safe and sound.” “Is it possible that giving Twilight Sparkle the task of investigating these humans would be a good thing? She could learn about them and we could try and find out how and why they act like they do.” “I’d have to ask her,” Celestia replied with a nod. “I think she would enjoy it though, her mind is always hungry for new information.” Luna smiled, having been successful at improving Celestia’s mood. “We should contact her as soon as we get everything in order. We have a lot of work to do.” Luna continued walking, her sister moving with her. “We do Luna,” Celestia agreed, dreading all of the funerals that would have to be arranged. “We sure do.” Chrysalis sat at the front of her subjects, six-hundred and fifty-three changelings all sitting on a sandy hill. Nurse drones kept the sixty nymphs in check while changelings of all classes chatted amongst themselves. They had to leave their hive, the Equestrians reasoning that if they liked the humans so much then they would have no qualms with moving in with them. Chrysalis hadn’t fought the decision; with the current circumstances staying with the humans would be far wiser than remaining and awaiting any retaliation. All of them looked up as a transport flew overhead, the changelings following it with their eyes as it passed over the valley below. The area was buzzing with activity, hundreds of humans and machines working to quickly build their base on the new land. Chrysalis was amazed that they had already gotten multiple buildings up, the structures dropped off by heavy orbital lifters. In addition to the premade buildings, the humans were also digging under the ground and using strange machines they called ‘robots’ to construct underground facilities. Chrysalis had been reassured that quarters for her entire hive were include, the humans even landing one of their transports on the hill to give the changelings some shade while they waited. Commander Chalmers had already said his goodbyes, the Commander claiming that he had to write up reports and compile video footage during the day. He had taken Horizon up with him to the human fleet above, the ships due to leave as soon as the base was self-sufficient. Some of the ISA agents from the original twenty had opted to stay on the base, most notably Corporal Jacobs and Corporal Stevens. Needless to say, Reflection had been overjoyed with the news. The scientists had all left, every single one thanking Chrysalis for hosting them. Needless to say, Chrysalis had been overjoyed that Klaus was no longer on the planet. Sighing, Chrysalis cricked her neck and relaxed as the construction below continued, the humans claiming that it would be habitual by the end of the day. She had at first been doubtful about the claims, but after seeing the construction methods she had been rethinking her initial impression. She had completely cut off the hive mind, her head free from the constant chatter of her subjects. It was a nice change, but she had encountered a problem. She was bored. Trying to think of a solution, Chrysalis turned to the changeling next to her, that changeling being Transmutation. The scholar was sitting down with a focused look, the changeling muttering to himself as his eyes examined the humans down below. Chrysalis steeled herself, she was Queen of the changelings. She had this. “So, Transmutation,” she began, the scholar glancing up with her with surprise. “How’s everything been going for you?” Luna winced at the knock on her bedroom door, the time having just hit eight o’clock. She did a final touch up to her mane and face, she may have to spend the night with an alien but a Princess always was supposed to look her best. She adjusted her regalia and took a deep breath, preparing to face her tormenter. She nodded to her guard in her room, the bat-pony mare grimacing but returning the gesture with a salute. Luna moved to the door and opened it, revealing Commander Chalmers. The human was not dressed in his armour, instead he was wearing a simple black suit with a dark blue undershirt. “Good Evening,” Chalmers greeted, Luna giving him a polite nod before looking towards her guard. “Swift Shadow, you’re excused from duty.” The bat-pony walked past Luna stoically, Chalmers stepping aside to allow her to exit. The guard gave Luna a final, sympathetic look before disappearing around a corner in the corridor. Luna refaced Chalmers, stepping aside to allow him entry and revealing her large bed in the room. “Well Commander, I am a mare of my word. Let’s get this over with so that I can put all of this behind me.” Chalmers chuckled and held out a gloved hand. “Princess Luna, do you really think I would be as uncivilised as to just bed you? I fully intend to have a full night.” Luna was confused, she was certain that the human only desired her for carnal means. She gazed at the offered hand, remembering that the humans used the clasping of frontal appendages as a greeting. Carefully she extended her hoof, the humans hand skipping her silver shoe and grabbing her fur-covered leg. “What are your plans then?” Luna inquired as she stared at her hoof, the smooth fabric of the Commander’s glove soft on her leg. His grip was surprisingly gentle, Luna surprised that he seemed to be treating her with respect. “Why, dinner of course,” Chalmers answered as his free hand moved to his belt. “Please don’t be alarmed, I assure you that this is perfectly safe.” Luna was about to ask just what he was warning her about when she saw his hand press a button on a device he was wearing. A blue glow overtook her vision, Luna feeling like she was teleporting. As the glow died down she stumbled, something felt off. Then she realised what it was. There was no ambient magic around her at all. Luna blinked her eyes, moving her head around to survey where the Commander had taken her. She was met with grey walls; the room they were in was massive, roughly the size of the Canterlot throne room. It was oval in shape, a single table in the centre of the room with a set of four candles burning to provide light. “Have a seat,” Chalmers offered, Luna allowing him to lead her to the table. She noticed that instead of the chairs that she had seen the human officers use, they had somehow acquired one used by ponies. As they approached the table, Luna noticed bottles of wine in a cooling bucket and a platter of food on the circular table. Chalmers pulled out her chair, Luna sitting down on the red cushioned chair. Once she was settled he pulled out his own, pausing to fill two glasses with a bottle of wine before sitting down. “This was unexpected,” Luna commented, using her magic to bring the glass under her nose. It smelled great, the Princess wondering just how expensive it was. “Oh, I had it planned from the start,” Nigel replied as he took a sip of his drink. “You won’t believe what I had to offer the Admiral to use his flagship’s meeting room for this.” Luna felt her breath hitch. “Flagship?” she asked, Chalmers grinning as he touched a screen set into his side of the table. The walls and floor of the entire room transitioned from dull grey to a starry sky. Luna stared down at the floor, a massive blue and green planet filling up the view below them. “Is that…?” “Yes, that is your planet,” Chalmers confirmed as he took another sip. Luna thought for a second before glancing out to the right wall, her eyes widening as she set eyes on her moon. It was full and luminous, two more human ships floating to the side of it. “It’s beautiful,” Luna murmured, having never had an opportunity to view it like this before. “Hmm,” Nigel hummed. Luna fought to turn her head back to him but her politeness overcame her desire to stare at the moon. She found that a plate had been placed in front of her, a pile of cream-white pasta steaming with a sprinkle of cheese on the top. Luna couldn’t help it, her nose informed her that the pasta smelt great. Following Nigel, she used her magic to pick up the provided knife and fork and raised a forkful of pasta to her mouth. She chewed with bliss, whoever had made the pasta was very talented. It melted in her mouth, releasing a burst of flavour that she was unable to identify. It was still delicious, Luna putting down her fork and savouring the first bite. She watched Nigel finish his, the human taking another sip of his wine. Luna picked up her glass and took a sip, a heavy wooden flavour combined with a rich fruit taste assaulting her taste buds. “What is this wine? It’s one of the best I’ve tasted in my life.” “It’s Pinot Noir,” Nigel informed as Luna took another taste. “I… liberated it from the ship’s hold. Are you enjoying everything so far?” “I am, surprisingly,” Luna answered with a smile. “I must admit that you’ve acted far better than I expected. Can I ask what ‘Pinot Noir’ means?” “Not a single clue,” Chalmers replied. “All I know is that it looks, smells and tastes expensive.” Luna couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at Nigel’s cluelessness. She was amazed, what had happened to the brutish, violent and unstable human that she had thought he was? “You’re acting very different,” Luna observed before taking another bite of pasta. Nigel finished off his current mouthful before replying. “I’m off duty,” he explained. “I only have to be a murderous rogue when I’m on the clock. Tonight is just meant to be a fun, relaxing evening.” Luna found herself torn. On one hoof, he was technically the being that started everything. Luna wondered how different things would be if the humans had encountered Equestria first. On the other, she was finding herself enjoying the dinner more than any night she could remember. A thousand years alone on the moon did not help her social skills and despite the help she had received from Twilight Sparkle and her friends she still had difficulty interacting smoothly with ponies other than her guards. The food was great, the wine was perfect and she was finding the conversation good as well. Luna took another sip of wine, Nigel’s glass almost empty as he waited for her to speak. “That’s good to hear,” Luna replied before taking another drink. “I am also pleased that I don’t have to worry about ruling for the moment. I haven’t sat down with someone for dinner for years.” Luna paused, both diners finishing off their pasta at the same time. “It feels wrong putting everything behind me though, given what has happened over the past few weeks.” Nigel waved a finger, Luna finding herself out of wine as she took a final sip. “You have to learn when to block it all out,” he informed as he refilled her glass and his. “If I thought about work all of the time then I’d go crazy.” Luna gave him a flat look, Nigel not picking up on it as he continued on. “Anyway, I’ve now got a son to look after. The next few years are going to be interesting.” Luna remained silent, both beings reflecting on what sort of life the colt would face. Luna soon found herself watching the candlelight dance over the Commander’s face, Chalmers must have noticed as he flashed her a confident grin. Luna used her wine glass to hide her embarrassment, this glass somehow tasting better than the first. “Are you ready for the second course?” Luna was unsure if the Commander was using innuendo, his smile had a certain look to it. Hesitantly she nodded, as after all she had already prepared herself before he had even arrived. Evidently he was not making a sex joke and was genuine, Luna raising her eyebrows as a small, grey machine hovered into the room from a hatch in the roof. The saucer-shaped object had eight arms hanging below it, two of them holding fresh plates of what looked like a fancy potato bake surrounded by steamed vegetables drizzled in a white sauce. The machine hovered down and picked the empty plates off the table before placing the next course down in front of them. “Where were we?” Nigel continued while Luna used a hoof to touch the machine, before it flew away with the empty plates in its claws. Luna took another sip of wine before smelling the food in front of her. “Let us forget about all this talk of war and work,” she suggested, the wine hitting her harder than she expected. It still didn’t stop her from taking another sip. “As you can probably guess, I have a love for the night sky. What sights have you seen on your travels?” Chalmers chuckled as he took a drink from his glass, watching as Luna lifted a forkful of food to her mouth. “It’s a good thing we’ve got an entire night,” he informed. “I can tell that this is going to take a while.” “Nigel, wake up.” Chalmers groaned, using a hand to try and push away the things poking him in the shoulder. He snorted with irritation as the objects resumed their attack on his skin. He opened his eyes, quickly adjusting to the gloom to see Horizon looking up at him from the side of the bed. Nigel was about to ask Horizon what was wrong, but it was then that he remembered that he was not alone. Chalmers glanced quickly to the side, Luna fast asleep next to him. Her shoes and jewellery were stacked on the bedside table next to her, and the alicorn was lying on her side facing him with the ash-grey bed sheets over her. “What’s the matter Horizon?” Nigel asked groggily, hoping that the young colt hadn’t noticed the Princess. “There’s something scary outside my window.” The colt stood up taller as he said this, his eyes spotting Luna next to Nigel. “Horizon, we’re out in space,” Nigel reassured. “There’s nothing there, and even if there was then your window is only a video screen. There’s armour plating, shields-“ “I know,” Horizon replied as he dropped back down to the floor. “But something’s happening to the planet.” Nigel tried to remember if anything was supposed to be happening, his foggy mind unable to recall the information. Groaning again, Nigel pointed towards the still open door, Horizon having figured out how to use the grey slide door. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” Nigel told him. “Just let me get dressed.” Horizon nodded and trotted back to the door, the colt looking back with confusion on his face. “Is Princess Luna coming as well?” Nigel winced, how was he going to explain this? “No,” he answered while he glanced at the sleeping Princess next to him. “Princess Luna needs her sleep, you’ll just have to settle for me.” Luckily, Horizon was satisfied with the answer and didn’t push the issue, the colt leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Nigel gave Luna’s head a quick pat, earning a smile from the Princess, before getting out of the bed to find some pants. He dragged a hand down his face as he walked over to the dresser, opening a metal draw to retrieve a set of plain grey underpants. Remembering that Horizon’s borrowed quarters was just at the end of the corridor, and that this habitation deck was empty except for a few ISA agents, Nigel didn’t bother with any other clothing. Leaving his small room, Chalmers left the door open as he stumbled towards Horizon’s room. The door was open, and as he entered Nigel could see the colt staring out of the ‘window’. “What’s going on?” Nigel asked, moving to sit down next to the colt. Horizon glanced at him before pointing a hoof towards the view outside. Memories came back as Nigel laid eyes on what had spooked the foal, flashes of light raining down upon the planet from a UIP ship in orbit. “Oh, that,” Nigel murmured, reaching out a hand to rub Horizon’s head. “That’s just a ship destroying a bunch of Griffon forts and military bases. You don’t need to worry about it.” Horizon continued to watch as the hail of blue bolts stopped, even from here he was able to see the black scorch marks on the planet below. “I thought that you had already beaten them,” he said as he tilted his head to the side so that Nigel would scratch behind his ear. “We did,” Chalmers answered. “But we also decided to destroy a lot of their military buildings and supplies, that way they are less likely to try and attack again.” Horizon didn’t reply, both beings looking out the window as they sat. “Nigel?” Both turned towards Horizon’s door, Luna looking at the two with half-lidded eyes. “Is something wrong?” Horizon gave Luna a wave before Nigel picked him up and stood up. “Not at all,” he answered while he walked over to Horizon’s bed, the human tucking the colt in. “Horizon just got a little scared. Everything’s okay now.” Horizon yawned as the sheets were placed over him, the colt giving Nigel a thankful smile before his eyes began to close. Nigel gave him a final pat on the head before leaving the room, facing Luna as soon as he had closed the door. “I suppose you should be getting back to your planet,” Nigel continued. Luna shook her head, a sleepy smile on her face. “Not yet, my sister said that she would take care of my duties for me. Besides, there is still a few hours left until dawn and I haven’t had a sleeping companion for centuries. If it’s alright with you, I would enjoy going back to sleep for the rest of the night.” “It’s your choice,” Nigel informed as he walked back to his room, Luna missing the slight smile he had. The Princess glanced back at the colt’s room, before she followed Chalmers back to bed. As much as she hated to admit it, it was nice sharing a bed with someone once again. Even if she did feel a little guilty that she had enjoyed the night so much. Chalmers was already in it when she walked into the room, Luna clambering under the covers once more. It wasn’t the most comfortable or spacious bed, Luna understanding that it was a military ship after all. She tried to make the most of it, shifting so that she was on her back and her side was against the human’s. She was surprised when an arm reached out and started to stroke her mane, Luna feeling her wings twitch at the pleasant sensation. Before she knew it, the warmth of the bed and the soothing motion had lured her back to sleep, the Princess of the Night soon out like a light. Celestia paced back and forth in her throne room while her guards watched on worried. Luna was missing and none of her guard knew where she had disappeared to. One bat-pony mare had said that the Commander had arrived at Eight like promised, but none of the other guards had seen him. A flash of light grabbed her attention, Luna appearing in the middle of the room with a dozy look on her face. “Luna!” Celestia exclaimed with relief evident in her voice. Luna took a step back as Celestia approached her, her older sister wrapping her wings around her in a hug. “Where did you go?” “Commander Chalmers treated me to dinner on one of their ships,” Luna answered, Celestia narrowing her eyes at the reminder of the human. “What did he do to you?” Celestia murmured, nuzzling her sister while Luna gained a light blush. “It wasn’t that bad,” Luna answered, glancing around and keeping her voice low so that the watching guards would not overhear. She did not want anyone, especially Celestia, to know that the previous night was one of the most enjoyable she had experienced. “We spent most of the time talking and then we went to bed.” “So you didn’t…?” “No,” Luna lied. “We were both too tired for anything else. You don’t need to worry about me. Did anything happen while I was away?” Celestia scowled, Luna able to feel the alicorn’s anger. “The humans attacked the Griffons from space,” Celestia stated with a grimace. “They blew up most of the surviving griffon military bases. Emperor Kestrel is furious at them, he’s already sent me a letter accusing me of asking them to do it.” “What did you say back?” Luna asked, concerned that war would break out again. “I told him that the humans and Equestria no longer are working together, and that all humans are banned from our lands apart from the agreed town and city. He hasn’t replied yet.” “It will be fine,” Luna reassured. “With their military decimated, I do not think that the Griffons will attack us soon. If anything, they would target the humans first as they are the biggest threat.” “Their military aren’t the only ones that have suffered,” Celestia mumbled. “We have the funerals for the Guard today at noon.” Luna winced, not looking forward to the next few weeks. “We’ll get through it,” Luna replied as she walked with Celestia towards the dining room. “Our ponies will as well. They are stronger than they appear.” Celestia smiled at the reminder. “I think you’re right Luna, and for once I get to share breakfast with you.” Both sisters laughed, relishing the moment to bond while they still could. They had a lot of work ahead of them, and both were keen to not have to think about war or death for even a brief moment as they prepared to share breakfast. “Goddamn it! How the hell am I going to carry all of these apples back to the hive?” Nigel and James burst out laughing as they watched Steven’s video recording. The two were sitting in Nigel’s cabin, the Admiral having offered to show Horizon around the bridge for a few hours. The ISA Commander and Psionic were sitting on the bed and enjoying the Corporal’s cluelessness. “This is priceless,” James commented as he wiped a tear from his eye. “How did he even survive a month in the military?” “I know right?” Chalmers chuckled as he took a drink of water. “Ah, but really he’s not that bad once you knock some sense into him.” The two friends continued to watch and laugh, the helmet cam showing Stevens picking up a sack. “Yes, yeeessss! Suck on it Commander Clusterfuck!” All laughter stopped, James pausing the recording as Chalmers went silent. “Nigel?” James asked, Chalmers having gone stock still. “I need to breath and calm down.” “Oh, I am calm,” Nigel replied with a nod before getting up. He was dressed in his armour, the bed creaking as he stood up. James was surprised at his lack of reaction. “Really?” “Oh yes,” Nigel answered. “I’m perfectly calm.” James watched as Chalmers walked towards the door, the barrier opening as the sensor detected him there. “Where are you going?” James asked while standing up, the psionic wary of what Nigel was about to do. “Stevens is on the planet and the fleet leaves in an hour.” “Oh, I know. I just thought I’d take a little stroll down to the mech bay.” With that Nigel left the room, the door closing behind him. James took a second to put two and two together, the answer telling him that Nigel was probably going to borrow a mech. An armed mech. A mech that was made to be dropped from orbit. Dropped from orbit onto the planet that Corporal Stevens was on. The same Corporal who had just been seen insulting Nigel. “Oh balls,” James muttered under his breath before opening the door and running out. “Nigel!” The End Author's Note Well, that's this fic wrapped up. However, I might have a sequel in the works... Nigel didn't get his coffee date yet after all. R.I.P Corporal Stevens.
Not Only a Killer, But a Poet As WellNigel awoke, his eyes blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the bright light above him. He shifted, his arms disturbing what seemed like piles of paper around him. He rose from the pillows, the make-shift sheets constructed of magazines falling off his armoured body to join their fellows on the bed. Nigel looked around the room; the other soldiers were sitting around chatting to each other over cups of tea and coffee and checking their weapons. Two Corporals were hurriedly cramming as many bottles of booze as they could into the crate that had held the charges they had used the other night. Nigel considered telling them to stop, but he figured that as the commanding officer he could expect a ‘Donation’ when they returned to the Hive as a thank you. Nigel looked at the window at the ravaged Military District, only a few fires left smouldering. Pony Pegasi were manovering rainclouds over the areas still on fire, a fact that did not surprise Nigel as the humans already had been informed of the Pegasi ability to touch clouds. He turned to gaze out of the other window, the one facing the castle. The area around the fallen tower was swarming with ponies, a large amount of fallen masonry had already been cleared, and Nigel raised the golden telescope still clutched in his hand from the night before to his eye to receive a better view. He gazed over multiple workers all assisting in the clean-up, a few guards patrolling the area and must amusingly of all the small purple unicorn from the attack on the hive was sitting next to a huge pile of ruined books bawling her eyes out. ‘Serves you right, I hope your crying because those books crushed your mother or something’ Leaving the sight of the distressed pony, Nigel moved his view towards what was once the throne room window just in time to spot a very irate Princess Celestia apparently yelling at a group of scared pony guards. The Princess appeared to have suffered some wounds; small cuts on her face that Nigel figured were caused by glass shards, possibly from the throne room window when the bombs went off. ‘Well’ he thought as he zoomed in towards her face, her expression indicating that she was absolutely livid ‘I did tell her to not stand too close to windows’ While he was watching the amusing scene the horse known as Princess Luna entered the room with a note held in her energy field. ‘Ah,’ thought Nigel ‘seems like they got my note, now we play the waiting game’. Nigel settled back onto the bed, brushing many of the magazines onto the floor before closing his eyes. ________________________________________________________________________________________ “Over Two Hundred dead, almost every armoury destroyed and the entire Military area wiped out, what was it that you morons were doing!?” The guard officers flinched at Princess Celestia’s outburst, the six ponies in the room the ones in charge of the city watch. The Princess had summoned them to discuss how their sentries failed to spot any signs of intruders, the guard caught completely un-aware when the Explosions happened. It was too early for a cause to be found but the Princess was positive that the humans were responsible, considering that they had already proven themselves competent in the field of explosive weaponry. “Princess Celestia” the oldest guard began with his voice clear and un-wavering as he responded to his ruler “with all due respect I believe that we are outclassed here if it was the humans who caused the detonations. While we haven’t found any evidence of external factors, I think that judging by the previous tactics we have observed regarding the humans’ method of warfare it is entirely likely that they somehow orchestrated the explosions, possibly by using timed bombs like some of the modern copper mines are” Celesta’s anger had subsided as the guard continued, and she made a mental note to commend him, the officer seemingly the only pony in the room that was capable enough to perform under stress, the other five officers still shaking in their armour. Celestia gestured for the old officer to continue “This ‘Poseidon’ character appears to be an enigma, your highness, from your own account he appeared to possess the maturity of a foal, yet the creatures under his command have so far eluded capture whilst wreaking massive havoc upon our forces, indicating a high level of command skill. From what we have gathered from those who witnessed his actions at the first engagement at the Changeling Hive some of our Physiatrists have all deduced that he seems to thrive on attention, and possibly this need could be a major driving force behind his actions. If he and his soldiers were behind the bombs, Princess then” the officer took a breath “I believe that it is entirely likely that they are still in the city somewhere, based on my theory that a creature such as him couldn’t stand not being able to watch the chaos he brings.” To say Celestia was impressed was an understatement; this officer was clearly a cut above the rest. Just as she was about to inform the Guard of this Luna entered the room, a piece of parchment in her magic and a bald spot on her forehead. Luna was incredibly pale, her legs were trembling and her mane had lost its starry texture leaving it hanging limp. “Luna, what happened, are you alright?” Celestia cried, fearful for her sister. Luna simply stared at Celestia, shook her head and levitated over the parchment she was holding over towards her sister, The top of the parchment had a spot where it had appeared to have been glued to Luna’s forehead, blue hairs stuck to the paper. This was soon forgotten as Celestia read the note, the written contents much more shocking ******************************************************************************************** “Dear Equestrian Princesses, As you have no doubt noticed, your city is on fire. While this is certainly a tragedy, I hope that it teaches you one thing. Don’t Fuck With Me. I admit, I am currently enjoying this whole back-and-forth thing we’ve got going, but it’s starting to get a little stale, and do you know why? Your pathetic, I mean, I’m not even trying right now it’s that bloody easy so I’m going to preoccupy myself with creating a list of why you and your country sucks Your military fight like a bunch of drunken toddlers with loaded diapers and are so poorly equipped it almost makes me want to somehow vomit up my own eyeballs. Your soldiers are armoured in GOLD for fuck’s sake, whoever decided that that was a good idea is a moron. Your super-weapon sucks, I mean, a rainbow? A FRIKKEN RAINBOW!? THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE? IT DIDN’T EVEN SCORCH THE GROUND IT WAS THAT PANSY! Your porn sucks, the centre-pieces didn’t do anything for me, really killed my night. Your Buildings, “Hey guys” some bright spark must have said “Let’s build everything out of flammable materials and then have an in-adequate fire service” cause you know, that’s a great idea. The fact that you sic'd a group of Teenage Girls on me, not cool. Every. Single. Fucking. City. Name. You don’t have a Disco ball in your castle. Corporal Stevens. Those half-bird, half lion things. I ate half of one thinking it was like chicken and it wasn’t, tasted more like Himalayan Yak. Last of all, while the Nocturne Ponies look pretty cool and have armour which actually looks half decent they are far too easy to embarrass. All I had to do was mention the sexy-times and her Wings went straight up, was fucking hilarious. Also Zarkrof says hi and he would love to ‘Examine you for science and the good of the UIP’ (We all know what that sick bastard really means, don’t we?) Now that that’s over we can get to the main point. As you are aware, most of your military power just got wiped off of the face of this planet and I highly doubt that your so-called ‘allies’ are going to come to your aid again, considering the fact that the majority of those armies they sent you are either captured or dead. We have achieved this with only a small amount of us as well as that one Changeling, (Buzz I believe, he still mopes around the hive with only half a tail) while suffering no losses. Based on these simple facts, I think that your best chance of survival is surrender, and if you’re willing to discuss terms I will be overjoyed to meet with you at that farming place, ‘Appleoosa’ I believe it was called five days from now at midday. You both can come if you want to, and I’ll even let you bring up to twenty guards each (If you have any left), hell, if you feel like it those six teenagers can tag along as well, maybe we can ‘drop some fully sick beats yo’ or just ‘frizzle in the snizzle with the dizzle’ and all of that hip junk. Just to remind you, turning up is completely voluntary and I TOTALLY WON’T start to execute captives if you don’t. Also if you don’t turn up I hope you get stuck in mud and die of exposure, you dried up hags. Love, The Guy Who Wrote This Letter XOXOXO P.S Luna, you look adorable when you’re asleep, especially when your hind leg does a little kick when you’re dreaming, I should know, I sat in your room and watched you for hours that night, nearly gave you a hug right then and there. ******************************************************************************************** Celestia stood in the middle of the room frozen with her jaw agape, unable to process coherent thought. The officers in the room looked between the two broken rulers, unsure as to what to do. The old Guard, Major Observation thought of a solution and headed straight towards the Kitchens. He returned five minutes later with a large chocolate cake suspended in his magical field. While the other officers looked on in alarm he swung the cake into Celestia’s face, the overwhelming scent of chocolate waking the Princess from her daze. “Who, What, Watching Luna Sleep?” Celestia mumbled as she jolted back to reality, pausing to lick a large amount of frosting from her muzzle before looking over towards the Major “If it was any other flavour you would be currently on your way to the Dungeons Major, but considering the circumstances I feel that a thank you is in order” “It was no problem Princess; it appeared to be the only way to revive you from your awful state” the Major responded, saluting “I do have to admit, this… Disturbing letter may have had a terrible effect on me, and that effect must have been doubled with my sister.” Everypony in the room turned towards Princess Luna, the Midnight Alicorn still standing on the spot. Celestia walked over to her sister and put a wing across her back “Come on Luna; let’s get you back to bed” “NO!” the royal voice rang out through the throne room “WE HATH NO DESIRE TO RETURN TO OUR CHAMBERS! WE WILL SLUMBER IN YOURS INSTEAD!” Celestia sighed, she hoped that this would not last for long “It’s okay Luna, I’ll make sure that there are guards posted in YOUR chambers and you can rest there.” Luna looked up at Celestia with Large pleading eyes, causing Celestia to sigh “Fine, you can sleep in my room today, but today only, is that clear?” Luna nodded her head at her sister’s terms “Good” Celestia continued as she began to walk with Luna out of the room “I have a feeling that we both will need a lot of rest for the days to come. _____________________________________________________________________________ Nigel lowered the telescope, laughing loudly when the pony guard had caked Celestia in the face. His letter had obviously served its intended function and his message had been clearly received. He holstered the telescope and got off the bed, taking a final swig of cider before throwing the half-empty bottle out of the window. The other wraiths were already to leave, climbing gear out and ready for their escape, climbing down the mountain side their chosen method of escape. “Alright Men, parties over so let’s get moving” Nigel glanced at the map popping up in his HUD, Appleoosa marked with a waypoint “We got a date” As the soldiers left the building via the window, leaving the trashed room behind Nigel stopped, withdrawing a five-thousand-credit money chip from his suit and tossing it on the bed, hoping it would be enough to cover the cleaning costs, before joining his troops on the outside of the building, preparing to rappel down into a street full of ponies.
The Morning After“My bloody head…” Stevens awoke with a groan, keeping his eyes closed in an attempt to soothe the rampant headache that was plaguing him. His left leg twitched, the naked limb hanging off the side of the bed he was in, cool air flowing across the bare skin. He couldn’t remember anything about the night before, his memory a blank slate. Something about whisky and a near-death experience emerged, the details too vague to make an accurate re-telling. He was naked; the corporal able to feel smooth sheets upon his body as well as a large, soft cushion beside him. He rolled over onto his side, hugging the warm furry pillow closer to his chest. ‘Hang on,’ Stevens thought as he slowly opened his eyes, being greeted with sunlight filtering through a square window. ‘Since when are pillows furry and capable of breathing…’ Slowly Stevens angled his vision downwards towards the object pressed up against him, the corporal’s heart stopping for a second when he saw what he had dreaded. Snuggled up against his bare chest was a lilac-coated mare, her light-pink mane spread out in the worst case of bed-head the soldier had ever seen. The mare was resting on one of his arms, grasping the limb with her two front legs as she breathed heavily in her slumber. Stevens had to admit that she did look rather adorable like that, but that didn’t help the fact that he had slept with a small equine. He managed to break his stare away from the mare and looked around the room, wincing at the sight. Various parts of golden armour was scattered around the room, a golden helmet perched at the end of the bed. His armour was slightly more ordered, all jumbled in a heap in one corner. Stevens once again looked towards the mare, a soldier belonging to the nation that they had been fighting no less. The humans already knew that Equestrians had enchanted armour to alter their appearance, Stevens not knowing anything about magic or psionics or any other of that voodoo crap. Thanks to the enchantment however he could not guess which pony guard he was looking at. Stevens let out a soft sigh as he remembered that fateful sentence he had uttered the night before. He just had to go and invite the universe to screw with him, more specifically a horse alien that was now currently resting its genitals on his right leg if the wetness was any indication. Maybe the Commander and the rest of the group were un-aware of what happened, yeah, it’s not like they would have noticed anything right? The corporal sniffed the air, the scent of carnal lust filling the room. He groaned and attempted to remove himself from the embrace of the mare, succeeding in removing his arm from her clutches. The lower body was next, Stevens very gently moving his right leg as softly as possibly. He wasn’t careful enough however, his leg ‘stimulating’ a certain point of the mare as it moved away. The sleeping pony’s wings shot up, the Pegasus letting out a squeak intermixed with a moan as Stevens cursed under his breath. Stevens froze, the mare not awaking despite the contact and he let out a breath that he had been holding. He stealthily vacated the small bed and left the slumbering mare alone, a smile planted on the pony’s face as she continued dreaming. Stevens moved over towards his armour, pausing to sniff under his armpit. To put it bluntly he smelled like sex incarnate, the scent of the night’s drunken activities clogged in his pores. He glanced over towards a door marked ‘bathroom’ at the other side of the room before looking back at the sleeping mare. ‘Surely just one shower couldn’t hurt’ he thought as he tip-toed towards the door. ‘I’ll be in and out before she wakes up, then from there on its smooth sailing.’ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Stevens emerged from the bathroom clad in the black body-suit that all of the wraiths wore under their armour. The shower had been small, Stevens having to duck to use it however it had done the job. He felt so re-vitalised by the shower that he completely forgot to remain quite, the bathroom door swinging shut loudly as he exited. The mare in the bed jolted awake, the Pegasus swivelling her head around to look at the source of the noise. Her eyes widened as she saw Stevens, the biped frozen on the spot in shock. After a few minutes of staring at the human the mare looked down at herself, her nose wrinkling as she smelt the surrounding air. “So it wasn’t a dream” she groaned, moving herself to the edge of the bed as she raised herself to a sitting position. The guard stared at her dangling hind hooves as her mind tried to comprehend what had happened. “Why, why was I so stupid? The Sergeant will kill me!” Stevens did not respond, the human slowly edging around the wall as he made his way to the pile of black armour while the mare was distracted. “What, are you just going to get up and leave?” the mare questioned from behind him, Stevens freezing like a statue. The mare’s voice did not contain any anger but there was a hint of… disappointment? “Look, uh, you see Miss…” Stevens began as he turned around to face the pony, the mare looking at him with brown eyes. “Wind Slash” the mare said with a little hurt present in her voice, “I would think that you would know my name, considering we made love last night.” “No no no no no, there was no ‘made love’ at all!” Stevens replied with his voice raised as he began to put on his armour “I got drunk in a bar, you got drunk in a bar and we banged, there is no love involved at all! There shall be no after-sex breakfast or brunch, no hugs and kisses, no lasting relationship! We will get dressed, exit this room, walk down those stairs and pretend that nothing happened, you got that?” The mare looked down at the floor, tears building in her eyes. “As for me forgetting your name” Stevens continued, his voice lowering to normal levels “I was drunk and I can’t remember anything. All of you guards look the same in that armour so how am I supposed to tell? I’m just glad I didn’t wake up spooning a dude, though this is not too far off.” “So, it meant nothing at all to you?” Wind Slash asked, the mare beginning to sob as she lifted her head. Stevens looked at the crying pony, his armour complete except for his helmet which he held in his hand. All of his equipment was strapped and ready to go; the only remaining signs of his presence being the unmade bed and the crying mare sitting on it. “Nothing at all, now stop crying and get over it” he finished as he walked out the door, leaving the mare alone by herself. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Stevens whistled a merry tune as he walked down the stairs, his mind wondering whether this pony inn would serve a decent breakfast. Meat products would certainly be out of the question but that still left egg, toast, muffins, waffles, pancakes, crumpets and a whole range of foods. Stevens reached the bottom, walking through the door leading into the barroom/dining area before halting right as he entered the room. Sitting around in various spots around the room were the rest of the wraiths, the changelings and the three pony guards. The Commander’s foal, Lack of Trizon or something like that was also there, the young pony the only one not looking at Stevens as the colt was too busy eating a stack of pancakes. “Uh, good morning everyone, I trust you all slept well?” Stevens enquired as he slowly sat down at an empty table closest to the door. “I in fact did not” replied Sergeant Boland; his helmet removed revealing a hard face framed by coal-black hair, the Sergeant sipping tea from a cup. “It was the strangest thing, five minutes after you claimed that you were retiring for the night, after shooting your gun at the clock I might add,” Stevens looked to where Boland gestured, a large hole in the right wall surrounded by burn marks sitting about two meters up from the floor, “Corporal Wind Slash,” continued Boland “also retired, claiming that she was going to make sure you weren’t causing trouble up there.” “We then all decided to follow the example you two set,” Commander Chalmers added, “all of us, including our Equestrian friends here retreating to our rooms for some much needed rest. I personally had just sat down next to the bed against the wall since it was already occupied” Chalmers ruffled the foal’s mane with a hand, the child beaming at the Commander with a mouthful of breakfast “when the sound of bed springs and other questionable noises emanated from another room. This continued on for about five hours from what I gathered and while that is certainly a remarkable achievement it was annoying as Hell.” The foal paused his breakfast and looked at Stevens, the majority of the conversation flying over his head due to his young age. “I had a nightmare,” he commented “there was lots of strange noises and at the end of it I heard a pony go ‘ZOING!’ and then I woke up. Mister Nigel told me to go back to sleep so I did.” “Gre-great job there… champ” Stevens replied shakily to the foal. The young pony simply smiled again and took another bite of pancakes, syrup dripping down from his chin. “So Stevens,” Chalmers said as he made a point of glancing towards the door, “where is Corporal Wind Slash? I would have expected her to be down here by now.” “Oh, she’s still sleeping Commander, you know how it is” Stevens answered as he rubbed the back of his head with a hand. Nigel was not convinced, unknown to Stevens the Commander had gone upstairs to inform the corporals of breakfast only to halt when he had heard raised voices coming from the room. “Yeah, I guess I do know” the Commander responded, a false smile planted on his face. “Stevens, help yourself to some breakfast, I’ve got to go and visit the bathroom” Nigel said as he got up from his seat, making his way outside the room. ‘Well, that went surprisingly well’ Stevens thought, the Commander buying his lie as easily as an elderly grandmother buys jars of conserve. He moved to the main table, pouring himself a cup of tea as the surrounding ponies, humans and changelings watched him. Stevens paused his drinking to butter some toast, spreading the two slices of bread with the dairy product as he hummed happily to himself. “Uh, Stevens?” Stevens looked over towards the voice, Jacobs looking at him with his changeling squeeze sitting beside him, the changeling resting her head against the human’s side. The changeling, unlike her fellows was not drinking from a vial and Stevens could not recall the last time he actually saw her use one. “What is it Loverboy?” Stevens taunted, Jacobs shooting him a flat look while the changeling merely scowled at Stevens. “First off Stevens you’re not exactly squeaky clean yourself, at least we don’t keep everyone up at night” Jacobs retorted. “Really appropriate breakfast conversation guys, particularly when there’s a child in the room” Murray interjected, the corporal covering Bleak Horizon’s ears with his hands, much to the displeasure of the colt. Jacobs gave Murray and Horizon an apologetic look before turning back towards Stevens. “Secondly, ask yourself this question. If our suits handle all bodily functions and the Commander is wearing his suit now, then why did he need to go upstairs to relieve himself?” Stevens froze, the entire room going dead quite. Corporal Stevens put down his half-eaten slice of toast, standing up quietly as he pushed the stool he was sitting on back. Without a word he began to move towards the doorway, hoping to get out before Chalmers came back down. Just as he had almost made it to salvation however the Commander flew through the doorway and tackled the surprised Corporal out of a window, shards of glass flying everywhere. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ “What the fuc- *Crack!*” Stevens was cut off by Nigel’s un-armoured fist colliding with his face, the force of the blow knocking Steven’s head backwards. The Commander was standing over the surprised Corporal, holding Stevens off the ground with his left hand while the right was clenched into a fist. The early morning Manehattan rush was in full force with ponies, griffons and donkeys watching the fight in shock. “The Hell did I d-“ Stevens was cut off once again by another punch from the Commander, Nigel drawing his fist back in preparation for another strike. Corporal Stevens looked up at his Commander, not a single trace of emotion on Nigel’s face. Stevens almost shat his pants, there weren’t many things that could stop the Commander’s legendary humour and those that did usually did not survive to tell the tale. “I’ll tell you what you did you piece of dried-up monkey-shit,” Chalmers stated in a toneless voice, “you bedded a lady and then flat right walked out on her without so much as offering to escort her down to breakfast. That right there is just not on and you tarnish the reputation of males everywhere by doing so.” The Commander punctuated his sentence with another blow, causing the Corporal’s vision to spin. “Not only that,” Chalmers added as he slapped Stevens to make sure the corporal understood what he was saying “you outright tell her that it ‘meant nothing at all’ and that she should ‘stop crying and get over it’ before you left her sobbing her eyes out alone. I expect better from the men under my command, have some decency and honour you toss. We have to work with these Equestrians while we stay in this city, having you treating one of them like a bar-room whore is not going to cut it, do you understand?” Stevens stared up at Chalmers with hate in his eyes, before he spat a glob of blood onto the ground. “Well look who decided to grow up all of a sudden. What happened, you ran out of people to kill or are you just mad because out of all of us you get a kid instead of some action? Go fuck yourself you filthy abomination.” “Wrong answer” replied Chalmers, the artificial-muscles in his armour tightening as he picked the surprised Corporal off the ground and threw him into a nearby market stand. The flimsy wooden structure splintered into match-sticks at the force of the blow, the Commander walking over towards the wreckage as the crowd watching emitted gasps at the brutal display of strength. Chalmers stood over his subordinate, Stevens hacking up a mixture of blood and bile. The commander reached down once more, grasping the Corporal by the neck area of his armour and hosting the winded soldier up to eye level, the Corporal’s feet dangling in the air due to the Commander’s armour-assisted height. “Now Stevens,” said the Commander as he stared into the Corporal’s fear-filled eyes, “You’re going to go back into that Inn and apologise to that mare for acting like a wanker. You are going to ask for her forgiveness and offer to spend the day with her to make up for the nasty things you said. You are also going to start treating your superiors with some respect, Sergeant Boland may not be your normal squad leader but this is not a normal operation. I want no more lies from you and if you don’t pick up your game there will be consequences.” Chalmers finished by walking over towards the entrance of the Inn, halting at the open door. He flung Stevens through the doorway into the inn, the corporal hitting the ground with an audible thump. His task complete, Nigel turned towards the crowd of spectators, a warm smile on his face as he faced the horde of assorted creatures. “Nice weather we’re having, it looks like it’s going to be a wonderful day!” He exclaimed with joy, turning around and re-entering the Inn, leaving a speechless crowd and a broken stall behind him.
