To Gaze Upon a Tombstone

by Eternal Aviator

Rating: mature
Tags: Princess Celestia, Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, Gore, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Other, Princess Luna
Length: 12823

Ponykind had developed a new technology that allows them to look and listen deep into the stars. Using this new technology, they catch a glimpse of Earth, but at one of its darkest times.

eternal aviator

Published 2013-11-26 20:30:03 UTC
Last updated 2015-05-13 00:58:17 UTC

Only Warriors are Visible

To gaze upon a tombstone,
Only warriors are visible

"Thank you all for coming. I am most excited to show this new technology." Greeted Princess Luna as Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack walked into the throne room, talking among themselves while Pinkie Pie bounced instead of walking.
"Yes, my sister is very eager to demonstrate our work." Princess Celestia said with a smirk directed at the princess of the night.
"Oh shush." Luna teased back.
When the eight had settled down, Twilight took off the saddlebags she was waring and pulled out a notepad with ink & quill.
"We got your letter princess, what do you have to show us?" Asked the lavender unicorn.
"Is it fun?" Inquired Pinkie Pie as she continued her hopping in place.
Celestia chuckled quietly before looking over at Luna.
"Sister, would you please retrieve the device?" She asked with a smile.
Luna nodded and walked to the thrones then behind them.

Meanwhile, Celestia turned to look at the six.
"My little ponies, I have called upon the six of you to show our newest technology to." She announced as Twilight's eyes grew visibly larger. "We have developed a device that will allow us to look deep into the vastness of space to see and hear what one of our neighboring planets is like."
"That's incredible, princess!" Said Twilight with a big smile.
"Ah never thought such a thing was possible." Commented Applejack as she looked to the side in thought.
"I wonder what fashion sense these others have..." Rarity muttered under her breath.
Rainbow Dash snapped her attention on the white unicorn with the best 'are you kidding' expression she could muster. Rarity looked over at the prismatic pegasus and recoiled a little.
"What?"
Rainbow Dash just shrugged and looked forward again.

Princess Luna walked over to the others, a boxy looking device with what looked like screen on the front of it and a long antenna in her dark blue aura. Twilight was already writing down some notes as Luna set the device down.
"Please quiet down now." Said Celestia as Luna hit a switch and turned a small nob on the front all the way to the right.
The screen flickered to life but was fizzing with black and white.
"Is that supposed to happen?" Asked Fluttershy quietly.
"We just haven't found a signal yet is all." Replied Celestia as her horn lit up.
The antenna's tip started glowing as the screen started changing a bit.
"Almost... There!" Said Celestia as her horn stopped glowing. "Now, we have been studying this planet for about two weeks, and now we will see what life on it is really like." She said as the screen started showing what looked like a old door.
Little did the eight know, they were about to watch the operation known simply as Fishing in Baku.

__________

Wrecker was breathing heavily as he shut the old wood door behind him. He stopped with his hands on the door to rest for a few seconds before turning around and raising his SCAR-H towards the small hall he was in. As the Marine started walking down the stairs he inspected his rifle before taking out the mag. There were no bullets left. Sighing, he reluctantly put the mag back in the rifle anyways.
"Fuck..." He hissed to himself as he peered around the corner of the next hallway.
He was about to proceed when a shadow covered the thin light beam coming though the nearest window near the ceiling, making him crouch in place and pause for a moment. Looking up at the window he waited for the Russian soldier to pass before slowly moving on. After silently vaulting over a tipped locker, he took notice that the ground was submerged in about half a foot of water. Carefully turning the next corner, he walked a few steps before having to duck under a locker that was wedged on both walls, and walked up another small staircase.

After reaching the second floor Wrecker rounded a corner and saw a rat scurry under a locker on the far end of the hallway. Walking through the hall he spotted a wood door that was slightly ajar and pushed it open, his unloaded weapon at the ready. Quickly checking his surroundings he saw a bayonet blade sticking out from a board with a pair of dog tags hanging from them. Taking the tags he proceeded to the neighboring room, where there was a gaping hole in the ceiling and a large pile of rubble on the floor below it. Spotting another slightly open door on the other side of the room, Wrecker walked over and pushed it open. He started walking around the large hole in the floor when the door below him flew open, and a flashlight clicked on. He crouched as the light did a sweep of his floor as well as the other while one of the soldiers said something in Russian, followed by a radio.

__________

So far nothing exciting had happened yet, but the eight ponies were a little fearful by now.
"What is that thing the thing's holding all the time?" Asked Rainbow Dash.
"It appears to be some kind of weapon, judging by the way the thing's holding it and how it had that laser on the front." Replied Twilight.
Celestia thought about that for a minute. Weapons... The destroyed environment... The way this creature seamed to be keeping a low profile...
"My little ponies," She said as she turned to them. "It has come to my attention that this being we are watching may be involved in a war." She said firmly.
Fluttershy whimpered and curled up and Rarity reeled back slightly with wide eyes.
"W-war?" They both stammered together.
"That explains why the building this thing's in looks like after the changeling attack on Canterlot..." Applejack said to herself.
"If any of you would like to leave due to the possible violence that may follow, you may now." Announced Celestia
Almost immedeatly after she said that Rarity and Fluttershy both got up and walked out of the throne room.

__________

Wrecker had stayed in the room for about a minute to think about just what the hell he was going to do, before opening the next door across a hallway. Multiple birds flew into his face and past him as he recoiled and slowly stepped into the room. Before he could even react, his gun was forced down and he turned to see Pac, another lost Marine of Tombstone, holding what looked like a Glock 18 at his head.
"Drop it!" Pac said quickly before realizing who he almost shot and lowered his gun. "Damnit, Wrecker. I almost shot you in the face." He said as he holstered his Glock and handled his M16A4. "You lost your tail."
A moment later another soldier walked in through the back door of the room, and Wrecker and Pac both trained there weapons on him, Wrecker's laser sight on.
"Ease up, Pac." Said Dunn, the squad leader after a moment of identification as he lowered his M416. "Where the hell have you been?"
"After the hand off went pair shaped I came straight here." Replied Pac in a worried voice. "They were Russians right? Spec-ops, one second they're there the next they're not." He continued quickly.

Dunn put up a hand to stop him.
"Take deep breaths, son. You got the intel?" Asked the leader.
Pac took a moment to feel one of his utility pouches before nodding.
"Yeah, yeah, Got it." He breathed.
"Nice play." Dunn replied as he and Pac walked to the boarded up windows. "Shit, it's already daylight, we gotta get to the extraction point." He said as he peered through on of the windows, before turning to Pac. "You got a 20 on Irish?"
"I thought he was with you." Replied Pac.
Dunn turned away sharply.
"Breaking radio silence." He said firmly as he put a hand to his shoulder. "Tombstone Three, Tombstone Actual, what's your 20?" Demanded Dunn as he started pacing.
"Tombstone Actual, inbound from the north. Coming in hot!" Came the voice of Irish, the team's gunner. "Requesting cover fire on my retreat!"
"We copy, Irish! Wrecker, gear up and get ready!" Ordered Dunn as he and Pac began pulling down the boards on the windows.
Wrecker walked over to the nearby ammo crate and stocked up on magazines until he was full before turning back and manning one of the right side windows.
"You got my ass?" Asked Irish.
"Take position by the window! We gotta cover Irish!" Said Dunn as the three of them manned there windows, weapons locked and loaded.

__________

Celestia was a little shocked at the events that were unfolding. As much as she was a bit worried for the four elements still present, she was a little eager to see what these humans were capable of, now that it was clear they were soldiers. Good ones too. She glanced back to see Twilight scribbling down notes like no tomorrow, Applejack was watching intently with some worry, Rainbow Dash looked a bit eager, and Pinkie Pie had a look of awe plastered on her face. Celestia was about to talk when she was startled by the sound of a high pitched horn, followed instantly by the sound of a shattering window and two very angry dogs. Whipping her head around she saw another one of the humans in his armor and gear roll onto his feet as a dog charged at him and landed in front of him. She watched as her heart raced and recoiled as the human raised his long weapon with one hand and with a sound like cannons going off all at once, blood sprayed from the dogs head and it fell dead.

Celestia heard a loud whimper from behind her and glanced to see Pinkie Pie's mane was deflated, she had gotten noticeably darker and her lower lip was quivering. Twilight had even stopped taking her notes and was watching in utter shock. Even Rainbow Dash seamed frightened.
"Get the fuck off of me!" Yelled the human again and Celestia turned.
The human was now wrestling with a second dog, which he threw over his shoulder and pinned to the ground. A loud cry of pain emitted from the dog as the human delivered a knock out punch to its head before standing up and ducking behind a nearby truck.
"Wrecker! Hostiles in the windows across!" Yelled the human Dunn.
Celestia watched now in horror as the first-person view looked down the weird box-like optic on the top of his weapon at what looked like a small market, where another human inside ducked by a window. It looked up with its own weapon raised at the human Irish, but more deafening bangs sounded from Wrecker's weapon and blood coated the floor behind the human, which fell dead with a cry of agony.

Pinkie let out a sob as she covered her face up, and Applejack wrapped a hoof around her back. That was enough for Celestia as her horn glowed to turn the device off but it didn't, and more bangs echoed through the room.
"What's happening?" Demanded Luna as she looked over at Celestia.
"I don't know! It won't turn off!" Shouted Celestia as her horn glowed brighter.
The device still remained on as more loud bangs and now some extremely loud explosions radiated from the device, as well as more shouts of order and pain. After a brutal half minute of enduring the terrible noises, the sounds stopped.
"Irish! Get up here!" Shouted Dunn.
"Anything still moving?" Yelled Pac.
"Got em' all!"
"Clear!" Replied Irish as he ran over to the building. "Give me a hand." He said as he started climbing up and Pac leaned out the window with his arms outstretched.

"You okay Irish?" Asked Pac as Irish climbed through the window.
"Fuck, man. I guess the safe house ain't so safe." He replied in a winded voice as he walked past Pac.
Celestia was still trying to turn the device off as the team walked through the door that Dunn had originally come through.
"Tombstone on the move." Dunn said quietly.
Finally the screen turned off and Celestia breathed a hefty sigh of relief, as well as Luna who both turned around and walked to the four shocked and scared ponies.
"I'm so sorry you had to endure that, all of you." Luna said somberly as she knelt by Pinkie Pie and Applejack.
"Rainbow Dash, Twilight, my deepest apologies to both of you. That footage was terrifying." Celestia said slowly as she sat by the two.
Rainbow Dash looked like she wanted to stand up and say something like, "that didn't scare me!" but she didn't. She only nodded.
"Our wars... are nothing compared to Earth..." Twilight said to nopony in particular.
"Even we didn't kill the changelings when they attacked, just gave em' a beating." Rainbow Dash said sadly.

Pinkie Pie was openly sobbing into Applejack's shoulder by now, and the farm pony just hugged her and patted her back.
Celestia nodded before standing up.
"Now all of you go home. I think we're done here today." She announced.
The four stood up and slowly turned to walk out of the room, muttering and whimpering among themselves. When they got to the door, Twilight looked behind her at the princess.
"Princess...?"
"Not now, Twilight. Please go." Celestia said firmly, but she too was shaken to the core by the five minute of horror she had just bestowed to the elements.
Twilight slowly walked through the large doorway and trotted up to the others before the doors swung closed, leaving the two Princesses in there throne room. A powerful silence bore down on them as they stood side by side, motionless, untill Luna looked over at her sister.
"Should I destroy the device?" She asked.
Celestia sighed, contemplating her answer.
"Yes. I do not feel it is necessary to watch these beings anymore, and we can stop our studies on there kind." She replied flatly as Luna turned around and walked away from her.

Author's Note

Sweet! I hope you all enjoyed my little experiment! More chapters are on there way!
I'll admit the ending could've been better, but eh... Oh well.
Leave a comment below on what I did well and what I could do better, and thanks for reading!

But Their Mission can be Unearthed

To gaze upon a tombstone,
Only warriors are visible,
But their mission can be unearthed

An itching curiosity and a burning desire plagued Princess Luna's mind as she gazed down upon the device. As much as she wanted to rid Equestria--and her own mind of it, another part of her wanted to see them again. To see what they were doing. To know what Tombstone's purpose was. It was a fierce battle that waged in her mind. The part of her that wanted to destroy the device would push forward, tempting her to do so, then the other would make a push, and she'd take a slow step closer to it. She finally scrunched up her face in a concluding thought, and sighed deeply. Luna's horn lit up in it's dark blue glow and she closed her eyes. She prepared to rid Equestria of the device once and for all, but before she could fire the spell, thoughts of that squad... Tombstone... rushed though her mind, and her eyes snapped open.
"No..." She said to herself. "I must know more..."

The aura around Luna's horn turned a tad darker in luster as she levitated the device up to her face and stared at it for a moment. She stood there for longer than she had thought, lost in her mind. Turning swiftly, she marched quickly though her corridors, making sure to stay out of sight of the Lunar Guard posts, until she reached her room in which she shut and locked the door. Now in a eager mood, she cleared off a desk and set down the device. Hitting the power button, she turned the nob about until the static on the screen started to subside. She was about to sit and watch when a thought occurred to her. She fondled with a smaller nob on the side of the screen and sat down, waiting intently for the signal to come through.
"Please..." She murmured with wide eyes.
Her heart gave a leap of joy and surprise when the first sound that came though was more of those small canon like devices. It was a good thing she turned down the volume. Multiple cries in a language she didn't understand sounded as more gunshots thundered and her heart raced, not knowing what was going to happen next.

__________

Wrecker sent some more rounds down range as the other three moved up in a spread.
"Moving!" Shouted Pac as he advanced towards a column for cover.
The four of them, Tombstone, had fought there way through almost an entire platoon on soldiers with the help of Hawkins piloting her UH-1Y Venom mounted with a door gunner. Man was she a help. If she hadn't been there for the support, it would've taken Tombstone a lot longer to reach there destination. Or maybe not at all. Wrecker issued an attack gesture from his position as he moved up behind Dunn, who had knelt behind a crate.
"Copy that!" Called Irish as he took aim from his separate crate, followed by Dunn and Pac as the three of them peppered the few remaining enemies with 5.56 assault rifle rounds.
"Clear!" Shouted Dunn as he stood up, weapon ready, as well as Wrecker.
The four of them cautiously made there way into what was left of the entrance to the factory building, their designated extraction point.

"Clear." Updated Pac as he walked in behind Dunn.
"Corners, guys." Said Dunn as he took big steps forward.
The four of them walked though the only path in the building that wasn't completely covered in ruble in a few moments of silence.
"This rickety old place creeps me out." Pac said somewhat to himself.
"Yep." Added Irish in a blank tone. "Does a real shitty job of reminding me of home." Irish paused. "Yo, Dunn. Sorry I blew cover back at there." He said quietly.
"Forget it. We're all alive, guys. That's all that counts." Dunn replied calmly.
The rest of the walk to the other end of the building was quiet. A little too quiet if Wrecker was asked. When they got to the south wall, they rounded a corner to the right and spotted a service elevator. It looked in working condition.
"This shit is the best way up?" Asked Irish.
"It's the fastest, no time to explore any options." Replied Dunn as he lowered his weapon and jogged into the elevator, along with the other three.
"Wait till' you see the terrace view." Said Irish sarcastically.
"Now I expect to be blown away." Deadpanned Pac as he looked outside of the now rising elevator.
"Shut up. Eyes peeled." Ordered Dunn as he turned away from the two.

For a moment the only sound was the old elevator motor doing it's work until Hawkins called in over the radio. She sounded urgent.
"Tombstone Actual, radar's lighting up. You got hostile air!" She said quickly.
"Shit, she's right! Over there, enemy helicopter!" Yelled Dunn as he pointed to a MI-28 Havoc closing quickly.
"Son of a bitch! fuck!" Cried Irish as he and the rest of the team began emptying their clips on it.
The 5.56 and 7.62 bullets were no match for the tough armor and layered bullet glass of the helicopter, and they quickly took cover by the front of the elevator in hopes to not be attacked. It was no use however as two S-5 rockets exploded under the elevator before the third impacted the room, sending all four of them to the floor and Wrecker to accidentally discharge a few rounds into nowhere. They all began screaming and yelling but none of it was audible to Wrecker as they all fell out onto the floor of the level they had stopped on and started frantically getting up. Just before Wrecker got up himself, he caught a terrifying glimpse of the Russian attack copter hovering in place, as if taunting him, waiting for his next move.

"Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up!" Screamed Irish as all four of them bee lined it across the walkway by the windows, which were getting obliterated as they passed them.
A few lucky rounds hit inside the building and damaged a seem on the suspended walkway, causing a part of it to almost collapse. Jumping over it they made there way to the northern staircase to get to the roof as fast as they could go.
"Muthafucka's gonna tear this place down!" Yelled Irish as Wrecker followed him up the stairs.
"How far is it!?" Yelled Pac as the four sprinted across the next floor to what looked like a large breach to the roof.
"I think this is the top floor!" Shouted back Dunn.
None of them even bothered to take cover as they got closer to the hole.
"Tombstone Actual, where the hell are you!?" Demanded Firebird.
"Top floor! Running!" Screamed Dunn as they finally got to the roof, where the friendly helicopter was hovering in place on the opposite side.

Half the roof was left until Tombstone reached the helicopter
"It's backing off. Dunn, get everyone on the chopper, now!" Said Firebird as a door gunner came into view, holding onto the helicopter and reaching out to them.
"This intel better be fucking worth it!" Cried Irish as he caught up with Pac.
Dunn and Wrecker were leading and were so close...
"Get in here now! The building's unstable!"
20 meters...
10 meters...
Then everything went south.
A S-5 rocket impacted the ground just under the helicopter, knocking it unstable for a few moments and making the entire section of roof almost cave in. Dunn and Wrecker had been knocked off there feet by the blast and were now backpedaling as fast as they could from the still unstable helicopters blades, which were threatening to chop off both there legs as it banked to evade.
"Shit! Come on. Stand back!" Yelled Firebird as she tried to pull up.
"Hawkins, pull up!" Cried Dunn as the blades came within mere inches of his legs.
Finally the helicopter pulled upwards and swooped over the roof.
"I've lost controls!" The MI-28 strafed right behind her, blasting off a barrage of rockets everywhere.
Then the situation got worse.

One of the two massive cement smoke stacks had been shaken beyond it's limit and had started to fall with a loud groaning sound.
"It's falling apart!" Yelled Pac as wrecker scrambled backwards more to avoid being crushed.
The pillar slammed into the roof with tremendous force, making it collapse and Wrecker to fall half a story to his back, where two Russian soldiers were standing disoriented. Yanking out his SCAR-H, he emptied the rest of his clip into them, killing one and knocking down the other as the Marine began to slide down the sharp incline at alarming speed. Everything went by so fast as Wrecker slipped and slid through the crumbling building that he almost didn't see Dunn. He was trapped in some wreckage as he reached out from his stationary position to try and grasp Wrecker's outstretched hand, but no use. He slid helplessly past and went through a weak piece of stone on the very edge of the building, flying out and barely managing to grip the edge of the wall where he held on for dear life.
"I'm hit! I'm hit!" Shouted Firebird in a panicked voice.
Wrecker looked over and saw her helicopter half on fire and dropping quickly towards the ground. It was a good thing he look in that direction too, otherwise he wouldn't have caught Dunn who had apparently gotten free and nearly fell himself.
"Aah! Hold on!" He pleaded as he gripped Wreckers free hand like a vise.
Wrecker looked down at him and saw Firebird thundering towards the ground just below them.
"I'm going down! I'm going--" The helicopter collided with the earth and it spun on the ground from the force of the hit, spitting pieces of ground and blades in every direction.
Just then, Wrecker dared a look upwards and heard the sound of stone tumbling towards him, before a massive chunk hit him and sent he and Dunn plummeting four stories.

__________

Luna was almost speechless. These humans just went through so much chaos in less time than Luna could even comprehend and come out alive. Well... almost alive... The screen view was still obstructed by the large piece of stone that had fallen on the soldier, Wrecker, and Luna was most sure a fall like that and a two-hundred pound piece of stone landing on top of you would've been fatal. As the screen remained black and Luna sat frozen, she decided to take some notes. Just a few, in case there wouldn't be anymore of this frighteningly spectacular footage to behold. She turned to her night stand and grabbed a small notepad and quill & ink, and thought of what to write down what was important. It was slow, as not a lot was coming to mind, but she began writing.

Study on human society-First observation
At first sight of these human combatants, they appeared to be nothing more than weapon wielding killers. The single soldier I first saw seamed to be wandering aimlessly, but with haste. When it encountered another human soldier much like it, they seamed to communicate easily. The human, later found to go by the name 'Wrecker', and the other were shortly met by another, who addressed the second as 'Pac'. The three talked briefly to one another in fluent equestrian before the third, 'Dunn', had requested to know the whereabouts of a fourth soldier named 'Irish'. After taking position by three windows, the human Irish jumped through a nearby window and was attacked by two dogs. Both of which he killed before hiding behind a very strange looking carriage. Another thing I should note~

Luna shook her head as the unfinished last sentence didn't look good, and crossed it off.

Another thing I should note The thing that was truly interesting though was the three humans at the windows only used their weapons on the other clad figures near the street, even though they could've easily killed the crowd of unarmed ones before. These unknown clad soldiers were killed and Irish was rescued, and the footage was stopped.

Luna sighed as she set down the quill and notepad. She turned to get up and walk out of the room when the sound of churning rubble sounded from the device. Luna inhaled quickly and rushed back over just as some hazy light began to show. Eager to see what would happen next, she turned up the volume a tad and listened in.

__________

"Holy shit!" Wrecker hear Irish shout distantly as he regained consciousness.
There was just a narrow peak of light that the huge piece of stone that had almost crushed him didn't cover up as boots on dirt could be heard approaching him. Shortly after a pair of gloved hands gripped the end of the stone slab and hoisted it upwards.
"You okay, man?" Asked Irish before looking over to his left. "Pac, any sign of Hawkins or the rest of the crew?" He called.
"No one survived that!" Replied Pac, who sounded worn.
"Get Dunn away from the wreckage!"
"I can't! He's buried!" Yelled Pac as he strained his voice.
"Try! I'm over here digging up Wrecker!" Irish replied as he looked for a spot to grip before flipping off the larger piece.
He grunted as he did so and helped pull Wrecker up afterwards, who stretched and brushed his legs off.
"Arrgghh, my leg!" Dunn cried.
"Oh man, oh man." Pac said to himself.

Irish and Wrecker ran over to the other two. The sight was gruesome. Pac was knelt over Dunn who's right leg was pinned up to the knee in at least a thousand pounds of wreckage. It was swollen and bloody, and more than likely the bone had been crushed.
"Jesus Christ, his leg looks like popped sausage..." Irish said to himself as he knelt over Dunn too.
"You're gonna be fine, Dunn. You're gonna be okay, man. We're gonna get you out." Pac said quickly as he tried to treat the leg.
Then the situation somehow managed to get worse when the nearby helicopter fuel puddle ignited in a large inferno not far from Dunn.
"Pac, the fuel!" Yelled Irish.
"Yeah, I know, I know!" Cried Pac as he circled to Dunn's other side.
"Stop!" Shouted Irish in another direction.
Wrecker tuned around to see a civilian SUV rolling up to where they were.
"Wrecker, cover me!" Irish ordered as he circled around the driver side and Wrecker did the same on the other.

Both their weapons trained on a Chinese man, Irish stepped closer.
"Get out! Get out now!" He ordered. "Get out!"
The man quickly stepped out with his hands up.
"I help. Please, please. I help you! Please!" He insisted.
"No you have to get out of here! It's not safe here!" Irish said pointing past the driver.
The man seemed reluctant but complied as he turned and ran from the scene, leaving the two soldiers to tend to Dunn again.
"Fucking civilians..."
Then the last thing Wrecker wanted to hear came from Dunn.
"Wrecker, I need your knife!" He strained.
"What for, Staff Sergeant?" Asked Pac.
"Gotta cut the leg!"
"Gotta do what?"
"Wrecker, come here!" Demanded Dunn.
Wrecker kneeled down next to him and put a hand to his heaving chest.
"A wolf stuck in a trap will chew off it's own leg to survive." Dunn groaned. "Come on. The bone's powder, just flesh and uniform keeping me here!"

Wrecker hesitantly took out his blade and held it with both hands by Dunn's leg.
"Do it! Cut it now!" Urged the sergeant.
Putting a hand on his leg, Wrecker glanced up at Dunn before pulling upwards with his arm, slicing the leg clean off and leaving a bloody knife in Wrecker's grasp. Dunn let out a terrible cry of pain before passing out. Pac and Irish both dragged him to the car and Wrecker only stared at the blade before letting it roll out of his palm and following the rest.
"We gotta go." Groaned Irish.
"Is he dead?" Asked Pac nervously.
"He's not dead, he's just passed out." Replied Irish. "You're the combat lifesaver, man. You should know this!"
"It was like a three hour course!" Yelled Pac as the two continued dragging Dunn to the car.
And not a second too soon. The fuel detonated, blasting Wrecker off his feet.
"Ah shit!" Screamed Irish.
A moment later, the situation got even worse.

The MI-28 Havoc from earlier flew over head as Wrecker scrambled to his feat and stood by the back seat with Pac as they loaded Dunn into the car.
"Let's go, let's go!" Said Irish as he climbed into the passenger seat. "Chopper's coming back around, let's go!"
"Hey, these Azerbaijanis are alright, huh?" Huffed Pac as he shut his door and made sure Dunn was in a good position. "You're gonna be okay, Dunn! You're gonna be okay. We're gonna get you out. You're gonna be okay!" Pac said as he shot a glance at Irish. "He's gonna be okay, right?"
"He's the boss, man, you're damn right he's gonna be okay." Assured Irish as he shut his door. "Let's go! Wrecker, take the wheel!"
He complied as he got in the truck and closed the door. Turning the key the engine rumbled to life and he stepped on the gas, launching them out of the factory area and through a gate.

"Fortress, this is Tombstone. Our evac is gone. Need another way out, do you copy?" Irish asked over the radio.
"Tombstone, Fortress is tracking you. Secondary extraction en route. Follow the road three clicks west." Replied Captain Garrison.

__________

The recent events Luna had just witnessed were disturbing to say the least. She had just watched someone cut off another one's leg to help them survive. That phrase Dunn had said right before Wrecker cut his leg off recited itself in Luna'a head. Something about it was very unnerving to her. She watched without so much as moving as Tombstone flew along the black road in the strange and fast carriage like machine, while relaying commands and orders to their unknown leader. They kept on driving before something Luna didn't expect happened.
"Shit. My leg..." Dunn mumbled, making Luna's eyes widen. "My wife's gonna kill me."
"Dunn, breath slowly. We'll get you home. You're gonna be fine." Pac said calmly to him.
"If the intel we got is right about Admiral Chang and the Russians, none of us is going home." Dunn breathed.

Luna inhaled sharply. This 'Intel' Dunn just talked about. Admiral Chang, Russians, it sounded like some sort of other empire on Earth. An evil one. Could this have been what their mission was? Why Tombstone had gone through this Tartarus and almost lost a teammate? Why they were forced to kill? It could be it, but Luna had no way of knowing.

"Anyone else hearing the opening bars of "Dixie?" Dunn asked, apparently trying to lighten the mood, but he sounded very tired.
"Just hang in there! Speed up, Wreck! Dunn's going into shock!" Yelled Pac.
An explosion flashed in front of the vehicle, startling Luna a bit, and Wrecker swerved to evade.
"Here it comes!" Pac cried as the large flying object soared overhead, nearly destroying the road and blinding Wrecker with the smoke. "Can we shake it?"
"Not fucking likely." Irish said flatly as the car turned into a long tunnel. "Where the fuck is it? Where'd it go? You see it?" He continued as they left the tunnel, and Luna saw a massive roaring lake smashing into the rock beside the road as they drove.
"I don't see where the heck it went." Replied Pac.

Luna was leaning forward now, so eager but a little edgy to see what would happen. Would that flying contraption come back? Her question was answered a few moments later when Tombstone went over a hill and there it was, waiting for them. The view Luna got of the machine was menacing. It was nothing more than a shadow but massive spinning blades and it's narrow shape were easily visible. It almost gave her a shiver, but she stuck it out.
"There, I see it! Get ready!" Irish called as it started turning in their direction and Wrecker was blinded by more explosions and yellow bolts flying by the car.
They drove under it and it banked to pursue them quickly, more quickly than Luna ever thought a machine that big could do.
"That was too close!" Exclaimed Pac.
In the distance, the machine could be seen taking an offensive position as more yellow bolts sizzled past them.
"It's lining up!" Shouted Irish as explosions rocked the car back and fourth.
Now the bolts were hitting the front of the car and sparks and smoke were flying in every direction as Irish yelled something in audible over the explosions and now the shattering windows. The car jerked to the right, throwing Wrecker almost of the door but he managed to hold onto the wheel inside.

Luna now openly gasped at the rush of the situation as Wrecker looked up and the machine thundered over. He looked to Irish who had a very strange looking device in his free hand, and was holding the end with a handle to Wrecker.
"Burn those motherfuckers!!" He screamed as Wrecker snatched the device and took aim behind the car, where the machine was about to ultimately destroy them.
With a loud thumping sound a large projectile flew at a bulge on the side of the machine, which exploded and caught on fire. The explosion sent flams across a glass part on front and to another bulge on the opposite side and within a second the entire thing was ablaze. Luna actually recoiled as it spun and crashed ahead go them, forcing Tombstone off the road and plunging into the large lake.

"Oh my gods..." Luna was so shocked that she couldn't help herself. This was unbelievable what these four soldiers were going through. How could they be sane after going through something like that? Killing, killing, and more killing. Even if it was for a purpose like the one mentioned earlier, Luna could hardly bare to think of it. Now these soldiers were underwater with a very badly wounded one. Luna was about to simply stand up and leave when she heard music from the device. It sounded calm, almost relaxing. The instruments used sounded unfamiliar, but she took a deep breath and returned her attention to the slowly clearing up screen.

__________

"Oh man, I don't wanna die to this song." Pac said somberly.
"Hey, Irish. You know what kinda fish they have in Baku?" Dunn grunted.
"Negative, Staff Sergeant." Irish replied calmly.
Wrecker's senses flew back to him and he gasped, grabbing the upside down steering wheel.
"Hey, Wrecker." Irish said, grappling his shoulder as he turned to face him. "Wrecker, you conscious? Get back in the game, man. Stay with me."
The car groaned loudly as it's integrity was pushed to it's limit by the water.
"Nice play, Wrecker. That was some of the finest driving I've ever seen." Dunn said with a small smile from his upside down position. "Right there until the end." He said before sighing. "Hit the light, Pac."
The soldier complied and turned on the LED and let out a sigh/whimper.

"The seat won't budge." Said Irish as he rocked his seat back and fourth, trying to loosen it. "You're pinned in, Sergeant."
"Irish," Dunn wheezed as he started trying to free the seat with more force, as well as Pac. "The worst thing we can do in a situation like this is panic."
"You talk like that, man you scare the crap out of me" Irish said as he halted his attempts to free Dunn. "Pac, help me move the seat, man!" He ordered as he and Pac began rocking it hard again.
"We're still sinking!" Pac hissed as tension began rising alarmingly fast.
"Shit. We're gonna get you out of here, Dunn. You hear me?"
"How, man? The doors are stuck shut." Pac said.
"Shit!" Yelled Irish as he looked out the front window, which was slowly cracking.
"This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, Irish." Dunn said in a surprisingly calm tone. "Wrecker, take my gun. It's yours now."
"What the fuck are you thinking, Dunn? What the fuck are you thinking?" Demanded Irish as Wrecker grasped the MP412 .357 revolver.
"For the wolf to survive its gotta chew off its own leg. Fire!" Dunn said sternly.
"Negative, don't do it!" Irish pleaded as Wrecker looked at him and back.
"Now, Wrecker! Shoot out the window!" Continued Dunn. "That's and order!"

Wrecker turned to the window and slowly raised the handgun with a shaky hand.
"Don't you fucking do it, Wrecker!" Yelled Irish.
"Save yourselves! Get out of here!" Dunn almost begged. "Get out of here!"
"This is fucking bullshit, man! You hear me!?" Screamed Irish as Wrecker now pointed the gun at the window.
"Shoot out the window or you all die!" Cried Dunn.
Wrecker slowly squeezed the trigger and the double-action hammer slowly came back, before he took a quick breath and the hammer went forward.

Author's Note

Well! Needless to say, Battlefield 4 has one of the most intense campaigns I've ever seen and probably will see in a long time. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed and I can't wait for chapter three!

Oh yeah, and just so you know, mission two of the campaign--Shanghai-- is not going to bee in this story. Sorry.

Their Abilities Discovered

Author's Note

For those coming back to this story after previously reading it, know that this addition to the chapter was just the second part of the mission being compiled into the first part, and I deleted the second part chapter. How it'll work is for missions where I split them into parts, as those parts are written and published they will eventually be compiled into one chapter, such as now. There will likely be another part for this mission later on, and you'll see it be added as a segment until later on when I add it to the rest of this chapter.

For those who are reading this for the fist time, I hope you enjoy!

Their Abilities Discovered

To gaze upon a tombstone,
Only warriors are visible,
But their mission can be unearthed,
Their abilities discovered

Study on human society-Second observation
I have not been watching these soldiers for very long. I have yet to learn more about them, much more. They are a true enigma to me. Over the course of the second observation, however, I can tell they do in fact have purpose, and that they are not just random marauders. Dunn, their leader, having lost his right leg during the collapse of a very large building, was most likely unconscious in the back of a strange motorized carriage when he had stated something about 'intel' on an 'Admiral Chang' and 'Russians'. These are apparently other empires, and the other soldiers that Tombstone has been in conflict with are from one of them. I am assuming this means war is about to break out among Earth, and Tombstone is involved. I do not know why yet, but I can tell it is for a reason very important to the empire they serve. To support this theory, Dunn later sacrificed his own life to allow the rest of Tombstone to escape, with said 'intel'.

__________

_ONE DAY LATER_

Princess Luna walked along the tall and narrow corridors to the dining hall for breakfast, lost completely in thought. Only muscle memory prevented the princess from walking straight by turns or bumping into walls. The only thing that she could do was think of Dunn, and how he had willingly handed down his own life for the sake of his squad and the 'intel'. Rounding a corner a solar guard saw her and straightened out. Luna payed no heed and walked right by him to the large doors. She was about to open them and join Celestia and Twilight and the others when she stopped, her hoof on the door. Should she say anything? Why would she? Celestia told her to destroy the device and she disobeyed. What about Twilight? No... She couldn't do that to Celestia.

Setting her mind straight, she opened the door and walked in, a gentle smile on her face as she was greeted.
"Good morning, Luna." Celestia said from the head of the table.
"Good morning, Princess!" Chirped Twilight from the same side of the table.
Luna only nodded calmly in response. It felt like doing anything would set off the thoughts of Tombstone right now, and she didn't want to take any chances. She sat down opposite from Twilight and glanced around.
"Only the three of us?" She asked?
"Apparently. The other five are busy." Replied Twilight.
"I'm not sure where everyone else is." Celestia added, using her magic to use a fork and take a waffle from the middle plate.
The middle plate had plenty of breakfast foods, including waffles, pancakes, and sugared french toast. Twilight took a large pancake and some powdered sugar and took a big bite, making her cheeks bulge a little. Celestia chuckled and Twilight blushed as she started chewing.

Celestia watched with a grin and a slightly raised eyebrow as the lavender alicorn struggled to swallow the food, before smiling at Luna, who still wore a blank expression.
"Are you alright, sister? Did you sleep okay?" Asked Celestia with her head cocked slightly to the side.
She didn't even tighten a muscle, her eyes didn't move or blink. She just sat staring forward into emptiness.
"Luna...?" The sun goddess said slowly, a visible look of concern on her face. "What's wrong?"
Still no response. Now both Celestia and Twilight were worried.
"Take my gun, it's yours now. For the wolf to survive it's gotta chew off it's own leg..."
"Luna!" Twilight said just under a shout as she leaned forward.
This got the night goddess out of her trans as she jumped in her seat, letting out a quick gasp as her eyes widened in shock. She glanced at the two worried alicorns before drawing in a shaky breath.
"I-I must leave..." She said with a voice just over a whisper as she stood up and made for the door.
"Luna!" Celestia yelled, making her freeze by the door. "You need to tell us what's wrong!"

She slowly turned, her face fearful and her body shaking ever so lightly.
"It's..." She stopped and sighed deeply. "The human soldiers."
"What? Luna I told you directly-" Celestia started.
"No listen!" Luna snapped, making Celestia recoil. "There's something about these soldiers that makes them more than just killers! I've yet to find out, but they are doing what they did for a reason! I am trying to unlock it!"
Celestia stood still, a look of utter shock plastered on her face as Twilight stood next to her with the same look. Luna could tell both were at a loss for words. She was about to turn and quickly leave when an idea came to her head.
"Let me show you."

__________

Celestia walked into Luna's room behind her and shut the door, locking it. Luna could tell Celestia was still having a bit of trouble coping with this situation, but the only thing on her mind right now was seeing what Tombstone was up too. She was setting up the device with intent focus when Celestia called her, breaking her concentration.
"Have you been taking notes on these humans?" She asked, slightly, and understandably baffled.
Luna looked up from the console and nodded.
"Yes, and I'm sorry again for going against you." She replied.
"It's okay. I understand now how much this means to you, so I won't stop you until I truly feel it is necessary." Celestia said gently. "Is it ready?"
Luna scrunched up her face as she turned a final nob and flicked the switch upwards.
"I think so."

The screen then started up and the white static started to slowly form into a scene, which neither of them recognized. There were bright flashing lights of various colors and people were yelling at each other in what must have been some other language. The human being pointed a finger towards a large box like carriage with blue flashing lights and green and yellow checker paint while glancing at another human in black armor like equipment, shouting,
"Se mettre en position! Se mettre en position, maintenant!"
The human than looked down a wide street and raised a... Celestia gasped in shock as the human raised a small weapon.
"This isn't the right one..." Luna said somewhat to herself as she started fiddling with the nobs again.
The screen returned back to static before clearing up again. Hoping it was the right one this time, she held her breath and sat back and turned to Celestia, who was reading her notes.
"I have no idea what's going to happen. If it's anything you can't handle, feel free to exit." Luna said quietly.
"Luna... These notes..." She said slowly before glancing at her sister. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes. Here, I think this is it."

__________

A short gasp escaped the mouth of Sergeant Wrecker as he almost hit his head on the bunk above him. After a few milliseconds of observation he remembered he was back aboard the U.S.S. Valkyrie. He stretched his clothed arms in front of himself and gazed at his gloved hands for a moment, rotating them slowly before something reached his ears.
"Yo." Something whispered, just barley distinguishable as a noise. "Yo." It whispered again, sounding more like a 'oh', but still barely. "Yo. Wrecker!" A male voice called from his right.
He probably would've still had to think about what the 'oh' noise was until the man said his name. He looked over and saw a man resting on his side in a bunk parallel with his own, looking at him. He wore a dark blue body suit, so Wrecker assumed he was one of the Valkyrie's original sailors and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Damn, dude, you were thrashing about." He said calmly. "Bad dream?"
Wrecker simply rolled halfway back onto his back and looked at the bunk about him with a sigh before moving to climb out. As he was about to push himself down he stopped as the sailor spoke again.
"Sleep rotations in ten."
Wrecker looked up at him, still in his position.
"Two hours about up anyway." He continued. "I'm amazed you were able to sleep at all after what happened."
Wrecker only shifted uncomfortably, the horrific memory still glued to the front of his mind.

"It's fucking roasting in here." He said as he rolled onto his back and placed his hands on his chest. "It's like there's no air anywhere on this ship."
Wrecker started scooting himself backwards to get off the bunk.
"By the way, Irish swam by. Didn't dare wake you." He said as Wrecker sat facing the soldier. "I'm telling you, man. You gotta steal sleep while you can." He said as Wrecker hopped down and turned left. "Peace, Wrecker." The sailor said, holding up two fingers as he walked out of the small room.
He proceeded down the hallway towards a intersection where two sailors were working on something in the ceiling.
"This one's okay." Said the one doing the work.
"Hang on a second... Navigation, satellite uplink, radar, sonar, internal cooling, lights mid deck quarters. Alright." Replied the other, checking things off on a list as Wrecker walked by them, taking a left towards a door.
"What were you saying?"
"Please tell me all that navigation, sonar, cooling shit's not on us to fix?"
"This is a big list. at least we have propulsion. God bless diesel." They chatted as Wrecker opened up the loud door lock and opened it.
He was forced to look away for a few seconds as his eyes adjusted to the strong mid-day light before stepping outside onto the catwalk, where a bunch of other Marines and sailors were talking among one another.

The sight was really one to admire; the bright day sunlight reflecting off the clear ocean water as seagulls flew about, squawking at each other while the other Naval vessels cruised beside the large aircraft carrier. A Marine looking through a pair of binoculars at the other ships sighed.
"Clear weather and binoculars. A hundred years ago we would kick ass. Now, we're blind as bats. Fucking Chinese." He groaned as Wrecker walked past him and down a flight of stairs, stifling a chuckle while the Marine behind the other stepped up.
"We don't know it was the Chinese."
"You wanna bet? A hundred bucks it was them. When we rendezvous with the titan we'll know for--"
The Marine was cut off as the intercom buzzed to life and the PA's voice came through. Wrecker walked through the doorway and down a short hall.
"All hands who speak or understand Mandarin, please report to your CO."

__________

Even though Wrecker hadn't gone far, a hundred answer-less questions were rampaging through Luna's mind. The same appeared to be happening to Celestia, as her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were wide.
"They... They have a titan...?" She said, slowly turning her head to look at Luna. "They said they were going to join with a titan, Luna. Do you know how powerful these beings could be to call upon a god?
Luna looked down at the floor, a frown on her face.
"Perhaps these humans are... far more powerful than I anticipated..." She muttered to herself.
"A-and those two humans working on the hall back there!" Celestia continued loudly. "They were mentioning all this equipment that gods only know what can do..."
"And the water." Said Luna. "The water was moving below them when he was outside, but that..." She stopped, realization finally knocking on her head as her jaw dropped. "They're on a boat. A very large boat."
Celestia nodded slowly, her face possessing the same baffled look that Luna did as she turned back to the device.
"I can only wonder just what kind of tech these soldiers possess..."

__________

"~We Gotta look at the main feeds here and make sure the sewage clears. Alright?" Wrecker heard the voice of the captain fade away as he walked down the next hallway. It may have just been his very bad sleep deprivation, but he couldn't help but feel there was the presence of another entity wherever he went. Almost as if there was something else watching his very mind. He shook the irrelevant thought from his head as he turned a corner, where a Marine completely decked in his hear leaned tiredly against a wall, M16A4 in hand.
"All hands. Prepare for rendezvous with the U.S.S. Titan in twenty-five mikes. I say again. Prepare for rendezvous with the U.S.S. Titan in twenty-five mikes." The PA called over the intercom as Wrecker walked into the mess hall. He had taken a few steps in when a fellow Marine walked in front of him and stopped, giving him a disgusted look.
"Hey, Wrecker! Go and put a leash on Irish. You clowns brought the whole damn city on board." He scolded as Wrecker started walking past him towards the door. "Turned us into a shelter for people we ought to leave the fuck alone." He continued as Wrecker rounded the corner. "They're the enemy!" He called out.

Wrecker simply shook his head bitterly as he walked down a corridor. The door on the far side flew open and a person rushed out.
"Med bay's just down there." A familiar voice followed.
Pac stepped though the door and caught Wreckers eye as Wrecker walked up to him. He glanced down the hall again before giving Wrecker an unsure look.
"Her husband was talking a few minutes ago." He said quietly. "But the dude's head trauma might be more severe than we thought."
Closing the door, he walked down the hall to the med bay, followed by Wrecker.
"Whoa, you can't go in there, ma'am." A guard said.
"Are you insane? My husband's in there!" The soldier Wrecker recognized as Hannah angrily replied.
"I'm sorry."
"Let me in. He needs to see me. I must see my husband?" She pleaded before throwing her arms down in defeat. "Who's in charge here?"
"Would you please step back, ma'am?" The Marine said sternly as he took a step forward and put a hand forward.
"She's on our side. Let her through, squids!" Pac said as more of an order than anything.

The two guards glanced at one another before stepping aside, Hannah marching quickly through the door to the nearest treatment room. A black haired woman stood by the open curtain and watched briefly as Hannah quickly surveyed her husband, Jin Jie.
"We need to do a CT scan. He may have intracranial bleeding." She said, turning her attention to the worker.
"We've got no means." The woman said sadly. "Most of out equipment went down in the EMP blast." She said, making Hannah sigh angrily and look down. "Look. Our Plan is to rendezvous with the U.S.S. Titan and then we can use their facilities." She continued, putting her hand up. "Ma'am, I'm going to keep close tabs on your husband."
"I will stay with him; I have medical training." Hannah replied firmly before walking into the small room and standing over the unconscious Jin Jie.
"Fine. I'll take all the help I can get..." The nurse said with a sigh before shutting the curtains.

__________

If curiosity and sheer concentration could be measured in apples, then the entire mountain Canterlot is poised on would be one large red spike. The two sisters watched without a word as Wrecker proceeded through a few more corridors after leaving the female human with her husband, which had done nothing to reduce Luna's (and now partially Celestia's) will to uncover the purpose of the humans. New ideas had qualified as possibilities in her mind, but she had decided to save them for later. When Wrecker and Pac walked down a ramp to another floor on the massive boat, there were multiple of the strange box-like carriages with flat surfaces on the back and more humans by them. One of them, sitting on a nearby carriage was the male Luna remembered as Irish.
"Hey! Irish!" Pac called.
"Pac!" The man replied as he hopped down, afterwards kneeling before something that Celestia and Luna gasped quietly at.
A small human child looked up at Irish from her sitting position.
"Hey what's up, kid?" He said softly, taking what looked like an orange and tossing it to the child. "Here you go."
The child looked down briefly at the fruit in her hands before she ran back to the adults and Irish turned to the two soldiers.

"I... I see what you mean now." Celestia said quietly as she looked at Luna. "About these soldiers having a purpose other than to kill."
Luna nodded in agreement. "They're caring for children. Killers don't care for children..." She said before looking down. "There's... Just something we're missing to knowing why they're doing this, and I just think we can find it by following in Tombstone's mission..."
"I understand Luna," Celestia said, finally showing a weak smile. "But I do not wish to see these soldiers and their killing ability. Not yet." she said. "Not until I think about them. And I want you to be careful too, Luna. I don't want any scars in my little sister's mind."
Luna chuckled but nodded in understanding. "Okay." She said.
Celestia was just about to turn and leave the room when a loud alarm like sound blared through the room, making both of them jump from the volume and turn their attention right back to the device. The screen was flashing red and Tombstone was running down a hallway as the intercom screamed.
"General quarters, General quarters! All hands man your battle stations! This is not a drill!"
"Let's get topside!" Irish called as they ran up a flight of stairs.
"I say again, this is not a drill!"

Celestia quickly stepped back to Luna's side. "What's happening?"
"I don't know!" Luna said frantically, her heart racing.
Both princesses held their breath as Wrecker came to the deck shortly after the two, but they knew something bad was happening as Pac and Irish stood frozen in shock on the side.
"Mother of god. Look." Pac said slowly.
The tension seemed to make the window rattle as Luna and Celestia leaned forward to see what was happening. First there was an endless pillar of black smoke, but it wasn't what the soldiers were looking at...
"Oh my gods..." Both princesses said in unison as a colossal flaming mass was presented in front of them.
To say this thing was big was an understatement. This... thing took up nearly half of the visible horizon as it drifted slowly past them.
"Wait a second..." Luna narrowed her eyes at a thin wake of water around the monster as if it was moving, and then widened them as she realized something.
Celestia may have not known at first but Luna was sure of it as her ears splayed back and a look of almost horror crossed her face.

That was another boat.

__________

Even from the distance Wrecker was looking at the vessel from, Luna could tell this was no ordinary ship. The whole top was flat with the exception of the large spire that jutted out towards the back. The entire hull below that was angled inward towards as a wedge in the front and in the middle. There were also several large platforms that were lower than the deck on top with very large gateways leading to them. It was halfway closed though, so Luna couldn't see what was on the other side from the angle. Celestia had sadly left a few moments prior to handle necessary royal duties, so she didn't get to really see it.

She was so marveled at the sight before her, she didn't hear any mumbles or anything said by the others she was spectating until the loud screech of one of the ship's doors opening got her attention, and Wrecker's.
"Tombstone!" An unfamiliar man called as he stood by the door by a small catwalk, overlooking the small crowd on the deck. "Where the fuck is Tombstone?"
Before he said anything else Luna took notice that this man, like some others (other than the men of Tombstone itself) there was not wearing the same thing as Wrecker, Irish, and Pac's armor and rig, but rather what looked like the uniform the sailor in the bunk was wearing in a different color.
"Sergeant Wrecker, bring your men. With me." He continued before walking back through the door.
"On your six, sir." Irish replied.
"Come on, Wrecker." Pac said as he and Irish walked towards the small staircase, Wrecker behind them.

Once the three got inside the room and formed around the man, he started speaking to them in a firm voice.
"The clock is ticking on the Titan." He said, putting his hands on his hips. "I need eyes on board before she's lost forever into the deep blue. There's a number of variables at play, we don't know who attacked them or if they'll be back. We can't afford any surprises."
As he said this something clicked in Luna's head. The man had said that the Titan will be lost forever into the deep blue, which Luna knew was the ocean. The "clock was ticking". It was attacked. This looked a lot like the fiery monster she'd seen out next to their ship.
"These humans don't have an actual titan, that ship is the titan... Obviously something big must've hit it to cause so much damage."

__________

After Garrison's little flash-briefing, he turned to Wrecker with a stern look on his face.
"Sergeant Wrecker. Agent Kovic's taking the reins. You will obey his orders as if they're my own." As he said this the door to Wrecker's right swung open and Kovic walked out, decked out in full combat gear with two duffel bags in his hands.
"Permission to speak sir--" Irish started.
"Dismissed." Garrison cut him off flatly.
"But, Caption. Sergeant Wrecker's--"
"We're not having this discussion, Irish." Garrison pointed at the Marine with the papers in his hand. "You will obey your squad leader. I'll make room for any survivors." And with that he started for the door, leaving the four Marines that included one annoyed Irish and a slightly betrayed Wrecker to face Kovic in silence. "Setting the Valkyrie in a defensive posture one click east of the Titan. Agent Kovic..." He said suddenly, turning to him as he stood at the door. "...muster your squad."

Without another word he shut the door and Kovic looked over the three before him briefly.
"We search the Titan for intel and survivors. Gear up. Weapons and re-breathers." He said flatly.
Wrecker walked up to the nearby weapon crate and opened up the top container to reveal a MK-17 SCAR-H. His SCAR-H, complete with holographic gunsight, PEQ-15 laser, and angled fore-grip under the barrel. Picking it up he slapped in a fresh mag and charged the powerful rifle with a loud, snapping cling from the bolt release.

__________

It didn't take a genius to realize this Kovic was not appreciated very much as the new leader of the Tombstone Squad, but what really and still caught Luna'a attention was the strange weapons these humans carried. She couldn't even compare them in appearance to anything in the Royal Guards arsenal of spears, crossbows, javelins, catapults... And they didn't even seem to launch any sort of projectile! They just make their noise with sometimes a little flash of fire and their opponents fall dead almost instantly.

And it was absolutely horrifying, not to mention how different some of the weapons looked from each other.

After Wrecker took his weapon he grabbed a very foreign object from the crate. It resembled sunglasses only the lens were clear and the bottom bulged out sideways and a little cup like slot sat between the bulges. Luna's head tilted slightly at the sight before Wrecker put it away.
"I've readied a RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) for launch. Move." Kovic announced. at he opened the large door next to him.
"Errand Squad Oscar Mike." Irish growled as he followed Kovic out, followed by Pac and Wrecker.
Moving out into the open area, Luna was once again baffled at the sight; the endless ocean, and now a strange little, flat pontoon platform with a small box sticking out of the top towards the back. On it was a single wheel.
"Hurry up, Marines. Time is not our friend. Sergeant Wrecker, take the wheel." Kovic said sternly as they climbed into the pod.

"What in the gods name is that? What is a rib? What are they planning on doing?!" The questions started their onslaught as Luna watched, now much more curious than bewildered. Right as the focused again on the screen, she heard a faint knock on the door.
"Princess Luna...?" Twilight Sparkle's soft voice rang through Luna's quarters and she instantly leaped up and nearly slammed the off switch on the device. "Luna, a-are you okay?"
As Luna opened the door she nearly smiled as she saw Twilight had been pressing her ear up to the door. Twilight almost stumbled and backed up a step with a dumb smile on her face.
"Oh, h-hi, Princess! Sorry, you kinda caught me off guard." The alicorn squawked nervously.
"Hello, Twilight. Is everything okay?" Luna replied quietly.
"Uh, yeah. May I come in?" Twilight asked, back to her usual state.
Luna hesitated, if only for a split second, before nodding.
"Sure."

Luna closed the door behind Twilight and walked over to a small sofa near a window.
"Please, take a seat." Luna said, beckoning Twilight over next to her.
She did just that and sat in the soft furniture, glancing at Luna.
"So..." Twilight said, looking down at the carpeted floor. "Are you doing okay...? I understand you're still doing the studies on humans and their warfare--" Twilight said, giving Luna a genuine look of concern, before Luna waved her off.
"I am okay, thank you for your consideration. Yes, the humans warfare is... traumatizing to say the least, but I'm not sure what I'm going through is something you'd quite understand, Twilight." Luna said, closing her eyes lightly. "These soldiers... they have, some purpose for their being; their mission, their bravery... I mean, when the Changelings attacked during the wedding, they showed no fear, and some relentlessness will to cause harm. Our Royal Guard, they showed bravery, and the will to keep themselves and our citizens safe... There's a difference between an attacker and a defender, but these kinds of soldiers show both... They show no fear, and will kill like it's nothing, but I see some desire to keep those around them safe as well..." Luna was resting her head in her hooves, her vision blurring with tears. "I see some abstract form of goodness in these four, now three, men of Tombstone. I need to know if these soldiers are the protectors... or the attackers..." Luna looked up to Twilight, who was staring in saddened shock at Luna. "I need to know the purpose of these beings."

Twilight was in awe at what Luna had just told her.
"I... I think I should go." She quietly said after almost a minute of silence as she got up and walked solemnly to the doorway.
She stopped at the door and looked back to see Luna looking back. Neither said a word and after a moment, Twilight opened the door and walked out, leaving Luna on the verge of tears. After a moment, Luna stood up and turned the device back on and sat down, ready to only an extent for what she might be faced with.

__________

"Go around. Circle her!" Shouted Kovic.
The small RHIB craft floated calmly near the back of the massive aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Titan. There was no sign of the crew or a way of entry yet.
"Yeah, look for a hull breach or something." Irish added.
With that Wrecker turned the wheel and moved the boat around the right side of the ship slowly, taking in the many different features and looking for anything that would gain them entry, until a large smoking gap came into view. What was that part of the ship called again?
"There!" Irish called, pointing to the hole. "Hole in the B.G.B."
"I've seen that damage before. Chinese anti-ship missile." Kovic said as Wrecker pulled the boat away to angle himself to drive into the breach. "Drive through, Wrecker!"

Wrecker slowly approached the hole as Irish and Pac knelt on the front of the boat, ready to hop off and pull it in, before giving it a burst of throttle and driving the craft through the hole.
"Listen up." Kovic said after the four of them had gotten out of the boat and Wrecker killed the engine. "The Titan was not in range of the Shanghai EMP blast. She has several hours of report data gathered--stuff we never saw. That's why we're here." By the time he finished his briefing they were already climbing through a small vent shaft near the back of the room.
"We'd better move fast." Pac added as Wrecker hoisted himself into the vent.
He ended up having to hold his breath a little bit as the shaft started fogging up with smoke as he got further into it before pulling himself right and positioning himself to climb out of it. As his feet hit the floor the whole ship groaned and shook violently, making the four of them stagger as they walked with their weapons ready.
"Oh shit. Kovic, you got an exit strategy if this thing rolls over?" Irish demanded in a worried tone.
"She will slide off the reef at some point. When that happens we'd better be out of here--with the voyage recorder." Kovic responded in a somewhat monotone attitude as they rounded a corner.
"Not exactly an exit strategy, is it?" Irish grumbled to himself, loud enough that Wrecker still easily heard it.

__________

Luna was doing nothing short of gluing her attention to the events going on in front of her, as well as brainstorming what to add to her research notes. However, something else bit at the back of her mind. It was about Twilight and...
"My gods, I can't believe I almost broke down like that in front of her." She deadpanned to herself.
Standing up she turned off the device, set her notepad on a desk, and made for the door where she opened it softly and stepped into the long hallway. Unless Twilight was for whatever reason running Luna could catch up to her quickly.
"I'd best go straighten things out..." She thought out loud as she neared the end of the hallway.
After about a minute of walking she finally came to a set of doors but was stopped by a familiar voice.
"Twilight told me about your little scene." Celestia said from Luna's right. "Luna, this needs to stop."
Luna cringed and turned to face her sister with a sunken expression.
"But sister, you have to und--"
"Luna!" Celestia suddenly snapped, making Luna jump slightly. "I can't and won't sit by as you tear your mind apart over these alien soldiers! Your little 'study' has been doing a number on you and I can see it in your eyes!" Celestia then approached Luna comfortingly and nuzzled her, which Luna returned. "I'm worried for your well being, Luna, and so is Twilight. I don't want to see you anymore like you are now..."

Before she even realized it, Luna had tears dripping down her cheeks.
"I... I'm sorry, Celestia... I had no idea I was affecting you so heavily..." She cried into Celestia's chest, who wrapped a leg around her. "Just, please let me continue this observation, I promise I'll be careful."
Celestia released her and looked down at her with an expression between worry and heavy thought. After a moment she sighed.
"Okay, Luna... I'll let you continue but if I hear of another breakdown I'll dispose of the device myself."

Twilight had overheard most of the conversation from the doorway and was also in deep thought. This was taking it's toll on Luna but, for what? This is actually fantastic! A distant planet, full of alien life, and we catch them at a civil war with their own species! It may not help with learning any of their culture or lifestyle, assuming it isn't actually war... But it could actually help with us! We could learn from this as well! But just how exactly...?

__________

Painfully crestfallen, Luna slowly made her way through the various corridors of the castle until she was met by the standing doors of her own room. She looked down at the ground and stared at it for what felt like a while before letting out a long sigh and stepping into her room. She shut the large doors behind her, maybe with a bit more force than she intended, but she payed no heed and sprawled herself out on her bed. Then she did something she mostly expected herself to do, and cried. She buried her face into her plush pillows and just cried. She felt awful about everything that had happened ever since she was started her devastating observation of these human soldiers, and not because of the toll it was taking on her, but everyone else around her. It was almost like others were more hurt from the experience than Luna herself, despite her being the one who did the most of the study.

After numerous minutes she glumly sat up on her bed and turned to face the device. That dreaded, powerful device she so desired to dive back into. The black screen reflected her image, and Luna saw through the blur of her eyes that she did not look very... good, to put it lightly. She let out a quick huff and walked into her bathroom, stepping in front of her mirror and almost recoiling at the pony that looked back at her. Her mane was horribly messy, her coat, normally smooth and soft, looked almost brittle and dulled in some spots, her eyes were bloodshot, she was an absolute mess. Without a word she prepared a hot shower. Within a few minutes a thin steam filled the bright room, Luna waited until she was satisfied with the temperature of the water and stepped in. She closed her eyes and let the hot water caress her, washing away the stress and filth she had accumulated. A good ten minutes passed of the relaxing shower before the pony stepped out and dried herself with her magic on a towel. She felt much better after that, and much cleaner, like a princess should feel. Still a bit damp she waked back into the main room and stopped, looking hard at her desk which held her notes.
"If I can't continue for right now, maybe... No. The observation must come before such." The small mental brawl lasted only a short time and Luna cautiously approached the device, as if afraid it would lash out at her.
Her left hoof reached forward towards the power nob and she hesitated, if only briefly, before clicking it on.

Through all that Luna had witnessed these soldiers go through, she could never have prepared for what lay not far ahead.