Homecoming

Chapters

The Path Ahead
The Long Road Home
A Meeting
First Steps
Welcome to the Jungle
And One More Thing...

The Path Ahead

An overcast sky roiled overhead, gloomy and threatening rain. The sun had just crested over the horizon, lending its glow to drive away the dark of night. A weak, gray glow filtered through the clouds, but failed to shed much light on the foreboding wood.The large trees sheltered from view whatever may have made the vast tract of timberland their home. The strange calls of those unknown inhabitants echoed through the dark boughs as their makers woke for the new day. A nip blew on the weak wind, strangely cold for this time of year. Under the sound of wind was the creaking of old trees shivering; the forest's groans carried on the breeze, a ghostly, haunting wail.

Beads of dew collected on the slanted roof of the small house tucked near the vast, trackless forest. Jaze stared out from the door at the thick, gray clouds, a steaming mug enfolded in his gleaming, metal left hand. His other hand was tucked under his arm to ward off the chill. At least the robotic digits didn't mind the chill. The wind was easily cutting through his loose, gray shirt, and stole away what little warmth he could shiver up. The weather was still out of control as recovery continued in the ruined sky-city of Cloudsdale. There was still so much to be cleaned up before anyone could live, or even work there again. And until then, everyone would have to live with the unpredictable weather. At least the cold, bitter rain that had plagued the area for the past two days had finally stopped. He already missed the usual, balmy climate the ponies had kept their planet.

He brought the mug to his lips for a quick sip of the delicious, hot, dark drink it contained. The warm, nutty, sweet coffee slid down his throat and left a soothing warmth in his stomach. His thoughts turned back to Cloudsdale, and the reports he had heard. So many hurt or worse, so many left without a home to go back to, even if it were only for the time being. The war had done so much damage, and there was so much to do.

At least he knew he would be able to count on the equine inhabitants of Gaia. The first, non-human race that had been encountered in the long foray into space had been a hostile race of artificial-constructs, the Cye, bent on no less than the destruction of humanity. He had been in the thick of that fight, until a chance encounter over a potential colony world ended up with his spacecraft crashed into the forest ahead of him. Unfortunately, he had been discovered and the new world set upon by a large force of the metal beings. Not even three days ago had Jaze recovered after having fought deep into a massive station that served as a sort of headquarters and flagship for the human who was somehow commanding the Cye, Carn.

Jaze's fist tightened against the mug at the thought of that fiend. It had been he that orchestrated the entire assault against humanity in the first place. The insane man thought to pass judgment on the whole human race, and consign everyone to extinction. But the joint efforts of human and pony soldiers had driven back the hordes of androids until he and Trixie managed to plant a bomb deep in the heart of the Cye station, annihilating it and breaking the Cye's attack in the process.

The hazy, almost dream-like run to the safety of his friends' fighters flickered through his mind. If it hadn't been for Trixie, he never would have made it back. He smiled and felt a warm glow suffuse through him at the thought of the azure unicorn. She had kept him going during the worst times. They had met in the same forest he crashed in, the Everfree. She had become one of his best friends, and was now something more. Her love was a balm for the horrors that seemed to pile up as the conflict had raged on. When it was over, at least on this planet, he had expected to be torn away from the beautiful world and the mare he had come to love and made to finish the fight.

His long time friend and current leader of the remaining human forces Admiral Gaston had arranged for Jaze to stay behind. He was to oversee the recovery of any technology or materials that could be used to discover anything more about the vicious android race, as well as assist the ponies in clearing the aftermath. A small, token force of the best and brightest of the human armed services, the StarSide Marines, had been left to establish a more permanent base of operations, as well as quartet of ships to sift through and collect the debris clustered over the planet.

It was going to be a daunting task, Jaze was sure. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of derelict starcraft ranging from small fighters to enormous carriers. Not to mention the millions of defunct robots littering the fields of battle. This world had seen some of the most gruesome fighting, but it would recover. It may take them years to fully scour the remnants of war from the area surrounding the small town of Ponyville. But at least when it was over, some peace might return to the wonderful planet he found himself on.

Peace. The idea of it made him pause. Most of his life had been consumed by some conflict or another. It would be strange to finally settle down. His smile grew a little wider. He already had a family it seemed. He and Trixie had taken in a young pegasus filly orphaned in the fall of Cloudsdale, Zephyr. She had been nothing but sweet since coming to live with them. She seemed to have adapted fairly well to her new surroundings, though she still had trouble with nights. She was plagued by nightmares from her ruined home, and slept cuddled between he and Trixie to feel safe. To be honest, Jaze didn't mind a bit. In the short time he had known her, that little filly had wormed into his heart with ease. She never failed to make him smile with her innocent ways.

A nearly silent yawn from behind him drew Jaze from his reverie. It took a moment for him to realize that, as he had stared, many of the clouds had wandered elsewhere to cause problems. The sun's light had begun to shine in earnest, and already it was getting warmer. He turned away from the brightening day to see Trixie standing in the door to their kitchen. A steaming mug much like his levitated in a lavender field of light just before her face, the same glow encasing her horn. Her silver-laced white mane was still a mess from crawling out bed. The violet pools of her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, despite the apparent tiredness. The unicorn smiled broadly and waved her hoof toward the couch. Jaze hardly spared a glance toward the furniture before returning the smile and strode unhurriedly toward it.

He reached the couch ahead of the azure mare and sank into its comfortable embrace. The well-used cushions formed around his body and gave just the right support as the whole thing creaked slightly. He couldn't help but relax into the seat, though he worried he might fall asleep again. The area next to him sank as Trixie curled up beside him. She pressed against his side, careful not to let her coffee tip along with her. The warmth of her body seeped through his shirt as she nestled against him. His arm instinctually wrapped around her shoulders and hugged her close; his hand gently rubbed along the soft fur of her foreleg, while the other, black-gloved hand held the slightly-cooled mug.

“Good morning beautiful.” Jaze purred as he gave a brief squeeze, “How did you sleep?”

Trixie groaned loudly as she stretched across the couch. “Not very well I am afraid. Zephyr kicked me awake several times.”

He frowned and looked down at the top of the mare's head.“Should we make her start sleeping in her own bed? You're going to need your rest; we’re gonna have a lot of work ahead of us.”

The unicorn turned to look up at him, a wide beautiful smile gracing her features. She reached up to let her lips graze his cheeks in a tender kiss. A tingle ran from the brief contact all the way down to his legs. The soft, short fur on her lips against his bare skin was one of the most amazing things he had ever felt. It may as well have been a bolt of lighting hitting him; his muscles no longer wanted to work. Everything quivered, and he might have fallen over had she not been so tightly pressed against him. Any thoughts he may have had melted away, lost to the sweet feeling of her love.

“Don't worry about it.” she murmured in a silky purr that melted his heart. “It's just as nice to have her cuddle up against us at night. Perhaps it's better than a decent night's sleep.”

“I uh... I guess.” he managed to reply; his lips were feeling strangely numb. “But don't you think she might need to anyway? She can't sleep with us forever, right?”

“After everything that poor filly's been through, I think she deserves it for a little while longer at least. It's not so bad, really.”

“You're right of course.” A sudden yawn racked him, and rolled his shoulders in a quick stretch. His gaze flicked behind him to the doorway before coming to rest on the pony laying against him once more. “Where is she? Still asleep?”

“Yes. The poor sweetie is exhausted. There has been a lot going on recently, just let her sleep for at least a little while longer.”

Jaze let his lips curl into a tight grin. His tone dropped conspiratorially low, almost inaudible unless Trixie leaned even closer. “Of course, because I want to be alone with the most beautiful creature I've ever seen.”

She rolled her eyes, though a touch of crimson colored her cheeks beneath her azure fur. “Oh stop it.”

“No I mean it!” he insisted playfully. His fingers ran through the strands of her mane, brushing them this way and that. “Your amazing, silvery-white mane is so gorgeous and soft.” His hand slid down out of her hair and onto her neck, gently massaging the muscles under her fur. “And then there's your coat. It's such a beautiful blue.”

His fingers trailed back up her neck, stopping at her jawline. He felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold run through her body, but she made no move to stop him. His thumb gently grazed just below her eye as a gentle laugh rolled from his lips. “And your eyes. Oh god your eyes. Violet is not a color you see in human eyes, at least not naturally.”

“J-Jaze!” she stammered. The red patch had spread across the bridge of her nose, darkening with each word he said. “Th-that is quite enough! I am not as...”

His fingers under her chin brought her head up slightly, silencing her. She turned even redder as he stared into the deep, violet pools sparkling with the sunlight. He leaned a little lower, brushing her lips with his in a gentle kiss. He heard a small noise escape the mare that was lost against him. There was no space for breath between them, and he didn't need it. This time, she lost all control as she slumped against him. His hand under her chin moved slowly up to caress her face.

He pulled away, earning a small, annoyed groan from the pony. A chuckle racked him, his voice staying low as he murmured, “And you have such kissable lips.”

Trixie exclaimed, though still whispering, “Stop it! You should not just have your way with a defenseless mare you brute.”

His smile broadened. “Oh come on, you liked it.”

“Th-that changes nothing!” she cried, “It is not gentlecoltly!”

“Never said I was a gentleman.” Jaze teased.

Her hoof thudded against his chest hard enough to drive a small grunt from his throat. Though her mouth was a thin, serious line, her eyes betrayed her with the mirth sparkling within them. “Well, you should be!”

He set his cup on the nearby table, and wrapped both his arms loosely around her neck. One hand raised to the side of her head, pulling it against him. She didn't fight the embrace, and turned her body a little to slide a hoof between the small of his back and the sofa. A few strands of her mane tickled his chin slightly, but he refused to move to bat it away. A bit of hair was light price to pay for the honor of holding the beautiful mare against him.

“I'll try to clean up my act.” he promised, giving her a brief squeeze.

“Good.” Trixie muttered.

“But I can't promise anything.” She looked up at him, frowning at his smirk. The frown flattered almost before it could finish forming, and soon she was smiling along with him. Her head dropped back against his chest as her eyes closed.

He fell silent, just drinking in being here with the mare at his side. Her head lay against his chest, and he could feel each of her breaths filtering through his shirt. Just being able to hold her made his heart flutter. It almost didn't feel real, but he couldn't deny the warmth of her against him, or the softness of her fur against his bare arm. He never would have hoped to have gotten to a moment like this, where he could just be with the one he loved. His heart ached with how much he loved the pony he held in his arms, He could stay like this forever, and from the way Trixie snuggled against him, she must have felt the same. He let his eyes slide closed, enjoying feeling her chest stirring with every breath she took.

No sooner had his eyes shut then did a loud, urgent knock ring out from the door. Trixie jumped away from him with blinding speed Jaze almost couldn't follow, landing across the couch from him. He could understand her reaction; she must not have wanted anyone to see them together just yet. And he couldn't blame her; there was no telling how they might react. The last thing he wanted was to cause any trouble, for either of them.

Another smart rap at the door prompted him to rise, yelling crossly, “Hold on a second, I'm coming!” Whoever it was had better be important; this was cutting into his quality time.

He yanked open the door, his face set in a deep scowl. On the doorstep stood a white pegasus pony in the golden armor of the Equestrian Royal Guard with his hoof raised high for another knock. Underneath his gilded helm, Jaze could see sweat pouring from his forehead. His blue eyes widened at the sight of the much taller human standing before him, and his floating hoof snapped up into a sharp salute.

“Kn-Knight-General Ar-Armand, sir!” the guard called in a shaky, oddly high-pitched voice, “I b-be called Silver Tongue, and I-I-I be here to deliver a message from the Princesses to you.”

The guard fell silent, staring up at him. For a brief time, Jaze had managed to forget that he'd been inducted into the Royal Guard, and been given command during the Cye invasion. His title, as it had been explained to him, was mostly a formality, as the co-rulers of Equestria had wanted to have both sets of defenders under one command, but only a Royal Guard could be allowed to assume command of the ponies' warriors. So Princesses Celestia and Luna had made inducted him into the Guard; the very first human to be a part of it. He couldn't help a small, inward smile at that thought; he was more than proud to have fought beside the talented soldiers of the Guard.

Jaze raised an eyebrow at the Guard, grumbling, “So then, what's the message?”

“Ri-right!” the pegasus stallion nearly yelled, his entire face flushing a bright red.

He cleared his throat loudly, and tried to speak in deeper, more official tones, though his voice cracked back to its higher register with every other syllable. “Th-the Pr-Princesses of S-S-Sun and M-Moon, Day and N-Night, urgentl-ly request an audience with y-you to di-discuss the future of E-Eque-questria, and s-some sm-small ma-matters besides.”

Silver's shoulders relaxed, like he had dropped a heavy weight, and he continued with a relieved tone, “Th-that's the m-message. My team and I-I are to be es-escorting you to C-C-Canterlot.”

Jaze looked beyond the Guardspony to see a large, golden chariot-like vehicle pulled by two more, stark white Royal Guard pegasi. A snarl rose in his throat, though he managed to keep it from coming out in it's entirety. The resulting half growl, half groan made Silver Tongue flinch slightly. Of course he would be summoned now, he couldn't help but think. Everything had been too peaceful, too wonderful, for it to have lasted. His hand balled into an angry fist, the nails digging into his palm. Why did all the problems seem to land right in his lap?

He raked his black-gloved hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head in one motion. Returning his gaze to the Guardspony, he grumbled, “Give me awhile, I need to get ready.”

Without waiting for a response, Jaze slammed the door in the stallion's face. His scowl deepened. The Princesses knew full well where he was, and what he would be doing. They wouldn't have summoned him so suddenly and urgently if there wasn't something important on their minds. His thoughts scattered in every direction, conjuring images of disaster after disaster with each more terrible than the last. And what other small matters would they want to discuss? Nothing came directly to his mind, though a small weight settled into the pit of his stomach. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

He turned away from his spinning thoughts and the door to face Trixie. Her head was turned downward, her eyes hidden from his view. But even from here, he could see the frown on her face and the slump in her shoulders. His heart ached to see her like that, but he couldn't ignore whatever was going on. As much as he may not like it, he had duties to perform. He was being counted on by more beings than he cared to think about; he couldn't just let them down.

Jaze sighed, feeling his shoulders droop. With long, hurried strides he retook his spot next to the mare on the couch, wrapping his arm around her shoulders once again. She didn't lean into his embrace, though she didn't pull away either. Her body was still as wood, almost as if she weren't even breathing. He felt even worse than he had before, but she had to have known this would happen sooner or later.

“You are going then, are you not?” she asked in a hushed, flat voice.

“Yeah.” he replied, his voice cracking a bit, “What choice do I have?”

“Of course, what choice do you have?” Trixie hissed.

He pulled away, staring down at the top of her head. “Come on, Trixie, please. Don't be like that. I can't just...”

“I know!” she cried harshly. Through their thin contact, he could feel her whole body shaking, but he wasn't sure if she were nearer to screaming or crying. Maybe both. The unicorn paused for a moment, and took a deep breath before continuing in a softer tone. “I know. I just... It... We’ve only just gotten to spend a little time together, as something like a family, and it's already over. And now I feel like the mess we just went through is starting again, even if you don’t have to fight.”

“It was never really over.” he remarked dryly.

Trixie's face turned up towards his, tears glimmering on the rims of her eyes. Her voice was thick and cracking, enough that it made his own tears threaten to flow as she asked, “What do you mean it’s not over?”

Jaze swallowed past the lump that had abruptly formed in his throat, and replied. “There is still a war going on out there. We broke the spine of the Cye forces here, but they're still scattered across dozens, if not hundreds of worlds. Including Earth. And until we've eradicated their kind from the galaxy, we can't stop. They might attempt another uprising, while we're still recovering. A lot of good people, and ponies, died to give us this chance. We can't waste it.”

He paused, taking a deep breath. Memories of his friends, Vincent, Shelby, and Dmitri, rolled over him. Vincent and Shelby he had known for almost as long as he'd been a soldier, and Dmitri he'd only known for a few short weeks. The three of them had left with the rest of the human fleet to retake Earth after it had fallen to a massive Cye invasion. Part of him, Jaze had to admit, yearned to be there with them to regain control of the beautiful planet. Though he had been born elsewhere, Earth felt like home. Many people felt that way towards the birthplace of humanity.

“And I've still got friends out there. I'd feel terrible if I was sitting here, being happy with you while they're out there fighting. I can't leave you, but at least I can make sure that Equestria gets back on her feet.”

“I know, but...” The pony sighed, and whispered, “I just wish that we could have a little time together before you run off to save the world.”

Jaze put a smile on his face and gave the mare an encouraging, one armed hug. With a cheerful tone, he assured,“Well at least I'm here in Equestria, right? And the base isn't far away, it's just on the other side of town. It's not like I'm going to the moon or anything. You can always come visit. ”

“But, I wouldn't want to get in the way.” muttered the mare.

“I'll always find time for you, I promise. And after we've got Equestria cleaned again, then we'll have all the time in the world.”

Trixie sighed, and looked up to him with a smile. “You are right. I would not want to sit here with you while there is so much to be done either.”

She stood up from the couch and walked around towards the kitchen doorway, calling, “You had better get ready, those Guards are still waiting for you. Not to mention the Princesses.”

The Long Road Home

Vincent strutted down the halls of the ship Fair Weather Friend, a civilian ship that had been converted into a light troop transport during the course of the war. He had seen the modifications, if you could call it such a strong term, as he had been transferred from the Vigilance. Mainly, Earth Coalition engineers had gutted the ship, leaving only the propulsion systems and bridge mostly intact. For everything they took out, the shipyard had crammed rows and rows of bunks for the three-hundred or so Marines packed into the ship. Along with the inner changes, some extra armor had been welded onto the boxy frame of the ship, with a couple missile pods stuck to the sides so the boat could return fire at whatever shot it down. He distinctly recalled a fellow soldier stating that it was a funeral waiting to happen.

There was one advantage to this ship compared to others its size he had to admit as an airlock cycled open before him into a large observation deck. The wide windows were covered over with thick, specially designed plates that were meant to absorb all the radiation generated by faster-than-light speeds, but Vincent had never been so sure. He had heard rumors of people being driven sterile, or kids being born with all sorts of horrible defects if their mothers took even one trans-light flight. But still, this would be worth the risk. He'd get to see it soon.

The loud ring of several heavy boots on metal rang out behind him, closing quickly. He didn't even have time to turn before a low-moving blur had shot past him. It wasn't hard to guess who it had to be, and her enthusiasm brought a smile to his face. The blur stopped moving just before the covered viewing window, and he was able to see the quadruped clearly. Most of her lavender form was covered by the same olive armored plates that he was wearing, modified to fit her four-legged frame. Her long, violet mane with its one pink stripe hung down one side of her neck, parting around the horn jutting from her forehead. Her already large eyes were wide with wonder, and she seemed breathless. Whether from her mad dash, or excitement, he couldn't tell.

“Oh my gosh ohmygoshohmygosh!” crowed the unicorn, “I'm going to be the first pony to ever see another planet up close! And I get to walk on it!”

Vincent shook his head, trying and failing to force down a smile, “This is hardly a pleasure cruise Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight let out a short, surprised scream as she turned around. “Wh-when did you get here, Mister Mendoaz?”

“Uh... I've been here. Got here first actually.” He crossed the large room to stand beside the mare, ruffling her mane with a hand. “And call me Vincent, Sparkle. 'Mister Mendoaz' is way too important sounding.”

“I... Uh... Right.” Twilight muttered as her face bloomed in pink splotches.

“And, can you at least try not to get too excited?” added the tall human, “We're here to wrench this planet back from those Cye bastards, not sight-see.”

The pony's gaze flicked to his hand at his side, and it was only then that he could feel his nails digging into the flesh of his palm. He had to force his fingers to relax, but he couldn't stop his hand from shaking. He took a deep breath, and continued, “You're a soldier, and this is gonna be a brutal fight. Gotta remember that, because I'd hate to have to drag your stow-away carcass back to your home fulla holes. Jaze'd have my hide, not to mention those damned Guard ponies that seem to be watching over you all the damned time.”

“Is... are you okay Mis... Er, Vincent?” asked Twilight, a worried beaming from her wide eyes.

“'Course he ain't.” called a female voice from the door behind them.

He didn't even have to turn to know who it was, and her presence immediately made his hands steady. A tight smirk fell into place on his lips as he spun around to see a tall, well muscled woman. Her thick, black hair had been freshly trimmed, falling just below her ears and framing an attractive, but mischievous face. She too was clad in the StarSide Marines armor, the thick plates mostly concealing the full form beneath. Shockingly blue eyes tracked between the pair standing near the window, her gaze focused and sharp.

“Hey Shelby, what brings you to this little slice of heaven?” asked Vincent, his grin broadening.

Shelby didn't share in his smile, but she was still easily the most beautiful woman he had seen. A small grunt sounded deep in her throat, and she responded heatedly, “Figured ya'd be here, wanted to make sure your dumb butt was okay.”

“What's wrong?” Twilight asked again as Shelby crossed the room to stand with them.

“Simple, Earth is where Vincent's from.” answered the dark-haired woman, “He's worried about his family. Lotsa people are, he ain't so special.”

“Thanks Shelby.” Vincent remarked dryly, “That makes me feel so much better.”

A flicker of a smile played across her features, “Aw c'mon babe, ya know you're special to me.”

“Uh-huh, yeah. Sure looks like it.”

Shelby slipped her arms around his waist, pulling herself close against him. Her voice became syrupy-sweet, and she looked to him with a pleading stare, “Don't be like that sweetie. Ya know I didn't mean it like that. Pweeeeeeeeease don' be mad?”

He laughed, and scooped her up in the crook of his arm into a tight hug, “You know, that's not fair to pull on someone. Might break their heart if you're not careful.”

“And you'll break my spine if you don't let go.” groaned the woman.

Setting her back down, Vincent turned back toward the window. His smile fell from his face, and added, “But Shelby's right. Ma and Pa were still on Earth last I know. And if I know my pa, he wouldn't leave his farmland 'cept in pieces. And they'd have to drag each piece off one at a time.”

Twilight glanced toward the window before looking back to him with brimming eyes, “I'm sure that...”

“Don't even tell me they're alright.” Vincent growled, drawing a slight squeaking squeal from the mare. “Hear that one a thousand times, it just starts making you feel worse. I'm going in under the assumption that they've been dead for awhile.”

“O-oh.” murmured the pony. Her gaze fell to the steel deck, and her head hung down.

“Don't worry Twig, Vinny there always likes to be ready for the worst.” She winked, and added, “Even when he knows he's wrong.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Vincent grunted. “But still, it'll prolly be awhile before I get to find out.”

He fixed his gaze back on the still-covered viewport, not able to speak anymore. A roiling ball of worry settled into his stomach, making him feel sick. He could count on one hand how many times that he had returned to Earth since the Cye had first attacked. Of those, only one had been to see his family. That had been more than a year ago, and so much had changed. He felt Shelby shift at his side, and immediately he pictured introducing her to Ma and Pa, wondering what his parents would think of his new fiancé.

A small, grunting laugh escaped him before he could stop it. Here they could possibly not be alive, and he was worried they wouldn't like his future wife. It was beyond foolish, but he couldn't help but worry. They had to be alive, so he could get their approval. And somehow, deep in his heart, he knew that they were. He couldn't point to how he knew, but somewhere, they were. And he just wouldn't stop until he had found them.

A crackle of static overhead sounded, and a strong woman's voice hollered over a hidden speaker system in the ceiling, “This is Captain Mirada speaking, we're only five to warp-out people. Repeat, five 'til it hits the fan. All you Marines might wanna get ready, gon' be a hot drop. An' I do mean hot. All combat ready troops ought report to the departure bay for orders. Mirada, out.”

Twilight's face paled as the announcement ended, her voice quaking as she asked, “This is my first time, what do we do?”

Shelby's face light up, though she remained silent as Vincent glared at her. Returning his cold gaze to the shivering mare, he whispered, “I'll tell you what's going to happen. We're going to be assigned an area to land and hold to establish a base of operations planetside, prolly starting near pre-established bases so we can find out if there's still any soldiers down there.”

“From there,” Shelby jumped in excitedly, “We're gonna marshal our forces to take back all the major cities, and then push on to the smaller towns.”

A familiar voice called from the door, “Wiping out every, single, metallic bastard as we go.”

Vincent slowly turned, and instantly felt his disgust rise. A sandy-haired young man smiled at him, apparently oblivious to the force of hate leveled his way. Dmitri Sands had been brought into the remnant of Angel squad by one of Vincent's closest friends to act as a replacement after another friend was killed in action. Though the youth was certainly skilled, it rankled Vincent that he was forced to work with a with one of them. The kid had a robotic prosthetic arm and, much worse, a computer line running down his spine. The arm wasn't much of a choice, but to choose to live in a computerized world...

“You guys got room for one more?” asked Sands, never losing his smile, “It's been far too long since I saw Earth.”

Twilight smiled broadly, and waved the young man over, “Of course! The more friends, the better. Right everypony?”

Shelby nodded, looking up to Vincent.“Aye, she's got a point.”

“It's not like the observation deck is private, whatever floats your boat kid.” growled the tall soldier, looking back out the window.

As the kid sauntered up to stand next to the excited unicorn mare waiting for the doors to open, Vincent had to wonder what Jaze had been thinking. They had been doing more than fine as a team with only the three of them. Why'd he need to replace Evelynn with some upstart, spoiled brat? And then to leave them for a safe, cushy job, to stay close to his pony love while they went out to fight. If he didn't know better, he would think that his friend had gone soft in his long stay on the ponies' homeworld of Gaia.

Vincent let a short huff of air out through his nose as he shook his head; that was hardly fair. Jaze had fought hard, and done so much. The younger man had shouldered a huge responsibility, and seen both Vincent and his love through some rough times. It was only fitting that he be allowed a chance to rest. Besides, there was the small matter of helping those ponies get their lives back in order.

The voice of Captain Mirada broke into his thoughts as it boomed over the sound system, “To all those with a winder available on the port side of the ship, please get ready fer an amazing view. We return to non-FTL flight in five... four... three... two... one...”

As the Captain's voice fell silent, the armor plating covering the windows slid back. Vincent's breath caught in his throat as he stared out at his home for the first time in what felt like a few lifetimes. It's vast, deep blue oceans and great expanses of green shone out from the field of stars. His heart pounded in his chest, hard enough he was sure that Shelby could feel it. It didn't seem to have changed. A feeling of peace stole over him, letting a smile grow on his lips. He was home. For the first time in months, he could see it again.

They were still a ways out from the planet, just passing its moon. The ship, joined by hundreds of others, slowly burned toward the world. Vincent began to pick out the shapes of the other starcraft that were hidden in the blackness of space, lit by the whitish-blue glow of their engines. The purpose of his visit rushed back into his mind as the battle-group powered forward, and the smile slowly slid from his face. Earth was still too far away to see how many ships the Cye had orbiting the planet, but at least for now he could pretend.

“Oh my goodness, it's amazing!” whispered a far away voice, drawing Vincent's attention back to where he was. Twilight practically had her nose to the cold glass, staring in wide-eyed excitement.

Standing next to her, wearing a similar expression was Dmitri. Without looking away, the youth replied, “Sure is. I doubt I've ever seen anything so beautiful. Except, maybe...” His face colored, and he fell silent.

“Oooooo~” Shelby giggled, “You got a girl stashed somewhere there kiddo? A little lover? A sweetheart? A special someone of your very one?”

“I uh... Yes? No? Maybe?” Sands swallowed hard as he turned around to face his questioner. “I don't really know. Not like we discussed... Heck, she may not even like me.”

“Well, who is it?” asked Shelby, grinning broadly. “Do we know her maybe?”

“I don't know, but you might've met her.” the young soldier muttered in return. He turned back to face the window again, the tips of his ears a touch pink.

Shelby merely rolled her eyes. “Oh fine, if you're not gonna be fun about it.” The short-haired woman turned her attention to the unicorn, who still had her thrilled face stuck to the the observation window. Shelby saddled up behind the equine, and asked, “So, any idea what unit you're supposed to be in?”

Twilight jumped and spun around again, nearly tripping on her own hooves as she did. Vincent couldn't help but roll his eyes. The mare managed to recover just enough for her brows to close in confusion, and she replied, “I uh... I hadn't thought about that to be honest. I wasn't given any specific orders.”

“You are going to be with us.” Vincent ordered. “Jaze would rip me a new one if you got hurt, after you stowed away. He's prolly already in fits.”

Twilight let her gaze drop to the floor, though she managed to keep her head up as she mumbled, “I su-suppose that it would be nice to be with somepony I know.”

“Yeah, and Vincent here can show us a few things about Earth!” Sands added, a bright grin spreading on his youthful features.

The inexperienced unicorn's face brightened, and she turned to face the young man. “That sounds wonderful!”

“I've heard that Earth is absolutely gorgeous!” Sands remarked breathlessly. His eyes stared off into space, no longer focused on the planet as he continued. “Everything is always in bloom. Hundreds of pretty flowers everywhere all the time. And the air is so crisp and clean, you almost feel like you can break it.”

“Sounds a lot like Equestria!” cried Twilight excitedly. She returned her gaze to the beautiful, foreign world, “I can't wait to see it!”

“We're not here to sightsee, remember?” growled Vincent. The pair of excited youths jumped and turned around, each flushing bright pink under Vincent's stern gaze. Neither could keep their eyes from the floor, looking for all the world like chastised children.

He rolled his eyes, and continued, “You seem to forget that we'll be up to our nose in gunfire until the second we hit dirt. Put those stupid ideas of getting to look around out of your head, because I'm not draggin' your corpse back to base.” He pointed at Twilight, his glare making her mouth slam close even before it could open, “You will keep your damned head down and try not to get it taken off.”

He spun to Dmitri, fixing his finger squarely at the young soldier's chest. “And just remember, you're still only part of this team because Jaze wanted you. With him not here, I'm in charge. You'll listen to me, and I want no problems outta you. Clear?”

Dmitri's hand flew to his forehead in a salute, “Yessir. Crystal.”

“Good.” Vincent glanced to the saluting soldier's injured leg, unable to keep a softer tone from creeping into his voice. “How's the leg? You gonna be able to fight?”

The kid reached down and rubbed along the middle of his thigh, wincing slightly. “It's a little sore yet, but no worries. I won't slow you down.”

“Good to hear. Then why don't we all just head down to the shuttle bay for...”

The heavy, hollow racket of hooves against the bare metal floor interrupted him, followed by a new, authoritive female voice. “Wait just a moment. Nopony is going anywhere until I am sure Miss Sparkle will not be involved any of the crass brutality sure to ensue on that odd little world below.”

Vincent's teeth ground together; he shouldn't have been surprised. He turned to face the newcomer, and was faced with a pure white pegasus mare with a short-cropped blue mane. Her steel-gray gaze regarded him with haughty disdain, somehow managing to look down at him from less than half his height. Her build was only just smaller than that of her earth-pony cousins, with well-honed muscles standing out across every uncovered patch of her body.

The gilded armor she wore was spotless, free of the slightest blemish, and not a single strand of mane was out of place. Even her hooves had a gleam to them, perfectly polished to an almost mirror surface. He knew, however, it wasn't from hiding while other soldiers did the grunt work. Vincent had seen this very pony leading several, daring aerial raids on the Cye during the fighting on Equestria, dropping rocks and anything that might crush an android. Her countenance never wavered as he leveled a glare at the winged-pony; he at least had to give her some credit for spine. But the thinly-veiled disgust in her voice still managed to grab his one-and-only nerve in a stranglehold.

The mare stepped forward, hardly sparing Vincent another glance as she faced Twilight. “Miss Sparkle, my team and I were originally sent by the infallible Princess Celestia herself as a sign of goodwill toward the humans, but she never mentioned that you would accompanying the humans as well. As such, I am left to assume that our Princess was unaware of your intention to leave the safety of Equestria for a world filled with more of those unspeakable monsters.

“Further, I trust that the fair Princess would not desire her pupil, and dare I say dearest friend, to risk being hurt on account of somepony else’s problems. As such, I am ordering you, under the authority vested in me as a Lieutenant of the Royal Guards, to stay aboard the ship until arrangements can be made to return you to your rightful place.”

Twilight held her head high, though Vincent caught her taking a quick, fortifying breath.“I'm sorry Lieutenant Discipline, but I can't do that.”

The pegasus mare frowned, and her eyes narrowed as she growled, “And why's that, Miss Sparkle?”

“First, the proper title is Private Sparkle, as I am currently enlisted in the human military force known as the StarSide Marine Corps. Second, as such, I have been ordered to assist in the retaking of Earth from Cye forces, along with every other Marine not currently engaged in any other operation. And pursuant to the Code of Service, Article Two, Sub-Section 5: 'The orders of your superiors are non-negotiable. Barring extenuating circumstances, no Marine is to refuse an order, or fail to carry out said directive to the best of his/her ability. Furthermore, any Marine found to have neglected an order, without a contradicting order from another officer, will be tried and, should the Marine be found guilty, executed by firing squad for treason, dereliction of duty, and the endangerment of those around them. Unity is paramount to success, and disharmony brings with it at best failure, and at worse, the death of your team, yourself, and those you've been charged to protect.' So if I don't follow the order given to me, the only outcome is that I'd be killed anyway.”

Discipline's brow slowly rose. “Pretty words, but nonetheless just words. The humans would hardly miss one soldier, and an inexperienced one at that, nor would they wish to anger their new allies by murdering one of their most well-known figures. Not to mention inciting the fury of Celestia herself.”

“But surely you, of all ponies, can understand the need for rules.” returned the unicorn mage, “If one of your team put their safety first, would you not punish them?”

“My team knows better.” replied Discipline curtly.

Twilight slapped her hoof to her muzzle, grumbling, “That's not quite what I meant, ma'am.”

“You aren't heading down to that planet, Private Sparkle.” the Lieutenant hissed the title, her lips twisted with distaste, “If I have to have you detained, I will.”

“But I have no choice.” screeched the lavender pony, “Even if there wasn't a rule against desertion, I couldn't just let my friends go out and get hurt. Maybe I can keep that from happening. And there's so many po... people that need somepony to help. It'd be wrong to stand back while there's somepony out there in danger.”

“How noble.” Discipline mocked with a sneer, “But that's not what being a soldier is.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh please. I'm no filly, and I've fought before. I was in Cloudsdale when it fell, if you remember.”

The Lieutenant's face darkened, her lips pulling back in a snarl as she took a step forward. “Yes, I was not there to defend my home from the horrible attack led by the enemies of these foul apes. I had sto hear how many of the ponies I knew were slaughtered, all thanks to your friends the humans. And all while I had to sit on my hooves like a chastised school-filly, waiting on an order. Thank you, Sparkle, for reminding me.”

“I...” Twilight let her gaze sink to the floor, tears suddenly welling in her eyes. “I didn't mean... I'm so...”

“Of course you're sorry.” hissed the pegasus, “But not half as sorry these loathsome monkeys should be.” Discipline let her gaze slide over the assembled humans, her eyes narrowing to hate-filled slits. “It's their fault so many ponies died. If they never showed up, those evil automatons would have had no reason to bring their war to us. We could have lived in peace. But that foolish human just had to crash its filthy craft here. And our wonderful Princess, with her love of all living things, allowed it to stay. We should have banished it, at the very least.”

“That's not fair!” Twilight returned hotly, “I highly doubt that Jaze meant to bring anything bad to Equestria.”

“Intent is nothing compared to the deed.” hissed the snowy mare. Her face turned into a scowl of pure loathing “If that monster hadn't shown its face, my home would still be there for me to return to. If he wasn't under the protection of his ape friends, I'd...

Vincent clenched his hands into a fist so tight he could feel the skin of his palm split beneath his nails. Stepping forward, he glared down at the pegasus pony, only just able to keep his voice from raising to a shout. “First, I'll have to ask you to leave. Twilight, stowaway though she is, is now part of my team. I'm her superior officer, and she's coming along with me. Second, Jaze is a good man. I'll not have you attacking him like that.”

He stood ramrod straight, glaring down at the mare. “Oh, and third. Private Sparkle has more than proven her strength and resolve, a dozen times over. I'd take one of her over ten of you any day.”

“Hmph.” grunted the mare. “I care little for your petty insults, human. And further, if you want to take Miss... rather, Private Sparkle with you, feel free. But know that my team and I will be protecting her. She may have foalish notions of friendship and honor holding her here, but she is still an Equestrian citizen. Thus, it is my job to make sure she makes it home safe and sound.”

Vincent rolled his eyes, “Oh please, she can more than take care of herself, Discipline.”

“Don't be so familiar with me.” snorted the pegasus, “If you feel you must address me, refer to me as either Lieutenant, or Lieutenant Rigid Discipline.”

With that, the Guardspony strutted from the room, her head held high.Taking a deep breath, Vincent tried to force the mare's words from memory. But his stomach churned, and he once again felt his fingernails digging into the palm of his hand. He turned away from the door, grinding his teeth, and muttered to no one in particular, “This is going to be an interesting deployment.”

A Meeting

Jaze strode down the wide, tall hall, following behind Silver Tongue. It was a place he had only been a few times before: the throne room of the co-rulers of Equestria. To either side of the hall were enormous, beautiful stained-glass windows depicting important scenes in pony history. Sunlight streamed through the multicolored glass, casting the images onto the floor in an amazing light show of brilliant hues. His navy blue dress uniform looked black and dull alongside the vibrant show.

He studied each of the windows as he passed them, marveling at the amazing display. The ponies' history had been a wonder to him since he had first arrived, and only became more interesting with each new thing he learned. Several of the stories portrayed by the glass he recognized, such as the story of the three pony races coming together to found Equestria, saving themselves from an eternal winter born of hatred and mistrust. It never failed to leave him awestruck the things this magical land could bring forth, both terrible and beautiful.

As he passed by, he noticed a window he hadn't seen before. It was almost like it had grown overnight, and with what he had seen of pony magic he couldn’t be sure it didn’t. He couldn't help but stop to stare at this new addition. Where before sat an empty wall, now a gold-armored, dark-haired human figure stood next to a smaller, blue unicorn in the middle of a field of stars, their backs to the viewer. Above them was a dark, nebulous cloud roiling with lighting. From the pair radiated a bright stream of pure, white light that struck at the center of the cloud. And arrayed around the pair of figures in the center were scores of humans and ponies alike, shaking weapons of all sorts up at the cloud.

From behind him rang out a powerful, female voice. “I see you have found the newest addition to the Hall, Sir Armand.”

Jaze spun around. Dark-blue fur adorned the winged, horned pony. A smile cracked her face, and her space-like mane fluttered in a nonexistent wind. Her wings were poised over her back, held straight up, making her appear even larger than she was. She held her head high and proud, though she still somehow seemed not to look down on him. Her deep-blue eyes sparkled with an odd sense of mischief, one that had long since faded from her older sister, and yet still managed to show the wisdom bestowed on her by over a thousand years of life.

He felt a warm smile split his lips; Luna had been the one to first show and explain to him the various stained-glass windows. They had spent several afternoons studying the scenes, discussing them alongside the more official history books. Despite probably having read them hundreds if not thousands of times, and living several of the events herself, Luna had always pursued each story as if it was the first time she had heard of it. She had been the first of many friends he had made on this strange, wondrous world.

With a forehoof, she beckoned him forward, calling out, “Come, we shall review this fine art at a later time, for my dearest sister doth become impatient and wishes no further delay.” The Princess of the Night turned her attention to Silver, and stated “You may leave now, return to your friends in the barracks for now if you desire.”

The alabaster-coated Guardspony snapped to attention and gave a smart salute. “Ye-yes m-m-ma'am!” He spun around and nearly ran from the hall, his hoofsteps echoing long after he departed.

Jaze watched as the pegasus fled, letting a grin spread across his face. The moment the last echo faded, he turned to the alicorn and chuckled as he bowed, “I think someone has a crush; he was practically tripping over himself to follow your command.”

Luna stared after the stallion, a somber expression on her face that wiped the grin from his in a heartbeat. He could swear he saw tears welling in those timeless, space-blue orbs. She slowly turned to him, forcing a smile on her face. “He still does not seem to have recovered from the incident a few years ago.”

“Incident?” Jaze asked, a mix of curiosity and apprehension settling on him.

“Yes, it was... terrible. And by his own hoof.” The tall pony spun around, beckoning him to follow as she trotted down the hall.

She fell silent, her gaze to the floor with her head held high. Jaze fell into step just behind the Princess, only just able to bite back the questions burning through him. She hardly seemed to want to want to speak; he could see pain in her eyes as the memory washed over her. If nothing else, her reluctance to speak gave him pause. He had never known her to hold back, she had even gone into detail about the fight she had with her sister that lead to her being sealed away for a thousand years. That she would fall silent now made a pang of sorrow ring through his heart.

Slowing to a stop, she took a deep breath and continued. “Though you wouldn't guess it now, Silver was quite the motivational speaker. He was a spokespony for the Guard; he even helped us rebuild our reputation after we returned. We may not have been received as well by the ponies of Equestria had it not been for him.

“Around three years ago, he and another pegasus Guardspony were searching for a band of wanted criminals near Equestria's border with the gryphon kingdom. Their hideout was suspected to be in or around a treacherous valley that forms part of the separation of the two lands. This valley is filled with many dangers, from twisting passageways to sharp rocks and landslides. They had been given specific orders not to go into the valley proper, and only search the surrounding area in hopes they would not be held up in the canyon itself due to the danger.”

“Of course they'd hold up in there.” Jaze scoffed, unable to stop himself. “They'd know good and well that no one in their right mind would try and find them, and I'd bet there's plenty of places they could run away to if someone did come looking. A perfect place to hide.” Luna fixed a steady, cool gaze on him until he felt his face color with embarrassment. His mouth snapped closed; he dared not even offer an apology. He hadn't even stopped to think about his words, they just leapt from his throat.

The alicorn princess sighed, “Of course they were hiding in the valley, but we had to be sure before sending in our best fliers on a wild-goose-chase. Regardless, the end result is all that matters. Silver spotted one of the criminals, a pegasus, ducking into the canyon. Hoping to follow the scoundrel back to the hideout, convinced the other Guardspony that they couldn't let the chance pass.”

“Of all the...” Jaze groaned, catching another glare. “Sorry, uh, please continue.”

“If you would be so kind as to be quiet...” she huffed, waiting. When he nodded, Luna continued, “Anyway, despite our orders, Silver and his partner set off into the canyon. Unfortunately for them, the rogue pegasus had spotted them. The filthy lowlife led them into a trapped passage, and triggered a rock-slide. Silver managed to avoid the worst, escaping with a few bruises and light cuts. His partner, however, was trapped under the scree and only just alive.”

Jaze let out a slow sigh, whispering, “Dear god, what'd Silver Tongue do?”

“The only thing he could. He flew for help.” A single, glittering tear rolled down her cheek, and her voice hitched slightly, “He was a mess, bleeding and yelling for help. Several Guardsponies left, along with several healers. It took them hours to dig through the rubble; even with magic progress was slow to avoid the rocks shifting and crushing the poor stallion. The whole time, we were told Silver sat by and would let nopony tend to his wounds.

“All too soon, we were forced to raise the moon, but the work dragged on. Finally, the rescuers returned with the broken Guardspony on stretcher. Both his wings had been crushed beyond repair, and it would take him months to recover. To make matters worse, scouts later found the bandits' camp; they had slipped away. Silver blames himself, and that the rogues were captured and tried later has done little to ease his guilt.”

“That's horrible.” Jaze stared at the floor, unable to speak.

“Yes, though it may be equally horrible if we were to cause my sister to wait any longer.” The Princess of the Moon gestured with her hoof toward the end of the hall. “Shall we?”

He fell a half step behind the dark blue mare, his eyes to the floor as they continued down the long hall. Their steps echoed through the now-silent hall, though their destination never seemed to get any closer. They walked in silence now, Luna even going so far as to avoid his eyes completely any time he looked up. But each time she looked away, he could just catch the faint glitter of tears reflecting the variegated light trailing down her dark-blue cheeks.

That she would cry for that stallion spoke made his chest ache. The alicorn had been his first friend and teacher after his arrival, spending hours a day educating him about the fantastic world he had found himself in. She had taken the time to help him fit in, when she didn't have to. He kept churning Silver's story over and over in his mind. On the one hand, he couldn’t blame the poor stallion. He more than likely would have done the same, he knew that. But, on the other, he felt his stomach roil with disgust at the blatant disregard of orders.

A sudden, low hum brought his head up and out of his thoughts. Luna had strode ahead of him, and her horn was emitting the sound and a cobalt aura. Before her was the twin thrones of the sisters, one of which was encased in the same, magical glow. Jaze cocked his head as he walked toward the Princess, only to stare in awe as the large, gilded seat began to sink into the ground. With a grinding of stone, the throne vanished and a large door made of dark, incredible old wood was left where it once stood, which swung open as though it had decided them worthy to enter.

“Wh-what the hell just happened?” Jaze stammered as his eyes tried to blink the throne back into existence.

Luna, though the remnants of tears still littered her face, winked and gave a bright smile. “This is where we hold our most secretive discussions. Treaties with the other nations of Gaia, how to manage any of the various disasters that constantly befall this land; many important deliberations have taken place in this room since this palace was built.” The Moon Princess stepped past the doorway, disappearing into the room beyond. Jaze followed after the alicorn royalty, shaking his head.

As he stepped into the chamber, he took a moment to glance around. The huge room was only partially lit by several smokeless torches placed strategically along the walls. The high ceiling was shrouded in darkness, far too high for the small torches to illuminate. Dominating the center of the room was a long, high, oaken table that gleamed in the low light. Maps covered the otherwise bland, stone walls, depicting such things as Equestrian cities, trade routes, and the various other countries that made up the world of Gaia.

Sitting at one end of the table, her wings held high to her sides, sat Celestia. The stately monarch's icy stare immediately fixed on him as he entered. The power in her gaze sent an intense shiver down his spine. She hadn't said a word, but immediately his palms started sweating. The very air seemed to crackle with electricity, with her as the source. He could feel the Sun Princess' subtle rage in the hairs stiffening on his neck, and it wasn't hard to guess who she was aiming her ire toward. Piled before her were a number of orderly piles of scrolls made of the yellowish parchment that was used for more official documents.

With a single nod of her regal head, Celestia indicated the seat next to her. Jaze couldn't help a fearful swallow as he strode down the length of the table. Every step echoed up to the invisible ceiling, with that and the occasional hiss of a torch the only sounds in the otherwise tomb-like meeting hall. After an interminable walk, he took his place at the table, with Luna taking the seat across from him. She gave him another warm smile, but the one he returned turned out more as a grimace than anything. The chair he had taken wasn't helping much either. Made of the same wood as the table, it was far deeper than most furniture that he was used to. The thing almost made him feel like he was a child sitting in an adult's chair, a feeling the kept him fidgeting with distaste.

Celestia inclined her head towards him, looking down her nose at him. The disdain in her voice was palpable as she spoke, “Now that you have finally arrived, we can begin. I have called you here today to discuss the future of Equestria, and our new alliance with your Earth Coalition.”

The snow-white alicorn's horn glowed a brilliant gold, and a few scrolls suddenly jumped across the table at him, unfurling as they came. An involuntary flinch jerked his head back, and his face reddened as they landed in a neat stack in front of him. A small tick of her eyebrow let him know the Princess had caught the movement, but her expression barely changed.

“First, the simple matters.” Celestia waved a hoof at the papers before him, “These are treaties, that you, as the current representative of the Earth Coalition in Equestria, must sign.”

“W-wait just a moment!” exclaimed Jaze, “I can't start signing anything in the name of the EC Council! I would at least need to get word to them, and at least them take a few days to...”

“Never fear, Jaze.” Luna interrupted, “These are hardly anything more than a formality, mostly to state to the ponies of Equestria your good intent, and that the warriors you've station within our borders are not a hostile force. These, we believe, are well within your power to grant. Or are we mistaken that you currently are the leader of the human forces still stationed on Gaia?”

“I... Well I guess.” he admitted. “At least, I kinda lead them. And I guess that, so long as I'm not making concessions on behalf of the human race or anything, no one can really be upset.”

Celestia nodded, “Yes, humanity seems to have a talent for war. You almost seem bred for it. That you would agree on behalf of all the humans on Gaia not to begin unwarranted hostilities would be a huge relief to everypony.”

Jaze couldn't help but frown. “Celestia, you don't really think that we would attack you, do you?”

The ancient monarch narrowed her eyes, “I feel I must at least put a show for the ponies of Equestria and others beyond. In truth, I sincerely doubt that it would matter what you sign here today. It seems that humans will just take what they want, regardless of what somepony else wishes. And from what I have seen, you would have the means to get it.”

Luna shot up, sending her chair flying. “Dear Sister,” she hissed, a small amount of venom lacing her words, “that is hardly a thing to say to a guest representing a foreign nation, and much less a friend!”

Celestia's cold glare shifted to her younger sister, and she spoke in a chilling monotone. “And I believe that 'friends' would at least have the courtesy to inform the other of their decisions, and allow them to make their own case before acting. As it seems that wasn't the case, and my involvement was not considered in matters that affected me, I must assume that the 'friendship' was either a lie, or broken off. I am merely treating our... guest, as I would any other potential threat to Equestria.”

Jaze felt his face heat. “Hold it just a moment!” he bellowed.

The Princesses turned their attention back to him as he stood, only just able to keep his breathing calm. His hands clenched into fists on the table, and it was a miracle he hadn't pounded them against the wood. For the first time, he met the ancient alicorn's gaze without flinching, and growled, “I know that my arrival here brought some... unwelcome changes. For that, I apologize. But I, and humanity, have worked too goddamned hard putting it right to sit here and be treated like this! I want nothing more than to help Equestria. And while I can't speak for the whole of the Earth Coalition, I can say that every man and woman that was here would rather die than fight against their friends here.”

“Then you should have no problem signing.” Celestia intoned.

“Do I get a pen? Or must I sign in blood? Prove my loyalty to our new ‘allies’ that way.”

“We would prefer to keep our records as blood-free as possible.” Luna replied, forcing a smile, “Too barbaric for our tastes.” The younger alicorn's horn flared briefly, and an ornate quill made of some type of red and gold feather appeared before him, along with a small bottle of ink. “But, if it's some form of human custom, we could supply some red ink to simulate the effect.”

“A plain black, or blue would be fine.” Jaze assured. He sat as tall in his seat as he could, uncomfortably aware of the two Princesses still towering over him, and picked up the quill. “I hope that, with this, your fears about the Marines on your soil will at least be made bearable. ”

“I suspect that will depend on how many more of my precious subject you intend to force into your battles, Colonel Armand.”

“I'm not really a Colonel any... Wait, what?” Jaze looked up from the papers, unable to hide the confused look on his face. Celestia still looked at him with the same, cold glare she had been giving him since his arrival. He could feel the waves of anger rolling off her worse than ever before.

“As if you are unaware.” huffed the snowy-white mare. “I know that you're the reason my faithful student left to fight in your war. Why else would she?”

“Wait, do you mean Twilight?”

“Of course I mean Twilight!” roared Celestia. A sudden gust made the torches gutter and ruffled his hair. Her mane, usually appearing to calmly float on a gentle breeze now whipped about as though in a storm. Her eyes were narrowed menacingly, gleaming out with a rage he hadn't thought possible of the usually so composed Princess.

“I never... she volunteered to defend her home!” hollered Jaze in turn.

“But not, I feel, to defend humanity's.” the alicorn mare spat back.

“What the hell are talking about?!”

“Please stop playing stupid with me, colt!” she screamed, her wings starting to twitch in anger. “It is beneath you. I know you ordered Twilight to go with your StarSide Marines to Earth.”

“I... I did not! Why would I? I would never send her off her home, not unless she wanted to go!”

“Then if you did not, who would?!” bellowed the mare, as she shot to her hooves.

Finally, he could take it no longer. With a loud thud Jaze slammed his metal fist to the table, and jumped up to scream, “I have no goddamned idea! But there's hardly any goddamned reason I would do it, is there?!”

“Wouldst thou please stop this senseless bickering!” yelled Luna, and with a single, powerful flap of her broad, dark wings she flew to hoover above the table. With both, livid pairs of eyes following her, she slowly floated back and forth between them as she spoke in a slow, calm voice, “Sister, worry not about thine student. She art one of the best and brightest Equestria has to offer, and will most likely be accompanied by the Guardsponies that her brother Shining Armor, your trusted Captain, hoof-picked to go to Earth to assist in the liberation of the human's home. Thy fears are ungrounded, she shall be fine.”

“Ungrounded my hoof! Celestia fired back, “I spoke with Gaston before he left. He is under the assumption that the fighting there will last far longer, and be more gruesome, than it was even here!”

“Thy composure dearest sister, you would do well to regain it.” Luna's lips twitched in a small smile, “Thou seems to have forgotten that your most trusted student, and dare I say closest friend, doth have a mind of her own. Jaze knew not of Twilight's intention to accompany the humans on their quest to liberate their world. T'was I that gave her dispensation to leave.”

Celestia's head fell, and her mane suddenly became still. The sight made cold fingers run down his spine, though he wasn't sure why. Her tone changed, becoming nearly silent as he whispered, “But, why Luna? She had no place going to fight on another planet.”

Jaze shook his head and tore his eyes away from the regal-white mare, and forced out, “R-right! There's no reason she needs to be there! I'll let Admiral Gaston know, and he can get her on a ship back...”

“Be silent, Jaze.” The Moon Princess waved her hoof, “Do you not trust the training that was given to Twilight? And she is both an adult, and a member of your StarSide Marines. It is her right and responsibility to assist in the fight.”

“Why Luna? Why would you go behind my back on this?”

“For the simple reason that we knew you would never allow your pupil to leave had you known before-hoof.” stated the younger pony.

“And for good reason!” Jaze cried out as he stood. “Everyone is expecting Earth to be a suicide mission. Projections are that only one in ten squads will make it out intact. Even if it's an over-estimate, there's still going to be a huge casualty rate! I'm going to...”

“What exactly?” Celestia suddenly snapped, “You just finished saying that you are no longer a Colonel, correct? Then what position do you hold?”

“I... Well I'm technically not attached to the military at all. But Gaston would...”

Luna slowly shook her head, sighing. “Jaze, please. We believe this for the best. Twilight is strong, far stronger than many give her credit for. She went through your training, and has saved Equestria numerous times with the help of her friends. We think she will measure up to the task quite well.”

“But...”

“Please, Jaze.” The Solar Princess' calm, quiet tone cut through the haze that had imperceptibly crept over his vision. Jaze turned, and felt the unreasonable anger turn to worry. Her wings had folded against her sides, while her shoulders drooped. Her head dipped toward the table, and her voice fell even lower. “Just, please stop. There is nothing you can do, and nor should you if you could. Luna is right, it was Twilight’'s choice to make. Should I have her brought back, she could take it to be that I do not trust her.”

“But, but what if...” began the human, though he suspected the outcome.

“Enough!” shouted Celestia, “There is not anything you can do, so just let it rest!”

The snowy-white mare let out a long sigh, and added, “We should focus instead on things we can control. If you would, please sign the documents. Then, we can get down to the real business.”

Nodding, Jaze sat down and pulled the papers close once more. True to the Princesses' word, the agreements were simple things, such as agreeing to obey the laws of Equestria while on it's soil. He took the quill in his hand, and dipped it into the nearby inkwell. His hands shook as he signed all the dotted lines he came across, turning his already untidy scrawl into an even bigger mess. This was another first, both for him and all of humanity. He hadn't even considered humanity and pony-kind being anything but friends and allies, but to see it on paper...

As he browsed through the documents, he could feel Celestia's gaze settling on the top of his head. Without looking up, he asked, “Is something wrong, Princess?”

“No, not all.” she answered far too quickly. “It is just, well...” She paused, causing him to look up from the latest stack of paper-work set before him. Her ears were laid flat, and as he looked she turned away. “I feel... I must apologize to you, Co... Mr. Armand. It was wrong of me to be so... uncivil.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Don't worry. I would have been livid too, if I thought you had sent someone important to me off to... risk themself.”

Celestia's head fell, and he could swear he could see a tear falling down her face as she whispered, “I believe that Twilight will be quite alright. She is, as my dear sister says, strong and well trained.”

“You're absolutely right, we should not worry!” Luna crowed, “We must do our best to take care of everything here. So that way, when Twilight returns, we can give her a proper welcome.”

“And that would be the real reason that you were brought here, Jaze.” Celestia intoned.

He looked up from the documents, an eyebrow raising. “Meaning?” He asked as calmly as he could.

“You have been left in charge of the remaining human forces on Gaia, as I recall.” stated the regal, white mare. “I wonder, what exactly is your purpose here? Humanity's motive to stay, as it were. As I understand, all your forces were needed to retake your homeworld. Why leave so many here, if not for a worthwhile reason?”

Jaze set the quill back on the table, and took a slow breath. “Part of the reason is that the Earth Coalition wants to be in constant contact with their sudden allies. Personally, I wanted to help clean up the garbage. But, the EC wants me to oversee recovery operations for any Cye tech we can salvage and research for ourselves.”

Letting his gaze drop back to the table, he added with a slight wince, “And if I know Earth Coalition suits like I think I do, they want me to keep an eye on you.”

Celestia's brow rose slowly as she squinted. “So, you are to spy on us? Can we not be trusted?”

Luna giggled and shook her head at her older sister. “As if we did not send a force of Guardsponies on the same mission.”

The elder alicorn's face reddened as she shrieked, “I... That's not the point!”

“I think it is dear sister.” Luna replied as she winked.

“Regardless.” chuckled the scarred soldier, “I'm not here for that. Not at least on anything you wouldn't want your allies to know. As much as anything, I'm just here to be a public face for the Earth Coalition on Equestria.”

“So, this is a business stay I assume?” asked Celestia, her face still slightly red.

“To tell the truth...” Jaze ran a hand through his dark hair, and muttered, “I'm glad that I was able to stay. I'd love to stay permanently, though I'd understand if you would rather I leave.”

Celestia broke into a sudden smile. Her horn glowed with a sun-like aura, and in a bright flash another small stack of papers appeared on the table before her. “Actually. There is something I needed to speak with you about, if you could take a look at these...”

First Steps

The straps of his harness pressed against his chest, keeping him held tight to the seat of the dropship as it hurtled through space. His rifle was held by special clamps next to his leg, keeping it from floating around in low-gravity. The constant thrum of the powerful engines filled the packed troop compartment, otherwise dead silent. Vincent stared up at the plain, metal ceiling. When they had boarded not five minutes ago, everyone had been yelling and excited. Now, not a word was spoken. Twenty men and women sat in silence.

Glancing to his right, he amended his thoughts; fourteen humans, and six ponies. Looking at the pegasus mare at his side, he could not stop a slight grimace from forming. Rigid Discipline sat, with her legs sticking straight out from the uncomfortable, human designed chair, glaring at all that dared to look her way. Another pegasus, a stallion with a cream colored coat, sat to her right. His hazel eyes peered out from underneath his gold helm, jumping to the nearest wall with every tiny shudder the craft made. Like his commander, the stallion's sun-hued armor was spotlessly clean, though it did show a few distinct signs of combat, including a ragged, fist-sized hole in the left shoulder piece, through which a small ring of pale, puckered scar tissue shone through. His mane was completely hidden by his headpiece, but his short cinnamon tail twitched every time his eyes would find some new spot to focus on.

Across from him sat a pair of unicorns, a stallion and a mare. The stallion twisted in his seat as much as the restraints allowed and stared with slack-jawed wonder through a tiny viewport at the half of the planet he could see. His teal eyes bulged as he drank in the sight of the world, and undoubtedly the battles already erupting in its orbit. His light pink mane and tail, both far longer than Vincent would have guessed was allowed, each had a slight curl, while his vibrantly green coat made the gilded armor seem dull in comparison. The mare next to him, with her muted yellow coat and light orange mane, sat with her forehooves pressed together before her nose, and her eyes glued shut. Her lips slowly moved, though no sound squeezed from her throat.

The final Guardspony had decided to sit nearest the large, drop-down ramp. He was an earth-pony of a light gray coat, with touches gray in his other-wise sky blue mane and tail. Unlike the others, this pony was glad in a midnight-blue set of armor. His helm was nowhere to be seen, and he was drawing long, slow breaths as if asleep.

“Remedy!” barked Lieutenant Discipline, causing the young stallion turned around in his seat fast enough Vincent could hear the pop from across the aisle.

“Yes ma'am?” asked the green unicorn as he rubbed at the base of his head.

“Cut out the gawking, we'll be done there soon enough.”

“If we can actually make it down there in a bucket.” grumbled the cream-colored stallion as a tiny tremor ran the length of the ship. “Ponies weren't meant to go to space.”

“Quit yer belly achin', Honor Bound.” hollered the older pony parked next to the ramp without opening his eyes. “You'll make it down thar where yuh kin bludgeon something with that thick head'a yers.”

The pegasus called Honor Bound turned to the still mouthing mare, “Come on, Blaze. Back me up here!”

“Quiet, you blasted idiot.” replied the yellow pony as her hooves fell to her side. She opened her eyes for the first time, revealing fierce, bright red orbs that almost seemed to sparkle with barely contained hate. “Stone's right. The humans have done this thousands of times, we'll be more than fine. And I can't wait to get down there and show these metal creeps why they should have never messed with Equestria.”

“All of you, pipe down!” yelled out a gruff, male voice.

Vincent looked over at the shouter. The older Marine was glaring back at him, pale green eyes flicking from one pony's face to the next. His face was creased with age, definitely a rare sight in any armed service as of late. The rest of him, however, showed no signs of aging. Underneath the armor, his body was just as fit as anyone half his age.

The elder soldier grunted as he added, “It's bad enough that you damned equines got folded into my squad, let's not make this any more unpleasant than it has to be.”

Discipline sat a little straighter in her seat, and her eyes narrowed to nearly closed slits at the older man.“I shall have you know, mister...?”

“Sergeant James Williams, missy.” roared the older soldier, “And you're gonna shut that gob, before I shut it for you, permanent-like.”

The spell that had held them silent suddenly broken, one of the Marines spoke up, “Hey Sarge, where're we actually goin'?”

Sergeant Williams sighed, and turned his eyes to the young Private, “We're going where ever the hell the great and powerful Corps wants us to. In this case, seems like that's Camp Stone. It's one of the largest training compounds in the entire galaxy, so we're sure to find some survivors. But, we ain't had word from 'em yet. No idea of enemy strength, or even if there will be a fight waiting for us. But goddamned if we ain't gonna start kickin' those metal bastards off our planet from there.”

“Hey, I'm goin' home!” a woman chuckled, “Trained at Camp Stone before this whole mess kicked off. Wonder if they ever fixed that hole in the wall from where Ricky drove into it with the tank.”

The grizzled Sergeant turned his gaze to the woman, his glare so strong she seemed to sink into her seat. “Well then Corporal, since you know so damned much about it, you get to take point when we get boots to dirt.”

“Ye-yes sir.” the soldier replied as she hung her head against her chest.

“Good, now, if there are no other interrupters, maybe you'd like to get your selves ready for the fight. Pray, meditate, wet yourself,” he looked straight at the still nervous Honor Bound eying every rivet as though it would break, “whatever the hell you ladies and gents need to do. So long as it's quiet, 'cause I'mma be grabbin' a short nap myself. No idea when I'll get to sleep again, 'cept when I'm dead, so I'm gonna make the best of this.” The grayed soldier lapsed into silence, and leaned back into his seat as his eyes slid shut.

Vincent felt his breath catch in his chest. Stone Camp. He, too, knew the name. It stuck in his mind, and made him very nearly stop breathing entirely. That wasn't far at all. Sights, sounds, and smells began to filter in from somewhere far back in his memory. He knew he should say something, shouldn't let himself fall into that trap. If he were found out, he could land in a heap of trouble. First the mess with Twilight, and now this.

His hands shook as he glanced out the small viewport in the side of the dropship, he couldn't say anything. His mouth had gone dry. The planet slowly filled the small window, and if he looked carefully he could see the dozens of other small craft beginning their long, slow descent to the orb below. On the other hand, he reasoned with himself, there's not much of a chance that he would be given an opportunity. Sure, he was relatively close, but there was still the Camp to retake. They didn't know how long it would take, and more than likely he would be sent elsewhere as soon as the battle ended. He wouldn't have time, nor even a chance to slip away.

Honor Bound stared at the Sergeant as the old man appeared to fall into a deep slumber. Hazel orbs danced around the room to each face in turn. Most of the gathered soldiers avoided his gaze, though Vincent gave a reassuring smile as he their eyes briefly met. The pegasus' eyes seemed to grow wider, a feat that Vincent had to admit made him a bit impressed. He almost seemed to shake as his mouth pulled into a frown.

“Is, is that old geezer saying we're gonna die?”

Vincent repressed a slight chuckle, before reaching across Rigid Discipline to gently pat her anxious comrade's good shoulder. When the stallion's head whipped around, he offered another smile and whispered, “We'll be just fine.”

“I don't know.” whimpered the cream-colored pony, “I saw the kind of stuff these Cye things do, and that was just when we were standing still fighting. Now, we're going to be attacking? It's-it's just crazy!”

“Honor Bound!” Rigid Discipline hissed, “Straighten up and act like the proud member of the Royal Guard you are. There is nothing to be afraid of, I highly doubt we'll see anything like what we did in Equestria. Further, these... Cye, have less in their heads than even you. They are hardly a real threat.”

Vincent nodded to the pegasus mare's words, and added, “Lieutenant Discipline's right. Just keep your head down, follow orders, and everything'll be just fine.”

“Speaking of following orders, who the hell's still yammering?!” Williams roared. His gaze swiftly settled on Vincent. Eye narrowing, the older man cocked his head and asked, “Why do I recognize you? What's your name soldier?”

Vincent offered a salute, and rattled off, “Sir, Sergeant Vincent Medoaz sir. Currently acting commander for what's left of Angel platoon.”

A sharp intake of air hissed between Sergeant Williams' teeth. “Angel platoon? The 'heroes' of Cordon?”

“Some call us that, I guess. Sir.”

“God. Damn. It.” groaned the older soldier. “They told me I'd be getting some misfits folded in to fill some empty, but they never said I'd be getting some goddamned poster child, no-brained heroes.”

“Excuse me, sir?” Shelby asked from her seat across from Vincent, practically spitting past her clenched teeth.

The Sergeant's gaze flicked to her. “Are ya deaf as well as dumb? I've seen the after action, what you all did was reckless, stupid, and nearly killed more people 'en it saved. Lost most of the damned platoon, and then another twenty Marines pushing towards you to pull your dumb-asses outta the fire.”

Shelby ground her teeth, and her chest heaved with ire. “But had we done nothing, we would have lost the city, and possibly the planet. Would that have been any better?”

“'Course not.” snorted the older man, “But you all shoulda waited for back up, or radioed in on your situation. Instead, protocol was bucked by that Captain... what was it?”

This time, it was was Vincent's turn to hiss past his clenched jaw, “Evelyn. Captain Evelyn Rae.”

Williams nodded, “Tha's right, daughter of another fool hero. Anyway, she had to follow her daddy's footsteps, and do her own thing. Regardless of what it cost those around her.”

Vincent felt his heart shudder in his chest as his hands began to shake. He didn't need to look across the aisle to be able to feel the rage pouring from his beloved. A single finger rose from his hand, aimed squarely at Shelby. His eyes never left the Sergeant's, though a white haze had settled around everything.

“Captain Rae was an excellent soldier.” growled Vincent.

“Perhaps, but it doesn't make her less of a damned fool.”

“Don't you dare...” began Shelby, only for another warning finger to be aimed at her.

“Regardless of your feelings, you will not talk bad about the dead in front of me. Or so help me, I'll...”

The elder Sergeant grinned. “Do what exactly, son? You ain't stupid enough to try anything, are ya? Give me a damned good reason to be rid of ya, it would.”

Rigid Discipline cleared her throat, and stated in a quiet monotone, “You shall not speak ill of the departed before me, good Sergeant. For, regardless of species, those who fall in defense of their land and beliefs deserve nothing but the utmost respect.” She paused a moment, before adding, “Even the hairless apes. And should you continue to say such horrid things, well, you shall find out just why I was hoof-picked by Captain Shining Armor himself to go on this mission.”

Somehow, the Sergeant's eyes managed to narrow further. “That a threat, missy?”

“No, Sergeant James Williams, that is a statement of fact. Whether you take it as a threat depends on how attached you are to the idea of being a horse-apple.”

Gasps rang out from the assembled ponies, Twilight even going so far as to rub a hoof at her ear. Every pony's eyes bulged as they stared at the the Lieutenant, who merely looked as calm and composed as ever as she intently studied Williams' face. Vincent let his questioning gaze slide to each of the equines, though none of them seemed to even notice. He looked to Shelby, who frowned and shrugged.

A slight hum of static came over a some-what hidden speaker, and a calm female voice warned, “We're thirty seconds from atmospheric entry folks. Please put your seat-trays in the their upright and locked positions and pucker up real tight. Gonna be in range of any ground-based AA in two. Reaching the designated LZ in three.”

“Goddamn, there goes my feckin' nap.” groused Williams. “Alright ladies, get those last prayers in.”

He looked first to Vincent, and then to Lieutenant Discipline, “We'll finish this later. For now, we're just gonna have to get along.”

***

Telltale streaks of fire appeared in the sky as dozens of dropships began their descent through the planet's atmosphere. Each was tilted slightly upward, trying to keep the relatively fragile craft from burning. No two ships were closer than a hundred meters, though they all seemed to be following the same paths down to the surface. Shudders ran through the crafts as they hit slight differences in air density. Wind howled off the troop-transports, creating a massive wail as they slowly began to lose their fiery contrails. Below, was a landscape of rolling hills with a few wide, tilled fields and forests scattered about.

As the first of the ships began to level out, white-hot ribbons began to slash through the air toward them. The deadly missiles screamed through the air, intent on intercepting the humans well before they could set boots on the ground. Most of the dropships narrowly avoided the heavy cannon fire as it blasted in between them. Two that were still pulling out of their entry dive were clipped, sending them spiraling down to the Earth as they broke into thousands of pieces.

Onboard his ship, Vincent ground his teeth. The suddenly fragile-seeming craft rattled as an anti-aircraft round passed within meters of the hull. His stomach flopped into his chest as the dropship twisted away from the high-velocity death. The stench of sweat and Honor Bound's... mishap washed over him in sickening waves. Another shudder rocked the ship. His heart pounded, though he managed to keep his hands steady on his knees. Several of the men and women had their eyes screwed shut as the aircraft continued to rocket through the air toward the ground.

The craft lurched, accompanied by the sound of metal tearing. Suddenly weightless again, the straps across his body dug into his chest. The dropship tumbled through the air, causing several of the Marines and ponies aboard to scream. Vincent watched as large cracks formed in the hull, and icy wind began to rip into the troop compartment. The breath was ripped from his throat by the chilling blast. Immediately, he broke into shivers.

Slowly, the ship settled it's twisting and bucking. The door to the cockpit slid back, and the pilot screamed, “We're hit, goddamned bastards got smart on me. Last shot took out the right wing. Goin' down. I-I got this though; I can guide us down easy. But we're falling way behind the rest of the group, and into the middle of those guns.”

“Good!” Sergeant Williams bellowed back, “Then we can take out the damned things, give the flyboys some breathing room.”

Vincent yelled over the wind to the Sergeant, “Sir, should we try and link up with some of the other wrecks as well? Maybe some of our boys made it.”

The older man glanced toward Vincent, and shrugged. “Hate to admit it, but you've got a good thought there son. Pilot, reckon you could get us pointed in the right direction after we... set down?”

“If ya mean 'crash', then yeah prolly. Jus' don't expect much else outta me. I ain't s'pposed t' leave my chair.”

Williams chuckled, “Fair enough kid.” Beneath the wind came several, shrill pinging noises off the hull of the ship.

“Shit!” the pilot shrieked, “Only good LZ's crawling with those metal bastards. Their guns ain't gonna do didly to this armor, but we're gonna hafta fight our way outta there!”

“This goddamned day just keeps getting better and better!” roared the graying Sergeant. “Nowhere we can set down that's not covered in hostiles?”

“Negative, nowhere I can reach. Got no manervuablity, and we're losing fuel fast. It's there, or we take our chances among the trees to the north. And this bird wasn't meant to cut through forest.”

“Ain't that about a bitch.” Sergeant Williams reached down and grabbed his assault rifle from its clamp, racking the charging lever as he yelled, “Get yerselves ready, time to kick off the party.”

Welcome to the Jungle

The craft nosed downward into the dirt, digging a long furrow as it ground to a stop. A few, small grass fires started in its wake, though most quickly burned out as the green vegetation cooled the flames. The pilot had steered them toward one of the few, flat fields within their limited range. Already, several androids began closing in on the downed craft, their rifles barking as more dropships screamed by overhead. Bullets pinged off the heavy armor of the craft, protecting the soldiers inside.

Twilight's hooves scraped at the straps holding her into the seat. Her magic yanked her weapon from its clamps as she unhooked her harness. Her heart thumped painfully in her throat. A coppery taste coated her tongue as she telekineticly hefted her rifle. Despite the pilot's efforts, the dropship had still slammed into the ground hard enough to make pain shoot through every joint in her body. Her head still spun as she crawled to her hooves. Around her, Marines stirred from their seats, shaking heads and gathering weapons after the crash. Groans filtered through the air as they stood. The old Sergeant was already out of his seat, peering out the viewport.

“Dammit,” he growled, “bastards have us surrounded, and when we open the damn door we're going to get massacred.”

“Um... sir?” Twilight asked as she crawled from her seat, “Is there anything somepony could use as cover nearby?”

“Hell's it matter?!” shouted Sergeant Williams, “We ain't getting out of here to get to anything! Damned pilot, why'd you set us down here?!”

The pilot in question stumbled out of the cockpit of the craft, bleeding heavily from a gash in her forehead. “I did the best I could jackass. It was either set down here, or risk getting hit by more AA.”

The grizzled soldier's features softened slightly, “That's a nasty scrape there kid, ya gonna be okay?”

“Not if we're stuck in this corpse.”

“Excuse me, sir?” Twilight again spoke up, “If there's something I could keep between me and bullets nearby, I think I can help.”

Rolling his eyes, Williams answered, “There's some kinda stone wall, about twenty yards north through the thickest buncha hostiles. Ain't no way you're running through that.”

“Whoever said a thing about running?”

She turned to Vincent, who was standing at her shoulder now. “Mister Vincent, can I count on you, Shelby, and Dmitri?”

“Of course.” The large human replied with a frown, “But what're you...”

“Everypony, please. Get close to me.”

Her newest friends drew close, each frowning. Her horn began to glow, and power practically vibrated the ship. A deep violet haze appeared, surrounding them. Gritting her teeth, the young mare let her eyes slid shut. She had to concentrate; everything thing had to be perfect. Or, nearly so. She had to guess their combined weight, and didn't know exactly how far she needed to move. The formulas were at least a little forgiving on that front. She took a deep breath; she could do this. There was no other choice.

Her hooves lifted off the metal deck, and she heard a few low curses rise from the humans around her. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as magic danced through her. The sounds of bullets pounding into the hull faded. The formulas and words of the spell echoed through her mind. With a final, glaring flash and a muted pop, the unicorn and her three human friends vanished.

Twilight floated encased in a bright, lavender light. Heat and cold assaulted her from all sides. Squeezing her eyes shut did little to drown out the brilliant luminescence. A sound akin to howling wind shrieked all around. A steady tug around her midsection pulled her through the light. She couldn't see but could feel the humans she had pulled along with her floating nearby.

The heat and cold surges settled to a temperate, comfortable range. The strange wailing ceased. As the light began to fade, she could pick out the shapes of her human friends beside her. Her hooves felt soft grass beneath them as she settled onto the ground. A loud pop and bright flash of brilliant brought the world back into existence around her. A slight ring took hold of her hearing as she glanced around. The first thing she noticed was the acrid tang of smoke mixed gunpowder assaulting her nostrils. She blinked to clear clear her vision. The cracks of rifles began to overtake the ringing, and the washed-out picture from her eyes slowly began to make sense.

A hot wind brushed past her face. She heard the air being shredded. Before she could flinch, a hand shoved her down as a feminine voice screamed, “The hell just happened?”

Shelby's hand kept the young unicorn pinned to the ground as the human woman untangled her rifle's sling from a shoulder. Looking around, the mare noticed the other two humans were still groggy and slow. Rounds danced along the thick stone wall. Chips of masonry flung over the top of the protective barrier rained down on the four.

Twilight felt a shiver roll through her, but managed to bite back her scream long enough to answer, “A simple instantaneous travel spell. Well, simple in theory but it was made more complex by having to move so much matter with such accuracy and...”

The high-pitched ring of a bullet bouncing off the top of the wall made her close her mouth, and prompted Vincent to yell, “Got it, ya teleported us. Great, just next time give us a bit of goddamned warning!”

“Well not really, as teleportation involves de- and re-materialization whereas all I did was...”

“Better times horn-head!” Shelby yelled.

“Oh, right!”

The young mare's horn flashed brightly, lifting her rifle in a lavender field of energy. Slowly her head peeked over-top the low wall where her companions had crouched. From here, she could easily see twelve of the Cye warriors firing wildly at their position. A round ricocheted off the stone near her, peppering her with shrapnel.

Unable to hold back a shriek, Twilight flinched away from the impact. Her heart hammered as her gun rose in its energy field. A magical squeeze of the trigger sent a wild sweep of gunfire across the field. Rounds stitched a line across one of the metal monster's chest. A lucky hit that sent the thing sprawling to the ground. But as it fell, it's companions' rifles barked and spat death in her direction.

The slugs pounded into the wall. She could hear the stone cracking beneath the impact. Sweat poured down her brow, stinging as it entered her eyes. From beside her, the steady rattle of bursts from Shelby's assault rifle kept a perfect rhythm. Glancing left, she noticed Vincent and Dmitri taking turns firing over the wall.

Taking a deep breath, the unicorn mare stood on her hindlegs, bracing herself against the wall with her forehooves for steadiness. Her gaze flicked to the nearest android still on its feet. Rifle followed eyes, and trained squarely on its chest. This time, she gently squeeze the trigger. A trio of rounds spat out as the metal humanoid turned, tearing through the metal chassis and sending the creature to the ground. Twilight released her breath.

Something tickled her cheek as she dropped back down below the safety of the wall. Absently, her hoof wiped it away. She dropped the nearly empty magazine from her rifle and slapped in a fresh one. Again she stood, noticing that there seemed to be more of the robots on the ground than still standing. She aligned the rifle's sights with one who had just charged from around the drop-jet, sending a sustained burst into it before it fell. Another began to crawl towards her, it's rifle held in one had as it pulled itself along with the other. A single round into its upturned face made it collapse.

“That's right, you maniacal mechanical bastards!” screamed Vincent, “Get the hell off this planet.” Twilight turned as she fell back behind the wall, and watched as the large human sprayed every round he could across the enemy line. Two more of the androids fell, even as a few more ran from around the fallen craft. She could just see the beginnings of what may have been a smile on his lips. But for now, it looked more like the ferocious snarl she had seen on the faces of the wild animals of the Everfree.

Standing once more, she watched as the dropship's ramp fell, and Marines poured out. The Cye turned to face the new threat, but were quickly cut down in the crossfire. The human soldiers fanned outward from the crash site, stopping to kick each of the fallen androids as the went. Only a few moved, gaining them a round from a Marine's sidearm before they moved on. And just like that, the fight was over.

Twilight stood up from behind the low wall. Her legs quaked under her, only just able to support her weight. The crumbling stone shared her readiness to fall over. She noticed the multitudes of spider-webbing cracks that had spread across it. Stepping away from the collapsing wall, she looked toward Shelby standing nearby and received a small smile and a nod. Twilight couldn't help but feel a smile trace across her lips.

A low curse worming through the air made her turn back toward the fallen craft. Her wizened commanding officer looked around as he stepped out, his face turning beet red and a dark grimace settling over him as he surveyed the carnage. His gaze locked to hers, and Twilight felt a shiver steal over her. The older man's steady, quick gait carried him across the battlefield, not even bothering to step around the crumpled androids.

As he neared, she could feel the rage seething off of him. Before she could open her mouth, the older human screeched, “Just what the actual hell was that?!”

“Well, uh sir that was uh...” stammered the unicorn.

“That was you nearly getting your sorry ass killed is what that was!” Sergeant Williams crossed his arms as he paced in a tight pattern. His voice was low and terse, and his eyes narrowed to tiny slits. “That was stupid and reckless, Private. Not only did you drag your team out where they could get hurt, but then your damned equine friends all decided that they needed to follow you out immediately. They would have been slaughtered. You're damned lucky.”

“Oh, lighten up Sarge!” called out a male Marine from nearby, “If she hadn't did that, we'd be stuck in that damned bird til they cracked it open.”

“Regardless,” growled the Sergeant, “you better not pull some bull like that again. Next time, you may not walk...” A tiny smirk flickered across his features, “trot away with just a scratch.”

A sudden throb of white hot pain lit up the side of her face. Her hoof again came up to her face as the tickle she had felt sprang to mind. A quick swipe over the smarting area, and she could feel the wetness. Her hoof came away dotted by little smears of blood.

“It... It must've... happened wh-when... when they shot the wall...” stammered Twilight as she stared down at the crimson over-top the lavender coloring of her hoof. Her stomach roiled. She'd been that close. Another, scant inch and she would've...

A sigh brought her head back up. Sergeant Williams had lowered his gaze for the first time since he'd arrived, his head slowly shaking as he muttered, “It's just a scratch kid. You're really lucky. And, I guess...” He looked up, and gave an odd sort of grimace that Twilight could only just recognize as a smile, “Ya did pretty well. We could have all been dead if you hadn't done what ya done.”

“I... thank you sir.”

The grimace-smile became a little more pronounced, “Jus' don't let it happen again, Private Sparkle.” The elder human clapped his hand against her shoulder, and added. “You seem to have a good head on your shoulders; I aim to see it stay there.”

Williams turned and walked away, hollering as he went, “Hey, pilot! Can you get the ground-to-orbit comm up? We should prolly let someone know we didn't all go out in a blaze of... well it ain't glory but somethin' like that.”

The muffled voice of their pilot yelled back from the depths of the dropship, “About that, yer gonna want to come here sir.”

A tap on the back of her head made her turn around to face a frowning Vincent. His eyes darted about, before he twitched his head to where the both Dmitri and Shelby stood watching. Both the humans' eyes continuously darted about, and each had their rifles held in a loose but ready grip. The frown on Vincent's feature's transferred to hers; what had happened?

The large man strode toward his friends, and Twilight fell in half a step behind him. Her cheek still throbbed, though it seemed to have stopped bleeding at least. Now she kept scanning around for what had everypony so nervous. Besides the Marines securing the crash site, nothing moved. The surrounding area offered no hint. If anything, it was a rather pleasant day, except for the odors of smoke and spent gunpowder tainting the air.

As they approached, Shelby looked at Vincent with narrowed eyes and growled, “I don't like this.”

“You and me both.” Vincent snorted.

Twilight looked between the pair of scowling humans, and asked, “What, what's wrong?”

Both humans jumped, before Shelby turned and answered with a whisper, “They used AA. They've never done it before. At least, not as wide-spread as that. Generally, they'd only use it near one of their planetside factories, if at all.”

“Not to mention,” Dmitri jumped in, “they seem to have patrols going out.”

Twilight looked between the three humans again as her brows knitted in confusion. “That sounds like something somepony should do in a potentially hostile area, right? It would be the best way to stay safe, or at least safer”

“Damn straight kid.” Shelby grunted, “That's the weird part. They never did. They were always reactionary, not proactive. You could sneak right up to one of their bases and plant bombs.” Her head flicked toward Vincent. “We've been part of raids like that before. They swarm like a beehive afterward, but never before.”

The large man glared at the nearest, fallen android as he snarled, “Thing is Twi, the Cye seem to be getting smarter.”

“So what changed?” mused Dmitri. “You'd think that after that control station over Gaia was destroyed...”

“Hey!” Screamed Sergeant Williams. Twilight turned toward the dropship, seeing the elder Marine hanging his head out of the ramp, “Everyone get your sorry carcasses back in here!”

Vincent squinted at their commanding officer, and muttered, “We'll talk more later.”

He strode toward the fallen craft, Dmitri and Shelby following close behind. Twilight slowly looked around the strangely pristine landscape. Minus the sudden appearance of their doomed starship, it hardly seemed like a war had happened on this planet. She couldn't even see any kind of base or anywhere that the Cye could have come from. It looked just like any of the lush meadows that surrounded Ponyville.

Still, she squinted around at the field. Something felt... wrong. A queasy roil overtook her stomach as she stared around her. The bright sun shone down, casting it's comforting warmth. A nice, gentle breeze swept across the vibrant, green grass; causing it to sway. The wind pulled away the smells of fire and battle, letting her catch a whiff of the sweet smells of flowers and soft earth. Everything seemed safe and homey. Nothing seemed out of place. And yet, she still felt a tingle of unease. Finally, it struck her. She looked at the grass around her hooves. Scanned the sky. Everywhere she looked, it became more and more alarming.

Throughout this entire, welcoming landscape, not a single living creature could be seen.

And One More Thing...

It had turned into a glorious day while he had been busy inside Canterlot Palace. A clear blue sky allowed the warm sun to beam down, while a gentle breeze kept it from being unbearably hot. Birds sang as they wheeled overhead; each unique trill and chirp adding to the soft melody of nature. The smell of damp earth and rain mixed with the flowers of the gardens from the nearby town, creating an uplifting aroma.

Trudging through the brightly lit, crowded office, Jaze couldn't enjoy it. He was surrounded by Earth Coalition personnel rushing this way and that as they went about their duties. Many of the men and women offered him formal salutes as he brushed past, while a few gave more informal waves in his direction. He ignored them all as he made a beeline for his office. His boots crunched against the concrete flooring as he marched. He could still feel the papers tucked safely into the back pocket of his trousers.

They seemed to have transformed into lead. White hot lead that burned his skin through the thin fabric of his pants. The calligraphic print words seared through his mind, tearing away all other thoughts. Of course Celestia would drop this on him now, when there's so much work to be done. She seemed to revel in the chance to fluster him. If he had to guess, she was smirking as she went about her day. Surely she had to know the difficulties this would cause...

“Hey! Watch o... dammit!” a female voice yelled as Jaze bumped into something. Papers scattered around him as he looked up. Standing before him was a fuming woman. Her long, dark brown was pulled back into a neat bun atop her head, and she glared at him with intensely green eyes. Her features were gently rounded and soft. A simple, khaki blazer with a matching, knee length shirt utterly failed to hide her womanly figure.

“You bumbling grunt!” she barked as she slowly turned red in the face, “Who the hell do you think you are? Who the hell do you think I am?!” The woman bent at the waist, gathering up the scattered papers as she muttered, “Idiot Marine, not watching where he's going. Going to be late...”

Jaze knelt and helped gather the errant papers, speaking as softly and calmly as he could over his thudding heart. “I'm sorry, my mind was rather preoccupied. Name's....”

“I could care less!” hissed the woman, “You've made me late to a very important meeting, with someone so high on the totem pole you can't even see where he sits, boy.”

He felt his eyebrow twitch at her words, and his heart suddenly stilled. “Oh really?” he asked as he held out the small stack of papers, “And who would that be?”

She snatched the papers from his hand, shuffling them into the rest as she replied with a hint of a smirk, “One Jaze Armand, administrator of this... base, and former Colonel with the StarSide Marines.”

A tiny smile split Jaze's lips, making the woman's frown deepen. “You needed to meet mister Armand? I can show you to his office. It's the least I can do after my inattention caused you to be late. Though, I'm sure he won't mind tardiness.”

The woman rolled her eyes, and sighed, “Fine, lead the way. But if I end up in trouble, I'll make sure it's your backside the good Colonel takes a bite of.”

Smiling wider at the threat, Jaze strode forward towards his office. The woman fell into step behind him, glaring at anyone that happened to look their way. As they walked, he took the opportunity to study the young woman with quick, surreptitious glances. Despite her rather angry expression, he couldn't help but notice her beauty. She had a slight, confident sway to her walk as she observed everyone they passed. He kept catching the glances from many of the personnel they passed.

They passed down a short hallway from the lobby, and came to a small waiting area. A few, spartan, metal chairs and benches took up most the wall to his left, and the back wall. To his right, sat waist-high, long table and a water cooler. Taking up one corner of the back wall was a Marine sitting behind a simple, metal desk that was bolted to the floor. The aide looked up from a small stack of papers as Jaze and his follower entered, offering a small smile and wave. In the center of the wall was the door to his office. The plain, faux-wooden door had a new addition; a crude, handmade, steel plaque taped to the door that read: “JAZE ARMAND, PROFESSIONAL CHAIR WARMER”.

He looked to the Marine, and asked drily, “Why would you do that?”

The soldier barely managed to stifle a laugh. “Wasn't me sir. Made me promise not to tell, but I did try to stop her.”

Jaze nodded with a small grin. “I think I know who did it, and you made the right choice. Just don't let it happen again.”

“Aye sir.” Once more, the Marine's head dropped to his work.

The woman behind him gave a curious glance to the aide before cocking her head to Jaze. “What's this sir nonsense?”

Jaze let the tiny smile he had been wearing slide away as he stepped up to the door. He glanced over his shoulder, noting with some satisfaction that the confusion on the woman's face had become more apparent. In one smooth motion he twisted the handle and pushed, letting the portal swing wide as he stepped aside. Waving the young woman in, he stepped in behind her and quietly shut the door.

The windowless office was just as it had been when he left. An wooden desk and office chair only slightly more stylish than the soldier's outside his office dominated the back wall, with a mountain of papers neatly stacked on top of it. A monitor for receiving video-calls stood guard next to the heaps of paper and was currently blank. A pair of comfortably padded, fake-leather chairs sat in front of the desk, while both side walls were taken up by filing cabinets and shelving.

Jaze glided across the floor and stood behind the desk, pushing his chair back a bit out of the way as his arms crossed before him. With a nod at one of the other chairs, he ordered, “Now have a seat, and tell me why you're here.”

“Okay, who are you?” asked the woman, a touch of worry in her voice.

“Who do you think?”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. Her low, desperate, strangled whisper barely eked out. “There's no way you're... I thought that Mr. Armand was a Colonel... You're way too young...”

“In my line of work, ma'am, assumptions can get you killed.” Jaze pulled his chair closer, and sank into it. He just managed to hold in a grateful sigh; even this felt comfortable. The day had only begun, and he was already tired.

Pointing towards the chair, he continued, “Now please, sit down. You seemed in such a hurry to meet with me, and I would like to know why. And just why you would be so rude to someone.”

“I-I am deeply sorry, Mr. Armand!” cried the woman. She practically fell into the chair as if she had become boneless. “I, I was just so worried about meeting with you, and I was already late because of the lack of a proper spaceport on this backwater dirtball, and I didn't actually know whom I was to be meeting, I was just given a name and location. I had no idea you'd be so young and...” Her features broke out in a deep, red flush. “Nor so handsome.”

“Flattery won't help much with me.” Jaze stated as he leaned back in his chair. “And you still haven't told me why you're here, nor have you properly introduced yourself.”

The blush deepened, and she squeaked out,“Ohyesright! My name is Helen Baudin.” She cleared her throat, and continued with a bit more confidence, “I was sent here by the Earth Coalition Navy to assist you with keeping this base running smoothly. I can take over the more mundane, tedious tasks that this job entails in order to allow you to devote your full attention to things that truly matter. The ECN would like to see things running smoothly, before this war is finally over.

“As you must very well know, humanity's been reeling since the very first attack. Communication has broken down with planets being either taken or abandoned, we've had to watch as many of our friends and family have been ruthlessly murdered, and the structure of power in both the military and civilian sectors have been collapsing steadily over the past six years. Humanity is at the brink of oblivion. Everyone has felt it, and now we're taking steps to alleviate some of the burdens that war has placed on those who were woefully unprepared. With hard work, we can pull back.”

“Pretty speech.” Jaze reclined back into his chair, and crossed his arms. “But, words aren't going to help. I'm going to guess that you're from one of the inner colonies, maybe even Earth, correct?”

Helen's chest seemed to swell with pride as a tiny, tight-lipped smile, “I was born and raised under the watchful gaze of Sol, yes.”

“Guessed as much. Out here, it's different. You'll have to pull your weight, especially on this particular planet. I'm guessing you've met with at least one or two of the inhabitants here, correct?”

A small twitch danced across her face, halfway between a grimace and smile, “Well, yes I may have seen some of these so-called ponies running about here and there.”

“Good. The ponies here are a good, hardworking, kind bunch. But, we, the humans, brought a war to their planet they couldn't have prepared for. A lot of them got hurt. We're not here to play 'study the fascinating new creatures'. The citizens of Equestria are our staunch allies, and they gave us help when everyone expected we'd never get it. Without them, we'd still be fighting a losing war. And now, they need help. I have no idea what you've been told we're doing out here, but I'm making it my top priority to help get this planet back in order.”

“Y-yes sir.” she squeaked.

The woman cleared her throat, and continued with a slightly stronger tone, “I look forward to working with these Equestrians in the days to come. Although, I... well never mind.”

“If you have a question or concern, tell me.”

“It's nothing, sir, and won't negatively affect my work at all.”

Jaze gave a slight, reassuring smile. “I'll decide what is nothing. If you're here to help, I have to know I can rely on you. What is the problem?”

Helen glanced toward the door, her eyes narrowing. Nervously licking her lips, she whispered, “Well sir, are... uh... Are all the ponies so... adorable?”

He stared at the young woman, watching her face slowly color under his gaze. He cocked and eyebrow, and gently replied, “Would you mind running that one by me again?”

“Well, I mean.” Her checks burned bright red, as she stuttered, “Jus-just, look a-at 'em! They've got such huge, adorable heads and eyes and they're so fluffy and the colors! I'd never seen a bright green horse, but by god there was one standing at the dropship asking if I needed any help! And, and then some have on little suits of armor! And they're all so nice, like perfect little ladies and gentlemen.”

Jaze had to bite his lip in order to stop the chuckle forming in his throat. Though, a phantom of it escaped as he asked, “So then I take it you're going to like it here?”

“Well sir, don't get me wrong. This is still a backwater little dirtball out in nowhere space, and I'd rather be anywhere else in the inner colonies. But, well... These ponies may yet make the trip bearable.” She flushed a bit deeper, “And, maybe some of the other scenery.”

Rolling his eyes at the compliment, he ordered, “If your goal is to help Equestria get back on it's feet, we can use you.” He pointed towards the door. “Go take over for the poor Marine sitting out there. He got pulled to be helping me out; he'll appreciate being given something to do other than sitting in a chair. I'll call if I need any help”

Helen placed the first two fingers of her left hand to her forehead as she grinned. “Sir yes sir.” Spinning on her heel, she moved towards the door. But she wasn't quite quick enough to hide the grin on her face turning into a tight-lipped frown.

Before her hand reached the doorknob, Jaze called out, “Oh, and could you do me a favor? Remove that plaque from the door.”

The woman stiffened, but managed to reply in a bright and cheery voice, “No problem sir, though that kind of proves this person's point. Will that be all?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Helen twisted the doorknob and allowed the portal to swing wide. She stopped, as standing on the other side of the wooden frame was a tall, thin, older man. He wore a long, white lab-coat that covered him from neck to knees, with a pair of sturdy denim pants. His whitish-gray hair hung down in an unkempt mess to his jaw. A few age spots spattered what little of his dark skin visible beneath his concealing clothes, but his dark brown eyes nearly sparkled with a youthful vigor Jaze wouldn't have expected from the other man. Those intelligent eyes slid from Helen's face and behind to his, and the older man broke into a warm, friendly smile.

“Ah, Me-ser! I assume you to be de administrata, Me-ser Armand.” The older man bowed, just a slight flexing of his stomach as he continued in his gravely, powerful voice, “My name is Doctor Ghalemon, head of research for de new centa' being set up. I wished to check in wis de man whom, I assume, I shall be report-ing to.”

Cocking his head, Jaze replied, “Yeah, that's me. But, I wasn't aware we were setting up a full-on research center. Please, come in and have a seat; Miss Baudin was heading out to start getting this place lined out.”

The young woman, her wide-eyed gaze having been transfixed on the man since his appearance, suddenly shook her head. “Yes, right. Good day, Mr. Armand, Doctor.” She slipped past the old man as he strode through the door, and quickly shut the door behind herself.

“Now, what's this about a research center?” asked Jaze.

“Aaaaaaaaah yes!” The older man sank into one of the chairs in front of the desk, and began. “You see, dere is much to learn from dis place. As you may know, we haf seen dese pone-ehs to have some incredible talents. We hope to learn from dem, and maybe even improve up deir 'magic'.”

“But, where is this research taking place? I've not heard anything about any new building projects...”

“Oh, dat it most simple Me-ser Armand. For you see, da enemy has already provided for us a most perfect research laboratory.”

A pit formed in his stomach as Jaze asked, “What do you mean? You're surely not talking about that wretched little shop of horrors they left in the Everfree?”

“But of course.” stated Ghalemon in a matter-of-fact manner.

The pit turned into a hard ball of disgust as bile rose in his throat. Jaze looked at the old man, and shook his head as he firmly replied, “Absolutely not. I don't know who decided to go back there, but the only thing that should happen to that place is destroy it via orbital bombardment.”

“Dat would be a waste, Me-ser. Dink of de dings we could learn from deir research. Who know what dey haf dis-covered. Our own research could benefit greatly.”

Jaze felt every muscle in his body clench as he growled, “You've no idea what went on in that hell-hole of a place. I saw, first hand, thing kinds of things that was being done there. That is not the kind of research that the Earth Coalition wants to engage in. Especially not when we'd be furthering ideas that were a harm to the creatures currently hosting our little base.”

“If noding else, Me-ser, we should at least know what de enemy intended for dis place. Ahnd we may get an insight into deir ways of dinking.”

Jaze propped his elbows on his desk, and let his head sink into his hands. The words made sense. Far too much, if he were entirely honest with himself. With a groan, he began, “But, that place...”

Ghalemon cut him off with a wave of his weathered hand, “We should not let our emotions rule our judgment, Me-ser Armand. Our primary purpose here, aside from assisting the locals in rebuilding, is to gather information. Dere is too much in dat base to allow it to fester. If noding else, we should catalog what is dere, so dat dings can't be stolen.”

The older man's words burned through his mind, and made the roiling disgust in his stomach seethe. With a sigh, Jaze whispered, “I'll have a team of Marines sweep the whole complex top to bottom. Once we're sure it's cleared, you and your team can move in an begin securing any intel you can find.” He looked up, and growled, “Everything you find there, and I do mean absolutely everything, is to be considered classified. Only you, your team, Admiral Gaston, and myself are to see anything that you're working on. Understood?”

A large grin broke across the other's features, and he gave a nodding bow, “Yes Me-ser, very good.”

“And your team will be tasked with cleaning up the place.”

“Not a problem Me-ser. You'll find my team most capable; I dink you'll be well pleased.”

Jaze gave a noncommittal grunt. “Is that all, Doctor?”

“Yes Me-ser Armand. I will be going now.”

The old researcher gave another bow from the waist, and left the room a brisk pace. As soon as the other left, Jaze let his head fall back into his hands. The thought of any of Carn's experiments getting out to the general public of Equestria made his skin crawl. A brief memory of a young, brilliantly white pegasus swarmed to mind, making his chest ache until he managed to quash that last, pleading look under a mental boot.

A soft rap on his wooden door made his head whip up as he grumbled “Who's there now?